April 2026 - New Music Friday {part one}
Maggie’s Garden - Year After Year
Chosen by Marie Joncquez (@mariejoncquez)
The new project from Koo Seul-han (formerly of Bosudong Cooler) and eundohee debuts with a lovely, rainy track, both airy and tinged with melancholy. The vocals lead the song with an energetic softness, bolstered in the choruses by the discreet male voice—like an invisible presence providing the strength to move forward through sadness. Koo Seul-han’s signature metallic guitar sound then emerges, guiding the song toward a gentle fade-out.
TaePyeongGa - Byul.org
Chosen by Ethan Kim
Byul.org's music moves between lonely grandeur and quiet smallness, conveying a sense of preciousness in the song. The natural sound composition unfolds gradually rather than quickly, releasing its elements little by little. The deep vocoder also harmonises gently with the meaningful lyrics. Their song TaePyeongGa may feel a little vague in atmosphere, but its meaning remains clear and resonant.
Topology (feat. Pishu) - Guinneissik
Chosen by Ethan Kim
Guinneissik's album GIRL I LOVE YOU is an unusual work, where emotional desperation is mixed with single rhythms and appears with a colourful intensity that makes it particularly captivating. Among the album's tracks, Topology (featuring Pishu) has a slight hyperpop feel, and Guinneissik's voice becomes particularly captivating in the composition as it gradually builds up and rises towards the end. The song has a subtle, not excessive, soundscape, but it exudes more intensity.
Nap Time (for Mom) - Yeong Die
Chosen by Ethan Kim
Yeong Die's year 2026 has already been quite lively. She released an album in January, followed by the single Nap Time (for Mom) just one month later. Like the gentle tranquillity of an afternoon nap, the overall mood of the song is soft and relaxed. When you're feeling anxious and stressed at work, this music can help you regain your lost peace of mind. In that sense, it feels like a small but welcome comfort for busy people living in the modern world.
USEDBOY - Reasons to Live
Chosen by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)
Lo-fi sound, playful melodies and simple lyrics make up the charm of Lee Kihak's solo project, USEDBOY. The wit he brings to this project creates an atmosphere that feels quite different from his work with Gyojung and Meotjinsaeng. Like the emotions in Yi Sang's essay Ennui, his song Reasons to Live flows with a stream of consciousness that quietly draws the listener in. The sound and voice seem to float softly, and the song carries a magic that gradually brings the listener back to their tempo.
Gongwon - Window
Chosen by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)
A fittingly reflective track about seeing yourself clearly and the power that that gives you. The song jolts between an enveloping drone with some discordant pieces, to being a very spacious and clean confessional sans effects: the few plucks and strikes that accompany the vulnerable parts feel like a shelter against the surge of shoegaze-tinged sections. This overtly divided take on the genre feels refreshing. Gongwon’s name has been bubbling up more often lately, and this track makes it easy to see why.
Chegam - Ripples Colliding
Chosen by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)
A poetic musing between keys and drums. The weight of a collision against the tiny imperceptible movements of a ripple seems incompatible at first, but it makes sense as the song builds from a few notes and phrases to a battle against tides. The drums have a bebop-inspired influence with ghost notes and dynamics rapidly shifting, while the keys take cues from math rock but with some phrases that wouldn’t feel out of place backing a post-Native Tongues mixtape. The midway breakdown is the perfect build of tension as the song reaches its last conversation between the two and then shifts into the piano winding down. With a simple two-person setup, Chegam decorates time vividly with heart.
moonsomoon - The Melting Tower of Babel
Chosen by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)
Darkly hypnotic from the opening beats to the final harrowing echo, moonsomoon has crafted a sinister gem. A retelling of the fall of The Tower of Babel that is eerie and infectious. Cacophony’s range is played to full effect as it haunts and forebodes the collapse. KIMILRO’s guitar coils and twists throughout the song until the last strained notes of the solo spell the end. The mixing is altogether cinematic in its breadth, and it takes the listener through a beautifully dark journey. What a wonderful soundtrack for a calamity.
Omega Sapien - I Get Money
Chosen by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)
Leader’s album cover pays homage to Lao Gan Ma: just like the chilli oil, adding Omega Sapien to anything will elevate it. A love letter of an album, it flirts with a hyperpop lens throughout its journey of different genres across Southeast Asia’s club scene. While Krapow is the 3 cha-inspired track that has gained a lot of buzz, the budots pieces of the album are a standout. But these tracks aren’t a simple "inspired by” fare; Omega Sapien tapped DJ Love himself for I Get Money. With the legendary genre pioneer laying the foundation, Omega Sapien brings his whimsical confidence and energy to the braggadocio party anthem. This might be an introduction to budots for some, but it could be an introduction to Omega Sapien for others. It’s an electrifying collaboration that unites Davao City and Seoul. Let’s hope that getting budots in Korean clubs is the first step to getting more adobo and sinigang in Korea.
Rituality - Monster
Chosen by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)
Metalcore group Rituality’s self-titled album has a blistering opener. Starting with some tight gallops, the chugs and a double bass pedal sound like they are beating concrete, Monster is fuming. The dizzying solo brings out more of the song's texture between the breakdowns. Lyrically, the band takes aim at humans as monsters and alludes to revolutions and violence, which is delivered both in screams and through clean vocals. With the different vocal stylings that the song bounces between being hopeful and redemptive, to being condemnatory and angry. In the end, the band seems to be encouraging listeners to choose to be human. Either way, the ferocity of the track will keep heart rate up.
OM - tEchnology
Chosen by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)
The electronic project from Y2mate and Bojvck has a simple theme: the metro. Between various samples and styling, OM’s MiSS M3TRO does magically capture the metro as a mood, despite not using any of the iconic subway jingles, while they transition through various genres. tEchnology is French house with dastardly funk overtones and some hip-hop groove spliced in with blips and a garbled computer voice. It’s a fun, quirky track that is more hypnotic than it has any right to be.
Rezz, Limbo Slice - Circuit
Chosen by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)
Circuit strains tension to the breaking point before rushing into a spectacle of synths and surprises. Limbo Slice’s industrial heft hits hard in the middle of Rezz’s spirals and cascades. When the song ramps up it’s a jolt of menacing production. At just under 3 and half minutes the track keeps listeners guessing as it transforms between movements. Despite the high energy of the track, its atmosphere is handled deftly so that even the spaces with room to breathe blend into the track well.