Tuning into the comeback beat

Rock band Dada made a comeback on Wednesday with a new album, Hello!, nearly 20 years after its last album, to the delight of longtime fans.

The album was released by Modern Sky, one of the largest record companies in China.

The band also announced a nationwide tour, which will include Nanjing in Jiangsu province on Dec 18, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province on Dec 20 and Changsha in Hunan province on Dec 23.

"We've been waiting for a long time to finally release this album. I will read the comments. Hopefully, fans will say 'it was worthwhile to wait for'," said bassist Wei Fei in an interview on Dec 2.

Lead singer Peng Tan says: "I will sneak a peek at the comments and I am open to all kinds of feedback."

Guitarist Wu Tao and drummer Zhang Ming are dismissive regarding listeners' feedback.

"If you had some negative comments about the new album, please leave your messages to Wu Tao and Zhang Ming, because they won't read them," Peng says with a big laugh.

Through social media platforms, fans left messages about their anticipation for the new album and their feedback.

"The distinctive sounds of Peng Tan's voice have not faded over the years," says one fan.

"In a lot of ways, this album feels like a return to the exact Dada that I listened to when I was a student in middle school," writes another fan.

The album features 11 new songs, originally written and performed by the band. The songs talk about their past, present and future.

The album's title is named after one of the new songs, which delivers a message of the band greeting their fans, old and new, and welcoming their future.

"For the old fans, they will feel like tasting a meal that they are very familiar with — similar ingredients and similar recipe. For the new fans, they will get to know us like a new band," says Peng.

"The new album took us three years to finish. There are lots of emotions. It's great timing to release it as the new year is coming soon."

Even before writing the new songs, Wu had a concept for the album: past, present and future. It all started with the song See You Again, which was released in 2020 as a single.

The song continues in the band's music style, which is a mixture of catchy pop tunes and rock beats. Peng, the lead vocalist, still sings with a clean and soothing voice.

"When we did rehearsals together, I played a sequence of chords on my guitar, which sounded like the ticking sound of a clock. It inspired us to make an album about time," says Wu.

See You Again was considered as a reunion with their fans and an attempt to recapture things that had gone — the prime of youth, precious moments, dreams chased and sometimes obtained, and Dada's four members back onstage again.