Australian artist Shu Lee presents an ambitious, genre-defying exploration of sound, culture, and identity on new album Fusion Of Colours. Shu Lee handled every aspect of the album’s creative process — including the songwriting, instrumentation, vocals, production, and artwork. The embrace of a DIY ethos pairs with a drive “to promote cross-cultural appreciation and peace amongst peoples from different backgrounds,” per the artist, noting that the philosophy “reflects the multicultural community I live in.”
“I Am A Pyx” opens the album with stylish intrigue, melding twangy guitar hypnotics with a heavy percussive beat. Glistening organs enter the fold quickly thereafter, as the vocals declare “here is my pulpit, I stand behind it.” The Catholic imagery (“I’m a pyx, inside of me a host”) parallels modern plights, like consumerism and technological addiction (“I’m just another addict / Glued to the plastic / All hail, metal and glass.”) The art-rock appeal swells into a concluding hip-hop foray, cementing the feelings of being overwhelmed with lines like “too many apps, too many ads, all up in my face.” Fusion Of Colours kicks into motion with artful poignancy, blending tradition and modernity with wit, as ruminations on a consumerism-driven present era hit hard.
Another success, “Swagatam Namaste” is a natural continuation, in both its organ-friendly production and lyrical perspectives on a tumult-filled world — specifically one “so loud where the echoes fade.” A funk-tinged bass drive and retro synth additions bolster the enjoyable sound. Rather than a lament though, the stirring track feels like a welcoming reminder of the power one wields with positive, unifying words. Inclusivity and harmony are emphasized in the Sanskrit/Hindi greeting and welcoming refrains, also pointing to how “every heart’s a flame, every soul a spark,” and should be valued.
The debonair “Frolicking” succeeds in its smooth aesthetic, with conversational vocal prowess, late-night guitar crawls, and an understated bass immersion. The song plays like a playful yet surreal invitation to embrace freedom and vulnerability, captured in the “frolic in the dark” refrain — and additional references to crushing inflation, looming bills, a digital-dependent society. Frolicking imagery, hinting at escapism via art and dance, aligns with relatable modern anxieties for another moving piece of songwriting. While “Frolic” is about finding light and connection amid personal chaos, the grooving hip-hop appeal of “YT Democracy” reframes that into the digital sphere — where play, struggle, and expression merge into collective performance. Both tracks highlight finding light, expression, and connection — via DIY ventures, like art and content creation — within overwhelming modern pressures.
While much of the album touts an approachability and relatability in its musings on modern life, it also achieves an impressively multi-lingual entrancement on the closing two tracks, especially. “Kampung Halaman” achieves a compelling spontaneity in its tribal-like percussive playfulness and diverse languages within: Malay, Tamil, Hindi, Mandarin Chinese, English, and Spanish. The chorus exudes a longing for one’s home (“Aku rindu kampung halaman”) while also embracing an eclectic cultural and lingual path: “Spanish is the language that loves me too.”
Album finale “Bada Buru” also envelops, featuring the Dharug Language mixed with Mandarin Chinese. “Dharug is one of the indigenous Australian languages belonging to Western Sydney which is where I am based,” Shu Lee says. “And Chinese symbolises my ethnic heritage. So I decided to fuse them together in a song to express my hybrid identity.” Musically, it’s another masterful display as well, weaving expressive vocal layers with steady rhythmic pulses. With Fusion Of Colours, Shu Lee not only showcases extraordinary artistic independence but also crafts a unifying musical tapestry that bridges cultures, languages, and genres—inviting listeners to celebrate diversity, connection, and the joy of creative freedom.
