New Music: Thin City, 2D-Foil, Time is Running Out

Thin City – O不OK

The Shenzhen art rock goes out with a bang on their debut LP – both a log of the band’s exploits of their multicultural entanglements as well as a document of one band’s musical growth and maturity over the short span of two years. While there’s always been slap dash subversive quality to Thin City’s sound thats felt like a late night party hitting its sweet spot, the band’s power pop and art rock sensibilities and melodic command are stronger than ever – calling to mind everyone from Life Without Buildings to the New Pornographers. English, Chinese, and Chinglish intertwine with ramshackle guitar chords, tambourines and infectious hooks as the male-female vocals volley off one another like a drunken waltz that feels invigorated with inside jokes, fragmented lyricism, and youthful escapism. The kind of music that’s brimming with life and an at ease naturalism, it’s a hell of a bon voyage from the short-lived outfit. 

Bandcamp: https://thincity-shenzhen.bandcamp.com/album/o-ok

QQ: https://y.qq.com/n/yqq/album/002VFTHE1J2u3U.html

2D-Foil 二向箔 – 😀 Foil

Expanding on the shoegaze and dream pop foundations instilled by the new generations of reverb-trigger-happy kids in China, 2D-Foil (or simply 😀 Foil) plants a sharp pop sensibility beneath the flowery gloss and ethereal haze on their rich debut. Led by a indie pop songwriter that’s just as comfortable putting her voice and verses front and center instead of relying on the dissonance and gnarled guitars for effect, the band’s diverse taste – from bubbly electronic beats to slick momentum building chords – keeps listeners bewitched acting as a beam of light leading a ship through the deep sea. It’s a twist of bittersweet lemon in the saturated genre-pool, one that needles its way into your ear drums and leaves an lasting impression. A fine future awaits 2D-Foil.    

Bandcamp: https://2d-foil.bandcamp.com/album/d-foil

Netease: https://music.163.com/#/album?id=80437779

Xiami: https://www.xiami.com/album/yhYwqVce2d3

Time is Running Out 时间不够以后 – Vast As A Mountain River 茫如山河

The young and impassioned Chengdu rockers may have seemingly popped out of nowhere back in 2017, but if their just released debut is any indication, they’ll be doing just fine. Riding on the loose threads left over by Britrock (a genre that seems to lose more and more credibility with each passing year) and the alt rock scene of yesteryear, the quartet are as charming as they are righteous, injecting their sound with plenty of rock rock and roll heft that leans into some magnetic arrangements and guitar riffs that aren’t t afraid to get heavy. There’s a rustic demeanor to the way the band navigates through a song, finding both the tender melodic lyricism in each track before taking listeners for a spin, shaking them loose with a fast-paced breakdown. Time is RunningOut fit nicely along the new breed of alternative rockers found in China and Taiwan. 

Netease: https://music.163.com/#/album?id=79658071