Mei Semones • SOMMERINSEL (Open Air)

Mei Semones will perform an exclusive open-air concert this year at SOMMERINSEL at the Kulturhaus Insel Berlin. Tickets are now available. Presented by FluxFM

Opening act: Aron!

Doors open: 6:30 p.m.
Show starts at 7:30 p.m.

“No second-guessing, no overthinking. I want to live my life doing the things that matter to me, and I think everyone should live that way,” says Mei Semones about her newfound self-confidence. By continually refining her signature fusion of indie rock, bossa nova, jazz, and chamber pop—while showcasing her technical prowess on the guitar—the 24-year-old songwriter and guitarist from Brooklyn is rapidly establishing herself as an innovative musical force. Since the release of her acclaimed 2024 EP “Kabutomushi”—a series of richly orchestrated reflections on love in its many phases— Mei has toured extensively throughout the U.S., built a loyal fan base, and written and recorded her highly anticipated debut album “Animaru.” Inspired by the Japanese pronunciation of the word “animal,” “Animaru” is an expression of Mei’s deep trust in her instincts—a collection of musically impressive tracks on which Mei sounds more adventurous, vulnerable, and self-assured than ever before.

Mei’s newfound self-confidence stems in part from her experiences over the past year, as 2024 was a year of change for the Mei Semones Band. Among other things, they shared the stage with Liana Flores, Elephant Gym, and Kara Jackson, and Mei transitioned to a full-time career in music. Amid frequent tours, Mei and her five-piece band recorded the album in the summer of 2024 at Ashlawn Recording Company, a farm studio in Connecticut run by her boyfriend Charles Dahlke. She brought a series of tracks to these sessions that, much like “Kabutomushi,” are sophisticated expressions of non-romantic love: love for life (“Dumb Feeling”), love for family (“Zarigani”), love for music and her guitar (“Tora Moyo”). “Animaru” showcases Mei’s enchanting range as a songwriter and musician and features some of the most sophisticated yet straightforward songs Mei has ever written.

Even though her music naturally evokes feelings of romance and tenderness, the core of the album lies in the skillful balance between tension and relaxation that Mei and her band create. Within individual tracks, there are often moments where a subdued acoustic guitar accompanies Mei’s captivating vocals, which then transform in the blink of an eye into orchestral swells of sweeping strings and complex guitar rhythms. The album opener “Dumb Feeling” is a prime example of this: a blend of bossa nova and samba, complemented by indie rock elements in the chorus, as Mei describes her contentment with her life in New York City. On “Animaru,” Mei actively seeks out musical challenges, such as in “I Can Do What I Want,” the album’s most technically demanding track. Yet she manages to make the rapidly descending guitar harmonies and odd time signatures sound as if they were child’s play, while her breathy, buoyant voice cuts through the track’s energetic dynamics. This embodies the album as a whole—she sings about doing things her own way and on her own terms, in the hope of inspiring others to make the same active changes in their own lives.

The simple moments on “Animaru” are just as captivating as the passages where Mei shines on guitar or her bandmates perform a complex arrangement. “Donguri,” a stripped-down jazz duo performance featuring acoustic guitar and double bass, is the simplest song Mei has ever written. It comes to life as Mei (mostly in Japanese) charmingly describes how she imagines life as a forest animal. The penultimate track on the album also explores themes related to the title track, “animaru.” The cheerful, lively “Zarigani,” which translates to “crayfish,” is a nostalgic declaration of love for her twin sister, in which Mei sings: “We’ll always be there for each other / I love you like my guitar / I love you like no other.” Family is one of the most important loves in Mei’s life; her mother, Seiko Semones, designs all the artwork for her albums and singles. Even though “Animaru” is a declaration of Mei’s independence and self-confidence at this stage of her life, it is the various loves that surround her—her family, her friends, her band, her music—that give her the strength to do things her own way.
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“Animaru,” Mei Semones’ debut album, is now available.