The Sino Hearts - "Rock 'N Roll Hurricane"

I first learned about Beijing power pop dynamos The Sino Hearts after my college buddy Will Griffith (who runs an excellent blog called Live China Music that covers the music scene in Beijing and Shanghai) included songs from their first LP, Leave The World Behind, on a flash drive of his favorite releases of 2017. That was already a few years ago, and since then, the band released another great album, Mandarin A Go-Go, but unfortunately, neither record is available in the United States. That’s where the Texas label, Otitis Media Records, comes in, as they’re releasing a special compilation album of stand out tracks from the band’s first two full-lengths called Rock ‘n Roll Hurricane. It features the best of the best, including some of my personal favorites like “Terminal Crisis” and “Summer In Rome,” and an exclusive, never before released track, “Psycho Baby.” 

Fronted by Zunisono Zhong, The Sino Hearts are all about speed, melody, and irresistible hooks in the classic sense, blending the best elements of garage, power pop, and punk rock into their very palatable tunes. Zhong has a natural knack for melody that reminds me of Paul Collins or Dave Edmunds, and he combines it with the whip-smart instincts of first-generation punk acts like the Buzzcocks and the Ramones. The tracks selected from Mandarin A Go-Go like “Loveless Nights” and “Rock ‘N Roll Hurricane” also have a particularly warm, vintage sound, as the band traveled to Austria to record the album to tape, and they also mix in a bit of fuzzy garage rock sneer on songs from Leave The World Behind like “Teenage Rebel.” The compilation even includes a few upbeat love songs like “New Keys To Your Heart,” which will definitely inject a bit of sweetness into your Valentine’s Day weekend. 

Stream the album below!

You can purchase the compilation on limited edition colored vinyl via Bandcamp or the website for Otitis Media Records. You can also purchase the rest of the band’s catalog via their Bandcamp or stream it on Spotify. Keep up with the band by liking them on Facebook.