Chengdu indie rock band Stolen is composed of five young Chinese musicians and a VJ from France. The friends formed the band when they were still in high school and were so committed to it that they worked it so that they all got into the same college, the renowned Sichuan Music Academy, in order to continue their band while furthering their musical expertise. Talent, professional training and solid friendship, all these have helped the band to grow tremendously. In their college years, they won a succession of band competitions, including the first place of Midi’s BUD ROCKS. In 2013, they released their first EP STrange OLd-fashioned ENtertainment under Little Bar and New Noise. By then, they had already formed a full, distinctive, powerful and sensual sound and had drawn attention from all around.
As the band name Stolen suggests, their music has a nocturnal, intense and inward-looking quality. Lead singer Liang Yi flaunts deep, spirited and slightly neurotic vocals that is immediately identifiable, and it puts tension and character into every song. More importantly, Stolen’s darkness is not affected or boring: their powerful rhythmic section, thrilling guitar and synth all retain the vivacity that’s unique to young musicians bursting with energy. Yet, it can be hard to describe Stolen’s music precisely. They draw influences from many sources – from the cold post-punk of Joy Division, electronic powered krautrock of Kraftwerk, to the industrial darkness of Nine Inch Nails and the gentle flourishes of Portishead… Stolen tries to unite all these esthetic elements with their rock’n’roll core and have succeeded into creating a very modern all immersing, dark yet sexy sound that is pregnant with possibilities.
In 2014, Stolen officially signed with the newly formed Beijing indie label, D Force Records, and travelled to Taiwan to record their debut album. The record was produced by Xu Bo, the guitarist of legendary Beijing rock band P.K.14. The album includes works the band wrote in the previous three years, and it contains the internet hits “Electric Echo”, “No Replay”, “Suicidium Morbus”, as well as previously unheard songs such as “Aamir” and “Hook”. The record is titled Loop and is set to be released on August 4th. “Loop” not only occurs in music but also in all aspects of our daily life. The band VJ, as well as the cover art designer, FORMOL, explains, “Loops represent endless possibilities. Some of which are too rational and even boring, the others are full of beauty and surprises.” Loop, the record, undoubtedly falls into the latter category. Pick it up to discover Stolen’s unique sound that combines the bright passion of rock and the dark sensuality of electronic dance music.
