Mei Semones is known for her unique sound and unquestionable musical ability. “Mei Semones has carved out a new frontier in indie-rock, tearing through bossa nova ballads with the infectious urgency of a rafters-rousing guitar hero.” Says Pitchfork.
Her recent single, “Itsumo”, follows her critically acclaimed debut album Animaru, which has received praise from FLOOD, Consequence, Brooklyn Vegan, and more. Now, continuing her momentum, she has gifted the world with two brand new singles.
Kurayami/Get Used To It
“Kurayami” comes paired with a music video filmed in Japan and directed by Takuto Shimpo. It circles between shots of the song being performed and aesthetic clips of water.
Semones explains, “‘Kurayami’ means ‘darkness’ in Japanese, and this song is about growing up in Michigan and reminiscing on what it was like hanging out with my friends. Being a kid was really fun and I was happy, but I remember there was a point where we started to lose our innocence and I think this song is about that feeling. It’s one of the more technically difficult songs I’ve written, and it took some practice to get to the point where I could sing and play it at the same time. There’s lots of fun tempo changes, odd meters, wide interval arpeggios, and fast licks, and I think the band arrangement is really creative too.”
“Get Used To It” is, “about the beauty in solitude and being alone, how to move on from something that was important in your life but still leave space for it, and my love for the guitar and music. It’s the second song I wrote on my nylon string, and the changes and melody are somewhat inspired by Thelonious Monk.” Semones continues, “The instrumentation is more minimal than our other songs — just me (guitar & vox), upright bass, and drums. We were going for a live jazz trio sound, so there’s not really any layers or anything. It’s just a straightforward recording of the 3 of us playing the tune, and I think that was the best way to capture the feeling behind the song.”
The songs are available for pre-order on 7” and are out now on all streaming platforms. It can be found here.
Live
Later this month, Semones will be taking the stage at the New York Night Club’s 101 as part of Bayonet Records’ 10th Anniversary Party. She will also be playing Winter Jazzfest at the beginning of the new year. Tour dates can be found below.
Fri. Oct. 24 – New York, NY @ Night Club 101 – Bayonet Records 10yr Anniversary
Thu. Jan. 8 – New York, NY – Psychic Hotline Winter Jazzfest Showcase %
Sat. Jan. 10 – New York, NY – Winter Jazzfest Brooklyn Marathon
Tue. Jan. 20 – Osaka, JP @ Zepp Namba*
Wed. Jan. 21 – Nagoya, JP @ Diamond Hall*
Thu. Jan. 22 – Tokyo, JP @ Garden Theater*
Fri. Jan. 23 – Tokyo, JP @ Duo Music Exchange [SOLD OUT]
Sat. Jan. 24 – Nagoya, JP @ LIVE & LOUNGE VIO [SOLD OUT]
Sun. Jan. 25 – Osaka, JP @ Shangri-La [SOLD OUT]
Tue. Jan. 27 – Hiroshima, JP @ Club Quattro #
Wed. Jan. 28 – Fukuoka, JP @ Beat Station
Fri. Jan. 30 – Okinawa, JP @ Sakuraza Central
Sun. Feb. 1 – Tokyo, JP @ Duo Music Exchange [SOLD OUT]
Wed. Feb. 4 – Bangkok, Thailand – At.Buatudthong Art Space
Fri. Feb 6 – Singapore – Pasir Panjang Power Station A
Tue. Feb. 10 Honolulu, HI – Blue Note Hawaii (2 shows)
Thu. March 26 – Sun. March 29 – Knoxville, TN @ Big Ears Festival
% duo set with John Roseboro
* = supporting Men I Trust
# = w/ SUZU TOYAMA
