From Uni Cafeteria to Opening for Slowdive: Beijing Shoegazers Default on Their Epic Rise

Default don’t so much redefine the shoegaze genre as fully inhabit it and more importantly, take it to higher ground, wielding its full potential. Leaning heavily into the larger-than-life sound that Slowdive, Ride and various other bands from the 90s built for generations to come, there’s something defiant about how the young Beijing band takes the genre by the horns and commits fully to its transformative power. Jam-packed with atmospheric psychedelic-tinted, reverb-soaked melodies that demand to be turned up at full volume, Default's songs are rich and visceral in their emotional heft – leaving you shaken and stirred.

The band, led by the charismatic and robust Eric (whose Kevin Shields haircut is no joke), got their start in university in 2015 and quickly garnered attention for their debut EP California Nebula. From there, Default honed their live set and eventually opened for some big acts like their idols Slowdive. The band is wrapping up their tour in support of their first full-length LP Life in a Vacuum with a final homecoming show at Yue Space on Friday, May 3. I chatted with the band, which also consists of Looper on drums, Alison on guitar, and E on bass (they're not big on full names so don't bother asking) about touring struggles, finding success, and using their newfound attention to further explore their sound.

So how’s the tour going? Have you all managed to kill each other yet? What’s your favorite stop been so far?
Eric: We're so excited! At the same time, it was exhausting. Regarding my favorite stop, I’ll say Nanjing. The venue there had a professional sound system and cozy weather.

Looper: I'm not doing too bad [during the tour]. Actually, I’m the one who managed to not to be killed! Chengdu, Nanjing, Shanghai, those stops were all good.

Alison: We rely on trying to kill each other to stay excited [laughs]. Guangzhou was the best.

E: Everything has gone well! No serious problems yet, I’m just sick of seeing my bandmates faces every single day! I loved each stop on the tour so far.

It’s only been three years since you formed — what were those early days like? Is it true you recorded your first EP in your university’s cafeteria basement?
Eric: Those early days were all about rehearsal, rehearsal, and rehearsal. Same as nowadays. But during that time we just kept dreaming — dreaming without the needed skills. We were just college students back then, living in the school, going to class and playing in a band, with nothing more to worry about.

It is true that we recorded our first EP in the basement. We bought a recording device, a computer, and some microphones by ourselves. And we did these recordings one week before the start of school, so there was no one there. Just one week, it was really crazy.

What was the recording process like for Life in a Vacuum?
Eric: Quick, efficient, and stressful. The process almost wore us out. We had to force ourselves to stay awake although we were already very fatigued. The studio where we recorded our new album was above and beyond professional; the same with our sound engineer Guo Yang. Compared to the recording of our earlier EP it was strict and painful, but it felt like we were on a mission that we needed to complete. Eventually, the sound quality came out really great, and we were overwhelmingly satisfied with what we got in return for our efforts. We are proud of it. Much love to Guo Yang, we really appreciate it!

The last year has been epic, to say the least, for Default — alongside opening for heavy weight acts like Slowdive and The Bilinda Butchers, it’s clear your audience is getting bigger and bigger these days. When did you start noticing this? How has this transformation affected the mentality of the band?
Eric: Hard to say to be honest. I can feel the difference but can't specifically describe why. The only thing I know is that I’ll try not to be affected by any of it.

E: As you can imagine, it was such a tremendous opportunity opening for them [Slowdive] and it boosted our confidence. On the other hand, I had to consider whether or not we could ever reach their level. So that's been pushing us, while also keeping us down to earth.

Alison: Even though we've received some more attention, for me at least, nothing has changed.

Looper: Truly, it feels good. But we want to make sure their love powers our creativity.

More and more bands are getting lumped into the "shoegaze" category. Do you consider yourselves a shoegaze band? Without using any music genres or terms, how would you describe your sound to someone?
Eric: At this stage, we’re no longer limited to being just a shoegaze band. But the characteristics of those sounds certainly still remain in our music. It is hard to put into words — music is a mysterious and abstract subject, and we only can describe it through our musical language. We hope we could create music that only belongs to us.

Alison: I don’t consider our band to be a shoegaze band. Usually, I tell others our songs just blow up and then go "bang bang bang!"

I think "Brooklyn Night" [watch the music video here] might just be my favorite track of the year thus far — have you ever been to New York? What vision of the city are you trying to evoke here?
Eric: Actually, we’ve never been to New York before, none of us.

Looper: But if there is a chance, I’d love to travel there.

Eric: If you mean like in a video game, I have been there, actually many times, wandering in the streets of Brooklyn. As John Lennon says, New York is just like the center of the world - filthy and dirty, while stars are shining splendidly above.

Alison: I'm the same! I think it's the best track on this album. Every time I play the guitar intro on it, I always imagine one man walking forward alone on the Brooklyn Bridge like a scene in a movie.

E: I like the idea of Brooklyn at night. After the bustling daytime of New York, the gloomy and heart-broken people are scattered on the streets, searching for their own souls.

Never miss a gig: click here for a huge list of live shows in the city, updated daily.

Default will perform at Yue Space on May 3 at 8.30pm. Tickets are RMB 80. For more information, click here.

Photos: Courtesy of Default