Sydney-via-Hong Kong pop virtuoso Rainbow Chan has a keen ear for the endearingly odd. Through a collection of sounds ranging from samples of music boxes and vintage toys to 8-bit keyboards and polished synths, she weaves brief, erratic elements with arousing pop tendencies.
Today, she shares a minimalist video for "Nest," her ode to unrequited love from her forthcoming debut album on Silo Arts & Records. With a lofty yet spry voice reminiscent of Brooklyn's Tei Shi, Chan creates colorful sonic spaces in which to wistfully sing, You'll only remind me of bubble gum and ice cream kisses in the sun.
“I once met someone who brought to my attention that we never truly touch anything; we only ever feel our atoms repelling one another," Chan told The FADER in an email. "At the heart of all intimate experiences lies an insoluble distance. We're led to believe that we're better connected—sharing more content with each other than ever before, displaying pictures of our idealized selves, getting gratification from a few buttons. Yet, I'd never felt more disenchanted. In our climate of fluid exchanges, relationships are like commodities to be disposed of when we're bored or tired. 'Nest' is about gain and loss, our accumulation of the ephemeral.”