The Peppermints (薄荷葉) are a rarity in Taiwan’s indie rock scene by virtue of their longevity. The four-piece, which appears on Sunday at The Wall (這牆), has managed to stay together by realizing that they “had no way of becoming a ‘popular’ band,” said guitarist and co-songwriter Tonpa Chung (鍾語桐).
The Peppermints say they’ve embraced the “underground,” which for them means playing brooding modern rock. Their third release, Banished (流放地), which came out last month, is about the feeling of ostracism and psychological disorders among urbanites.
“In the story of this album, the city is a one big mental institution,” said Chung. The main character, he said, gets pulled back and forth between “reality and illusion.”
The release comes somewhat as a surprise to the band’s friends and fans, as the album’s theme hits close to home for lead singer and lyricist Shine Lin (林倩). The recording process was interrupted last year when she checked into a psychiatric hospital to undergo treatment for severe depression.
“It’s been a very bad situation for me,” said Lin of her recent performances with the band, which has been playing regularly since mid-December to promote the album. “Going back to those experiences ... every song, I know what the background is. Every time we perform, I have to experience those scary things.”
She said in an interview last week that “80 percent” of the album’s lyrics draw from personal experience. Claustrophobia recalls a suffocating episode on the MRT; Someone in My Brain describes trying to cope with “hallucinations”; and Deja Vu entertains suicidal thoughts.
Lin, a petite 30-year-old who has bluish-green dyed hair, appeared to be in good spirits when we met at Chung’s studio in Taipei, where she runs a small art gallery and picture framing shop.
What keeps Lin going is an appreciation for her bandmates, and, of course, the music. “If you take out the lyrics, I think this music sounds really good,” she said.
Lin balances the band’s
guitar-and-noise driven sound, which brings to mind Sonic Youth and the Pixies, with her whispery sweet voice.
When playing live, The Peppermints are known for their introverted onstage demeanor.
“They’re not a band that likes to banter with the audience,” said Peng Yu-ching (彭郁晶), who owns the live music venue Witch House (女巫店) and has watched the band grow over the years. “When performing, they put all of their spirit into their songs.”
Asked whether she had thought of stopping performing because of her difficulty with the new album’s subject matter, Lin answered with a slight laugh: “I just want to do the next album as soon as possible.”
Besides, she says, Banished has a more important inspiration: the plight of “society’s disadvantaged” who live in the city.
Lin and the band’s drummer, Zheng Gae-tan (鄭凱同), also drew inspiration from their experiences as social activists. Both were involved in the campaign to preserve the Losheng Sanatorium (樂生療養院), a home for sufferers of Hansen’s disease that is being partly torn down by the government to make way for an MRT line.
The pair have also been active in protesting against government plans to tear down the Sanying Aboriginal Community (三鶯部落), a group of houses located along the Dahan River (大漢溪) built by Amis Aboriginal laborers who can’t afford to live in the city. So far the residents have been allowed to remain in their homes, and the band will be playing at the community’s weiya (尾牙, the traditional year-end party held before the Lunar New Year) next Saturday.
Lin, who has a graduate degree in film and documented both campaigns, had the residents of Losheng and Sanying in mind when crafting Banished’s lyrics.
None of the songs directly address their problems, but the entire album was written for anyone that has been “driven to the borders” or banished, she said.
“On the surface, it’s me telling the story. But I think probably every person could be the main character,” said Lin. “It could be anyone. It’s possible to find yourself in one of these songs.”
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