In 2022 Current dancer, producer Bolis Pupul and frequent collaborator Charlotte Adigéry examined xenophobia and misogyny by turning them into verbal electro pop with a cheeky sense of humor. On his debut solo album, the Belgian-born producer takes a more personal turn. Pupul lost his mother, Yu Wei Wun, suddenly in 2008, a death that has shaped his life since that day. Yet it's something he says he couldn't fully grasp until nearly a decade later, when he first traveled to his mother's hometown of Hong Kong. There, he discovered a connection to his roots that diasporas often feel when visiting a family homeland, forming an elemental bond even without an ancestor to guide him. Life changing experience informs Letter to Yu, a shape-shifting ode to both his mother and Hong Kong that runs between sawtooth club songs and duller comedowns. Pupul's music is both contemplative and exuberant, moving at a pace akin to navigating the teeming crowds of a new city.
While Pupul took trips to Hong Kong, visiting landmarks like the busy Ma Tau Wai Road or traversing the city's subway, he recorded every day, even if it was just capturing snippets of found audio. These recordings give Letter to Yu a distinct sense of place, like the rumble of a train platform running through the background of “Completely Half.” Over a catchy synth melody, Pupul grapples with the language barrier that deepens the rift in his identity: “People talk to me like a local/A sense of shame is my place,” he sings on a halting melody. “I wish I spoke what they speak/So I could blend in easily.” Many of Letter to YuHis best songs are steeped in this brooding archive—like the strange, hypnotic title track, in which Pupul lowers his voice as he reads a letter to his mother. “This is where you were born 59 years ago/And I'm finally here,” he intones as they echo around him. “Why did it take me so long?”
Pupul's productions alternate between brooding moments and out-and-out floor-fillers. Letter to YuHis most dynamic songs are reminiscent of his limber production Current dancer while cranking up the volume: The martial beat of “Doctor Says” rests on a jagged synth freakout, while the turbo-charged “Kowloon” folds droning keys into a drumbeat for a crazy French rave-up. It's a fresh and refreshing take on electro pop, twisting and bending into different shapes with every surprising beat switch. Pupul puts his foot on the gas on “Spicy Crab,” where crinkly synths beg for attention over a dizzying spiral of electronic riffs. Its kaleidoscopic climax is one of the album's highlights.
