Leading
Chinese band Rebuilding the Rights of Statues (or Re-TROS if you're into the whole brevity thing) have fired the starting gun on the build up to their first new album in eight years with the release of the 12-minute epic 'AT MOSP HERE'. Although the band have been playing the track live since at least 2012, the release gives us the first recorded taste of what new album
Before the Applause will sound like.
Anyone who's seen Re-TROS live in the last four or five years will know that the Beijing-based trio long ago abandoned their pure post-punk beginnings in favour of a more electronic-influenced sound, and if this recording is anything to go by it seems the new LP will differ significantly from previous album Watch Out! Climate Has Changed, Fat Mum Rises…, which came out back in February 2009.
As long ago as 2012, Nanjing-born Hua Dong told us: 'Our new album will definitely be different from the post-punk that we used to play – we haven’t finished the whole album yet, however I enjoyed the uncertain feelings I got while I was writing these new songs. I feel pretty excited about it.' Needless to say, things have subsequently taken a little longer than planned, even bearing in mind the four year gap between their 2005 debut EP and first full album.
Aside from playing their label Modern Sky's Strawberry Festivals around the country and beyond (including Helsinki and New York), Re-TROS's live appearances have been limited in recent years, especially on home turf, but this track presages a new nationwide tour, one which will
end in Shanghai in April. Despite the tour being organised to promote the new album, Modern Sky have told us that the record likely won't be released until after the tour is completed. Why couldn't the two things be coordinated after a wait of eight years? We're not really sure.
