The Irish poet W.B. Yeats wrote in "The Second Coming": "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world."
This seems to accurately describe the paradox facing our current generation. As the volume of information constantly expands and distant wars never cease, we find ourselves even more deeply entangled in the utterly boring struggles within ourselves. In this chaos, where light cannot penetrate, a suppressed and tense social atmosphere is filled with collective anxiety and loss. The Hong Kong band Restless Water (不平靜水域) transforms these emotions into songs, and when you step into the water unprepared, they coil around you like an undercurrent, roaring and clamoring loudly in your ear.
Restless Water was formed in 2023 by guitarist Jason Cheung (張臻善, member of Hong Kong noise band David Boring, emergency and critical care physician, and member of the label "Tomorrow Unknown"), vocalist Lilly Gato (member of Black Window / Little Ben Sheng Deng / Tomorrow Unknown, who explores society and emotion through Cantonese spoken word poetry), and drummer wo4 (龢, sound improviser, member of the cross-media art collective "Writing as Method"). The three seasoned musicians gradually cultivated a unique style, centered on a raw and direct sound and philosophy.
In 2024, as Lilly and Brian traveled to Taiwan for a performance, Jason proposed that they complete their debut EP at the 112F Recording Studio in Taipei. They invited their long-time collaborator, sound artist Wilmer (cello, bass, recording, and post-production), as a guest. The band recorded directly without pre-recorded edits, completing the work within two days.
The musical style of Restless Water is like the formation of a vortex, starting with the drop in the water flow from the initial jam, driving the overall rotation. The dissonant interweaving of guitar and drums represents the difference in flow speed, stirring up rotation at the boundaries to outline the atmosphere. The bass and vocals, in turn, are like the water body being added, continuously pushing the center to sink and expand. The individual characteristics of the band members are like water encountering obstacles, stirring up new eddies, causing the sound to be constantly pulled and reorganized. Ultimately, the music is not eager to be defined but relies on the circulating primal energy to continuously generate, its contours shimmering in the ambiguous flow.
Without any obscure vocabulary or deliberate mystification, "High Purity Love" (高純度愛) cuts open the prelude like a bouncing sharp blade. Personal emotions, cyberbullying, unemployment, family issues, and intergenerational conflicts are interwoven and bombarded. The atmosphere is so humid and clamorous that one can almost smell the sweat and excitement in the crowd. In the repeated chorus, they admit to being "so imperfect, with so many flaws," yet they stubbornly pursue that small path that reveals a faint light, clutching onto hope amidst the predicament. The intense struggle is condensed into a high-purity arrow, shooting straight towards that heavy shackle; even if it can't be completely destroyed, it's enough to cause a crack.
"Tomb of Unease" (不安之墓), on the other hand, sweeps away the previous cheerfulness. The dragging, dirty guitar riffs, filled with sludge, make it hard to breathe, like a relentless dragging and torture in resistance to the real environment. The cycle of numbers from zero to one hundred reflects the volatile emotions like a dashboard. Too much loss, cold words, and alienation allow insecurity to breed throughout the body, until the final breakdown and collapse. The self-consolation, "The unease will eventually pass," after a scream, is a portrait of an anxious soul. What exactly have we lost? How should we seek salvation? And where should we go from here?
"Hesitation" (吞吞吐吐) is like a murmur in the solitude of midnight. In a state of unguarded vulnerability, thoughts and instruments continuously converge like water droplets, forming a deep confession. It seems to subtly hint at the recurring feeling of both longing for dependence and fearing loss in the process of growing up and in intimate relationships. The repeated haikus form a huge contrast, where self-abasement and self-confidence are only a word apart. Amidst embraces and cries, a sincere and moving lingering charm is left behind, until everything returns to peace, hoping to live a life free from worldly concerns, like a solitary fisherman in the rain.
By "Inner Angel's Accusation" (內在天使控訴), the band rallies again. The unpredictable melody line is sometimes full of sarcasm, sometimes a heavy accusation, the hysterical back-and-forth run leaving one breathless. It perfectly presents the lyrics that both see through the world's decay and the desolation of "amusement to death," yet cannot let go of the fantasy of mediocre happiness. It is like a self-mocking prayer, admitting one's failure, but still willing to offer goodwill. Perhaps you and I are all black road angels, symbols of the era's marginalized, growing up in contradiction, struggling between numbness and sobriety, yet still trying to find a reason to move forward.
Finally, "Response and Questioning" (回應與發問) discusses timidity, fear, misunderstanding, and authority in a tone of jest and interrogation, reflecting humanity's longing and confusion for love and freedom through the image of a savior, showcasing the pursuit of individual control and liberation. Musically, it is based on improvisation and randomness, allowing impulsive sounds to continuously converge, paired with real-time text writing to bring a strong intuitive impact. The first association the sound triggers in the mind is immediately captured and presented, forming an experimental carnival of improvisation, sensibility, and contemplation.
The EP Restless Water is like a reflection, fully and fiercely mirroring the restlessness, anxiety, and longing of the current generation. From a violent direct hit to suppression and tearing, it finally throws out the pursuit of love and freedom. These songs are like waves, layer upon layer, ultimately engulfing everyone, becoming the fuel for a collective emotional release. They interweave social reality and inner struggle in the most primitive and direct way, forcing listeners to find their own exit in the chaos. This is a work about the era, about the self, and also about resistance and hope. Even when drifting in the undercurrent, one can still find a brief but genuine deep breath in the music.
