Diaspora (流散) is accordionist Josh Hou’s latest release and third album as a solo-bandleader. Continuing in the trajectory established by his first two records, he digs deeper into immigrant identity with a collection of music exploring the diasporic experience. The album features an expanded band, consisting of a frontline of Ray Larsen on trumpet and Alex Chuang on cello, backed by a rhythm section of Kelsey Mines on bass and Tai Taitano on drums.

The music on the record features songs from Josh’s Chinese and Malaysian heritage, reaching as far back as a Qing dynasty melody turned folk song like Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon (彩雲追月), to a theme from the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto (梁祝), an instantly recognizable melody beloved by all corners of the Chinese diaspora, all the way to Blue and White Porcelain (青花瓷), a ballad by Jay Chou, Taiwanese pop superstar. There is also Rasa Sayang, a Malay folk song he grew up hearing everywhere from his time in Malaysia.

The record also explores life here in relationship and connection to diaspora with a series of new compositions, such as Wren’s Happy Day (韌開心的一天), written for his goddaughter Wren; and Mostly of Distance (多數是距離), a piece commissioned by the Bushwick Book Club and inspired by a line from a poem in Jenny Xie’s The Rupture Tense. Eight (八) was in commemoration of the eight lives lost in a racist murder spree in Atlanta in 2021.