10. Soumbalgwang - Happiness, Flower
Ferocious, dark, relentless — Soumbalgwang's Happiness, Flower is a brooding masterpiece that shows how ugly music can also be beautiful. Released in 2021 and produced by Say Sue Me's Kim Byung-kyu, Happiness, Flower is Soumbalgwang's second studio album. Blending post-punk, hardcore, and post-rock, the Busan noise makers create a feeling of controlled chaos. Vocals shift unpredictably between spoken word, melodic cooing, and in-your-face screams, which still shake you even after your 50th listen. Even in slower moments, there's a sense of tension that seeps through every layer of this. This is the explosive, unhinged energy Korean rock desperately needed, capturing their much-celebrated live intensity on record.
9. Hyukoh - 23
23 is the ambitious debut full-length from Hyukoh, who were already firmly established thanks to TV show appearances and critically acclaimed EPs, 20 and 22. Featuring some of the band's most iconic songs, like "Tomboy", "Tokyo Hotel Room", and "Paul", the album explores more complex sounds and a mature lyrical universe. Oh Hyuk's multilingual songwriting, flowing between English, Korean, and Mandarin Chinese, lifts the album and gives it a feeling of universality. 23 rarely repeats itself, showing a more varied version of Hyukoh than we had seen from their previous work. This wasn't just an indie rock success; it was proof that Korean indie could achieve mainstream appeal without compromising artistic integrity.
8. Black Skirts - 201
Look, we get that this is potentially a controversial choice. Any of Black Skirts' four most popular albums would be solid candidates for this list. For us, his melodic, power-pop debut, 201, is a no-skip album that we had to include. Recorded entirely in Jo Hyu-il's basement, 201 exploded onto the Korean indie scene with a DIY, pop-punky charm that felt both intimate and revolutionary. The album won Best Modern Rock Album at the Korean Music Awards, establishing him as Korean indie rock royalty. Blending American sensibilities with Korean indie energy, the music is addictive and high-energy pop rock. 201 has quirky, Weezer-esque charm and surprising emotional breadth. Jo's bedroom production aesthetic became the blueprint for countless indie artists who followed. Also, it has "Antifreeze" on it, which alone justifies its inclusion here.
7. Ahn Dayoung - ANTIHERO
Full disclosure: this is one of our personal favourite Korean albums, literally ever. ANTIHERO marked a departure from the post-rock sound that Ahn Dayoung had become known for. The album's art-rock, smoky style is utterly alluring, and it's full of just gorgeous tune after gorgeous tune. Tracks like Fingerprint and Folktale add a little St Vincent-esque indie rock, and Submergence draws on the kind of R&B-inspired indie rock that Haim became known for. Blending indie pop with alternative R&B elements whilst maintaining Ahn Dayoung's core voice, the album is deceptively eclectic. It's a constantly evolving album that shows Ahn Dayoung's creative prowess. Essential listening.
6. Deli Spice - Espresso
Deli Spice's fifth album, Espresso, arrived long after the band's influence on indie rock was secure. Espresso is an album of sing-along indie bangers, featuring their most popular song, Confession. Espresso is not so much about reinventing the wheel, but applying their sophisticated modern rock approach to their ever-richer songwriting. Deli Spice's signature jangly style remains here but is strengthened by occasionally darker lyrics over deceptively light melodies. Espresso solidified what their groundbreaking 1997 debut had started: indie rock can be both intellectually ambitious and emotionally accessible. The album proved that pioneers don't need to constantly seek reinvention. Sometimes, perfecting your own formula is revolution enough.
5. 3rd Line Butterfly - Dreamtalk
Eight years in the making, Dreamtalk arrived in 2012 as 3rd Line Butterfly's ambitious fourth album. The record swept the 2013 Korean Music Awards, claiming Album of the Year, Best Modern Rock Album, and Best Modern Rock Song. Mixing indie rock with psychedelia and post-rock, the album lives up to its title with pervasively hazy, lucid lyrics that shift between clarity and a kind of musical obscuring. Experimental album highlight "Jeju Wind 20110807" features actual wind sounds collected from Jeju Island, exemplifying the band's commitment to innovation here. Led by Nam Sangah and Seong Kiwan, Dreamtalk built on the band's reputation for patient, sprawling expansion whilst maintaining emotional weight.
4. Pillsoon Jang - Soony 6
Pillsoon Jang had already established herself as an artist who reinvents herself, but Soony 6 marked her boldest new direction yet. The veteran folk singer developed her well-known style of folk pop with electronic textures and trip-hop rhythms. The result is hauntingly atmospheric, with her delicate vocals floating over downtempo beats and ambient, intimate styles. Soony 6 creates a broody, late-night mood that makes it the most complex album by her. The album showed Pillsoon's experimental leanings and her ability to stay ahead of the curve, bridging generations and inspiring countless artists to embrace bold reinvention.
3. Mid-Air Thief - Crumbling
Crumbling is a dizzying, endlessly fascinating album that doesn't even come close to categorisation, weaving nods to folktronica, hip-hop, psychedelia, indie and more. Layering field recordings and found sounds into dense, chaotic yet gorgeous songs, the album was released by enigmatic producer Mid Air Thief in 2018.
2. Parannoul - To See the Next Part of the Dream
To See the Next Part of the Dream arrived quietly on Bandcamp in February 2021, only to explode across global online music communities thanks almost entirely to word of mouth. The album's immediate impact was so profound, inspiring a slew of other amazing musicians, several of who are on this list, to start producing. Created during the darkest period of Parannoul's life, the album transforms depression and unaccomplished dreams into something sublime. Blending shoegaze with emo rock and post-rock, it offers something entirely new and poignant. The semi-anonymous Parannoul's bedroom production quality somehow enhances rather than diminishes the emotional weight. This record became the genesis point for Korea's "Digital Dawn" shoegaze movement, proving that one person's bedroom confessional could reshape an entire generation's sound.
1. Sister's Barbershop - Most Ordinary Existence
Most Ordinary Existence is an album whose influence on Korea's indie scene is difficult to overstate. Even 17 years after its release, it still feels like the template for many indie bands here. Since the release of their excellent debut album in 1996, the band had become iconic for their upbeat, jangly guitar sound and introspectively subdued indie singing style. Most Ordinary Existence sees the band at their most melancholic. Whilst some of the DIY charm of their earlier albums is lost, the band more than makes up for it with their richly reflective songwriting. Often imitated but never equalled, Most Ordinary Existence is more than just an album; it is a symbol for what "Korean independent music" means.