Doors: 8PM / Show: 9PM / 21+   YUMA ABE Tokyo-based singer-songwriter Yuma Abe launched his solo career in 2021 with the album Fantasia, released on his own imprint Thaian Records and released internationally via Temporal Drift. “Omaemo,” a transpacific collaboration with Devendra Banhart on guitar, was the album’s first single, whose title roughly translates to “You Too” and its lyrics reflecting a moment of unexpected introspection amid Covid- induced quarantine. Its pleasantly warm lilt could be described as suitably Mac DeMarco-esque. Since 2014 Yuma has been the principal singer and songwriter for the band never young beach, whose uniquely Japanese brand of West Coast-inspired breezy pop has found considerable success in Japan and throughout Asia, with five albums under their belt and sold-out tours with support from the likes of Devendra Banhart and Mild High Club. Abe has not been shy about his admiration for the legendary Haruomi Hosono, who in turn has become his mentor of sorts, and offers his services as a mixing engineer on Fantasia. In 2023 Yuma returned with Surprisingly Alright―the result of many conversations he had with himself and his close friends. The mini-album deftly captures the warmth and springy air that permeated throughout the sessions. The A-side contains “Go Back,” “Arayotto,” and “Domo Konnichiwa,” whose effervescence and buoyancy are emphasized by the unique interplay of the chorus and the vocals, flowing out like a voice from within the belly of a carefree vagabond. The B-side contains “Dakishimete,” which unfolds into a mid-section with a distinctive ‘60s-’70s Wamono-style groove, and “Igaito Nanka Heiki”, which translates to “Surprisingly Alright”―essentially the title track―in which Yuma joyfully vows to ‘死んでもまだ踊る’ - “keep dancing even when I’m dead.”