Over the past year, Mei Semones released her debut full-length, Animaru, and we highlighted her as an Artist To Watch. Since then, this distinctive indie creator has stepped into the major leagues. She’s unveiling a new album, Howl, today, and it marks her first release with Verve/Interscope—a considerable jump from Bayonet. The lead track is available now, and it underscores that the ascent is well deserved.
“Even if I give my all it still isn’t enough/ I don’t mind, I’ll keep at this every day until I’m reduced to dust.” Those are the striking opening lines of “Howl,” spoken with her signature theatrical hush. “I was so thrilled to shoot the ‘Howl’ video in Tokyo with Takuto Shimpo and his crew,” Semones explains. “My concept for the clip was a daytime convenience-store worker and a guitar-obsessed werewolf by night, and I’m fond of how Takuto managed to bring that vision to life so precisely in this video.”
It’s a standout video that harmonizes with the song’s playful vibe. See it below.
TRACKLIST:
01 “Howl”
02 “素直になりたい”
03 “2 Hands”
04 “Akumu”
05 “Chichibu”
06 “Towards Manhattan”
07 “Senro”
08 “Hoteru”
09 “Korokke”
10 “Monster”
11 “Kira Kira”
TOUR DATES:
10/15/26 – New York, NY @ Lincoln Center
02/24/27 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair *
02/25/27 – Portland, ME @ SPACE *
02/26/27 – Montréal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount *
02/27/27 – Toronto, ON @ Concert Hall *
03/01/27 – Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark *
03/02/27 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall *
03/03/27 – Cleveland, OH @ Mahall’s *
03/05/27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
03/06/27 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall *
04/09/27 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
04/10/27 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
04/11/27 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
04/13/27 – Nashville, TN @ Third Man Records
04/15/27 – Dallas, TX @ Texas Theatre
04/16/27 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Upstairs
04/17/27 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
04/20/27 – Tucson, AZ @ La Rosa
04/21/27 – San Diego, CA @ Music Box
04/23/27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theatre
04/24/27 – San Francisco, CA @ The Castro
04/26/27 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
04/27/27 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore
04/28/27 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
04/30/27 – Boise, ID @ Shrine Basement
05/01/27 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby
05/02/27 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird
05/04/27 – Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck
05/05/27 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
05/06/27 – Lexington, KY @ The Burl
05/07/27 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
05/08/27 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Hall
* = aron! supporting
Howl drops on 1/15 via Verve/Interscope. Pre-order it here.
