It’s also well-suited for a stroll on a scorching city pavement. The Bearbabes, a trio that has been around since 2000, play everything from slowcore rock to upbeat power-pop that is radiant but far from saccharine.
This second album, said Cookie in an interview printed in the band’s promotional material, is about “loss.” On the radio-friendly Rockable, it hurts so good, especially when she hits those yodeling notes during the choruses.
Cookie turns on the charm with her honey-smooth voice on Firefly (螢火), a beautiful piano lullaby, but she’s no Mando-pop prude. She drops the F-bomb without flinching on Sick N’ Tired, the band’s only song written entirely in English and a great alt-country-flavored tune with spacey pop choruses.
Guitarist Wei Jun (魏駿) has the band scorching on A City Without December (沒有12月的城市), matched by top-notch drumming from Chen Tai-yuan (陳泰元), who also plays with another indie-rock trio, Windmill (風籟坊).
Dig deeper into Year After Year, and the band’s cohesiveness and maturity as musicians only becomes more apparent. In Dear Stranger (親愛陌生人), they venture into psychedelic pop territory without getting too carried away. Monster (怪物) is a dreamy, slow-burning number that is one of the better examples of Taiwanese indie rock.
— DAVID CHEN
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