Prune Deer: A Journey Through Life and Post-Rock That Leads from Hong Kong to Their Thai Fans

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“Finding the courage and hope to keep living.” That’s the message Prune Deer leaves for their Thai fans ahead of their long-awaited appearance at Bangkok Post 2025 on June 28, a festival where leading acts from across Asia will come together to light up Thailand’s rock scene like never before.

If you haven’t met them yet, Prune Deer is a legendary rock band from Hong Kong known for fearlessly pushing the boundaries of sound. Their music blends elegance with emotional weight, and their latest album, The Parting, is a bold statement of who they are, a sonic diary shaped by their own lived experiences and the passion that keeps them moving forward.

From that single parting line, you can already sense just how deeply committed they are to their music and the people who listen. So before they hit the stage again, let’s dive into their story and explore the music that’s carried them this far, right here on Space Invader.

Prune Deer is such a curious and intriguing name. Does it hold any special meaning for the band

The words “Prune” and “Deer” are two independent terms in both Chinese and English, originally unrelated. When combined, they form a beautiful and unique name. This also symbolizes our band’s music style, which is not confined to any specific genre. Each member has their own preferred style, but we strive to blend our ideas, creating a distinctive “Prune Deer” sound that is uniquely ours.

Your music often dances between delicate ambiance and intense, math rock intricacies. How do you balance emotional subtlety with technical complexity in your songwriting process

Initially, we were eager to emulate the sounds of legendary bands we admired, creating works with distinct vibes like, “This song is math rock, that one is post rock.” Over time, we began to break free from these frameworks, and our album The Parting best captures this shift.

Band members like to envision each song as a story, with emotional ebbs and flows. When arranging, we constantly consider: Does the progression of sections feel cohesive? Does it reflect our unique style? Does it push boundaries beyond our previous work? Because of this approach, our songs often blend elements of math rock and post rock, creating a fusion that feels distinctly our own.

From your first album up to The Parting released in 2023, how has your sound evolved both in terms of your creative process and the overall direction of the band

This ties into the previous question, but the transformation in our music has been most directly influenced by the personal experiences of band members and societal changes.

Our guitarist, Fung, was involved in a traffic accident a few years ago and miraculously survived after intensive care. His right hand is still undergoing a cycle of surgeries and physical therapy.

Founding member Nature has chosen a new lifestyle and is now pursuing opportunities in Canada. We continue to write new songs together, but for live performances, we rely on guitarist friends in Hong Kong to step in.

Bittersweet is perhaps the best way to describe our band’s journey, and it’s also the essence of our current musical style.

The Parting sounds more cinematic, more refined. What emotional or philosophical themes were you channeling in this album

This album marks our band’s tenth anniversary and coincides with the pivotal life changes of two members mentioned in the previous question.

The overarching concept behind this album is to create a defining work for the band—one that, when media or audiences hear our music for the first time, they’d say, “This is Prune Deer’s sound.” It’s an album we hope will stand the test of time.

Notably, we put extra thought into the design of the physical CD. For instance, in the credits, we included the names of many who have supported the band— show organizers, record stores, music mentors, and former members.

Through this album, we want to express our gratitude to them and show that their efforts haven’t gone to waste. We’ll continue to carry their spirit forward with us.

This album features more collaborative textures (e.g. Haru Nemuri). How did these external voices reshape your internal chemistry

Collaborating with Haru Nemuri was truly a joy! We met because we performed at the same music festival in Taiwan.

Our guitarist, Nature, is a fan of hers, and our drummer, Shing, speaks Japanese, so we quickly became friends with her. During the festival, we mutually admired each other’s performances, which led to the idea of “Let’s create a song together!”

It was also a new breakthrough for us. Her voice is very emo and powerfully explosive, so we aimed to craft an arrangement with dramatic dynamics to fully showcase her vocal strengths. We’re thrilled that everyone loves this track!

If you had to recommend some songs in this album to Thai fans that best represents your band’s musical style, which song would it be and why

We highly recommend Mountain as it best captures the song effect we strive for. We also suggest watching it with the music video for an amazing experience.

We’d like to thank Mr. Hiroshi Kitashiro and Mr. Masashi Uramoto from Japan for their mixing and mastering. Their work brought a vivid, three-dimensional quality to the song for everyone to enjoy!

Hong Kong’s indie scene is often underrepresented globally. Do you feel a sense of responsibility or purpose in carrying that flag abroad

This question often comes up from music stakeholders in every city we visit. First, we’re deeply honored by the appreciation and support we’ve received, which has allowed us to perform in more cities.

Having visited many places, we believe every city has its own challenges. The Hong Kong music scene has many musicians  who have greatly influenced us. We wouldn’t dare claim to represent Hong Kong’s music scene, but if someone says we do, we’d feel incredibly proud and hope to inspire more Hong Kong bands to experiment and push boundaries.

What’s it like being an instrumental band in Hong Kong? Do you feel that local audiences are generally receptive to your sound, or is it still a bit of a niche scene

Of course, our style remains niche, but this isn’t to say Hong Kong lacks an audience. We believe the audience size depends on the population proportion of a country or city, so we don’t particularly feel that Hong Kong has fewer fans of our music.

If possible, we hope our experiences can inspire younger Hong Kong musicians to boldly experiment with various musical styles.

How does the sociopolitical climate of Hong Kong, especially post-2019, influence your music either consciously or subconsciously

The events of that time affected many people’s lives and the overall atmosphere of society, so it’s bound to have had an impact.

For us, the greatest influence has been a deeper appreciation for human connections. Even though we’re still a growing band, we’re incredibly grateful for everything we have now.

This is your first-ever show in Thailand. What’s running through your minds as you prepare to play for an entirely new audience

During our 2023 tour, we performed in Bangkok and Chiang Mai for our first shows in Thailand. 

We deeply felt the enthusiasm of the local audience, and the organizers took excellent care of us, making it a very warm and welcoming place. It’s a market we’re eager to continue developing, so we’re really looking forward to meeting everyone at the music festival soon!

You’ve performed in places like Tokyo and Taipei. What does crossing into Southeast Asia mean for the band’s journey right now

Hong Kong is situated in East Asia, so Japan and Taiwan are natural first steps for us to expand overseas.

Of course, the band has also performed in far-off places like music festivals in the UK, but we believe that steady, gradual progress is the most sustainable approach for long-term growth.

For this reason, the entire Asian region is a key area we’re eager to develop. Thailand is a highly influential country in Southeast Asia, and being invited to a music festival in this region is a tremendous honor for our band.

Ten years from now, what do you want listeners to feel when they revisit a Prune Deer record

Our band has always believed that our experiences wouldn’t have been possible on our own. 

Every obstacle we’ve overcome and every milestone we’ve reached has been made possible by the support and encouragement of show organizers, media, and our audience. 

We see everyone as part of the “Prune Deer” community of shared destiny. We hope that everyone who has helped us, upon hearing our band’s name or listening to our songs, feels immensely proud and a sense of belonging as part of our journey.

Lastly, If you could leave Thai fans with just one feeling after the show one emotion or memory, what would you hope it is

“Finding the courage and hope to keep living.”

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Loudly Prefer has officially announced the return of Bangkok Post 2025 for its second year. And it’s coming back bigger, louder, and bolder. This year’s lineup is stacked with top-tier rock acts from across Asia and Thailand, all ready to blow the roof off in one massive show. From headliners to homegrown heroes, every name on the bill has us hyped, and yes, Hong Kong’s own Prune Deer will be there to join the madness.

This is your gateway to Asia’s cutting-edge rock scene, a one-day deep dive into fresh, genre-defying sounds that are guaranteed to open your ears and shake your soul. You don’t need to know every band on the poster; once you’re in, you’ll fall in love with all of them. So mark your calendar: June 28 at Mr. Fox Live House. Tickets go live this Saturday on Ticketmelon.