Get Your Ears Around Some of Beijing's Newest Sounds via Ruby Eyes Records' Saturday Showcase
Ruby Eyes Records has been having a hell of a year. The indie music label, a branch of Taihe Music Group (TMG, one of the largest music companies in China), has had their finger on the pulse of the underground music scene since their humble beginnings in the spring of 2015.
And though the company is essentially eight music-loving enthusiasts juggling an array of bands, tours, and gigs, they’ve made a name for themselves and bands are starting to take notice. "We’re signing a band a month now at the moment," says Sun Xiao the bubbly media director whose enthusiasm follows her to every gig you see her at. She ain’t lying either – just in the last week they’ve added rising Fuzhou city poppers The ROMP and Beijing veteran indie rockers Casino Demons to their roster.
Taking a closer look at said roster, and it’s clear the label favors diversity over capturing a particular sound. "Everyone has good taste and their own music preference... We have a special meeting to share and listen to new bands every week and all of the team members are involved; so music is the main factor we consider." This much is clear looking at the label’s Beam! Beam! showcase (set up along with Indie Works) taking place this Saturday, Jun 1 at Yue Space where the label will welcome Xinxiang’s Pumpkins (pictured at top), Hangzhou’s Yangji, and Beijing’s own Last Goodbye.
From the metropolis of Xinxiang, Henan comes veteran punk outfit Pumpkins have been slowly who making their ways into punk fans’ hearts since 2009. Their street cred finally got them into Ruby Eyes' graces last year resulting in last month’s hilariously titled EXCUSE ME, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT FOVE? LUCK YOU! – the perfect love letter to old-school punk which also doubles as an encapsulation of the band’s years on the grind. Loud and dirty, fast and sincere, with an affinity for turning out riotously rambunctious jams that never overstay their welcome, what drew Ruby Eyes to the band was their "pure, emotional and romantic" side that they’re "never ashamed to show on stage."
The scrappy singer-songwriter Yang Ji is something of a cult figure down in Hangzhou. Known for her role in the now defunct rock outfit Dear John Letter, there’s a stream of consciousness allure to the way the artist strings together a song. Little asides, humorous observations, and vulnerability mixed with straight-faced yet quirky peculiarity – all captured perfectly in the lo-fi production that feels like a cross between a KTV session and a poetry reading. It’s Cantopop made for introverted geeks, anime pop-punk with a heart of gold, and above all else, musically arresting.
Representing the home front is simmering dream pop groovers Last Goodbye. The band, fresh off their self-titled debut remains one of Beijing’s finest. They've been kicking around town for years, crafting beautifully realized tunes brimming with the existential dread and anxiety that looms with adolescence. There’s an encroaching rhythmic pulse to their sound filled with lush textures, elastic melodies, and colorful aplomb, all fine-tuned to have the utmost effect on listeners leaving them dazed.
With over 40 artists under their wing now Sun Xiao is excited "to focus on gathering the energy of independent labels, and embrace youth and beauty.” A fine motto for Ruby Eyes Records.
Catch the Boom! Boom! Boom! showcase at Yue Space this Saturday. Tickets are RMB 140 on the door or RMB 110 advance.
Get your groove on with Noise Pollution, our weekly round-up of gigs in the city.
Images courtesy of Ruby Eyes Records
