The music surrounding Mei Ehara has leaned towards more locked-in grooves since she adapted that name, moving away from the solo project May.e to something with a bit more band support. “Saisho No Hi Wa” features one of the more skeletal arrangements she’s used so far as Mei Ehara, anchored by a particularly sticky guitar melody played between verses. Yet that space allows Ehara to highlight her best element — her voice. She moves from a straightforward tone to letting her syllables drift and then letting her voice rise up. This has always been the way she adds drama to her music, and even against breezier backdrops she can still conjure up that feeling. Listen above.
