For the pint-sized singer-songwriter she is, Inch Chua will always be a tall poppy and giver of new perspectives regarding not only local, but also popular indie music at large. As one would notice by now, there is no one broad definition for “Singapore Music”; except that it is perhaps eclectic, a result of an uncanny mix of external and internal influences.
One thing we know is that it wouldn’t be without people like iNCH on board. With the release of her sophomore full-length album Bumfuzzle in 2013, she’s unwittingly proven herself to be a musician who can and will stand her creative ground. In ten somewhat candid tracks she funnels down blatant personal notions and tints them over with her shockingly vast worldview.
That is why we say Inch’s new EP Letters To Ubin is one to look out for. She’s worked with the cards dealt to her like nobody else could have – sampling actual bird calls and tastefully digitising other snippets of rural life? As its name suggests, the EP is a documentation over the span of four months spent on our neighbouring island, Pulau Ubin.
Four months of what we imagine to be double dutching between work and respite, work and respite, or might her creative process be a simultaneous in- and output of inspiration drawn from the downbeat way of life?
All will be revealed at the EP Launch of Letters To Ubin, featuring Tim De Cotta and The Warriors. It’ll be on Thursday 26th November, 8pm at Aliwal Arts Centre. Get your tickets for $20 on Peatix, or $25 at the door – and to help you decide immediately / save that $5, you may want to listen to the resulting tracks (we love Granite and Dust That Moves) on Spotify.