“What the hell is this sound?” - Synth-rock band Syntapunk on finding their style
Written by Charity Lynn (@_charitylynn_)
Pictures by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)
Syntapunk came together like most indie bands do, through chance encounters, broken projects, late-night meetings, and a willingness to keep going even when things don’t fit. The four members, Hyeonseok (vocals, guitar), Min Cheol (bass, synth), Jae Sung (drums), and Sehwan (guitar), each arrived at music from different places. Somehow, though, those differences became the band’s defining strength.
For Hyeonseok, his interest in music began in elementary school with a simple 250MB MP3 player loaded with K-Pop songs. However, that interest shifted when his older brother introduced him to some rock tracks by the band Dream Theater. “I remember thinking, what the hell is this sound?” he laughed. “I felt like the sound of the guitar was like me. So, I begged my mom to buy me a guitar.” From the first strum, he knew he wanted to be a guitarist and composer.
Jae Sung’s relationship with music came much later. “I wasn’t really interested in music at all until high school, when I saw Seo Taiji perform on TV,” he explained. That single moment steered his life in a totally new direction. Bands like Nell, Pia, and Diablo pulled him toward percussion. “I was especially captivated by Pia’s drummer. So, after high school, I decided to study drums at a music academy.”
Min Cheol’s interest grew in a way many people can relate to. “I listened to the radio a lot and listened to music that appeared on Inkigayo charts,” he said. Eventually, he branched out into international sounds, like Finnish metal.
Sehwan began playing guitar through church, where encouragement from others pushed him to take music more seriously. After passing the entrance exam, he enrolled in Seoul Jazz Academy, where he later met Jae Sung. “Actually, I played more blues-style music,” he laughed, “which was a lot different from Syntapunk’s sound.”
Before they were Syntapunk, they started as a post-rock band with no vocals. Hyeonseok recalled how difficult it was to connect with audiences at the time. “Vocals felt necessary,” he confessed, “so I tried adding my own singing.” This was an experiment that, jokingly, may have helped end the band altogether. Min Cheol, who was also part of the band at that time, was particularly unimpressed by Hyeonseok’s early vocals.
So, Syntapunk started anew as Hyeonseok’s solo project. Min Cheol helped behind the scenes at first, but then joined as an official member. Later, Min Cheol called Jae Sung, whom he knew from the military. “I remember he showed up 30 minutes later at our studio,” Hyeonseok said amusingly. Sehwan joined through the same chain of connections. “It was surprisingly easy to find new members. Too easy, maybe,” Hyeonseok added.
Despite the name Syntapunk, the band’s sound is not quite what you might expect. They’re more of a blend of post-rock, shoegaze, and progressive, with synths playing a major role. “I’ve always loved synthesizers and guitar sounds,” Hyeonseok stated, “so that’s where ‘synta’ comes from. And for me, ‘punk’ felt less like a genre label and more like an attitude. I really liked that idea, so I put them all together to make Syntapunk.”
As for the band’s personal sound, Hyeonseok cites M83 as a major influence. The lyrics also often carry a deep emotional tone. “I write songs about my personal experiences. Relationship problems, family, and the band itself. Sad experiences are the ones that really stay with me,” Hyeonseok explained, laughing that some listeners have labelled their lyrics as ‘emo.’ Jae Sung points to bands like Sigur Rós and This Will Destroy You as musical influences, while Sehwan mentions blues artist Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Something interesting about Syntapunk is that they often feel less connected when they perform together. “When we rehearse, we don’t always fit in musically,” Min Cheol admitted. “But when we perform on stage, somehow people say we work really well together.” The band agrees that their personal relationship with each other is more important to them than musical compatibility. “Friendship first, music second,” Min Cheol added. This kind of chemistry on stage seems to click for audiences.
When asked how listeners should feel when they see a Syntapunk show, Hyeonseok explained carefully, “After a long week of work, we all have hobbies or plans we look forward to. If people come see our show, I want them to go home thinking it was a good day and that life is more than just work.” For Jae Sung, he wants listeners to be awestruck, “I want them to feel like I did when I saw Seo Taiji for the first time.” Min Cheol simply wants listeners to take whatever feelings resonate with them, and Sehwan endearingly hopes the audience will think they are cool.
When it comes to being an active band in the Korean indie scene, all four members are realistic about their expectations. “I sometimes worry about the limit of our genre and attracting more listeners,” stated Hyeonseok. “I want to keep playing in a band for another 60 years. So I hope our audience will grow bigger.” Jae Sung is grateful for the growing number of venues and festivals, but acknowledges that most musicians in the scene still need a second job to survive. Sehwan hopes listeners will explore more diverse and less popular music. Min Cheol believes real change will only come if the scene moves together.
So what’s next for Syntapunk? Hyeonseok says more gear and more members. “Right now, I use backing tracks for some parts of the songs. So, I hope to add some more members so that we can play those parts live on stage. I also want to make more upbeat songs.” Their newest release, Sun, shows what those upbeat songs could sound like. Additionally, he wants to try adding more visuals to their performance. “What I want to do and what I can do are so different,” he adds, referring to past visual projections and videos he’s made for the band. “I want the visuals to be more glitchy and grungy and vintage-looking. So, I hope to achieve that aesthetic one day.”
For now, their message to fans is simple: come see them live! “We know we have a growing fan base, so we hope that they will come to see our shows,” Hyeonseok said. Sehwan added that watching a performance live is always better than hearing a recording. The band shares gratitude when it comes to their fans as well. “The first thing that always comes to mind is our fans,” Jae Sung stated. Similarly, Min Cheol feels the connection with them has only grown stronger. “Many of the people who come to see our show have been our fans for over a year. They feel like friends now. I’m thankful to them for sticking around.”
Follow Syntapunk on Instagram for the latest updates (@syntapunk) and check out their newest singles, Sun and Sunset.https://youtu.be/CHvvVTszj0s?si=ETq3lya3yYzy1nCc