2 New China Albums to Listen to This Month

Here are two new homegrown albums from musicians around China on our radar this month.

1. Peach Illusions by Peach Illusions

While they may have met at Xiamen University, O.o and C.c of Peach Illusion put together their first album an ocean apart. The release of their first self-titled EP is a bedroom dream-pop gem, wrote, recorded and mixed while one was in Singapore and the other Shanghai. Painting pictures as seen through rose-colored glasses, the duo has reunited and settled in the Paris of the East, with plans to work on a few artistic projects and a second album. Their urban sweetener aura and adorable pastel photo shoots are in and of themselves a reason to add them to your summer playlist, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for two of Shanghai’s newest residents.

2. If I Only Saw It There by Sardine is Back and the Wheel is Broken

If I Only Saw It There is the third album from Beijing-based experimental slow punk band Sardine is Back and the Wheel is Broken. With no rehearsal prior to recording and lyrics that were improvised on the spot, they steer clear from the sound of overproduced albums that saturate the scene. What they put down is what you get, and the gritty irregularities you find on their plugging tracks fall in line with the rougher edges of the capital’s art scene – honest, a little angry and distinctly different.