New Music Friday - 08.08
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.
주윤하 Ju Yoon Ha - 썸머 베케이션 Summer Vacation
Chosen by Marie Joncquez (@mariejoncquez)
Tired? Feeling down? Instead of popping vitamins while dreaming of a getaway, let Ju Yoon-ha’s song sweep you away. His warm voice, along with vibrant brass, jazzy piano, and female harmonies, will lift your spirits with an infectious rhythm. This generous track builds gradually, culminating in a dazzling finale. A true ode to summer, escape, and friendship, it whisks you off on a mental vacation—and keeps you there!
토마토맛 Tomatomat - Tomma Nova
Chosen by Cam (@bigbabyclam)
Built on a simple, swaying bossa nova rhythm, Tomatomat’s debut single glides between distinct Shibuya-kei influences and modern future pop production. The trio’s vocal switch-offs, alongside bits of ear candy like gentle Mellotron flute swells and a bit-crushed break in the bridge, help keep the melody fresh and enticing. Lyrically, the song balances childlike wonder and mature sentimentality. Tomma Nova frames love as something both playful and profound, like drifting asleep to the Wii Shop menu on a humid afternoon.
Asian Glow - Cans In Vain
Chosen by Connor Cass (@aminorcharacter)
Asian Glow has already had an incredibly prolific year. 2025 has seen the release of his fantastically soul-stirring album 1100011 and his full return to the live music circuit. Never content to rest on his big achievements, he’s gifted us two new singles this summer that showcase his revitalised energy.
While The Question Lingered On trades emotional introspection for fist-pumping hardcore energy, Cans In Vain is defined by Asian Glow’s signature wondrous brooding. A chiming, melancholic guitar and powerful drums lead the track, they surge towards a blistering wall of sound. His vocals are filled with both pain and skygazing hope. Despite its quiet yearning, this track feels gigantic - especially compared to earlier more intimate releases. Clearly working with a live band has lured his music out of the bedroom and injected it with raw, stage-ready spirit.
Chip Post Gang - Derby
Chosen by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)
July 30th marks the release of Chip Post Gang’s CAVEQUAKE EP and the opener has what some are calling the absolute chunkiest bassline in recorded history. As the slab of 100% bass wrestles alone in the opening, the other half of the rhythm section’s paperplate-esque pitter-pattering snare brings to mind a frantic Minutemen track leading to a full eruption of sound. The guitar has great hooks, but distorted, chaotic noise demands movement and force. Derby captures the trio’s live experience well. During their songs they are possessed, their noise and energy radiating heat, but as the distortion bleeds away they are again normal humans. Indeed, Korea’s own caveman-noiserock have discovered fire and are using it for aural destruction
권소정 (Kwon So Jeong) - aether
Chosen by Mica (@mishckah)
Kwon So-jeong is treading into shoegaze territory but with her own indie twist. This track hits you right away with those haunting opening notes that feel like they're floating down from some ethereal dimension. Every layer feels intentional, from those ghostly opening moments to the way she lets different elements breathe and interact. It's the kind of production that deserves good headphones—there's just so much happening in the spaces between the obvious sounds. Aether is one of those tracks that gets under your skin in the best way. It's moody without being pretentious and experimental without losing its heart. Perfect for those late-night drives when you want something that matches the vibe of city lights blurring past your window.
Pishu - First Breath
Chosen by Mica (@mishckah)
Pishu's First Breath is a masterclass in electronic nostalgia that feels like discovering a lost cartridge from gaming's golden age. The track's most striking quality is its ability to transport listeners directly into what feels like an aquatic level from a classic platformer. There's something inherently soothing about the way Pishu layers synthesised melodies that bubble and flow like digital water. The production has that characteristic 8-bit crispness, yet it's polished enough to feel timeless rather than dated. Like the cheerful, bouncing melodies of Kirby's Dream Land mixed with Bomberman's more urgent synthetic textures, First Breath strikes a perfect balance between cuteness and excitement. There's that same innocent joy that defined the best of early gaming music. It's the sound of pressing start for the first time, of discovering secret passages, of that perfect moment when music and gameplay align to create pure magic. For anyone who grew up with a controller in their hands, this track is both a time machine and a love letter—beautiful, wistful, and utterly nostalgic.
Woo Huijun (우희준) - Honest People (정직한 사람들)
Chosen by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)
Woo Huijun’s latest EP manages to touch on existential crisis, the human condition, and more, all across a menagerie of musical backdrops in its brief runtime. The connection between them all is her honesty and wryness. The penultimate track, Honest People, has a wandering folksy guitar with stripped-down vocals, but it's a standout for me in the minute details: the sound of strings squeaking as hands change position, scattered wood blocks, loud inhaling, and sudden humming or whistling. It’s these smaller parts of the whole that remind us of the great songwriters, that make us shudder and help us imagine.
The song touches on the great misunderstandings we have as humans. Largely, she pits honest people against innocent people. We are all full of emotions and convictions, and we cast blame and doubt against each other. She guides the listener to embrace the unknown and get rid of guilt, pain, evil, and confusion. In a voice just above a whisper, it feels less like a plea and more like she’s walked down this path before and wants us to be mindful. It is a song that sounds hopeful, and that feels especially necessary now.
Mooee Yard - Marching
Chosen by Charity Lynn (@_charitylynn_)
The lyrics for Marching resonated with me on a personal level. The song points out that we all have painful memories—regrets, trauma, grief—that persistently make us want to retreat into some internal, emotional isolation. But endurance, support, and kindness can bring us into the light again. There is a buildup of tension right before a frenzied guitar solo, followed by a cadence of drums at the end—a kind of victory march after a long battle. I found Marching to be both comforting and gently encouraging at the same time; it’s a song that brings a little light into the darkness plaguing the world around us these days.
Sundown Club - Sun never said a word
Chosen by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)
Sun never said a word is all pluck and bounce. The instruments are soft and clear, and the sweet vocals present a message of uncertainty in the world, but also convey a strong feeling of love. Along with the pleasant pace overall, the vocals reach the right amount of saccharine. The keys add sparkle, and the touch of strings are a nice layer that helps the track stand out. Though it’s largely a straightforward indie rock track, there are these little dreamy breaks in the middle and end that hint at what the band is capable of: a bit of a cosmic tinted feeling. It's such a mellow, breezy track; it might convince you that Korean summer is fun and not just brutal heat.
TGRS (텐저린즈)- start over (다시 시작이야)
Chosen by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)
Start Over made me double-check my calendar: pop punk of the highest order, full of positive charm, and overly cheerful. I can’t imagine many being able to resist bobbing their heads when they listen to such a nostalgic gem. Hearing it for the first time immediately summoned cravings of Bagel Bites and Poptarts (학교메잠에서 파는 피자빵과 피크닉 같은 그낌 있다). Something that stands out from my own usual pop punk rotation is the lack of whinging or angst.
Rather than taking the usual lyrical cues of a break-up or work and school, TGRS (pronounced “tangerine”) instead chooses to focus on the positive: some miracle has happened and that feeling has spread to everything in their world, like life is starting over brand new. It’s all very upbeat. The call and response and heavy use of vocalising make it hard to get out of your head, but since it’s all about miracles and life, that’s not a bad thing.
Socialclub Hyangwu (향우회) Home Sweet Home
Chosen by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)
Socialclub Hyangwu’s new EP, The Panic Tool, is a raw, perfect introduction to the band’s range. The darkest track, Home Sweet Home, shows them at their most vulnerable. It’s a bleak dredge through the trauma of an unhappy home and maternal pressures. These subjects can be hard to broach, but Socialclub Hyangwu firmly takes the plunge. It opens with a two word chorus that is easy to sing along to, while the verses are all distraught visions of a mother’s role: she promises to dutifully take care of the house, baking cookies, and raising her children in all the best ways everyday, but the voice is filled with anger, spite, and pain.
Musically, this track is also fittingly loud, harsh, and deceptive. The song begins with a rush that leads right into the chorus. While the mother figure sings, the music seems tame and controlled, presenting a happy family, but between the singing, the music cracks and becomes more discordant; the image of a sweet home crumbles after each mounting pledge. Near the end, the guitar is completely self-assured and clear just before it’s abruptly cut by the vocals, making one final, strained promise: she will raise and protect her child no matter the cost.