Beijing-based New Pants are all about the hooks, whether they're turning out frantic pop-punk or embracing a fizzier, synth-centric sound. Inspired by the Chinese punk of the ‘70s, New Pants charged onto the scene with adrenaline-packed numbers full of fast guitars and shout-along choruses. In the ‘00s, prompted by the departure of their drummer, the group pivoted to embrace synthesizers and drum machines. This new direction has led into vocoder-splashed New Wave (“Dragon Tiger Panacea”) and forward-thinking electro-pop (“Actress In Memory”), but the infectious melodies are a constant.