Ayu Mesi - Angel Numbers

Words: Eerie Rose | Single Artwork: Karin Sarkizova

Ayu and I first met properly at a New Years Eve party in our mate’s flat in Greenwich, many years before we’d find ourselves living there together just a little up the very same street. We became friends largely through my undying love for, and regular work with, the band Forrest Flowers, in which she plays bass. Through living together, I’ve been able to witness first hand the endless work that has gone into her solo music, and have become very familiar with all the upcoming releases, hearing them being refined just around the corner from me in our shared studio. The new single, Angel Numbers, has been one of these songs that has in this way soundtracked a lot of my own work over the past couple of months, and I am beyond excited to see it being released out into the world. 

I sat down with Ayu this morning for a quick catch up on the single, and to delve a little deeper into who Ayu Mesi is. 

Tell me about your solo project, and identity as an artist!

I started working on Ayu Mesi as a concept during lockdown. I remember writing the intro for my first song Manger on my laptop using MIDI typing as I didn't have access to any of my instruments or equipment. From there it just kind of evolved into a space for me to push myself and exercise my production / writing ability. Taking shit that doesn’t belong together and trying to blur it as seamlessly (or jarringly) as my heart desires. 

Over time with enough songs the project has kind of developed some small sense of cohesion but that is a bit of a stretch, I think it’s more correlation than actual identity. 

In terms of genre, where does this work fit in relation to other music you make? What sort of genres inspire you?

Well I play in a Femcelly Indie band Rowe and a really loud Post Punk band Forrest Flowers. I'm really into the delicate touch of the first and the loud fucky weirdness of the second so this is a good middle ground. As for personal taste I'm really into pretty much anything UK, especially Jungle, bassline and the white trash side of UK Hip-Hop. I also really love midwest emo, Digital Hardcore and anything Death Grips adjacent. 

I found it really hard to find a niche of like minded people but recently I found Fusion Gate, who are an online, Digital-Hardcore collective. I’m definitely the Poppy bimbo of that crew but I’m very happy with that as my place.  

The new single, Angel Numbers, dropped last night. What is the song about? 

It's mainly about just where my head was at, at the time. I was a few months into T-Total sobriety which I hadn’t done in about 5 years and it completely sent me somewhere. 

It's about feeling totally out of control of your life, no matter how hard you try.

What's coming next? 

I got more songs to release this year, a bunch of electronic Post Punk, some UK Pillie Eilish with my Duo Anne Canny and some Emo / Drum ‘n’ Bass adjacent bits with Anne Canny and my friend Aerside.

The NEXT NEXT one is going to either be on the Fusion Gate collective tape or one of the latter mentioned. Depends who gets their shit together first. 

I’ve seen you have a music video in the works - what's up with that? 

We’re currently finishing it up! Life was getting in the way so we had to postpone it. It should be done in a couple weeks, please hold me to that. 

Oh, I will. 

You can follow Ayu Mesi on Instagram, and can find the new single Angel Numbers on Spotify.