The best music to come out of China in 2022

While much of the world decided to move on from the COVID-19 pandemic this year, leading to a wave of music releases focused on fun, in China, 2022 was largely a year of records that dealt with reflection and frustration. This was compounded for many artists by the difficulties of touring under the COVID-zero policy, with anyone attempting to do shows across the country setting themselves up for a roller coaster of postponements, last-minute venue closures, and endless rounds of testing, punctuated only occasionally by some actual in-person gigs.  

But that’s not to say that the last 12 months have been completely devoid of interesting, entertaining releases — far from it. Below, in no particular order, are some of the most notable records to come out of China in 2022, ranging from hip-hop and funk to post-punk and avant-garde.

There is one caveat, though: This list is far from comprehensive and tends to skew toward the independent, alternative end of the Chinese music spectrum. For an excellent rundown of the year in Mandopop, check out The Mando Gap’s impressive list.

小老虎，周士爵，也是福 (J-Fever, Zhōu Shìjué, Eddie Beatz) – 去爱去哭去疑惑 (Go Love, Go Cry, Go Doubt)

One of a number of records to grapple with the discombobulation of the last three years of pandemic life, Go Love, Go Cry, Go Doubt is a surprisingly warm and comforting album. There are lyrics about isolation and scarring experiences, as well as some serious, stark messages — notably, a calling out of patriarchy in the wake of the appalling Tangshan attack — but there are also moments of great humor and a resounding message of empathy, a sentiment explicitly referenced on “我懂你的意思” (“I Get You”). At its heart, Go Love, Go Cry, Go Doubt is a record about friendship, with producer Eddie Beatz 也是福 and rappers J-Fever (a.k.a. 小老虎 Xiǎo Lǎohǔ) and Zhōu Shìjué 周士爵 joined by an array of musical talent to offer up a strong sense of connection, including multi-talented performer YEHAIYAHAN, jazz singer Voision Xi, electro-soul artist Fishdoll, and Boston/Chengdu-based bilingual rapper Xinwenyue Shi. In uncertain times, this album was a reassuring embrace from a good friend.

Listen: Spotify

Sleeping Dogs – Blunt Razor

After a string of excellent EPs taking cues from Afrobeat and classic funk and soul, Beijing’s Sleeping Dogs released its debut full-length album via Space Fruity Records in October. And it didn’t disappoint, delivering 11 more tracks of good times, groove-led instrumental excellence that demonstrated why the group is one of the most beloved bands on the Chinese indie circuit right now. A must-listen.

Listen: Bandcamp

Akini Jing (朱婧汐 Zhū Jìngxī) – 永无止境的告别 (Endless Farewell)

In early December, Tencent Music announced the “signing” of “super realistic virtual idol” Lù Xiǎoxī 鹿晓希, a.k.a. LUCY. But as the global music industry debates the complexities of AI, China already has a pop star playing with the boundaries of the real and virtual worlds to fantastic effect.

As some Mandopop listeners frothed at the mouth over the new Jay Chou (周杰伦 Zhōu Jiélún) album this summer, Chinese pop star Akini Jing dropped a record whose playfulness and energy put the Taiwanese icon in the shade. Endless Farewell saw the onetime Sisters Who Make Waves star splice together glitchy synth-pop, space disco, and breakbeat rhythms with help from hotshot producer, DJ, and solo artist in his own right Chace — with eye-catching cyberpunk imagery to boot. Standout track “祝福” (“Blessing”) even earned a write-up in Pitchfork (courtesy of Mando Gap’s Michael Hong), an extremely rare occurrence for music from China. LUCY has her work cut out for her if she’s to better this human.

Listen: Youtube | Spotify

MIIIST – Let it ever be remembered…

Really, there are only two tracks on Let it ever be remembered…, since the other two pieces that make up the EP are more interludes than fully fledged songs. But it’s an impressive record nonetheless — all the more so given this is MIIIST’s debut proper. The band, which comes from Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang, deals in epic progressive black metal, with this EP’s title track and its closer “In the quest for the high tower” both stretching to around 14 minutes each. The record has announced the group as a name to watch on Asia’s bubbling black metal scene.  

Listen: Bandcamp

Bloodz Boi, Claire Rousay, More Eaze – a crying poem

Beijing-based artist Bloodz Boi wears his heartbreak on his sleeve. His lyrics dealing with emotional turmoil reach you via a “poignant voice on the cusp of tearful delivery,” as the official description for his album 365 puts it. That record, which saw Swedish experimental electronic duo Quit Life provide a soaring, trance-infused backing for Bloodz Boi’s cloud raps, was only part of his 2022 output. Less than six months later, Bloodz teamed up with Claire Rousay and More Eaze for the tender a crying poem, with the U.S. musicians layering his ethereal vocals over orchestral strings and sparse soundscapes for a delicate, touching tale of “a dream, an unforgettable love, and a rebirth giving a glimmer of hope.” 

Listen: Bandcamp

Xiǎo Wáng 小王 – Kāchākāchā 咔嚓咔嚓

Five years after forming, all-female punk band Xiao Wang unleashed its debut album this autumn, putting on record the powerful, fearless, and fun songs that have made them darlings of the Beijing live scene. Pogoing between cutesy hooks and guttural roars, Kachakacha is a vibrant half hour filled with an energy that firmly establishes Xiao Wang as the spiritual successors to renowned Chinese punk acts such as Hang on the Box and Subs.

Listen: Apple Music

Huā Lún 花伦 – 如果有一天我将会离开你 电影原声带 (Before Next Spring Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Another beautiful soundtrack to add to Hualun’s outstanding oeuvre alongside the magnificent accompaniments to An Elephant Sitting Still and last year’s Wuhan Wuhan documentary, the guitar and piano-propelled Before Next Spring is a brighter, yet still emotionally weighty affair. Also well worth checking out is the band’s other major release this year, Live by the Sea, a recording of a set in Aranya that explores more experimental, relatively danceable sonic territory and hints at the sounds to come on their markedly different studio album due for release in 2023.

Listen: Bandcamp

Wú Zhuōlíng 吴卓玲 – Another Shore

Speaking of electronic music by the sea, here’s another record that mentally transports you to a far-flung coast somewhere. Wú Zhuōlíng 吴卓玲 first rose to prominence in the mid-’00s as the singer in Chengdu band Wednesday’s Trip, but in recent years, she’s become a renowned solo producer and DJ. Another Shore comprises six songs of soothing, soulful electronica composed between 2018 and 2021 and is a beguiling listen. 

Listen: Bandcamp

Wǎng Wén 惘闻 – Painful Clown & Ninja Tiger 辛丑｜壬寅

Since forming in 1999, Dalian-based Wang Wen has established itself as China’s leading instrumental rock band. So it was something of a shock when its new album arrived in early October featuring vocals on four of its seven tracks. Front man Xiè Yùgǎng 谢玉岗 belatedly finds his voice to deliver lyrics of despair and disenchantment, but these are counteracted by uplifting keys and Huáng Kǎi’s 黄凯 warm trumpet melodies on tracks such as “Black Pill & White Pill.” Dǒng Yàqiān 董亚千 of Chinese indie favorites Omnipotent Youth Society also makes an appearance, adding slide guitar to standout track “There’s a Walmart Underneath the Olympic Square.”

Listen: Bandcamp

33EMYBW + Gooooose – Trans-Aeon Express

Using their sound design for London-based visual artist Weirdcore’s 2020 Beijing exhibition Oriental Flux as a starting point, these two leading lights of Shanghai’s electronic music scene present a relatively atmospheric release in Trans-Aeon Express. There’s still enough quirkiness for fans of their more high-octane, cutting-edge solo work to get on board with, however. Gooooose’s titular “TAE” rattles through the center of the album like an off-kilter train failing to stop at the platform and 33EMYBW’s “Microcosmic” and “Macrocosmic” echo some of the more fidgety rhythms found on her excellent Dong 2 EP and the bizarre samples of 2019 LP Arthropods, with the latter track featuring what sounds like a cat’s yelps.

Listen: Bandcamp

FAZI 法滋 – Folding Story 折叠故事

Released with great fanfare (and an accompanying 45-minute film starring the spectacular landscape of Qinghai and Gansu), Folding Story is Xi’an post-punk band FAZI’s most ambitious record to date. After years of working with stalwart Chinese label Maybe Mars, the group produced this new album with guidance from post-rock heavyweights Wang Wen, abandoning its previously fuzzed-up sound in favor of cleaner, crisper production and grander, more sweeping songs. It’s a stylistic shift that doesn’t always hit the mark and the album’s strongest moments come when it picks up the pace with more straightforward post-punk, but it’s a bold, intriguing experiment nonetheless.   

Listen: Bandcamp

Voision Xi (喜辰晨 Xǐ Chénchén) – Lost for Words 欲言又止

After years of involvement in Shanghai jazz circles through her work with and performances at long-running institution JZ Club, Voision Xi finally released her full-length debut at the start of this year. The album is underpinned by jazz but also pulls in elements of funk, rap, rock, and spoken word. The extensive album credits feature a hypnotist along with an all-star support cast, including guitarist Xióngguān Zhāng 张雄关, producer Sdewdent, and multi-instrumentalist Jùn Xiào 肖骏, who this year became the first Chinese artist to release a solo record on legendary label Blue Note. As if this mature, multi-layered offering wasn’t enough, Xi also served up a brilliant electronic EP via the excellent Eating Music label in the summer.

Listen: Bandcamp

Liáng Yìyuán 梁奕源 – Those That Die in a Dream

Appearing at the more accessible end of the experimental spectrum, Those That Die in a Dream is a two-decade-spanning compilation of work from Wuhan-born, Yunnan-based artist Liang Yiyuan. Blending avant-garde exploration with traditional Chinese instrumentation, this Unexplained Sounds Group release spans dark, ambient, sound art and drone-driven psychedelia to mesmerizing effect. 

Listen: Bandcamp

Honorable mentions:

• The swirling psychedelia of Yěpéng’s 也朋 太​陽​寨​巷​戰 (Tài​yáng​zhài​ Xiàng​zhàn) was a slow-burning delight.
• Chainhaha channeled Björk and made concerns about becoming a mother a surprisingly fun listen on 谁在我的肚子里 (Who’s in My Belly?).
• The Region, Music, and Practice Vol​. ​1 (地​方​，​音​乐​与​实​践 Vol​.​ 1) compilation from Shenzhen label Old Heaven Books showcased a wealth of Chinese avant-folk, with Mamer and Lǎo Dān 老丹 at the fore.