Clattermouuuth’s Music of The Week: ‘Animaru’ By Mei Semones

By Andrew Kohler

Welcome back to Clattermouuuth’s Music of the Week, curating Rockaway’s music taste one week at a time.

This week, I wanted to talk about an album that might just be my favorite for 2025: “Animaru” by Mei Semones. It’s a jazz pop album that genuinely caught me off guard with its quality and honesty.

Every choice on “Animaru” is deliberate. There are jarring stops and starts, and unexpected yet intricate guitar solos. The album feels like a roller coaster — not the type that leaves you with a headache, but a bright, melodic roller coaster that just messes up your hair a little bit.

My favorite song on the album is the title track, “Animaru,” particularly because of the fusion of genres. The song could have easily just been a great indie rock song, but the song is filled with these little jazzy guitar solos and scatting by Mei Semones, which makes the song so much more interesting.

I actually got the chance to interview Mei back in January — before the album. She told me a little bit about her inspirations. “I’m inspired by the music I love, like John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, Jim Hall, Wes Montgomery, and João Gilberto.” But she is not only inspired by music, “I also find a lot of inspiration in my everyday life living in Brooklyn, NY.”

And that’s what I think this album is all about: a love letter to Brooklyn. Jazz musician and music critic Peter Martin described the album as “a vibrant exploration of life in the city,” and you can hear it in the music. The stops and starts, the sudden drum fill or guitar solo, it’s the same adrenaline you get from the chaos of the city.

So please, check this one out. I think it’s one of the most original albums I’ve heard in a very long time.