Hua Li 'ripe fruit falls but not in your mouth'

Hua Li has often worked the fruitful tension between opposing forces, whether being mixed-race, bisexual, or overtly political and softly vulnerable - now the "half-Chinese, half-militant, half-rapper of your heart" is back with 'ripe fruit falls but not in your mouth', her most ambitious and personal record to date.

Playing between hazy R&B, hip-hop, jazz and electronic, Hua Li's sophomore LP takes the imaginary garden as a proxy for cultivating home. With complex vocal arrangements, lush production by Alex Thibault (aka Gloze), and big, vibrant mixing by TNGHT's Lunice, 'ripe fruit falls but not in your mouth' is a private confessional on a loud- ass record. Following 2019's 'Dynasty' and 2020's critically acclaimed 'Yellow Crane EP', 'ripe fruit falls but not in your mouth' is characteristically libertine. 

Textured and sensual, the Montreal multi-hyphenate balances her rich, waveforming tone with danceable, electronic signatures. The rapper is fierce and frequently funny, erupting from gauzy runs to deliver a quick uppercut that stings. With hooky, addictive features by Ambrose Getz and Darkus Millon, 'ripe fruit falls but not in your mouth' is an intimate record of healing, with Montreal's nightlife at its heart.