Post-punk from the heart of Russia - Nizhny Novgorod - July Days offer up vintage Soviet post punk - with an emphasis on the punk. Think fast-paced guitar riffs, heavy drumming (crucial!), and intense, unfiltered vocals. The full nine years - a full spread of cold wave-inflicted and brooding visceral punk rock that feels a bit more combustible (and melodic) than your average Russian post punk outfit (and believe me, there have been a lot coming in these past months). Packs some serious energy.
Henan noise rockers The Columbian Cola Ltd., one of the most fiercely original and unhinged acts, return to throw listeners into the deep end of delirium with their infectious cock-eyed swirl of surf rock, psychedelic, garage rock, shoegaze, and lo-fi noise pop. They essentially weaponize noise pop (and to a degree shoegaze) against listeners - turning a catchy jangle-filled melody into an assault on the ears - its chord progression becoming more frantic and the reverb turning into some diabolical form of harsh noise. The band is hitting the road for their latest tour, and they’ve tapped a great guest - Serious Desperado - the young emo noise rockers inject their whirlwind sound with hard-edged angst, muscular musicality, and a youthful vulnerability that’s both heedless and sincere.
Legendary and influential technical death metal band from Montreal, Canada - Cryptopsy sculpted and pushed the boundaries of their extreme metal genre for over 20 years. As one reviewer brilliantly put it, ‘take the best aspects of Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Suffocation, Suicide Silence, and Abominable Putridity, and then filter that essence through a technically superior rhythm section that’s channeling uptempo Cattle Decapitation,’ and you’ve got the iconic mastery of Cryptopsy. They’re joining another heavyweight band - Osaka’s Subconscious Terror, who have been bringing the pain for over thirty years in Osaka - accenting their uncompromising sonic violence with guttural vocals, buzzsaw guitar tones, and blast beats that hit like a hammer. Mainland support comes in the form of China’s own Cannibal Corpse, aka brutal death metal act Incremate, out of Xinxiang.
A nice spread over at Cream Club, highlighting the transporting, mystifying, and beguiling world of experimental, instrumental, and electro rock. Dijiang by the Yang River - the sound collective that combines elements of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism with the globally-reaching aesthetics of world music, hip hop, electronica, doom, and other sonic realms, joins Nanjing electro rock band Normal Jamming who find feverish refuge in the outer fringes of rock and roll - an abrasive exhilarating melding of techno-laced electronica, concrete floor industrial rock, hard-hitting post punk, and more. Plus, Cream Club owner Sankin77 will be on hand with his guitar and synthesizer, offering up soundscapes to warm up the joint.
Starting as a project initiated between London and Wuhan over the pandemic, Bad Sweetheart is the latest band to tap into the jangly indie pop sound, with shades of city pop and noise rock, that’s been sweeping up the nation. But boy, do they do it well. The band describes their sound as ‘suburban noise pop’. The band has that woozy Britpop swagger that makes them stand out from a lot of indie bands of its ilk - refined in its production yet scrappy in its demeanor, coasting on pulpy charm and instrumental chops.
For the past few years, Lishui’s Characterless has been causing a stir down in the southern part of Zhejiang, tapping into a glossy yet black-tinted new wave sound that’s straight out of the 80s - perfectly balancing its softer pop sheen with its more combustible post punk adjacent sound. It’s a sound that’s hard to pin down, as evident by the band’s robust debut, which dropped this summer. Whether throwing themselves with reckless abandon into a jagged reggae-inflicted jam that cuts loose or a heartfelt melody that pulls at your heartstrings, they commit wholeheartedly and leave nothing on the table. The band is in the midst of a nationwide tour.
