Yellow Crane by Hua Li
Hua Li’s Yellow Crane EP is an homage to her maternal hometown of Wuhan, China. The famous tower of the same name inspired many notable ancient poets including Cui Hao and Li Bai. Hua Li’s grandfather, Wang Yun Peng, was a literary scholar who helped guide the restoration of Yellow Crane Tower after the close of the Cultural Revolution
“Four More Days” is a quarantine love song, a fond reflection on far-away lovers. Every touring artist knows the trails of love at a distance, and this song considers the lost opportunities for connection while moving at the swift pace of being on the road and the longing that comes with being separated from new loves and the glitz of nightlife in the midst of a global pandemic. The fervent pace of Hua Li’s lyrics combine with breezy, soaring production from Alexander Thibault for this raving ode to love affairs that lie beyond reach.
“Water” takes on the city of Wuhan, describing her powerful history, the equally fiery climate and temperament of her citizens and its three boroughs, Wuchang, Hankao and Hanyang, at the Yangtze River. Hua Li’s passionate and unrelenting verses give way to lush choruses weaving together ancient Chinese symbolism with the modern day political plight of Asian Americans.
The backbones of “Dream Narratives” were written many years ago in Wuhan while Hua Li visited her maternal grandmother. A friend of her grandmother’s came to visit her high rise apartment and Hua Li wrote the lyrics and melody that comprise the chorus as she watched the two clasping each other's hands and laughing as they gazed out the window far above the city. A reflection on friendship spanning decades, “Dream Narratives” is the EP’s most personal song.
Considered the birthplace of Chinese punk, Wuhan is home to a thriving indie rock scene, a sound that Hua Li explores with her cover of Chinese Football’s “Electronic Girl.” Her first release in her mother tongue of Mandarin, this song sees Hua Li and Alexander Thibault flipping the Chinese math rock anthem into a moody, vocal-forward groove, highlighting the song’s mysterious and poignant lyrics.
Tracklist
| 1. | Water | 2:54 |
| 2. | Four More Days | 2:39 |
| 3. | Dream Narratives in Modern China | 3:28 |
| 4. | Electronic Girl | 5:03 |
Credits
Tracks 1-3 music & lyrics by Peggy Hogan, track 4 music & lyrics by Chinese Football. Production and mixing by Alexander Thibault, mastered by Bryan Lowe. Album artwork by Ohara Hale
License
All rights reserved.
Hua Li’s hazy R&B and revolutionary rap cuts to the bone and shakes your frail ass to the ground. Her Za Zhong EP which “abounds with charisma” (No Fear of Pop) will be followed up by her debut full-length, Dynasty, out September 2019. She is also an active DJ. Subversive and sexy, Hua Li is the only half-Chinese, half-militant, half-rapper of your heart.