Insects, pigs, and swarms: it’s a creepy-crawly kind of month in Chinese music. Shanghai’s 33EMYBW and Beijing’s kukudechong lead the bug-eyed charge with mutant club cuts and kaleidoscopic electronica, while RUBUR trade shoegaze swirl for goth-drenched ritual. Elsewhere, Railway Suicide Train strip back to their gentlest, My Little Eyes and alittlebit serve up fuzzy, sun-dappled indie pop, and STAFF! deliver bouncy alt-pop earworms. Beijing supergroup Manmanche fire on all cylinders, and instrumental acts no channel, but… and ShallowEnd go big with post-rock heft.
Veterans reinventing themselves, debuts punching well above their weight, and scenes from Chengdu to Xiamen proving China’s underground has ideas to spare: these are the records we can’t stop spinning right now, and we think you won’t either.
33EMYBW — Amalgamate
One of China’s most influential electronic producers, 33EMYBW has been a staple of the Shanghai scene since joining up with imprint SVBKVLT, finding success across the globe for her dizzying, off-kilter, and otherworldly arthropodal sound. She continues to refine and crystallize her brand of experimental club music on her latest EP, Amalgamate, offering listeners six new ‘mutations’ that veer from intergalactic footwork to soothing ceremonial chants, sometimes all within the same track. Its nervy, insectoid rhythmic sensibilities may put some off, but for those looking to get their freak on, 33EMYBW has you covered. The release comes equipped with remixes from English producer Mark Fell and Icelandic electronic trio sideproject.
The Railway Suicide Train 卧轨的火车 — Music Must Be Restarted 音乐也要再重来
After years of expanding and evolving their sound, Hangzhou’s Railway Suicide Train take a breather and strip things back to the essentials on the mellow, ephemeral, and deeply felt Music Must Be Restarted 音乐也要再重来. Pared down to core members Shen Zhi, Pz, and Wu Yujie, with established multi-instrumentalists Tga and Bai Tianke coming in when needed, the band delivers an eleven-track album that comes across as a private rehearsal: a snapshot of a band at their most vulnerable, open, and pure, melancholic yet warm. Acoustic guitars pluck gently alongside swaying saxophone notes and sparse piano keys, with the occasional Casio drum machine or melodica thrown in for good measure. Their brand of psych-folk chamber pop is never rushed or overly pompous, instead revealing itself to both us and the band in real time. The kind of palate cleanser only a band like Railway Suicide Train could pull off.
RUBUR — fig_ment
Shanghai’s RUBUR, known for their brutally ravishing and evocative shoegaze sound, cut the cord and embraced their goth sensibilities on their newest self-released LP, fig_ment. Haunting, ominous, and ecclesiastical, it’s an atmospheric slow-burn that builds out its world piece by piece, adding layers of shamanistic lyrics to their signature swirl of droning feedback and punishing drums, albeit with an even heavier darkwave-meets-pagan-metal veneer. It’s a fascinating new (though not entirely surprising) shade for the long-standing band, one that may turn off shoegaze purists but has me eagerly awaiting their next chapter.
My Little Eyes — My Little Eyes
Twee noise pop that taps into one’s need to retreat (or revert) to childhood, there’s a dreamy melodicism to Chengdu’s My Little Eyes that sweeps you off your feet on their self-titled debut, released with Dizzy Records. Bright, fuzzy guitar tones that aren’t afraid to get noisy, soft vocal melodies that pierce through the haze, and an overall bittersweet temperament that evokes everyone from Yo La Tengo to Heavenly. There’s an understated, elemental pull to how easily their songs come together, an indie pop finesse that makes their sonic headspace a joy to wander through. Hits all the right notes.
STAFF! — A Pig Collapsed 倒下一头猪
A freshly minted alternative pop duo out of Shanghai, STAFF! are adept at the kind of bubbly, quirky earworms that owe as much to the funkier side of hip-hop as to the deluge of indie pop creators taking the means of production into their own hands. Their debut EP, A Pig Collapsed, released with SJRecords, is, simply put, tons of fun. It’s held afloat by slick, bouncy instrumentation from Yue Xiao, raspy vocals from Ke’er, crisp production courtesy of Chao Lecheng aka Sovietaxi, and a DIY dexterity that’s both dynamic and lithe. Waltzing across genres with a skip in its step, it goes to show just what pop music is sorely lacking these days.
Manmanche 蛮蛮车 — Mawen Road 马文路 26-5
Made up of various members of Beijing’s indie scene (Xu Bo, Kuo Zhen, Hu Xike, Hu Anyao, Shi Xudong, and Nong Andi of bands such as P.K.14, Uncle Hu, Juju, Future Orients, and The Swan and Blossoms), Manmanche is the kind of musical supergroup a studio producer can only dream of. The six-piece brings their wealth of expertise and styles to the wonderfully distinct and rich LP Mawen Road 马文路 26-5, released with Modern Sky. It’s ‘a labyrinth of melodies and wordplay’ that weaves pop, jazz, post-punk, blues, funk, and more into an intoxicating sound, one ripe with spirited agility and raucous instrumentation. Light on its feet yet intricately crafted, it’s a blast from start to finish: a band effortlessly firing on all cylinders.
no channel, but… — Destroy a Sea 摧毁一片海
Instrumental rock act no channel, but… bring heft and might to their lean debut, Destroy a Sea. Post-rock of a more metallic quality, veering at times toward post-metal with just a touch of prog-rock provocation, the young Shanghai act isn’t afraid to go big with their sound, evoking the (knowingly) clichéd (yet very much relevant) image of a sea and its demise. Crunchy, taut, and charged, they’re the kind of band that could just as easily ignite a legion of metalheads as excite a nerdier crowd of introverted post-rock fans. Despite some production and recording limitations, it’s an impressive debut that will hopefully open doors for the band.
一點alittlebit — Sunshine After Rain
Indie music continues to find cozy, sun-baked comfort along the shores of Xiamen with alittlebit, which features singer Yu Haixin alongside guitarists and producers Wang Mingyu and Chen Zhenchao (aka Soda Chen) of The White Tulips, Cheesemind, Kirin Trio, and Coastal Surf Club fame. It’s Soda Chen whose fingertips are all over their hook-filled debut EP, Sunshine After Rain, released with Sango Records, once again showcasing his skill in the worlds of shoegaze, dream pop, and city pop. As with those other reverb-spilling, sprightly acts, alittlebit know their way around a fuzzy guitar melody, allowing Yu Haixin to act as the perfect counterpoint, her soft-spoken vocals wading through the walls of sound and indie rock combustibility.
浅水ShallowEnd — Nothing Left 容器
Beijing indie rock outfit ShallowEnd go full-on instrumental on their invigorating and robust LP Nothing Left. Going for something grand and almost orchestral, the rising band gives each song a narrative thrust, told with conviction across a wide canvas of post-rock, prog rock, and more. Not every yarn works: its softer, more sentimental swings don’t quite land, and its horns and strings can come off as too polished and at a remove. But when it soars, it soars. Ready for the big leagues they are; ShallowEnd prove themselves worthy and leave ‘nothing left’ on the table.
酷酷的虫 kukudechong — 一群群 Swarm After Swarm
Vibrant, kaleidoscopic electronica out of Beijing: label NU-S3RVO continues its run of adventurous releases with the debut LP from local producer kukudechong. A buzzy, buggy, bouncy dip into the waters of ‘experimental pop, IDM, footwork, grime, and ambient’ music, Swarm After Swarm is possessed of an intrepid spirit, finding elation in all the nooks and crannies his soundscapes stumble upon. Given his background in printmaking and visual design, there’s very much a collage-like element to the worlds kukudechong brings to life here, a sonic floral microcosm akin to the madcap worlds of Dr. Seuss or Joan Miró, crafted with impeccable detail and wide-eyed fervor. Supple.
If you’re still looking for more music to add to your playlists, be sure to check out our other “New Chinese Music” roundups.
Cover image via featured bands’ platforms/Will Griffith.
