Since I first catch Lonely Leary in early 2015, I’ve been championing them as the risen through the ranks and the while maintaining their knack for live-wire performances and razor-sharp tunes. Over time the band has managed to find ways to elevate and twist further the knife on their paranoid angst, cool-headed melodies, and cesspool of infectious post punk unease. A rollercoaster ride of jagged edges, hushed aggressions, manic energy, and taut bass lines that barrel full speed ahead – it grips you and doesn’t let go. The band has been preparing the release of their sophomore effort this year – and not even COVID-9, delayed tours, or lockdown can stop them. The band, originally supposed to tour last month, are finally being let loose upon the country as they head to Hangzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Qingdao starting Thursday, August 6th. I had a quick chat with the band last month about life during quarantine and hitting the road again.
早在2015年，我就很看好孤独的利里。近几年，他们果然以出色的现场和刀锋般锐利的音色崭露头角，并呈现出更偏执的情绪，更克制的旋律，成为积蓄着不安的后朋感染源。像一程过山车，有卡顿的轨道，突然的冲撞，疯狂的势能，还有紧绷的贝斯全速滚动，把你牢牢抓住不得下车。孤独的利里已经在着手准备发行新专辑了，无论新冠疫情，巡演推迟，还是留京隔离都不能阻止他们的行动。上个月搁置的巡演终于要在杭州，上海，南京和青岛继续上演。也是在上个月，我和乐队简单聊了一下关于隔离期生活以及后续巡演的想法。
Q: How’s life been these past six months!? Give me some good news!
这半年的生活怎么样？来点好消息吧！
A: We finished most of the recording for the new album before the Spring Festival. Although it was delayed by the corona virus for a while, it was finally completed this past May! Our producer, Yang Haisong, is commendably doing the post-mixing work at the moment, and I believe it won’t be too long till its release.
我们在春节前完成了新专辑绝大部分的录音。虽然被新冠病毒耽搁了一段时间，但总归还是在今年五月份彻底杀青了！我们的制作人杨海崧正在高效地进行着后期的混音工作，不久之后就能问世。
Q: How did the pandemic change your plans for the year? Were you lucky enough to finish the recordings before everything went to shit?
这次疫情如何影响了你们今年的计划？是否在疫情爆发之前完成了录音？
A: Except for recording the new album, we didn’t have too many concrete plans before the pandemic raged, so it’s hard to say how much it was affected. The only ups and downs for this tour were we originally had planned to join the Swiss band Penkowski on the road, but the epidemic made it impossible for them to get visas. Luckily, we’ve been catching up and rehearsing quite a bit, and we didn’t have to completely overthrow and rebuild our tour plans from scratch. (Editor’s note: if that wasn’t enough, the band had to postpone their plans for a tour a month back due to the virus popping up again in Beijing).
除了录制新专辑以外，我们在新冠病毒爆发前并没有制定太多关于下一步的具体计划，所以更谈不上被影响了多少。唯一波折的事情就是这次的巡演——原计划我们会和瑞士乐队Penkowski一起上路，但疫情并没有让他们拿到签证。所幸我们自己还是赶上了情况转好的时期，不用像很多其他的巡演计划那样要彻底推翻重来。
Q: How did you keep from getting rusty musicality during these past months? Have you been able to rehearse together?
疫情期间乐队如何保持音乐上的默契和敏锐？你们有机会一起排练吗？
A: In the past six months, we have not been together most of the time, and all we can do is have scattered remote discussions. But sometimes, putting down the music for a while isn’t such a bad thing!
在过去的半年中，我们大部分时间都不在一起，能做的只有零散的远程讨论。不过有时候，放下音乐一段时间或许并不是坏事！
Q: What do you want to achieve as a post punk band and what are your thoughts on the post punk scene in China and how you fit in?
你们想在国内的“后朋克”场景中扮演什么样的角色？想要实现什么？
A: If someone listens to our record and subsequently all the emotions and thoughts lead to the phrase “fuck” – I think there is nothing more exciting for me than this. Of course, this has very little to do with the so-called “post-punk” status. If there is a “post-punk” scene in China, I would rather stay away from it.
如果有人在听完我们的唱片后，各种情绪和思想最终导向一句“操他妈的”，我觉得没什么比这个更让我感到振奋的了。当然这似乎与所谓“后朋克”的身份关系不大。如果当下国内真的存在一个“后朋克”场景的话，我更希望能离它远一点。
Q: When was the last time you were on the road for this length of time? Excited?
上次公路巡演是什么时候？兴奋吗？
A: Our last time ‘on the road’ was the European tour in the fall of 2018, which was almost two years ago. It was a very interesting experience: before each performance, we would set up the entire stage and all the equipment (including drums and speakers), and the audience was often dominated by punk uncles and working class folks. Quite different from the situation in China, but pretty close to what my imagination was of the European indie rock scene based upon movies.
我们此前的最后一次“在路上”还是2018年秋天的欧洲巡演，也已经是接近两年前的事情了。那是一次非常有趣的经历：每次演出前我们都会参与到全套设备（包括鼓和音箱）乃至舞台的搭建中，观众也往往以朋克大叔和工人阶级为主。这与在国内的情况大相径庭，但和我通过电影对欧洲独立摇滚的想象还挺接近的。
Q: What were some of the highlights of your past China tours? What’s the secret to keeping your sanity on tours like this?
上次全国巡演有什么“高光时刻”吗？有没有什么在密集巡演中保持活力的诀窍？
A: During our last national tour, the real “highlights” often took place in cities outside of our expectations, such as Shenzhen, Yiwu, Wenzhou, etc. – places that we were barely aware of. Of course, the so-called “highlights” are also based on our own experiences, and have little to do with box office and how the performance went.
For us, the more intense the tour schedule, the more exciting and vigorous it becomes, but taking one to two days off has a significant effect on our bodies allowing us to completely decompress. During the tour, late night dinners and drinking sessions and waking up early in the morning to travel is often inevitable. So I think a nap after arriving in every new city is the most effective way to conserve energy!
在上次的全国巡演中，真正的“高光时刻”往往发生在我们期待之外的城市，比如深圳、义乌、温州等等这些我们此前几乎完全不了解的地方。当然所谓的“高光”也都是从我们自身的体验出发的，与票房和演出效果关系没那么大。
对我们来说，巡演的日程越密集越能够保持兴奋与活力，一到两天的休息日反而会让身体彻底松懈。在巡演中，难免会有喝到半夜的酒局和过早的交通安排。所以我认为抵达新的城市后的一场午睡是维持精力最有效的诀窍！
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