Meejah : Queen of Spring

When Meejah reached out about their first single coming off their full length, Queen of Spring, I thought that the album would be a darker more ambient experience. After listening though, it’s much broader than that. Meejah offer atmospheric and ambient instrumentals with Mai Young Øvlisen‘s vocals crafting the album’s universe. Coming into Queen of Spring with little knowledge of Meejah’s potential, I’m blown away by what has been presented.

Meejah offer more than atmospheric and ambient music with shoegaze/post-rock elements sneaking into the songs. As a concept album integrating the “8 trigrams in Korean and taoist philosophy,” Queen of Spring is an even deeper listen. Mai Young’s vocals are warm, but are easily capable of moving around the octave. “Youth (Heaven ☰)” has an intensity to it even though the song itself feels somewhat calm. There’s an underlying fury that slowly grows as the song progresses. Midway through the song, the shoegaze comes forth. Slow tempos enable the guitars to make a presence and the drumming gives the impression of walking up a mountain.

Daniel Nayberg and Andreas Isbrandt Løvenskjold help the album soar with the incredible composition. Combined with Mai Young Øvlisen, you get a deeply emotional presentation. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Queen of Spring is that each of the eight songs is a separate statement. “Youth (Heaven ☰)” may fool you into thinking the entire album will follow this path, but other tracks like “Jing (Thunder ☳)” go into a different direction.

Queen of Spring is an album that should be heard in its specific track order. Each song has a specific place in this audio journey. While I think there could be a couple of strong singles, the album is a complete story from start to finish. The mixture of influences from the Danish and Korean perspectives might not be apparent, but composition of tracks aren’t something you’d hear from South Korean artists. Queen of Spring is an exploration from a specific lense and that translation and transition is shown here.

Meejah’s Queen of Spring is a very special album. The ambient foundation mixed with shoegaze and a personal journey gives listeners an uncommon experience. I think Queen of Spring goes beyond regular musical boundaries and showcases a successful presentation of a finalized vision.

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