GINGER MAY – “Me and You” – powerful, driving and always creatively nuanced!

Since their inception Tokyo rock band GINGER MAY, have managed to continually sound fresh whilst maintaining their artistic integrity, and things are no different on their new single “Me and You”. The track is not so much a change of direction as it is an affirmation of all the musical elements that made the band exhilarating to begin with. It melds a dark melodic aura, with a gritty indie rock sheen, and a bluster of animated bombast.

The haunting and powerful “Me and You” is cocooned by the interplay of Satoshi Higashida’s jangling guitar and rumbling bass, Joey Vetter’s kinetic drum fills, and Tanya Schneider’s immediately recognizable vocals. If the goal for GINGER MAY is to outpace the pack with sheer vibe and groove, their exploits here might be enough to deem “Me and You” a success. It is easily one of the most effortlessly sublime recordings in their catalog.

The track starts slowly and atmospherically, but soon aspires to be a full-on stomper, breaking open with a flurry of drums and strumming guitars. By the time Tanya Schneider hits the second chorus, you will be singing along wholeheartedly. What all that means for the casual listener is that this record is chock-full of all the reasons so many will love GINGER MAY.

“Me and You” highlights the band’s enormous talents, as its melody tends toward the lovely and indelible. It takes a generous helping of rudimentary pop and rock elements from the songwriter’s manual and rearranges them in exciting new ways. But in spite of all that relatability, GINGER MAY exists in a world apart from their contemporaries.

They follow their own muse, which permits them to beam in a variety of personalized elements and, to a degree, get away from cut and paste effect so often perceived in modern music. The benefit is that no two songs in their catalog are composed of exactly the same building blocks, so things never get boring.

“Me and You” finds GINGER MAY committing proudly to the basic forms of rock – resonating, badass guitar hooks, a rhythm section that both anchors and accents, and one of their most unforgettable melodies ever – while making the most of Tanya Schneider’s persona and voice upfront.

“Me and You” will strike you pretty quickly on the first listen, but it is both an accessible and a mysterious record that rewards the listener more with every listen, and after it settles on you, you’ll realize it’s the best possible step the band could have taken as the next chapter of their career.

Having said that, on the surface “Me and You” is a super catchy, super accessible, groove-laden stomper, with massive mainstream appeal built-in for good measure. It gives an accurate and appropriate picture of the band at this point in time. It delivers a sound that has all the elements able to push GINGER MAY above their peers. Despite everything they do, they still sound like themselves – powerful, driving and always creatively nuanced.