Mei Semones Announces New Single/Video & Tour Dates + London Headline
MEI SEMONES UNVEILS NEW SINGLE/VIDEO,
“I CAN DO WHAT I WANT”
ANNOUNCING TOUR DATES INCLUDING LONDON HEADLINE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY APRIL 1st
DEBUT ALBUM, ANIMARU,
OUT MAY 2ND VIA BAYONET RECORDS
Watch videoHERE
Rolling Stone “Artist You Need to Know”
Paste “Best of What’s Next”
“A graceful, bossa-nova-injected track with intricate string arrangements and brief visits to the traditional indie-rock” - DIY Mag
“An elegant, intricate assemblage of jumpy guitar lines, jazz chords, warped bossa nova rhythms, string orchestrations and sudden dynamic surges: a tightly curated set of influences that adds up to elegant, flexible, wily songs.” - The New York Times
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Mei Semones — the 24-year-old Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and virtuosic guitarist — unveils the new single/video “I can do what I want,” from her first full-length album, Animaru, out May 2nd via Bayonet Records. Mei will embark on dates supporting Panchiko on a UK/EU tour next month and last week announced her first ever headline show in the UK at Camden Assembly on April 1st. A full list of dates can be found below, with tickets and further information available here.
On “I can do what I want,” Mei actively seeks out musical challenges, making it the album’s most technically ambitious track. She manages to make the quickly cascading guitar harmonics and odd meters sound like a breeze to play, her breathy, lilting voice cutting through the track’s energetic dynamics. It epitomizes the album as a whole – she sings of doing things her own way, on her own terms, in hopes of inspiring others to make the same active switch in their own lives.
In Mei’s words, “‘I can do what I want’ is one of the most high-energy songs on the album, as well as one of the most challenging songs to play. Lyrically the song is centered around doing what I want and what is best for me, and I hope it empowers other people to do what they want & prioritize what is best for them too.”
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “I CAN DO WHAT I WANT”
Since the release of her acclaimed 2024 Kabutomushi EP, a series of lushly orchestrated reflections on love in its many stages, Mei has gone on to tour extensively across the US, cultivate a dedicated following, and write and record her highly anticipated debut album, Animaru. Inspired by the Japanese pronunciation of the word “animal,” Animaru is the embodiment of Mei’s deeper trust in her instincts – a collection of musically impressive tracks that see Mei sounding more adventurous, more vulnerable and more confident than ever before.
In the midst of extensive touring, Mei and her five-piece band recorded the album in the summer of 2024 at Ashlawn Recording Company, a farm studio in Connecticut operated by their friend Charles Dahlke. To these sessions, she brought a batch of tracks that, not unlike Kabutomushi, are sophisticated declarations of non-romantic love: love of life, love of family, love of music and her guitar. Animaru exemplifies Mei’s enchantingly wide range as a songwriter and musician, including some of the most challenging and most straightforward songs Mei has ever written.
PRE-ORDER ANIMARU
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “DUMB FEELING”
PURCHASE/STREAM KABUTOMUSHI
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “DANGOMUSHI”
WATCH MEI SEMONES’S AUDIOTREE SESSION
Tour Dates (New dates in bold)
Please message me for press passes
Mar. 25 - Dublin, IR @ Button Factory ~
Mar. 26 - Glasgow, UK @ Saint Luke's ~
Mar. 27 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club ~
Mar. 28 - Manchester, UK @ Academy 2 ~
Mar. 29 - London, UK @ Electric Ballroom ~
Apr. 1 - London, UK @ Camden Assembly
Apr. 3 - Amsterdam, NL @ Tolhuistuin ~
Apr. 4 - Antwerp, BL @ Trix ~
Apr. 5 - Paris, FR @ Petit Bain ~
May 7 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg *
May 29 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live *
May 30 - Washington, DC - The Atlantis *
May 31 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle - Back Room *
June 2 - Atlanta, GA - Aisle 5 *
June 3 - Nashville, TN - DRKMTTR *
June 4 - Louisville, KY - Zanzabar *
June 6 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups *
June 7 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall *
June 8 - Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club *
June 9 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St Entry *
June 11 - Ferndale, MI - The Loving Touch *
June 12 - Toronto, ON - Longboat Hall *
June 13 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz PDB *
June 14 - Boston, MA - The Red Room at Cafe 939 *
July 11 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada
July 12 - Austin, TX - Parish
July 15 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar
July 16 - San Diego, CA - Quartyard
July 18 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room
July 19 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
July 21 - Portland, OR - Polaris Hall
July 22 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret
July 23 - Seattle, WA - Barboza
~ supporting Panchiko
* with John Roseboro
ANIMARU TRACKLIST:
1. Dumb Feeling
2. Dangomushi
3. Tora Moyo
4. I can do what I want
5. Animaru
6. Donguri
7. Norwegian Shag
8. Rat With Wings
8. Zarigani
9. Sasayaku Sakebu
