Through the themes of decay, rebirth and blossom — it has taken more than eight years for Cheer Chen to finish her “Trilogy of Flowers”. After 2005’s Peripeteia and 2009’s Immortal, you would assume that the last installment, Songs of Transience, is a grand finale.

But after listening to the 12-song album, not only did I find it a little introverted and thin as a finale, my other reaction was: Where is the Cheer Chen that we used to know? The long-haired, innocent singer who often wore a white T-shirt and a Bohemian skirt, holding a guitar and humming catchy folk melodies, is no longer there.

Instead, you’ll hear a lot of piano, drum and orchestral arrangements, and the songs on the albums, especially in the first half, are somewhat difficult to sing along to.

But I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. Actually, it comes as a pleasant surprise, because after 15 years of singing the same kind of indie folk songs, it’s good to see the 38-year-old singer trying something new.

Her poetic lyrics gradually took me back to the old Chen. Well, almost. Title songs from her previous albums, such as Travel with Sound and Fly for You, often dealt with her perception of and confusion in relationships.

But if you carefully read into her words on Songs of Transience, you’ll see that her vision has expanded — from humanity and philosophy to life’s best moments — although in the same talking-to-herself tone. For example, she talks about the life struggles and anxieties of ordinary people in Gypsy in Memory, loneliness and helplessness in Home (《家》), and larger-than-life love in Peace and Revolution.

At the age of nearly 40, Chen certainly can’t limit herself to love and affection anymore. But Chen takes on so much at once that it feels like her strength can’t match her ambition. Maybe that’s why I said before that the album sounds “a little introverted and thin”.

Despite these small shortcomings, you have to hand it to Chen for her skillful playing with musical concepts. For example, she uses “time” as the theme on Songs of Transience, symbolizing that blossoming is a magnificent but transient process.

Whether she’s already bloomed or not, I’m already looking forward to what Chen brings us next.