The work of Hong Kong British dream-pop musician mui zyu (also of Dama Scout) is rooted in melodic vagaries and gorgeously ephemeral rhythms. Using her aptitude for conjuring nocturnal pop lullabies, she threads a line between cognitive identity, acceptance, and the narrative intersection of fantasy and folklore. Gentle pop passages give way to industrial ambient movements while she disassembles the surrounding landscapes.
She is set to release her debut LP, Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century, on February 24 via Father/Daughter Records, and with the help of Dama Scout bandmate Luciano Rossie working as co-producer, she builds on the ethereal worlds already visited and explored on previous short-form releases. Offering up lopsided bits of percussion, ghostly vocals, and minimal, though evocative, arrangements in her search for understanding and personal catharsis.
She’s already shared a few songs from the upcoming album, among them the notably fragile and spectral “Sore Bear“, and now we’re privy to the inner workings of “Dusty”, a brief but lingering bit of nighttime pop that addresses feelings of absolute love and the deep-seated fear losing that emotional connection. Equal parts ambient devastation and noisy fever dream, the track will leave you adrift in your own pursuit of meaning, while the music and her ethereal voice swirls and slips through our fingers like curls of white smoke.
“‘Dusty’ is a love song,” she explains. “It’s about romance, deep friendship, care and kindness. Sometimes it can be so strong it’s overwhelming, almost unbelievable and the fear of losing it is like hell. Musically I wanted to make sure it felt somewhere between the bliss of love and the agony of loss because they seem to be so intertwined.”
Watch the Danny Grant-animated video below.
mui zyu’s debut album Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century is out February 24 on Father/Daughter Records. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
