• 1xLP pressed on Black Vinyl
• Mixing by Tomohiko Kasai
• Mastering by Kentaro Kimura

Moto Kawabe of Mitsume to Release First Solo Album Yukuefumei on LP on December 11

Moto Kawabe of Mitsume will release the LP edition of his first solo album, Yukuefumei (Missing), on December 9. Following its digital release in July, the album's songs have been performed extensively at the release party held at KATA in Ebisu as well as at live shows across Japan. Now, as 2026 draws to a close, the work will finally be available on vinyl.

Yukuefumei marks the first time Kawabe has undertaken a full-band recording project under his solo name. Having previously released a number of home-recorded works while continuing his activities with Mitsume, Kawabe developed this album based on inspirations gained through his work as a producer and session musician on other artists' projects. The result is a new approach that exists somewhere between traditional studio recording and self-recording.

After years of experience in professional studio environments, Kawabe uses this project as an opportunity to draw the creative process back into his own hands. The album captures the first stage of this recording experiment, almost like a documentary of its own making. It features nine tracks, including the advance singles “Alien no Koi” and “Curve Mirror”.

Memories shared with others, urban landscapes, and the stillness of late-night hours form the emotional backdrop of the album. The songs on Yukuefumei quietly depict feelings that gradually change shape over time, as well as fleeting moments in everyday life that make one stop and reflect.

Highlights include “Alien no Koi”, with its wavering delay-guitar riffs and sensual vocal performance; “Curve Mirror”, which paints scenes of the city through a light and graceful melody; “Yonige,” filled with a floating atmosphere wrapped in the air of the night; and “Doushite,” distinguished by its layered vocal harmonies. Each song reveals a different facet of human relationships, ambiguous emotions, nighttime exhilaration, and loneliness.

Closing the album is “Amai Kajitsu”, a song that serves as a thematic centerpiece of the work. Comparing human relationships and the passage of time to fruit, the song follows “Shinya Bangumi”, which drifts between dream and reality in the dead of night, and gently concludes the album. A sense of fragility and ambiguity, of something rolling forward on the verge of breaking, runs throughout the entire record.

Sonically, the album is built around Kawabe's voice, with delicate arrangements woven into a minimal instrumental framework. His soft falsetto, layered choruses, and spacious arrangements reflect the freedom afforded by a solo project in which he personally handled everything from songwriting and arranging to the overall artistic direction.

The recording sessions featured contributions from Satoru Isobe (Tocago) and Yusuke Okada (BROTHER SUN SISTER MOON). Mixing was handled by Tomohiko Kasai, with mastering by Kentaro Kimura.