Molar System: Korea’s rising indie stars on not knowing who they are

Written by Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209)

One of the breakout new bands of 2025 has been Molar System. With their unflinchingly personal lyrics and indie rock meets drum and bass sound, Molar System have separated themselves from the crowd with a complex blend of styles. Ahead of their first-ever performance this Friday, 14th November, with Orange Flavoured Cigarettes, Jinyoung (bass), ptg (guitarist), and Sanhee (vocals) sat down with us to talk about not knowing anything.

There's a green room backstage at the Busan Rock Festival, and in it, Sanhee - vocalist and lyricist of Molar System - is having an existential crisis. "I went to see a performance by Jinyoung's (her Molar System bandmate) other band, Sonlmor”, she tells us. “Seungmin (her third and final Molar System bandmate) was supposed to come, but didn’t. I ended up going alone. There, unexpectedly, I saw performances from my close friends. I felt incredibly proud and happy, but simultaneously, I felt a sense of loneliness and anxiety - would I ever get to stand on a stage like that?”

That moment of isolation, of feeling left behind whilst everyone else seemed to be moving forward, became the inspiration for GREENROOM<3. "I was deeply contemplating my direction as an independent musician. Could I really do this? Had I gone too far? Was all that time wasted?" The questions came flooding in overwhelmingly. "Amidst the crowd's cheers and the loud music, I felt like someone left alone backstage in the green room. I decided I had to sing about the anxieties and uncertainties of youth."

This interest in expressing uncertainty is a fitting start for a band whose name is derived from the Korean word for “I don’t know”. “When the members were together, the phrase we said most often was '몰라' (molla),” Sanhee explains. "The band name started from the joke: ‘We don't know anything, let's just be The Molla Band!'"

"But then came the linguistic gymnastics—how do you write "몰라" in English? "We liked the word 'molar'. Then 'solar system' came to mind, so we settled on 'molar system' to create a pun." They're quick to note it has little to do with teeth, though the joke "Do you know what a ‘molar’ means?—Molla!—Exactly!” did cross their minds.

This playful approach to identity masks something more profound. “Molar System's music originates from a state of not quite knowing," Sanhee reflects. "We always live in a slightly incomplete state. We want to capture the beauty that still exists within that in our music." It's this embrace of incompleteness, of existing in the space between knowing and not knowing, that makes their sound so compelling.

The band emerged organically, formed whilst preparing for a school performance. "We formed a team whilst playing Sanhee's assignment piece together," they recall. What started as an academic exercise has evolved into something far more ambitious. "We aspire to be a band that offers freshness in whatever form," Sanhee says. "We want to express familiar emotions in unfamiliar, novel ways, and remain a band that gradually shakes up limitations.”

Musically, Molar System are difficult to pin down—which is precisely the point. Their music is centred around indie rock but infused with drum and bass, jazz, and R&B. "All of us enjoy listening to a wide variety of music and have no aversion to mixing different things," they explain. "It feels like the colours of the three blend well." Jinyoung cites Mura Masa, Björk, Radiohead, Jaco Pastorius, and Ryuichi Sakamoto as touchstones, whilst ptg namechecks Four Tet, The Microphones, and Animal Collective. Sanhee's influences are a little more classic - "The artist that springs to mind now is Queen. I absolutely adored them in primary school."

This eclectic palette allows them to create what they call "melancholic yet upbeat tracks that are great for dancing. I create them by dancing whilst feeling melancholic," Sanhee says, laughing. "It's a chaotic process that feels cathartic." Jinyoung expands: "Expressing emotions that haven't been put into words through sound and tracks is quite liberating."

That liberation extends to the lyrics, which comfortably fluctuate between Korean and English. "Splitting the language wasn't so much an intention as a natural flow," Sanhee explains. "Some sentences felt authentic only in Korean, whereas, for certain emotions, I felt I needed to use English to breathe. Mixing languages became my way of finding balance." Take Fear of Flying, a track that poetically explores sexual desire with remarkable frankness, as Sanhee expresses the desire to be desired and the guilt that comes with a developing interest in exploration. It’s a bold and honestly brilliant song. Even beyond the song’s lyrics, the music in Fear of Flying demonstrates a band with more versatility than many of their more experienced peers, weaving through a series of idea-heavy movements that reflect the emotional confusion in the lyrics. When pressed for details, Sanhee grins: "Just enjoy it however you like!"

The vulnerability required for such honest songwriting isn't lost on her. "It's difficult but incredibly fun," she admits. "When I was young, I thought becoming a novelist would be cool, but now it feels like I'm writing my story through songs. I want to be even more honest going forward."

As we speak, Molar System are preparing for their first live performance in years, and the nerves are palpable. "I was quite nervous," ptg confesses, "but recently, due to rehearsals, I've been carrying heavy equipment around and got so exhausted that the nerves have eased." Sanhee is less sanguine: "It's been a really long time since I've been on stage, so I am nervous. I'm preparing diligently in proportion to how shaky I feel." Jin-young admits this band feels different: "This is the first band I've been in with such a long preparation period."

When asked about dream performance venues, the answers range from the pragmatic to the absurd. "If invited, anywhere would be fine," says ptg. "Just thought of this, but personally I'd like to try busking in a market." Jinyoung, meanwhile, shoots for the stars: "I'd love to play the main stage at Glastonbury."

For now, though, Molar System are focused on their first show and completing their sound. "It's still a work in progress," they say. "We're in the process of creating a distinctive sound unique to Molar System." Until then, though, maybe not knowing is the most honest thing they can be.

For more information on Molar System, follow them here.