In 2016, Plastics Band debuted in Kunming, China. Last year, they signed a contract with BingMaSi(兵马司) when they were about to disband. The newly released single, "Sadness Is Just A Common Emotion,” is the studio version of their demo version, which was released back in 2018. Before the Plastics Band was formed, none of the band members had experience with punk music. When asked why they chose to become a punk band, the lead singer, Bokai, laughed and said it seemed as if punk was the most accessible musical genre. The drummer, Andy, stated that it’s because they write the music they like. After some thought, they said amongst themselves, "why not start a punk band?"
And here is how it started…
"I met Chen Qiuhai eight years ago. It was Dr. Ma who introduced us. At that time, we both liked to play the guitar together. Once, when we were having a drink, I was surprised to discover that Qiuhai and I were born in the same year, in the same month, and on the same day. We decided to celebrate our future birthdays together while we were drunk. I also found out that he went to college in the north, and after graduation, he returned to Yunnan to become a street singer. However, the source was not verified. I only knew that he had changed his name to Chen Yuan.
Later, Kunming had a guitarist like him. He played the guitar well and worked hard. Naturally, he performed in many places. I always see him posting photos of his performances on social media. Those performances are various, including the real estate opening and the wedding of his friends. I heard that sometimes he performs at several shows a day. Maybe it’s because we have a different view of what it means to be in a "band.” I don’t like to do these so-called “gigs.” In fact, apart from this kind of “gigs,” no other performance suits me. That being said, I have been just spending most of my time being too lazy to practice. As a result, we don’t see each other that often, and we each meet with other friends.
Later on, we once encountered each other at a bar, and I was so drunk that I couldn't even walk. He helped me and asked, "Are you not afraid to die when you drink so much?" I didn't know how to answer. I eventually responded while I was still drunk, and I said that what I fear is that I will not die tomorrow. Chen Yuan answered me, "Bro, what I fear most is to wake up tomorrow and find that I am still alive." I didn’t know what happened to him, and I can’t remember which year the dialogue occurred and how we met, but this dialogue has always been engraved in my head.
I tried to quit drinking many times, and time had always felt prolonged when I was sober. I couldn't find anything to do and kept going online to try to kill time. It was raining heavily one night, and I kept scrolling through my social media when I suddenly saw Chen Yuan posted a message: “Can someone help me?” The picture by the text was of a broken electric bicycle under the overpass lying next to a puddle. I knew that he must have scrapped the tires on the way back from one of his gigs. I couldn't help him because my electric car was scrapped, too. I didn't know how to help him, so I had to give him a "like" under the post. However, at that moment, I felt empty in my heart, so I picked up my pen and wrote the lyrics of the song, “Sadness Is Just A Common Emotion,” in the heavy rain.
He doesn't know the song I wrote, and I haven't told him. We still haven't celebrated our birthday together, but when that day comes, we will send each other a message: "Happy birthday. "
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