Beijing rock quartet sticks to producing frail, dark debut

For alternative rock upstarts Residence A, it wasn't the year-long delay of their debut album that got people riled, but rather their taste in cover art.

"We actually were the target of some online hatred from animal lovers in Tianjin and Shanghai," said guitarist Xiao Bin of reactions to their tour poster, which features a whole, skinned rabbit on a white background.

However, like the human heart that adorns the cover of the uneconomically titled Please Use Your Body To Break Free From Desire And Escape, the pictures are photo-realist paintings by young artist and friend of the band, Lu Zhengyuan.

Much like the art and title suggest, Please Use Your Body presents a frailer, darker Residence A than their upbeat live shows convey.

If the melancholy, aimless opener "[Time, Y] If" clumsily outs a yearning for us to take them as serious artistes, the repeated lyrics "This is a chaotic world/This is a sad season," on "Sniff" begins to stink of a concept album. Perhaps mentors and neighbors Re-TROS have had some influence.

Residence A practices next door to the politically leaning, post-punk trio in Tongzhou district, and the proximity shows on tracks such as "101st Street Light" and "Wedding Procession" that echo Re-TROS's "A Death-Bed Song" and "Boys In Cage" respectfully. Screaming individual personality, Please Use Your Body is a showcase of frontman Zhao Zhao's raspy vocals that are powerful throughout, sounding almost untouched in post-production.

Fan-favorite anthems such as "Song Chun" and "Youzi Yin" are saved for the end, breaking up the daunting overcast with arena-sized hooks and sustaining bright guitars.

For those initiated by their wound-up shows, listening to Residence A in recorded form proves a challenge, as live energy always plays coy through speakers or earphones.

But stylistic exploration and a narrative track sequencing, capped with the optimistic "Partner Under The Sun," fulfills the title's promise of an escape from dark to light, proving themselves more complex than their sing-a-long choruses suggest.