SINGAPORE - Groups in the Chinese music scene have put out an impressive body of work recently, with smooth harmonies, catchy hooks and snazzy choreography. Understanding the individual strengths of their members, many of these boy bands and girl groups have delivered more than the sum of their parts.
Here are 10 new releases.
1. POP
TOGETHER WITH YOU
TFBoys
Hear it on: KKBox, Spotifyand other music streaming platforms
Watch it on: bit.ly/36TaKZw
Every year, millions of fans eagerly await the new songs from this Chinese superstar boy band - made up of Roy Wang, Karry Wang and Jackson Yee - for their anniversary concert.
While the performance of this year's numbers - Together With You and Lights - appeared rather wooden during the group's seventh anniversary online concert in August, the tunes brim with the same boy-next-door wholesomeness and positivity that have endeared the trio to legions of fans.
2. ALTERNATIVE FOLK
REAL LOVE IS...
The Chairs
Hear it on: KKBox, Apple Music and other music streaming platforms
Watch it on: bit.ly/3lUEgo6
After clinching the award for Best Vocal Collaboration at last year's Golden Melody Awards, Taipei-based indie band The Chairs - consisting of Jin Chiu, Zhong Chen and Benson Sun - are back with a new album, Real Love Is...
With many laid-back, loungey numbers - from the idyllic Paradise... How Far? to the folksy Maybe Maybe - this work is perfect for a lazy afternoon.
3. POP
NAUGHTY BEAUTY
Per6ix
Hear it on: KKBox, Spotifyand other music streaming platforms
Watch it on: bit.ly/2UQGsAU
Releasing their first EP in April, Taiwanese girl group Per6ix's name combines the word "persist" with the fact that it has six members.
A sense of youthful determination pervades this second EP's title track, Naughty Beauty, which is about staying the course and having no regrets.
4. POP
ONE AND ALL
Mirror
Hear it on: KKBox, Spotifyand other music streaming platforms
Watch it on: bit.ly/37d3RCH
Hong Kong boy band Mirrorwereformed in 2018 from 12 contestantson the Good Night Show - King Maker talent show.
Earlier this month, they released the heart-warming Cantonese song One And All, celebrating their camaraderie and shared ups and downs.
5. POP / HIP-HOP
UNFORGETTABLE
Unine
Hear it on: KKBox, Apple Music and other music streaming platforms
Watch it on: bit.ly/2HnxZCe
Debuting in 2019 and disbanding last month, this Chinese nine-member boy band was around for only 18 months, with many posts saying that the members had "graduated".
Their last EP, Unforgettable, was ironically quite forgettable. While the songs Speechless and Shiny Day emphasise the specialness of their time together, it is hard to feel for a group whose lifespan was so brief.
6. HIP-HOP/POP
GIRLS ON FIRE
G.O.F
Hear it on: KKBox, Apple Musicand other music streaming platforms
Watch it on: bit.ly/36TbZrE
Seven-member girl group G.O.F, short for "Girls On Fire", are a product of the Taiwanese reality competition Dancing Diamond 52 (2020).
On their first album, they prove to be a force to be reckoned with. The opening song Runaway features a sturdy, galloping beat, rapid-fire rapping and screams. Many bass-heavy numbers, such as Boom Cha Cha La Ka and Fairy Temple, combine fiery passion with boundless energy. Looks like exciting things lie ahead for this fireball of a band.
7. ROCK
BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH
F.I.R.
Hear it on: KKBox, Spotify and other music streaming platforms
Watch it on: bit.ly/3lZIyL2
Taiwanese pop-rock band F.I.R. makes full use of lead singer Lydia Han's rich, full-bodied voice to deliver a rousing theme song for the animation series Da Shen Xian, which premiered this month.
Its lush instrumentation - including the use of the shakuhachi Japanese flute, gongs and cymbals - as well as its wide emotional range fit very well with the magical powers and creatures featured in the show.
8. ROCK
LET BYGONES BE BYGONES
Power Station
Hear it on: KKBox, Apple Musicand other music streaming platforms
Watch it on: bit.ly/35XfyxX
Taiwanese rock duo Power Station's 2001 songWalking On Chung Hsiao East Road Nine Times was about heartbreak surrounding a failed relationship, with lyrics written by famed lyricist Wu Yu-kang.
This month, they released what they called a sequel, Let Bygones Be Bygones, with its Chinese lyrics also penned by Wu. The new song, about letting go of the past, is full of wistful longing and does justice to the original.
9. POP
UHHO UHHOHO
AKB48 Team TP
Hear it on: KKBox, Spotifyand other music streaming platforms
Watch it on: bit.ly/3nLzDNv
Brace yourself. This Taiwanese idol girl group features 16 members on the cover of its latest EP, Uhho Uhhoho, and online sources suggest there might be even more members and trainees associated with it.
Given the sheer number of voices, they sometimes sound like a classroom of schoolgirls singing in unison. In the title track's music video, the members are also shown setting up yurts and dancing around a campfire, presumably on some sort of excursion.
10. POP / ROCK
DESTINATION NOWHERE
Nowhere Boys
Hear it on: KKBox, Spotifyand other music streaming platforms
Watch it on: bit.ly/2IZNVem
The five members of Hong Kong rock band Nowhere Boys come from diverse backgrounds - from architecture to fixing guitars - and it shows in their music.
Their album Destination Nowherehas myriad influences and subjects, such as superheroes in Superpowers, Disney films in Electronic Dream and the Hong Kong housing situation in That's Why, and it is a joy to unpack their eclectic references.