"Shame" is a spellbinding look at family, identity and loss from the amazing Lushloss

The recording name of Korean-American trans woman Olive Jun, Lushloss is due to release her debut album Asking/Bearing at the end of this month. Today we're bringing you the track, "Shame".

Musically, Lushloss makes cut-and-paste music which you could file alongside The Books and Prefuse 73. Instrumentally she takes from hip hop and ambient, but Olive Jun has a songwriter voice which is quite stunning. A warbling and filtered vocal which recalls Sparklehorse at their most fragile and a lyrical flourish you can rank alongside Julien Baker and Half Waif means there's a gorgeous human touch to these electronic/acoustic sketches.

While "Shame" on its own is a beautiful vignette, it's Asking/Bearing as a whole which needs to be heard. As each song moves to a closing, they're led into the next through Skype conversations Olive recorded with her mother, who lives in Korea. As they discuss Olive's grandfather, family and mortality it's heartbreaking to hear two people trying hard to make a connection across thousands of miles. There's a disconnect due to distance, but also a generational gap and it's a truly emotional experience to hear these intimate conversations. And far from breaking the flow of the album, each conversation reveals a truth and informs how the following song sounds. It's original, extraordinary and one of the most moving records you'll have heard in a long time.