Put me on a porch with a crispy beverage, and some sweet, sweet music
Spring into our 2nd edition, featuring Mei Semones and Hannah Cohen.
Pictured: Racing Mount Pleasant
Thank goodness, spring is here—and with it comes some beautiful music and the promise of other exciting releases to come this (everyone-Charli-mentioned-at-Coachella-plus-cuntissimo) summer. We’re nerding out over the Lordes and Bon Ivers (and the Jim-E Stack that ties them all together), plus all the emerging bands and scenes on the come up…
In this Editor’s Note, we’d like to spotlight a scene percolating in the UK, as described below by Spotify music editors Carla & Shannon.
Over the last two years, our team has been watching in admiration as a slew of new bands have emerged from an unassuming pub in South London called The Windmill. This grassroots venue out of Brixton has played a pivotal role in breaking bands such as Black Country, New Road, Geordie Greep-fronted black midi, Squid and more during the peak of post-punk in the mid-to-late 2010s. Oftentimes acting as a launchpad for new bands to play to a live audience for the first time, The Windmill fosters an array of vibrant, avant-garde performances that leave lasting impressions on fans.
What we’re seeing now is a new generation of guitar bands pushing boundaries by experimenting with sounds that straddle alt-folk and post-post-punk.To put it plainly: we are obsessed. Bands like Tapir!, caroline, UGLY (UK), Racing Mount Pleasant & pencil are among a few that we have our eyes on. Their sound is marked by intricate instrumentation and a sense of collective creativity that is infectious and unmistakably human. Hit play on melomania to get a feel for it.
Thanks for tuning in to our May edition! Look out below for interviews and stories from artists, input from readers and the songs we can’t stop listening to this month.
Sincerely,
Lizzy
Honestly: Mei Semones, whimsical muse of indie jazz.
Chances are you’ve come across Mei Semones’s music this season, as everyone is just buzzing about the Japanese-American, Brooklyn-based indie-jazz sensation. Her debut album Animaru, which released a couple weeks ago, is perfect for a park picnic, misty morning or introspective afternoon. Catch Mei touring across North America this summer (or if you’re ever so lucky, at Fuji Rock in July!). Learn more in these incredible profiles from NME and LoBF, and below :)
How did you know you wanted to become an artist? At what point did you switch from piano to guitar, and start writing your own music?
There's not a specific point when I remember realizing that I wanted to be an artist. I think it was just a gradual thing, one day [at some point in high school] I realized there was nothing I was interested in other than music. I started playing guitar around the age of 11, and although I started writing songs in middle school, I didn't write a song that I really liked and wanted to release until 2020, which was my first single, "Hfoas."
Best moment of tour so far?
One of my favorite moments on tour is when the audience sings along :) Most recently, this happened at my first-ever London headline in April, and before that I remember our first Chicago headline last summer being really sweet for that reason <3 It makes me really happy to connect with people in that way.
Artists often find touring to be a blur because you’re not spending more than a day or so in each city. What are some ways you’re planning to be in the moment or remember your favorite tour stops?
This is something I definitely want to get better at—I feel like when I'm on tour I get tunnel vision and sometimes I feel like I don't even know where I am. It'd be nice to ground myself along each stop through food & friends :) If we can find a nice local spot for food, and also say hello to any friends in each city, that would be really meaningful to me!
Is there somewhere in Japan that you’re excited to check out (or revisit) while you’re in town?
One of my favorite spots to visit in Japan since I was little is Kamakura. There's a lot of really beautiful temples and shrines, and there's a little street that you can walk along that has lots of cute shops & street food. I always get strawberry daifuku (mochi) there, and I hope I have time to do that on this next trip too :)
What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
Practice makes perfect!
Welcome to LORE-M, where we ask artists to tell an untold story… read below, from Hannah Cohen.
Hannah Cohen captured our hearts (and ears) this spring with her new album, Earthstar Mountain. But did you know her magic vocals have also appeared on projects throughout the years from Sufjan Stevens, Clairo and Big Thief? Her moment in the sun feels so timely, as this album is the result of four years of writing and recording, love, loss and a peek into the studio that’s become somewhat of an upstate New York artist retreat. Read her whimsical story about
My partner Sam Evian and I left NYC for the Catskills in 2019 with a dream to build a recording studio that could be a space for artists to work but also to reset. Both Sam and I love to cook and entertain, so the recording sessions are really built around shared meals, hikes, swimming in our creek and fawning over our rescue dog, Jan. Since we opened the doors to Flying Cloud, they never really closed! The studio became this revolving door of musicians and friends. We really sank ourselves into the hospitality for musicians and building a community. The Catskills has a long history of artist communities, boarding houses and artist retreats starting in the late 1800s, and here we found ourselves doing a similar thing.
In the winter of 2022 our friend and neighbor Sufjan Stevens encouraged me and Sam to do a “song a day” writing exercise with him and a few other local musicians in our community. The rule was: you had to turn in a new song by midnight or you’d be removed from the group!
By day 4 I was procrastinating a bit and it was getting closer to midnight. I started riffing around on my nylon guitar, playing some new chords that seemed like they didn’t really go well together, but out of nowhere I sang this super high, long note: “I know who you areeeeeeeee, it’s true." It somehow worked over the chords, so I decided to keep going.
It was kind of like an exorcism. I ended up writing the chorus first and then came the verses. Eventually it formed into the song “Earthstar,” which I then brought to Sam, who helped me flesh it out into the arrangement you hear today. It became a portal to the sonic landscape of Earthstar Mountain.
One of my favorite moments from the Big Thief session—we had a huge summer storm that knocked out the power to the studio just as Adrianne and Buck had finished writing "Certainty" under the covered patio. Summer rain was pouring down sideways. Sam and James heard them through the window and decided that it was best to find a way to capture the song while it was fresh, despite being unable to use the gear in the studio.
Sam had the brilliant idea to try and run a 4-track cassette recorder off the cigarette lighter in our 2003 F-150. He pulled the truck up to the house and ran a series of sketchy extensions and ground lifts while the rest of us carried instruments down to the kitchen. We all sat in a circle and recorded two takes of the song before the fuse on the truck battery died. There was a kind of Rube Goldberg feeling to it all. All the elements and pieces fitting together to capture the song live on 4-track in a very pure and beautiful way. It was magic. Afterwards we made a pancake dinner and ate by candlelight.
by: Hannah Cohen
Ten songs our indie editors have on repeat this month…
Further listening: Oklou’s “birth” playlist, “10 Years of Fresh Finds” (featuring some of the biggest artists to come out of the program!), and for those on the trip hop wave and beyond, may we suggest: Zero 7’s catalog?
Pictured: Jahnah Camille
We asked, you genuinely called it first… The Lorem community tells all.
Music that creates discussion is one of the most magical parts of Lorem. What are YOU noticing and loving right now? Want to be included in the next newsletter? Fill out this form & bookmark for future editions...
What are you listening to right now?
“Right now i’m really enjoying Bjork’s Vulnicura Live, Beabadoobee’s cover of Sway, Bon Iver’s new record (specifically, awards season into short story into everything is peaceful love), and of course, Minnie Riperton!” - Allison, student & musician
“New Operelly and YHWH Nailgun” - Eli, high school drum & guitar teacher
“Hovvdy, Wishy, MJ Lenderman, Jahnah Camille, Teethe, Allegra Krieger, Maz, After, villagerrr” - Jared, music industry
“Tommy Barlow, Trinity Ace, Eliza Niemi, Fib” - Bronwyn, music marketing & digital
What artists are criminally underrated and deserve more recognition?
“Hannah. Fucking. Cohen.” - Jacob, music industry
“Martha Wainwright and her self-titled album.” - Ann, project manager
From rising subgenres, listening habits and an evolving industry, what are some of the most important trends in music right now?
“I’m really pleased to see more experimental production (both hifi and lofi) getting some airtime. Hopefully that continues and we see more people embracing wild boundary-pushing art made on a mix of budgets. I’m also enjoying political lyrics hitting the mainstream more and more. Sign of the times…” - Props, artist/producer
“I'm very bullish about the resurgence of '90s culture and how it's honing in on today’s subcultures. Artists like Esha Tewari and Ha Vay truly understand how to channel the emotional depth of icons like Jeff Buckley and Mazzy Star. Meanwhile, Wisp has fully claimed Gen Z shoegaze in a way that feels both nostalgic and forward-thinking. I’m all in on 2hollis and fakemink. The fusion of club electronic and rap they’re championing is breathing fresh life into hyperpop-adjacent sounds. I believe listeners will only go deeper in seeking out artists who can expand and evolve this palette for a broader audience over the next 2–3 years. Its guerrilla nature and avant-garde approach are inspiring — raw, experimental, and perfectly positioned for this moment.” - Joe, A&R / artist manager
“we are going to see a continuation of this jazz comeback (if it even went away). I think artists are going to reach more into an experimental acid jazz-ish vibe and maybe this is just wishful thinking, but MORE JAZZ STANDARDS!!” - Allison, student & musician
“Indie becoming the new mainstream (does that stop making them indie?). I think people are trying to find artists that truly care about their work and are willing to bend the norms of music. I think people are ready to support the weird.” - Ann, project manager
“Quality over quantity (thank god!)” - Bronwyn, music marketing & digital
How do you discover new music, or share it with friends?
“Through failed situationships.” - Susannah Joffee, artist
“Having cooler fwiends than me.” - Chris, “da record biz, baby”
That’s all, folks! Thank you to Chissy, Leila, Shannon, Carla and all friends of Lorem. Happy listening, see you next time <3
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Listening to Hannah Cohen for the first time rn. Found a new fav song:)
That bit about the summer rainstorm is fantastic. Exactly how I'd envision recording with Hannah and Sam.