New Releases: Ga Jin, nara, Muppet, Bye Bye Noise

Ambient soundscapes straight out of your day dreams, bouncy Sichuan folk music, emo-driven industrial pop, and garage indie rock galore – it’s time to check out the freshest releases with a look at the newest from nara, Ga Jin, Muppet, and Bye Bye Noise. Get into it.

D Force Records continue snatching up some stellar talent for their first year on the market. Their latest EP release is from up and coming electronica artist Tan Shuoxin, who goes under the alias nara. The Beijing-based artist, whose been steadily making a name for herself on the underground electronic scene, brings her love for mellow melodies and logical glitches to create a little bit of nirvana on Pillow, a remastering of the artist’s work from between 2005-2006. The ambient soundscapes are chock full of vibrant melodies and effects – something that wouldn’t be out of place in a Nintendo game. In an age where dark and menacing is all the rage in the electronic world, it’s a relief to hear something that’s so full of light. Tease it over on Spotify and Xiami and snag it with Taobao.

Feel the happy rhythms of the Lanzhou dialect with Ga Jin, the latest folk outfit to pump fresh cheerful air into the folk genre. Infused with a laid back attitude that one wouldn’t usually associate with Chengdu and the northwest of China, the band’s debut ZaZaZaLe!? (What! Fuck?) breathes life into their hometown, recalling stories of youth, diligent aunts and uncles, runny nose kids with a nostalgic, naïve, and utterly vigorous point of view. Just try to keep your legs still. Kick back with the twelve-track album on Douban and Xiami. Catch them August 1^st at Jianghu Bar as a part of their nationwide tour.

Beijing-based indie rock outfit Bye Bye Noise get in on the garage rock 2000 revival with their debut, The Purity of Hormones. The band has been scraping away at the indie rock scene since 2012, playing to bigger and bigger crowds, with even a few festival showcases to boot. This led the band to putting together their debut which was produced by Steve Fallone (engineer for the Strokes \”Room on Fire\” album), which should come as no surprise as the band’s sound is vintage Strokes, almost to an distracting degree. Which is a shame, as the tracks on hand here are pretty damn catchy, and full of youthful zest, particularly tracks like ‘His Mind Went Blank’ and ‘Millionaire’. And there’s no denying the instrumental chops these kids have. But again, too often the band sounds like they’re aping a particular sound than making it their own. Listen for yourself on Douban.

Pop rock outfit Muppet ain’t going to be for everyone. A slap-dash mix of emo, industrial metal, and skate punk, it’s a spirited piece of pop rock that’s targeted toward the more youth and pop-oriented hordes of kids likely sporting flat rimmed caps along Gulou Dong Dajie. However, genre bias aside, the group’s debut EP, A-Side, presents a band very much confident in their sound and all the better for it. Led by singer Yuan, the five tracks seamlessly veer from angst-ridden emo ballads to industrial pop anthems with ease, never missing a beat. Jammed pack with callbacks, distorted vocals, power chords galore, the production value leaves nothing on the floor and manages to keep a steady footing throughout the five tracks. Check out the EP on Douban and Xiami.