Milkymoon Prove the Spirit of Rock and Roll is Alive and Well Among China's Youth

High school is a chore. Plain and simple. Especially in China. Part-time teaching for eight years has made sure that I would never want my child placed in the educational system here: when your students begin sounding like middle-aged pencil pushers you know something is up. It’s cutthroat, competitive, and kids will do just about anything to get a leg up. So when I hear stories of high school kids who give in to the dark side and find solace in the underground sounds of rock and roll, it gives me hope.

With the "dakou generation" ('90s youth who discovered music via surplus CDs and cassettes that flooded the Chinese market) all grown up, there’s a new generation of kids who have all the tools at hand to navigate the vast world of music. From Wangyi (Netease) to Xiami to QQ to more globally renowned platforms like Bandcamp and even Discogs, folks today have an arsenal of ways to access the music scene – and with WeChat groups, Weibo, and other local apps, they can have a direct line to the music they love and the scenes that build up around them.

Seventeen-year-old Fei Long (known to her friends C++ or Jia Jia) from Chengdu is one of the many of China's new generation intent to make her mark on the scene and have their voices be heard. While she got her first taste of underground music through her parents – "They grew up in the golden age of Chinese rock ... [and] I would hear all sorts of rock music in my home, like The Velvet Underground" – C++ is quick to point out "How much of an influence the Internet has had on us."

She took up guitar and began tuning her friends and fellow classmates onto her wavelength. Soon enough, C++'s own musical project – Milkymoon – had congealed, capturing a delirious blend of wispy psychedelic dream pop and sawtoothed twee punk that can at times feels more like a collage of temperaments and ideas that so well defines adolescence.

Now, for the summer holiday, Milkymoon has morphed into a full-fledged band with members from all across China joining in on the fun. Together they’ve hit the road on a nationwide tour, one that will conclude this Friday, Aug 2 at School Bar.

Accompanying C++ on her journey north are Ewan and Lucas on guitar and bass both of whom hail from the hot-pot swirl of Chongqing. The pair both also perform regularly as Love and Bruises, whose shoegaze and reverb-heavy sound translates well to C++’s stream of thought musings. The band is rounded out by drummer Hui Li, from Guangzhou, who also plays in lo-fi indie-pop trio Little Black Mess. The varying backgrounds and musical quirks they’ve inherited (which includes songs written in both the local Chengdu and Chongqing dialect) are bolstered by a youthful sense of possibility, giving the band’s sound a unique charm and tension without the regret or the existential anxiety that can sometimes cloud more established (i.e. older) bands.

And while the tour has been tough on the young souls (“so tiring,” C++ exclaims) it’s also been an eye-opening experience. “I've grown a lot on this tour, both technically and mentally. I'm grateful to the supporting bands – they taught me so much.”

C++’s commitment to the music can also be seen in her label, Ding Ding Mao Records. “I was very young when Ding Ding Mao was founded – in many ways it's growing up with me.” The label has been helping bands like 3B Fish, A Crush on River, and others release their music online, making merch, and putting together vlogs (which, if you're younger than 30, you'll know are all the rage these days). And while online stores and WeChat accounts can certainly help connect with the audience, converting fans can seem more like a game of attracting clicks, C++ stresses that at the end of the day, "openness, enthusiasm, and music are the most important things."

Trip Fuel’s vocalist who performed with the band last week expressed it best: "They’ve got so many fantastic ideas about music that go beyond the ordinary, and at such a young age – they surpassed my expectations." So fear not, ye weary souls, Milkymoon and their peers are fighting the good fight to keep the spirit of rock and roll alive.

Catch Milkymoon alongside Summer Vapour this Friday, Aug 2 at School Bar. Tickets are RMB 70.

READ: Get Blitzed on Baijiu History at Beijing's Maotai Museum

Photos courtesy of Milkymoon