China Bears – Easy Kill Review

Three albums in and China Bears are making a splash with the likes of Easy Kill. With sweating, sunburnt hands we converse with those online about the latest boom of interest from the indie music scene and with it comes the promise of alternative charms who have on their hands a nice slice of dependable, striking music. Live in fear of those who have screeners in their inbox but for the time being, before cracking open the main event of China Bears’ Participation Trophy, enjoy and engage with Easy Kill. Their latest single (at time of writing, anyway) is a boisterous endeavour which springs on us a clean-cut example of where the band draw their best ideas from. All which stops China Bears from being the next cut of quality and dependable, loved-up sound is ears and attention.  

Sweet and simple stuff which fits into the mould of all these decent rock bands of the here and now is what China Bears can offer. There is a lighter flourish of chart-like pop but the steady instrumentals, particularly the guitar work on Easy Kill, fend off any chance of unoriginal or unfocused material. Easy Kill is a solid piece and a welcome introduction to a band whose works have been gliding through the cultural pot for the past few years. Decent work is bound to come through when the personable storytelling filters through. These are the starting points of a band who, with already a few bits behind them, can now start forming their own image. While there are plentiful specifics to be heard in Easy Kill, the real joy comes from what may happen next. Once the instruments are put down and the band has moved on, what becomes of the longevity of this piece? 

Reflective tones in music are no stranger to the alternative scene and Easy Kill is almost entirely dependent on the what-if it poses at its core. Slick instrumentals and a solid vocalist usher in the steady waves of interest to come from an indie genre band who are firing out their third album. Participation Trophy will likely be as steady as this piece here and for those who want to kick back and listen to a solid set of songs then Easy Kill is a decent shout. But it is this complacency found on Easy Kill which means, while perfectly listenable, it fails to stand out from the barrage of unsigned, signed and legacy acts in these already flooded halls.  

When we are spoilt for choice daily, we hone our listening to that which we are familiar with. China Bears depend on this – a sort of static drift towards comfortable listening from an audience who has hit a quarter of a century in age and decided new music is no longer on their radar unless it sounds vaguely like a Coldplay riff or a Kings of Leon turn. Easy Kill has neither of those factors majorly involved in its development, but the swinging pop sounds of a generalised band do flood through with this release, and for better or worse, it is the making of China Bears. They can lean into it or challenge it, but either way, there is no doubt success down the line for their sound, for it stands out as a familiar experience to the last few years of guitar-heavy indie.  

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