Mei Semones – Itsumo
2025 has proved to be a breakout year for Mei Semones, the 24-year-old Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and virtuosic guitarist who released her debut album, Animaru, earlier this year via Bayonet Records.
Today, Semones releases “Itsumo,” originally a Japanese CD exclusive.
Reflecting on the track, she says: “‘Itsumo’ is the first song I ever wrote and recorded on a nylon string guitar. For me the song is about learning to be strong, and the strength that music has given me. I like the contrast between the bossa-style groove and bop-inspired string lines in the first half of the song and the distorted guitar layers and heavier rhythm section in the rock/grunge ending!”
Animaru (the Japanese pronunciation of the word “animal”) is the embodiment of Mei’s deeper trust in her instincts. The album is a collection of musically impressive tracks that see Mei sounding more adventurous, more vulnerable and more confident than ever before. “No second-guessing, no overthinking. The way I want to live my life is by doing the things that are important to me, and I think everyone should live that way,” says Semones of her strengthened self-assurance.
Though her music might inherently evoke feelings of romance and softness, the crux of the album lies in Semones and her band’s skillful balance of tension and release. Often within individual tracks, there are moments of pared-back acoustic guitar adorned with Semones’ infectious vocalizations that, in a moment’s notice, transform into orchestral swells of sweeping strings and complex guitar rhythms. Animaru exemplifies her enchantingly wide range as a songwriter and musician, including some of the most challenging and most straightforward songs Semones has ever written.
MEI SEMONES TOUR DATES
Thu. Oct. 16 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
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]
Thu. March 26 – Sun. March 29 – Knoxville, TN @ Big Ears Festival
* = supporting Men I Trust
# = w/ SUZU TOYAMA
#mei_semones