by Paddy Kinsella

Ghost With A Peach Skin, the new single from Hong Kong British artist, Mui Zyu, blends the experimentation of Laurie Anderson with the upbeat electro-pop sensibilities of Blue Hawaii to make a vividly coloured smoothie.

Singing about ‘bitter melons’ and ‘bruised peaches’, it’s clear that Eva Liu aka Mui Zyu likes to colour the worlds she pulls you into. This is no smooth entry, however, as the song takes little time to diverge from its initial path, tonally shifting from a dissonant verse where Liu barely utters her words to the magnesium-flashing chorus where her silky vocal leaves behind a maze-like vapour trail. It’s ironic that such a shift takes place in a song about leaving your former self and encasing yourself within a new, albeit bruised, peach skin – Liu explains that ‘peaches are considered a symbol of longevity and even immortality in Chinese culture’.

A highly edited and mangled performance on a traditional Chinese zither introduces a tinge of dystopia into the track, but for the most part Ghost In A Peach Skin acts as an exercise in transformative fluidity. It’s a song to take flight with; follow its lead and you may even happen upon your next host.