Who are The Peppercorns?
Introducing themselves as “the only art rock band in China,” The Peppercorns is a band from Beijing that identifies their music with the sub-genre of rock music, art rock. Aside from being influenced by classic rock music, several other genres influence the presence of art rock, such as experimental rock, avant-garde music, psychedelic music, folk music, baroque pop, and jazz. This Chinese band strives to challenge the limits that were originally set for rock music and experiment with different sounds and lyrical messages when creating their songs. After four years of dedication and hardwork, The Peppercorns finally released their first album, “The Sound of Sounds” this year.
Meet the Band
Xuefeng | Vocalist/Keyboard/Producer
Strings | Guitarist
Bell Kangaroo | Guitarist/Mixer
Uncle Yan | Bassist
Eric 梣 | Saxophone/Synthesizer
Zixuan | Drummer
Shana | Chorus
Rudine Radyn | Chorus
Yahtzee | Chorus
Sophie | Harmony
The Making of the Album
This album serves as the band’s contemporary interpretation of the genre, art rock, and takes inspiration from classic rock albums of the 70s, including Dark Side of the Moon and works from Pink Floyd. In order to create this album the band rented out a house for a better creative environment. The album format, unconventional song structure, and the presentation of classical instruments in "The Sound of Sounds" make this album seem to have a strong retro aesthetic. Although the concept album only contained five songs, each song lasts about ten minutes making the entire album about fifty minutes long.
Tracklist
Wind Up
Reproduce
Dorian Gray
Fallen Leaves
The Last Feast of the Mirage
Vocalist Xuefeng Explains the Meaning Behind the Tracks
"The first half of "Dorian Gray" describes the burning desire that all of us have. No matter what the desire is, there is always a corresponding price to be paid in the process of pursuing desire, and there is always some harm. The second half of the song Part of it describes the reflection and confession when desire is cooling down. Wilde’s "Dorian Gray" is actually me, you, and all of us."
"In the beginning, "Dowling Gray" and "The Last Feast of the Mirage" were both English lyrics, all rewritten in Chinese. I got a lot of help from Su Zixu in the writing process."
"Wangxiangji" is a summary of Xuefeng's emotions in the past 10 years, full of conscious aesthetics and the expression of life's impermanence. The lyrics of each song are very meaningful and poetic.
Tour Life
When it came to life on the road, the band had four main expectations:
Don’t run into any moths or pests over the course of the tour
Meeting fans from all over the world
Experience the feeling of being on the road
Tasting local snacks
Over the course of this tour, the band was able to accomplish many of these expectations and even more. This tour was the very first tour the band has ever embarked on outside of Beijing. Although they played several shows in Beijing in the past, they did not start touring until the album was finally released after a long four years. They were very moved to find fans from other locations and thankfully did not run into any pest problems. Overall, this tour was a very big learning experience for the band because it helped identify certain advantages and disadvantages within themselves. With this learning experience, the band found a new meaning as they take the next steps to their new creative stage. The band now plans to improve their live performances and polish the songs they have already created.
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