Jonas Wilson returns with searing new single ‘Bai lan (摆烂)’ ahead of upcoming album ‘Smash The Control Machine’
‘Bai lan (摆烂)’ marks the long-awaited return of Jonas Wilson, and serves as the first of three new singles leading up to his October 2025 album ‘Smash The Control Machine’, his first proper solo project since 2020’s ‘Science Fiction Post Blues’. Accompanied by original video content and hand-crafted artwork, the track launches a new era of Wilson’s boundary-pushing creativity, driven by political unrest, economic disillusionment, and global class anxieties.
Rooted in the Chinese slang “摆烂”—meaning “let it rot” or “lay flat”—the single transforms social resignation into a defiant punk rock anthem. Inspired by China’s growing anti-hustle movement and the widening disillusionment with late-stage capitalism and automation, Wilson describes ‘Bai lan’ as a non-violent war cry: “What’s the point of feeding the hustle machine when it strips us of purpose?” The single previews the fiercely conceptual album to come, which will be released with an accompanying art zine featuring paintings, lyrics, and essays on its socio-political context.