New Music Friday - 04/18
The latest in our "New Music Friday" series is live. Our writers have scoured all the best new tunes coming out of Korea's indie scene and picked their faves.
Big Baby Cam - Microcosm
Chosen by Connor Cass (@aminorcharacter)
Electronic producer, guitarist, vocalist, Big Baby Cam plays a lot of roles within his own music. The latest in his steady stream of new singles, Microcosm finds joy in collaboration, however. The track graciously welcomes the spring season, with warm synth rings, fluttering melodies and joyful guitar. The pillowy production is also home to the chill and breezy half-spoken vocals from indie vocalist Claudine. Furthering the feeling of collaboration, Microcosm perfectly flows into a remix by technorock band Kontrajelly, who pack their version of the track with whimsy and 80’s nostalgia.
BULGOGIDISCO - GOOD TIME
Chosen by Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209)
Did BULGOGIDISCO… just reference Scatman John?! The repeated vocal melody is definitely close to the 90s dance anthem’s iconic refrain.
BULGOGIDISCO have always been a difficult band to pin down since there are two very distinctive sides to them. At one end, there’s their rockier stuff, and their loungey poolside disco is on the other. On GOOD TIME, those two sides coalesce. There’s a solid LCD Soundsystem tone to this dance-punk banger. Ski-bi-dibby-dib yo-da-dub-dub, yo-da-dub-dub, let’s have a good time.
Blue Turtle Land - Wind Lantern: SINDANG STN.2043린)
Chosen by Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209)
And speaking of bands that usually make softer music putting out an absolute banger while sampling something you might not expect.
Blue Turtle Land are probably best known for their Beatles-adjacent psychedelia, but they’re not afraid to bring in the groove, especially live. This makes sense, as at least one of the members moonlights as a DJ.
Their new song, Wind Lantern, doesn’t sound entirely unlike them. It has the same spectral, vintage keyboard sounds and crunchy bass. Wind Lantern sounds like a remix of Blue Turtle Land. Their usual psychedelic sound, but it’s been made extra funky (and includes a brief reference to the Chinese lick).
Jeongseosa 정서사 – EH !
Chosen by Marie Joncquez (@mariejoncquez)
It crackles, it tingles, it spins, it blows, it itches… From the very beginning, you know it's going to be a very repetitive track, an intoxicating electro loop that’s going to make your head spin, punctuated by a voice endlessly repeating 'Eh!' off-beat. Ah, finally, a short chorus sung à la Radiohead pulls you out of the daze. The sounds are reminiscent of Fatboy Slim or Björk, but more minimalist. Delightful!
럼킥스 (RUMKICKS) - Instant
Chosen by Jess Howell
Clocking in at just two minutes and thirteen seconds, Instant begins and ends in just that: an instant. It's a pop-punk anthem that turns the clock back to those teenage years when so many of us were hatching half-baked plans to make a break from the hell of suburbia. Sweet, sweet justice is delivered to the turn-of-century pop-punk that serves as influence. As with proper punk everywhere, there are no pretentious pretexts here. Pop in your earphones, hit play, and give yourself a solid two minutes to remember the clueless bliss that comes with youth.
Bye Bye Badman - Pigs
Chosen by Charity Lynn (@_charitylynn_)
Bye Bye Badman have finally made their highly anticipated return with their new album Bad Timing. Among all of the tracks, Pigs stood out to me the most with its catchy melody, bright piano, and interstellar aura. In fact, the whole album makes me feel like I’m drifting through space–a classic characteristic of Bad Bad Byeman’s sound. The singer’s voice just has a way of taking their listeners to the stars.
Dive to Garden - Sailor
Chosen by Mica @mishckah
From the first strum of chewy guitars, you're plunged into a sonic world thick with texture and drowning in a wave of emotion. The rifts are warm and almost tangible, like the heavy, damp air of a sombre seaside town. Layered over this grounding instrumentation are washes of ethereal reverb, creating a dreamy, spacious quality that truly makes you feel adrift. Which is perfect for a song about the quiet heartbreaking experience of watching love recede like the tide. It’s blurry, overwhelming, and utterly devastating.
화노 (Hwanho) - Suspense
Chosen by Jess Howell
During our interview with Hwanho, the band said that if they could add any instrument to their arsenal, it would be a synth. Their new single, Suspense, delivers on that statement with a haunting synth paving the way for their iconic rhythms and bass lines. It dissolves into the background as a crisp guitar leads the motif front and centre, but slowly repapparates after the dust from the chorus has settled. Hwanho has made these new additions firmly shake hands with their old sound, and it indeed leaves me in Suspense of what they’ll have in store next.
DEVV - Undercover Revolution
Chosen by Charity Lynn (@_charitylynn_)
DEVV’s new album You’ll Never Know takes you on a mellow journey through emotions we have all experienced. Undercover Revolution starts out with some fuzzy guitars, while the singer soothes us with the words “I’ll be okay, you’ll be okay”–encouragement we could all really use these days. This song, for me, is a perfect balance of the slow-tempo vibe I enjoy with a slightly more aggressive touch heard in the chorus. This is DEVV’s first album release, I’m excited to hear more from him.
Say Sue Me - Vacation
Chosen by Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209)
The singer of Say Sue Me recently said that their new music would see the band go pure pop and also embrace a more American sound. This definitely falls into the latter category. In fact, it’s probably the rockiest thing they’ve done. With that said, it’s entirely a Say Sue Me song - warm, melodic, vaguely nostalgic, slice-of-lifey indie rock. “No more hate, no more desperation. What are they all for? It’s time to go on vacation.” Yes, Say Sue Me, yes it is.