Sunset Rollercoaster ( Luòrì fēichē) is a jazz-inspired synth-pop and indie rock band from Taipei, Taiwan, consisting of guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Kuo-Hung Tseng, bassist Hung-Li Chen, keyboardist Shao-Hsuan Wang, drummer Tsun-Lung Lo, and saxophonist Hao-Ting Huang. The name originated from a Photo Booth picture the group had taken for their MySpace profile in 2009, which had a rollercoaster in front of a sunset as the background. The band mostly sings in English, despite being based in a Mandarin-speaking country, which, according to lead singer Kuo Kuo, is to allow them to speak indirectly and allow audiences to discern their own meaning. They have risen to be one of the most prominent, influential and critically acclaimed Taiwanese indie acts.

History

2009–2016: Formation and Reformation

The idea for the band was inspired by Velvet Underground videos that lead singer Kuo found on the internet. The band formed in 2009 as a trio composed of Tseng Kuo Hung, Kevin Lee, and Lo Zun Long; they released their album Bossa Nova in 2011 which was a garage rock album making it their official debut, but then disbanded shortly afterward. Singer Kuo Kuo and drummer Zun Long formed another band, Forests, with a different, much darker sound. Sunset Rollercoaster reformed in 2015 with KuoKuo and Zun Long(Now as ZL) returning while adding 4 new members. Hung Li as the new Bassist, Shao Hsuan(Gump) as Keyboardist, HaoTing as Saxophonist and Hao Chia as Percussionist Then Released Jinji Kikko in 2016 and released their second album Cassa Nova in 2018, after the album Hao-Chia left, the band added a new Percussionist Shih-wei Huang. In 2019, the band released the EP Vanilla Villa, which revolves around the story of an alien who loves a human whom it wants to take to a villa.

2017–2019: Rise In Popularity

In 2017, a YouTuber named Alona Chemerys uploaded Sunset Rollercoaster's tracks like My Jinji and New Drug. After her upload the songs went popular on social media Like My Jinji with over 15 Million Views on YouTube and over 100 Million Streams on Spotify.During the early years their Bossa Nova album was recognized which helped the band played at the Summer Sonic music festival in Japan in 2011. After their hiatus, they performed at SummerStage in Central Park, New York City, as part of the Taiwanese Waves music festival in 2017. They recorded a live studio session at Audiotree in 2018, the first Taiwanese band to do so. The band toured North America as part of the "Business Trip Tour" in 2019. Also In 2018 Sunset Rollercoaster did a collab event during their "Love Motel Love" tour with the Korean indie rock star The Black Skirts which also helped them meet the Korean Indie Rock band Hyukoh as The Black Skirts introduced them.

2020–present: Mainstream Success and Recognition

In early 2020, Shih-wei Huang Left the band and later the band formed their own label "Sunset Music Productions Co".Kuo-Hung Tseng in Los Angeles wrote lyrics for Soft Storm and recorded in part with Ned Doheny. Their 2020 album Soft Storm was named the 4th best album in Asia in 2020 by NME.Also won Best Band Award In 2021 In The 32nd Golden Melody Awards, alongside their track Candlelight ft.Oh Hyuk was nominated as the Best Alternative Pop Song Of the Year.

In 2021, Sunset Rollercoaster composed three songs featured in the anime Sonny Boy.

In 2022, Sunset Rollercoaster formally established their own label.Following the label's establishment, the band launched their "Infinity Sunset" project which was a compilation album featuring various other indie acts Like Michael Seyer, Phum Viphurit, Never Young Beach and etc. The songs were released first as joint EPs Like "Subtropical South" which featured Sunset Rollercoaster's Drummer Tsun Lung Lo who wrote the track "Jellyfish" In the EP while Michael Seyer provided the 2nd track "Manila Sunset". After the compilation album's release the band started their Infinity Sunset World Tour which also included various collaboration events with the artists featured in the Infinity Sunset album.

In 2023, Sunset Rollercoaster's Music Video for their EP "Little Balcony" won the Best Music Video at 34th Golden Melody Awards alongside various nominations which were their track 'Little Balcony' as the Best Rock Song,a Best Band nod and their track 'Jellyfish' as the Best Alternative Pop Song Of the Year.

Sunset rollercoaster later performed in Coachella 2023 as the first Taiwanese Band and also the same year the first Taiwanese Band To be selected to record official tracks for the Spotify Singles global campaign.

In 2024, Sunset Rollercoaster's Frontman Kuo-Hung Co-Produced and Co-Wrote For BTS's Kim Namjoon Solo Song "Come Back To Me" where he also provided guitar and bass section. Later on Sunset Rollercoaster released their own cover of the song. Sunset Rollercoaster later collaborated with Hyukoh on the 2024 album AAA, which received seven nominations and 3 Awards for the 36th Golden Melody Awards. Republished as:

On August 8, 2025 Sunset rollercoaster released their 5th full length album "Quit Quietly" an acoustic guitar based album stripping away all their old sounds as a farewell to their past, which was also nominated as the Best Album Of The Year in the 37th Golden Melody Awards and led to them winning the best band award again.

Members

Current Members

• Kuo-Hung Tseng - Frontman, Founder, Guitarist, Vocalist, Songwriter (2009-present)

• Tsun Lung Lo - Drums, Percussions, Co-Founder, Backing Vocals, Occasional Songwriter (2009-present)

• Hung Li Chen - Bassist, Synth-bass (2015-present)

• Shao Hsuan Wang - Keyboards, Synths, Rhodes Piano, Pianos (2015-present)

• Haoting Huang - Saxophones, Rhythm Guitarist, Synths, Backing Vocals (2015-present)

Former Members

• Kevin Lee - Bassist (2009-2011)

• Hao Chia Chang - Percussions (2015-2018)

• Shih Wei Huang - Percussions, Drum pads (2018-2019)

Musical Style and Influence Sunset Rollercoaster's musical genres are mainly described to be Synth-Pop, City Pop, Indie Rock, Jazz, Funk, Jazz-Fusion, Dream Pop, Soft rock, Psychedelic Rock, Pop Ballad and RnB.

Sunset Rollercoaster members have cited Antônio Carlos Jobim, Jamiroquai, and Ned Doheny as their biggest influences.Frontman Kuo has cited Antônio Carlos Jobim's studio album Stone Flower as his biggest influence while Drummer ZL points at Jamiroquai. Sunset Rollercoaster's Song 'My Jinji' the name 'Jinji' itself comes from Antônio Carlos Jobim's Song 'Dindi'. They are widely considered to be the "kings of Taiwan's indie scene".They are also highly prominent and respected in Asia, having influences on bands like Wave to Earth.

Musical development Sunset Rollercoaster's debut studio album, Bossa Nova, was heavily inspired by The Velvet Underground. While the record is firmly rooted in garage rock and surf rock, it also features tracks like "Punk" and "Blues" which are named after genres although they are still rooted in garage rock. "No Man's Land" and "My Monday Throne" feature horn sections. Ultimately, it was mastered at Abbey Road Studios and the album's title pays homage to the Bossa nova genre and frontman Kuo's primary musical influence, Antônio Carlos Jobim.

After reforming in 2015, Sunset Rollercoaster shifted their sound toward Jazz, Synth-Pop, Psychedelic rock, Dream pop, and City pop. This evolution became evident on their breakthrough EP, Jinji Kikko. The release drew heavily from a new set of diverse influences, including Antônio Carlos Jobim, Shuggie Otis, Roy Ayers and Ned Doheny. Their second studio album, Cassa Nova, continues this sound by incorporating more jazz-fusion and psychedelic rock. Functioning like a sequel, the album is closely connected to the EP Jinji Kikko. Additionally, the record was mastered at Abbey Road Studios. Their second EP, Vanilla Villa, continues their signature style while exploring what the band describes as "cute prog rock".

However, Sunset Rollercoaster shifted significantly toward Electro-pop, Quiet storm, Jazz-funk, Pop ballads, and Synth-pop on their third album, Soft Storm.The record features no saxophones, and its title is an homage to the Quiet storm genre.This was a deliberate choice by the band to reflect a more mature and personal sound; for example, the track "Candlelight" only features the band's founding members Frontman Kuo and Drummer ZL alongside Producer Jon Du and Vocalist Oh Hyuk.

In 2023, Sunset Rollercoaster began collaborating with South Korean indie rock band Hyukoh, participating in intensive, months-long jam and songwriting sessions in South Korea's Gapyeong and Jeju Island. With the official release of their collaborative album AAA in July 2024, the band's sound shifted more heavily toward alternative rock, indie rock and experimental psychedelic rock. A notable example of this experimentation is the track "Antenna", which the bands recorded inside a vacant Airbnb swimming pool to utilize the space as a natural reverb chamber. The album also includes an extended, 7 min ambient pop variation of the track, titled "Aaaannnnteeeeennnaaaaaa" while tracks like "Young Man" showcase stadium rock exploring lryics about youth and life. Frontman Kuo described this collaborative period as a milestone for his personal growth as a musician. He noted that while he felt he had previously written strong material, he often struggled to realize its full potential due to limitations in his upper vocal range. Working closely with Hyukoh allowed Kuo and the band to break through these barriers, prompting them to explore entirely new musical arrangements and vocal dynamics.

Following the critical success of AAA, the band released QUIT QUIETLY, the album moved away from synth-pop and alternative rock toward an acoustic-driven storytelling format as "sketches of everyday life".Stylistically, the record explores an expansive fusion of Pop ballads, Jazz-fusion, Soft rock and indie rock. For example tracks such as "Grow" and "Satellite ft.leah dou" transition into Chamber pop ballads with "Grow" Featuring Choirs, while "Mistakes" shows more classic rock and post-rock influences.

Frontman Kuo characterized QUIT QUIETLY as the band's most introspective and mature record, noting that the themes were born directly out of the band member's mundane daily routines. The structural development of the tracks often mirrored their touring environment; after drummer ZL conceptualized the initial layout for the space rock track "Charon's Gone", he and Kuo finalized the composition during long transit rides between cities and hotel rooms. Kuo identified "Humor Tumor" as the record's most deeply personal piece, reflecting directly on his diagnosis and eventual recovery from a benign tumor. Musically, the overall arrangement of QUIT QUIETLY draws alot of inspiration from classic British soul and 1990s Britpop. Personal lives Drummer and co-founder Tsun-Lung Lo was the first member of the band to marry, wed in 2020 to his wife, The couple has welcomed a child since. Frontman and Founder Kuo-Hung Tseng married the band's longtime manager in late 2023.

Saxophonist Hao-Ting Huang is a third-generation musician; he is the son of the veteran Taiwanese Hokkien singer Yuan Xiao-di (袁小迪) and the grandson of traditional liām-koa performer Huang Qing-yin (黃清音). However, in an interview Haoting would open up about his private life expressing his regrets about losing his late girlfriend and grandfather in his early Sunset Rollercoaster days. He would later find peace and let go of these regrets through his solo debut album "Marigold".