On April 29 the Beijing-based duo Naja Naja release their debut, a self-titled 6-song EP, on vinyl and digital through Wharf Cat Records and Beijing’s bié Records. It’s the handiwork of bassist Gou Gou and guitarist Yuhao, the twosome splitting vocal duties as they hone a decidedly Euro-centric early 1980s sound complete with programmed drums and electronics. Launching from a post-punk foundation, the moodiness of darkwave figures prominently, as do a futuristic aura, rhythmic bedrock, and often disaffected voices that reveal a Germanic influence, specifically Motorik and the Neue Deutsche Welle. Altogether, it’s a cut above the norm for contemporary acts operating within this stylistic spectrum.
Gou Gou and Yuhao of Naja Naja have made it plain that their forthright intention in collaborating musically was to “have fun.” As these half-dozen tunes unwind, it’s unmistakably clear they’ve succeeded, even as the record’s general thrust is somewhat removed from boisterous grooving. However, for the black turtleneck sweater and battered Burroughs paperback crowd, if such an amalgamation still exists (and one can only hope), Naja Naja’s debut essentially qualifies as a party record.
Opener “New Toy” is even aptly described as danceable, though Gou Gou’s speak-singing, halfway between alienation (template: Fad Gadget) and breathily seductive (template: post-punkers going pop), provides appropriate counterpoint, calming any urgencies over getting too exuberant, at least until the guitar bursts forth in the track’s back end and the rhythm kicks into high gear.
It’s Yuhao who sings in “Dong Dong,” sounding a bit like a young Moe Tucker transplanted to late ’70s Manchester or Berlin. This is a unmitigated positive. And the potential to gyrate is not lost here; indeed, Yuhao gets a little breathy herself as she repeatedly intones the phrase “dance with the drag queen” (talk about having fun) but the song’s motions are slow and robotic, with the electronic elements and the nicely gnawing guitar progressions deftly interwoven.
Yuhao stays on the mic for “Running Dog, Floating Elephant,” which leans toward the late ’70s Factory Records zone without sounding like a carbon copy, a scenario that extends to the EP as a whole, with Naja Naja avoiding gestures of simple hommage (which can ultimately prove shallow) and through inventiveness, transcending the merely retro.
Although vocals are one of Naja Naja’s consistent strengths, the EP’s highlight is the instrumental “Sunset Shopping Center,” an utter gem of a cut teeming with raw-edged guitar sustain and an incessant, increasingly thunderous bass line. And further raising the track’s worthiness is how it’s not really comparable to anything from Naja Naja’s main era of inspiration.
Now, “Copy of You” (sung by Gou Gou) is fairly taggable as an exponent of the aforementioned UK-German ’80s crossroads, to the point where had it been introduced to me as the unreleased byproduct of said era’s geography, I likely would’ve believed it (while pondering its high production value, perhaps). And if that sounds retro to you, I beg to differ; far from a rehash, “Copy of You” compares favorably to the stronger post-punk/ electronic/ NDW acts of the period, and again, without deliberate imitation.
“Tunnel” extends this situation to the EP’s finale as both members sing on the track, Gou Gou with the lead (sounding a smidge like a cyborg Lou Reed) and Yuhao the backing (some sweet doo-doo-doos). It’s a somewhat reserved closing track, one that flouts expectations a bit and simultaneously raises them for an upcoming full-length from Naja Naja.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
