r/cpop

Hey everyone, I've been building LyricsDecode.com — a site with Cantopop lyrics paired with Jyutping romanisation and English translations, covering artists like Jacky Cheung, Eason Chan, Beyond, and more.

I recently added a lyrics quiz feature which I think is actually useful for learning:

• Practice mode — shows the Jyutping and English meaning of each line before you answer, so you're learning while playing
• Challenge mode — 20s timer, lyrics only, pure recall
• Modes: guess the song, pick the next line (MCQ), or type the answer
• You can quiz by genre, artist, or a specific song

Would love feedback from Cantonese learners — is this the kind of tool that would actually help you?

lyricsdecode.com/quiz

I’ve been digging into Chinese indie lately and wanted to share a few songs from emerging bands that I am really enjoying. A lot of these feel like hidden gems that don’t get much visibility, so I figured I’d put them out here instead of letting them stay buried.

眼涡 - 草吠声
Eye Vortex (“眼涡,” literally “eyes like a whirlpool”) is a somewhat different track from the band’s new album Cocooned(“被茧”). The song is described as a kind of transitional breath connecting the new record to the band’s previous work.
The track reflects on the countless voices constantly demanding people take positions on society and current events. These pressures can come both from the outside world and from within ourselves, often leaving people trapped in confusion or contradiction between competing perspectives.
For the band, however, what matters is not simply making declarations or taking sides, but continuing to observe, think, and remember, refusing to avoid or ignore reality, while constantly reflecting and questioning.

Sad Song II — 环岛行驶Roundabout
As the second chapter in the band’s Sad Song series, Sad Song II was created as a bridge between the past and what comes next.
Unlike the more playful atmosphere of the first chapter, the song focuses on those moments in life that once felt impossible to move beyond. Yet with time, life itself reminds us that nothing is truly insurmountable, even if we still want to hold onto the fragile process of surviving it.

放火烧掉的诗Burning the Poems — 鲸鱼飞向天空
Burning the Poems (“放火烧掉的诗”) by 鲸鱼飞向天空Whale Flying Toward the Sky was inspired by the experience of having a private diary exposed during school years, an incident that left the songwriter with a lasting sense of shame and eventually led them to stop writing altogether.
The song transforms that memory into a quiet reflection on privacy, emotional vulnerability, and the desire to destroy parts of oneself before they can be misunderstood by others. Images of burning poems beneath a crimson sunset, dim streetlights, evening haze, and approaching storms run throughout the lyrics, creating a dreamlike atmosphere suspended between loneliness and comfort.

I’ve also been collecting these Chinese indie songs into a playlist, all from newer bands that emerged in the 2020s. If anyone wants to find something new: The Dragon Roars! | Chinese Indie Hits

I remember when the 任意門 album came out I was obsessed with this song.

But I feel like after 2007, it's been quite forgotten?

I'd love to be proven wrong, btw, I'm not that up to date to the Cpop music scene.

I still love the vibe of this song, it speaks to the kinda guys I've come across in the past, and probably will in the future

My (loose) translation of the chorus as a non-native speaker (feel free to correct me!):

早已見怪不怪
I'm hardly surprised now
你說 狼來了 狼來了
You cry wolf, cry wolf
說你還是 愛我的
Claiming you still love me
花心死性難改
A player never changes its ways
我說 狼來了 狼來了
I cry wolf, cry wolf
该有人帮你上一课
Someone should teach you a lesson

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/QVr4r_2RPEo?si=8Bp2Qitk8B8EwbpM

I would really appreciate it if anyone can help identify this song's artist and title. Here's an outline of what I've made out of it so far:

1. The sample is used in the full motion video game 有这么一个家伙 Such a guy from Such One Studio in one scene for the game character Ki Gan (Chinese 甘琪) and the cast who played her character, 艾然 (Airan?), doesn't seem to be a singer nor related to the song performance other than it being used on that scene.
2. I have not determined if this is the TV Cut/Game Cut version or if this is already the full version.
3. I have no info on who the composer is. Although Weng Xiaokun/Essay Wang (王啸坤) made special appearances in the actual game footage, and allegedly composed some of the songs used within the game, I cannot find the song in question being one of them in my searches.
4. Here are the lyrics and I am sorry if I didn't get this right because I am a non-Chinese speaker. The source is subtitles from this video: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1HTWtzREa9/

一天天 一点点 在靠近誓言
又睁眼 无意间 忽略了想念
就像微风吹着脸
没有人会发现
一朝朝 一暮暮 种下了期盼
我和你留意到第几天
两人并肩 要几次排练
才温柔了时间
你说你看见这世界并没有永远
能多远 有多甜 要怎么兑现
你和我虽然散步到身边
才有可能开篇
我说我相信爱不是敷衍和成全
在心底的背面
关于爱情哲理我不了解
却唤醒着爱恋

5. I have tried English-based search engines using multiple combinations of the game titles and lines of lyrics, and got nowhere.
6. The track is searchable everywhere but I am unable to find references to the title nor artist from web searchable wiki and game walkthroughs and popular (English) video streaming services, except for the fact that this was used in the game and that's it.
7. Three of the game's soundtrack were performed by Wendy Wang, but she seems to have nothing to do with the song in question.
8. In the special thanks message towards the end of the game, I see the following mentions but I am unable to connect them to this song either. Some of them seem to be just last names (again please correct me if I'm wrong - I'm not a Chinese speaker) so might not be useful but I included them during my search anyway so here they are:
   郑先生, 陈春霞女士, 刘鑫先生, 徐凯鹏先生
   孙乙超先生, 应先生, 孙先生, 安林瑶女士, 魏伟先生
   佟玲女士, 刘江先生, 郑军见先生, 张涵宇先生, 庄先生

Not sure if this has been discussed in Chinese-based forums or communities too, but I haven't seen much about it at least for those within my web reach.

Thank you for all the help anyone can provide!

Recent reccs and faves :)

Full playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ta8B1uLS7Mj3A8s5BMMEx?si=BWEyFsKCSf-2KIRKETTgvg