Mei Semones Announces Second Album Howl for January

Mei Semones has announced Howl, her second album, for release on 15 January. The Brooklyn-based songwriter paired the news with a new lead single, the first track released to introduce an album, and dates for a North American tour.

Howl will be her first release for Verve and Interscope, as reported by Pitchfork. It follows Animaru, her debut album released in 2025. That change of label pairs a large record company setup with an artist who built her audience on independent releases.

The lead single from Howl arrived with a music video directed by Takuto Shimpo. The clip was filmed in and around a convenience store in Tokyo. It gives the campaign a clear visual starting point ahead of the January release.

The album runs to 11 tracks. Titles confirmed so far include “Howl,” “2 Hands,” “Akumu,” “Chichibu,” “Towards Manhattan,” “Senro,” “Hoteru,” “Korokke,” “Monster” and “Kira Kira.” Full sequencing and physical formats are expected closer to release.

Semones will tour North America in support of the album from 24 February. Stops announced so far include New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Ann Arbor. The run is organised around the album release, with more dates to be confirmed by the promoter.

Semones creates jazz-influenced indie pop songs and writes lyrics in both Japanese and English, according to her official site. She is based in Brooklyn, NY. Her five-piece band recorded in the summer of 2024 at Ashlawn Recording Company in Connecticut, her bio states.

Her debut, Animaru, was announced for 2 May and released via Bayonet Records, as covered by BrooklynVegan. That album established her bilingual writing and guitar-led sound with a live band.

For fans, this means two dates to note. The album arrives on 15 January. The tour starts on 24 February.