Live Review: Tei Shi 'See Me'

Buenos-Aires born, New-York based Tei Shi (Valerie Teicher) is finally back with a new single following the single from last year, 'Nevermind the End', which has her engraved in the stones as a prominent artist with a keen story to tell. We last featured her in 2013 as Artist to Watch in 2014, two years later, Tei Shi has since been in the right track and moving fast.

Her last EP titled 'Saudade' is a six-track thrill-seeking yet spine-chilling mixture of elegant noise which features popular tune 'M&Ms'. The word 'Saudade' is a Portuguese word that describes a deep melancholia for a loved one that has been absent or gone, there is also no known direct translation to English. Tei Shi's 'Saudade' is exactly that, 'M&Ms' spins a tear-inducing tale about a lost love that could have materialised into an impenetrable one. "I had a dream that you left me, I deserved it. I'm stranger than anyone you could ever love," putting her in-between the crosshairs of tremendous pain, with her fans gravely pulling back on the trigger.

If haunting lines and an endearing love for nature and its sounds are your thing, 'See Me' should spark a few of those flames. Cornering itself with a buzzing personality, the song lays in the crossroads of genres with Tei Shi insisting her music sounds nothing close to R & B and conceiving a new genre 'mermaid music'; music fit for mermaids as they wander into the depths of the calming blue, away from the slightest of worries. Her lyrics showing off her distinct talent for the word, 'I jump through hoops and climb trees, cover my toxic lovings, all in the saddling fear that you see me."

Working with Glass Animals' Dave Baley has indeed shaved the off bumps along the sides like a seasoned carpenter's blade, his touch bleeding into the moving synth parts and rubbery guitar picking. It is this mastery that has kept Tei Shi relevant even before her debut album is yet to be released.

Words by Darren Ng

LISTEN TO MORE NEW MUSIC HERE

SEE ALSO:

ARTISTS TO WATCH IN 2014: TEI SHI

TEI SHI ‘NO ANGEL’ (BEYONCE COVER)

WATCH: TEI SHI ‘NEVERMIND THE END’ (OFFICIAL VIDEO)