MUSIC: Flawlessly carefree

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As an indie band, Relax One (輕鬆玩) revels in a brand of happy-go-lucky, sun-drenched rock that urges you to loosen up and cool off.

But beneath this carefree veneer lies a group that has shown remarkable determination throughout its career.

The outfit’s ultimate goal? Opening a villa-style recording studio in Kenting.

“That way, our life, dreams and music can be taken care of in one step!” says vocalist and songwriter Summer Hsu (徐鳳玉).

Formed in 1998, Relax One is comprised of Hsu, frontman and guitarist Hsiao Mao (小毛), real name Mao Tsung-wen (毛琮文); bassist Hsiaorenguo (小人國), real name Chan Chi-yen (詹期焱); and drummer Ah Kuei (阿貴), real name Chao Kuei-ming (趙貴民).

The band — which performs tomorrow evening in Kaohsiung — issued two indie EPs before releasing its first full-length album, I Want to Take It Easy and Have Fun (我要輕鬆玩), through Avex in 2005. After a brief stint with the mainstream label, the band recorded two more indie EPs: 2008’s Unplugged Commemorative Edition (不插電紀念版) and July’s You Just Don’t Understand Relax One (你才不懂輕鬆玩). A new unplugged full-length album is currently in the works.

“When you reach a certain stage in life, you see things differently. It’s no longer just rock any more,” explains Hsu in an interview last Friday at the band’s recording studio in Taipei’s East District (東區). “We want to do unplugged albums and concerts now because we want to go back to the basics.”

You Just Don’t Understand Relax One contains three old tunes revamped as acoustic numbers. Bitch It Out (幹譙) is a rousing rocker that advises people to vent their angst by complaining. See Through It (看清) is an uplifting number that urges listeners to regain sight of their dreams. Take a Fart (放一個屁) is a rock anthem that encourages everyone to recover their sense of perspective by ... farting. In their latest music permutation, the jaunty, provocative lyrics contrast with Hsu’s laid-back vocals and stripped-down guitar and bass.

Frontman Hsiao Mao chose the name Relax One because the band’s motto is to “take it easy and have fun.” Each band member works in the music industry: Hsiao Mao does album and concert production, Ah Kuei and Hsiaorenguo work on other music projects when not performing with their own band, and Hsu has been making a living singing in pubs.

While her three male bandmates were performing their compulsory military service, Hsu worked as a production assistant at a music company. A tape of her singing was discovered by producer Chen Wei (陳偉), the maestro behind Elva Hsiao’s (蕭亞軒) early hits. Chen offered to sign her as a solo act, but Hsu chose to stick with Relax One.

The band later signed with mainstream label Avex (with Chen as their agent) and released I Want to Take It Easy and Have Fun. Despite aggressive marketing, the band’s LP failed to achieve commercial success.

“The people at the label were very friendly, but I think they were trying to sell us as a pop idol act — which is misleading,” says Hsu.

“We won’t change our music no matter who we sign with,” she adds. “The label who signs us must believe in our music.”

After its contract with Avex expired, Relax One dropped off the radar. Then, last year, Hsu’s obsession with life in Hengchun (恆春) brought about the group’s latest breakthrough in the dazzling form of a song from the blockbuster movie Cape No. 7 (海角七號).