Mamiko Suzuki (鈴木真海子) – “night out drinking (ft. Mei Semones)”
If it’s brat summer out there in the pop world, in the bossa world the same can be said about… Mei Semones features? (Semones summer? idk.) After releasing her stellar second EP Kabutomushi in April, Semones is hard at work touring the project and playing a ton of supporting shows throughout the States with other indie heroes (Liana Flores, Katy Kirby, The Bygones). I’m currently in New York right now, and it’s amazing to see her name pop up time and time again at local venues. And recently, we’ve been seeing her feature on other releases (“didn’t mean”) as well.
That brings me to “night out drinking,” one of the latest tracks to get a Mei Semones feature. Mamiko Suzuki is probably better known as one-half of the J-hip-hop duo chelmico (anime lovers will know them from the theme song from the cult-favorite Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!), and she’s just released a new album, mukuge. This second album flirts with her usual hip-hop leaning stylings (“may blues”) and whimsical pop (“kioi-sabou”) but takes a stripped back approach to J-pop. I’d highly recommend giving it a listen if you’re a fan of artists like mei ehara, iri, or even if the idea of breezy jazz appeals to you.
However, there are also a few indie-pop/folk adjacent jams on there, one of which is “Night out drinking,” which features Semones. This one sounds like an obvious offshoot of the bossa nova stylings that she’s known for, but it wouldn’t seem too out of place if it were also on Kabutomushi, for example. “Night out drinking” is a magical duet that feels like a kindred conversation between two friends as the hot summer night winds down. Suzuki and Semones are a match made in heaven — harmonizing with each other on line after line as the bossa breeze takes you away.
I’m curious about how this collaboration came about, but after doing some digging it seems that they’ve even played a few times together when Semones was doing her short Japan tour. Between this and the many other collabs Semones has done, I can’t wait to see who she will be working with next.
Mamiko Suzuki’s mukuge is out now.
Mei Semones’ Kabutomushi EP is out now via Bayonet Records. Check out our interview with Mei Semones here.
Li-Wei Chu is the chief editor of From the Intercom. When he’s not editing drafts and searching for new artists to cover for the website, he loves watching cult films, cooking, and listening to his ever-growing collection of vinyl records. You can follow him on LetterBoxd and make fun of his taste in movies here!