‘Falling 花火落’ is an epically beautiful track from Australian/American duo Yulan & Blaise which shimmers and sparkles with a haunting presence. There are elements of artists as diverse as Mono (the UK electronic duo), Björk and Portishead, replete with an ethereal, ghostly presence that shimmers like a mirage in the desert.
At the heart of Falling 花火落 is the metaphor of a 花 (flower) and 火 (flame) that burn and 落 (fall). According to the duo:
We’re drawn to themes of duality and betrayal – a seductive but destructive love that burns you up. When you combine 花 (flower) and 火 (flame) in Chinese you get the word “firework”. It’s about a romance that ends as quickly as it began, but leaves you in a state of extreme lovesickness, bordering on euphoric.
According to the duo, other influences in the music includes 90s Mandopop, film scores by Shigeru Umabayashi, and 1950s Chinese movie musicals. Yulan says:
The vocal stylings were intuitive. As a child my mother taught me her favourite songs from old Chinese movie musicals. I learned to sing in Mandarin years before I learned to speak it.
There is certainly an epic widescreen theatricality to the track. Beyond the romantic themes, nature and it’s excesses played a part in forming the ultimate message:
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.
The result is something that enigmatically floats in the ether like a silken veil, delicate and filled with grace. The saxophone break is almost contrapuntally raw and visceral, throbbing with emotion.
The track is beautifully captured in the luscious, rich video for ‘Falling 花火落’ (dir. by Gabriel Morrison). It charts the bittersweet end of a romance within Ming Court Restaurant, with visual nods to 1990s cinema classics including Wong Kar Wai’s Fallen Angels and Zhang Yimou’s Raise The Red Lantern.
This is gorgeous material that is fresh and innovative, distinct and indelible. ‘Falling 花火落’ is out now and available to download and stream here.
The duo have a fascinating history.
Yulan Jack 杰克玉兰, whose name translates to “jade magnolia”, is a Singaporean-Australian singer- songwriter, actor and interdisciplinary artist. She is an M.F.A graduate of Harvard’s American Repertory Theater,and was named one of 40-Under-40 Most Influential Asian-Australians in 2022, and featured in the Emmy-nominated comedy Deadloch.
Blaise Garza is a Mexican-American former child star turned acclaimed saxophonist and prolific multi-instrumentalist. He has toured with iconic folk punk band Violent Femmes for two decades since he was 15. Best known for playing a 6ft tall contrabass saxophone, Blaise has performed with artists including Barenaked Ladies and Colin Hay at iconic venues including The Hollywood Bowl and Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Feature Photograph: Yulan Jack
