Nanjing Indie Rockers Schoolgirl Byebye Talk Living a Comedic Life in the Face of Death

Anyone craving a quick indie rock fix should look no further than Nanjing outfit Schoolgirl Byebye. Having laid low after being touted as 2016’s Best Newcomer from the Douban music awards, the band, led by couple Yang Yue (on vocals and guitar) and Geng Shengzai (on drums), came back swinging last year with their full-length debut No Romantics in China on Ruby Eyes Records.

Wiser, more mature, and wistful all the same, their sound has no issue shifting gears song to song – gleefully jumping from reverb-heavy dream pop to scrappy noise rock while still managing to be softhearted, sweet, chock full of bite, and with tongue lodged firmly cheek (their retelling of ”Jodorowsky’s Dune” might be last year’s most hilarious take). They may not be reinventing the wheel, but Schoolgirl Byebye is the kind of pulpy indie pop that helps the medicine go down.

More recently, the band (which now includes Huang Yifan on guitar and Guo Dong on bass) has been hitting the festival circuit left and right, and after two surprise single releases earlier this month, they’re hitting the road again for a tour of China, with a stop at Yue Space on Saturday, Jun 22.

We shot Yang Yue some questions about adjusting to family life, living in Nanjing, and maintaining a sense of humor.

Your band has veered more and more away from their noisier post-punk-inflicted days to gentler, more melancholic indie rock. Is that something that has come naturally with growing older? Or was it something you’ve always set out to do?
It was actually very natural for us. I think it all depends on the condition you were in when you wrote those songs. For instance, we wrote a song for our dog and for our daughter, so naturally, we choose a softer approach. But, we still have some heavy songs, even some hardcore songs. It all depends on what you want to say with your lyrics.

How have your tastes and sensibilities evolved over time? What are you into these days?
I've always been into different kinds of music – not only indie rock but also other kinds of rock 'n’ roll, such as hard rock and some kinds of metal and hardcore. I like to learn from different kinds of music, and don't want to be limited by style when I write music. I'm now listening to a lot of neo-soul and new school fusion guitar licks.

Schoolgirl Byebye went on a bit of a hiatus a couple of years back. What was the official reason? How did starting a family impact your music and how you approach everything from writing lyrics to recording?
The reason why we stopped for one year was my wife got pregnant and gave birth to our little girl. It took a year out of us. But I never stopped writing songs. This is why we were able to release our first album last year. Family life is not a block for me or to our band, because both my wife and I are members of this band – it's just another base for creation. I usually have some ideas about what I want to say in a song, and I'll tell my wife to put this down in lyrics. And then I'll write the rest, including vocals, guitar, bass, and drums. Sometimes it’s the other way around – my wife will tell me what she wants to say, and I write it down in music.

You are touching on more somber topics recently, even if the melodies are still brisk as ever. What’s the story behind "Lonely We Die"? Is there any relief in putting these thoughts into song form?
Sadly, one of our best friends died in March this year. She had been diagnosed with cancer three years ago. This new song “Lonely We Die” was written for her. Death is sad but true — we need to face it — and try to make it better while we’re still alive.

While a lot of your music is unapologetically tender and fuzzy, there’s a definite sense of humor injected in it that has always stuck out to me. I’m curious what kind of comedy you grew up on or where your sense of humor derives from?
Yes, we are trying to live an easier life. Not be too serious or too profound. My wife is a big fan of Woody Allen and my favorite comedian is Bill Murray. We certainly believe that we live a comedic life.

Are you still Nanjing-based? How do you describe the city to visiting friends? Are they any places or areas that folks must check out on the weekend?
We are still in Nanjing. Both my wife and I were born here and have lived here for over 30 years. For me, Nanjing is home – the first city in China. It’s a beautiful, modern city but there’s also a lot of history here. In my opinion, the places you can't miss in Nanjing are the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and the Zhongshan Tomb. Sun Yat-sen was the first president of China and Nanjing used to be the capital. He was a great man that changed the modern history of China, for both ROC and the PRC.

Alright – I would be kicking myself if I didn’t ask – where the hell did "Jodorowsky's Dune" one of your first singles, come from? Are you a big Dune fan? What are your thoughts on the failed attempts to adapt the book, as well the forthcoming project that’s expected to come out next year?
[Laughs] I never read that novel, and haven't seen the movie before. But I know the story from my first computer game: DUNE2000. It's great and the story really shook me when I was 10 years old. My wife really likes the documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune, which is about how [director Alejandro] Jodorowsky planned to make the movie but was refused by all the studios in Hollywood. So really, that’s what the song is about.

Schoolgirl Byebye will play at Yue Space on Jun 22 at 8.30pm. Tickets are RMB 80 advance or RMB 100 on the door. For more information, click here.

Heading to the club this weekend?
You may want to catch RP Boo, Haruka, Ryogo Yamamori, Ernest Kalinin, Deadbeat, or Kill the Noise.

Photos courtesy Schoolgirl Byebye