We are rather familiar with quirky, boundary-pushing duo Yulan & Blaise. Featuring their debut effort ‘God Complex’ late last year, we proudly described it as “an inventive, mind-bending, and deeply intoxicating piece of music that signals the start of something sonically very special.” Turns out, we were right, as the project’s awaited follow-up ‘Falling 花火落’ beautifully confirms. A liminal, evocative piece, the new single is exactly what we would expect from such an inspired and eclectic duo.
Blending obscure, spacious electronica with an array of Chinese instruments (such as flutes, erhu, guzheng), Yulan & Blaise manage to build a unique stream of ethereal and introspective sonic goodness, making for a rather magical and wholesome listening experience. Operating on the fringe, Blaise Garza does a good job of building such a peculiar, cathartic and dreamy aural universe, one that’s perfectly complemented by Yulan Jack 杰克玉兰’s soothing, lascive vocals, taking us all to faraway territories in what’s a melancholic, nostalgic fever dream.
A contrabass saxophone – performed by Garza – is the cherry on the cake, giving the single a truly legendary outlook. Speaking about the inspiration behind the record, the duo explain: “As we were finishing this song, smoke was drifting into our home from Tasmanian bushfires, and across the world, Blaise’s home state of California was burning. The flower and flame metaphor took on greater urgency, a grief beyond the romantic. But amidst grief, the possibility of rebirth – a new bloom.”
Recommended! Discover ‘Falling 花火落’ on Spotify and YouTube:
