For this latest roundup of China’s thriving indie music scene, we’re jumping into a dynamic array of new album releases that push boundaries across genres like electronica, punk rock, shoegaze, folk, and post-rock. DaYe’s Road To Spring is a mesmerizing tribute to Yangzhou, blending traditional instrumentation, vivid field recordings, and ambient electronica into a nostalgic sound collage. Riot In School’s sophomore LP Punk Rock Blasphemy, delivers a ferocious mix of roaring rock, hip-hop verses, and jazz-infused breakdowns, marking a bold evolution. Lonely Cookies’ OUCH! balances melodic bubblegum pop with crackling noise rock, evoking Metric and Rage Against the Machine.
The Red-Haired Teenage Murder Case channels 90s alt-rock chaos in their blistering EP BRUTAL GIRL DELUSION, while Love Letter Lost’s Secret Words crafts serene shoegaze soundscapes. From Cocoonics’ kinetic electro-pop to Summer Fades Away’s cinematic post-rock return in endless, these albums showcase fearless creativity and sonic diversity, making them must-listens for adventurous music fans.
DaYe 大叶 – Road to Spring 甘泉路
A tribute to electronic producer DaYe’s hometown of Yangzhou—a southern Chinese city known for its rustic and beautiful canals, lakes, temples, and culture—Road to Spring 甘泉路 is a trip well worth taking. Released with bié Records, DaYe gives her sound of collage electronica an anthropological edge, splicing together lush instrumentation from traditional instruments, vivid field recordings, roguish beats, and ambient buddings, turning nostalgia and reflections into quaint, richly rendered musical boxes for future keeping.
Riot in School 返校日 – Punk Rock Blasphemy 亵渎朋克摇滚
Grungy alt-rock outfit Riot in School shoots for the stars on their bold, ferocious, and explosive sophomore LP, Punk Rock Blasphemy. Simultaneously tapping into something more elemental lyrically while throwing one curveball after another genre-wise, the band deftly mixes roaring rock with brooding alternative pop, evolving into something bigger as they blend in ambient textures, hip-hop verses, jazz breakdowns, and other such deviations. It comes at you like a freight train, so that even when their wild stylistic swings don’t completely hit their mark, you can’t help but love the audacity. A breakthrough album that’ll act as a benchmark in the years to come.
Lonely Cookies 浪味仙贝 – “OUCH!”
‘Guitar rock as the last line of defense’ — Hangzhou’s Lonely Cookies come out swinging with their new LP OUCH!, released with Wild Records, landing one nimble, versatile indie alt-rock punch after another. Straddling the line between melodic bubblegum pop and fierce, crackling noise rock, the band—which has gone through quite the upgrade and evolution since their last release—covers a lot of ground here, evoking everyone from Metric to Rage Against the Machine as they explore everything from social media to narcissism. It can be a bit whiplash-inducing, but there’s a rock-star conviction to their approach and a melodic drive that keeps these tracks spinning in your head long afterward. A bursting-at-the-seams good time.
The Red-Haired Teenage Murder Case 紅髮少年殺人事件 – BRUTAL GIRL DELUSION
The last voice of adolescence, The Red-Haired Teenage Murder Case, are the latest band to bring a sledgehammer to their emotional palette on their blistering EP BRUTAL GIRL DELUSION, released with Shenzhen imprint Small Animal Records. Turning the dial on the catchy, melancholic alternative rock that wormed its way into listeners’ hearts in the ’90s, the Guangzhou act—much like their spiritual predecessors Number Girl—brings chaotic, blistering energy to their sound. Hardcore punk riffs, visceral walls of noise, and a taut, anxious vivacity at its core — it’s a roaring rallying call that cuts deep.
AmovingmoviE – LofiaromA 旧日成象
Wuhan singer-songwriter Zhu Hongru’s latest release under the moniker AmovingmoviE, LofiaromA, shows the jangly bedroom pop act continues to evolve into a fully formed band. A bit more confident in its direction and aesthetic, leaning a bit more into the fuzz and adding a bit more pep to its strut when necessary. It’s a fuller, more satisfying sound that’s rich in its details and interplay among its moving parts, progressing at its own leisurely pace that’s hard not to get swept up in.
Love Letter Lost – Secret Words 秘密文字
Serenity in dreams; Love Letter Lost from Guangzhou are a great addition to the shoegaze and dream pop scene. They seamlessly find solace within the supple walls of noise and its lead’s featherlight vocals on their debut Secret Words. Patient, stirring, and mature, there’s a tranquility to the sonic palaces they build up, and an assuredness in their musicality that speaks volumes. A hushed triumph that finds lush new details within its bittersweet melancholy.
Instinkto Industrio 本能實業 – 烈日独行
In some ways more approachable than their watershed debut, the sophomore LP from Kunming rustic folk heroes Instinkto Industrio doesn’t so much dilute its signature sound as refine it and weave it into the fabric of their being. This may come as a shock to fans who might have hoped that Instinkto would shift sonically or sharpen their knives, but I think it finds Bokai digging deeper into his rich and resonant lyricism (just be careful how you interpret them) and gives its supporting musicians more room to breathe (the flute and accordion really do shine throughout). It may not have the lasting power of their debut, but it continues to tap into the disillusionment of modern-day society with deftness.
Cocoonics – To Discuss Music Is to Discuss Bomb 讨论音乐就是讨论炸弹
Shanghai-based electronic producer Cocoonics comes out swinging on her latest track “To Discuss Music Is to Discuss Bomb 讨论音乐就是讨论炸弹” off her forthcoming debut. Much like her previous work, which sways between hyperpop, DnB, pop punk, and ambient music with the relish of a mad scientist, it’s a dizzying kinetic delight—one that finds a playful partner in animator MOVING PICTURE for their music video. A trip back to virtual reality circa the early 2000s, it’s a nostalgic mashup of Tekken, DDR, and more, all filtered through the bubbly electro-pop buzz of Cocoonics’ sonic alchemy.
PostModernHippie – Farewell Gas 離愁瓦斯
Taking emo music to new heights, Changzhou’s PostModernHippie brings their eclectic taste to full fruition on the EP Farewell Gas, released with Sango Records. A venturesome jukebox of sonic influences that brings to mind many of the chameleon producers and genre-bending artists of Japan, PostModernHippie essentially follows its own musical language, deftly crafting a collection of sonic vignettes stuffed full of ideas, aura, and wonder. Like an abstract mural come to life, PostModernHippie takes pleasure in imbuing the listener with a discombobulating, punch-drunk sensation.
Summer Fades Away 时过夏末 – endless 未完
After a 13-year hiatus, veteran post-rock outfit Summer Fades Away, who hail from Changsha, return with a new LP. Sincere, seasoned instrumental rock chock-full of epic, atmospheric arrangements, the band may not be reinventing the wheel here, but there’s a defiant nature to their soaring sound that’s both taut and intimate. Much like the changing seasons, each song is a journey akin to watching flowers bloom and wither through thick and thin.
Be sure to tune in again at the end of the month for more new music from China to fill that deep void in your heart. If you’re impatient, though, feel free to look back at our ongoing archive of “new” Chinese music, boasting a diverse scope of artists and genres from across the country, all of which demand more attention and more listens.
