Rainbow Chan‘s latest single, “Smoke and Pepper,” is a moving exploration of grief and remembrance. From her forthcoming album, The Bridal Lament, she found inspiration in the traditional mourning songs of the Weitou people of Hong Kong.
“Smoke and Pepper” is a tribute to Rainbow Chan’s late aunt, who passed away in 2021. The song reverberates with raw and emotional grief as she channels her sorrow into a sonic journey that intertwines personal grief with cultural heritage.
The composition of “Smoke and Pepper” is a rich tapestry of field-recordings, glitchy saxophone, and piano melodies, all underpinned by electronic beats. This eclectic mix of sounds mirrors the emotion of Rainbow Chan’s voice. A voice that acknowledges the loss, the grief, but also remembers the love and the strength.
As she describes it,
“Lamentation is a powerful way to express profound sorrow, and ‘Smoke and Pepper’ embodies this intensity.”
The song exemplifies that sentiment through its hauntingly beautiful arrangement. “Smoke and Pepper” is a means to externalise the intense waves of her grief and the result is a song that feels both intensely personal and universally understood. It captures the essence of mourning in a way that is both heart-wrenching and cathartic.
