Playful and innocent, Mei Semones’ music floats through the air like a child’s poem written on a bunch of balloons. Ambitious in her vision, complex in her instrumentation, eclectic yet consistent in her execution, the Brooklyn-based singer–songwriter and composer opened up an auditory kaleidoscope of unheard songs with her debut album, ‘Animaru’, released this year on Bayonet Records. Highly melodic and warm, technically brilliantly executed and yet simultaneously carefree and light, this is where introspective folk and Japanese poetry, bossa nova and mathematically arranged pop, indie rock and leaned-back jazz come together. The result sounds like a chamber orchestra in the artist’s bedroom, perfectly harmonised, as if its members had been doing nothing else for months and years except rehearsing outstanding songs such as ‘Tora Moyo’ or the eruptive ‘Rat With Wings’. Tension and redemption are the two poles between which Mei Semones presents an incredibly multi-faceted piece of music history performed with a great deal of passion. Believe the hype: This woman plays in a league that belongs entirely to her.