Since most of 01SYTNTH‘s releases have been singles, I’ve been waiting for a longer release. COSMOS is a 2023 EP with four songs. And when you listen to the entire discography, it’s clear that 01SYNTH has a clear plan and is following through. Foundationally, 01SYNTH is an electronic musician. According to the track list, the four songs cover three styles: trap, liquid drum and bass, and chill trap. But as someone who listens to electronic pop or melodic electronic indie, I’m not too familiar with the basic elements in these subgenres. But COSMOS is a flowing and organic EP. It moves quickly ..read more

Yoon Jieun : I live to love you (Piano. LIM EUNJI) “I live to love you” isn’t a music style I frequent often. It’s a mix of jazz, pop, and ballad and enjoyable. Yoon Jieun‘s vocals push the song and Lim Eunji‘s piano is excellent. YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube Music RealFrog : Dancing With The Pig A female-fronted rock band playing a 2000s rock style. RealFrog sounds like an old band, but I think with all the recent trends following, something nostalgic is a good cleanser. Instagram | YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube Music Adios Audio : Hulow Adios Audio has cemented i ..read more

Dolphin Pants Brothers are the perfect nostalgic listen for old punk and ska fans. Give It To Me fits right next to Catch22, Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, and other late 90s/early 2000s ska punk. It’s amazing how this album fits right into that era without any effort. The “Intro” is a perfect 43-second mix of styles before “I Don’t Want To Die Before Drink.” There’s a wild abandon in the vocals and the instrumentals are performed with precision. One of the hardest things for bands to capture is their live energy but Dolphin Pants Brothers include all of it in this first track. And the band’s ..read more

CHANMIN : Blood and skin I don’t know CHANMIN, but “Blood and skin” is an addictive rock and R&B-ish song. It’s different with the slow tempo but the verse changes make everything interesting. Instagram | Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube Music DIAMOB : Dance with me On DIAMOB‘s Spotify, it lists six members but only shows five in profile shots. That’s a big group, five or six members aside, collective but DIAMOB can temper and balance all the different members well. “Dance With Me” follows a recognized path but every piece is solid and there’s growth on every release. Instagram | Apple ..read more

It feels like Silica Gel’s explosion into the front of audiences happened almost overnight. POWER ANDRE 99 is one of the deepest albums from 2023 and Silica Gel proved that with multiple wins at the 2024 Korean Music Awards. The band has a deep discography and POWER ANDRE 99 is only their second full length. SILICA GEL was released after one EP and two singles. POWER ANDRE 99 was released seven years later. And with 18 songs and one hour and 14 minutes of music, the band is making a giant impact. Not just in Korean music, but for international audiences. So if people think they appeared out o ..read more

I was introduced to BØJEONG after Kang Hmm emailed about the release of the EP. Neom 0541 is a very concise 16-and-a-half-minute listen. It attracted my attention because it sounds like early The Solutions. Though as a first release, BØJEONG set a high standard for themselves. “Den” is the standard throwaway introduction. It serves to set up the EP and misdirect what the band’s actual sound will be. The one-minute and 38-second length is mainly repeated tones with a build up into the main single “Unreal.” And using “Unreal” as the single is a perfect choice. It carries that over-the-top polis ..read more

TILDE : Cliché A standard melodic rock song that works as a standout playlist track or could be a good OST addition. Instagram | Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube Music Pedals on Carpet : Digital Nostalgia Like TILDE, Pedals on Carpet adds another track to the indie rock genre. It blends in well but isn’t a standout. Instagram | Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube Music bandi : Spring Breeze bandi‘s vocalist uses a high range during the intro to “Spring Breeze,” and that could deter new listeners. The meat of the single is good moody melodic rock. Instagram | Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube Mu ..read more

I’m not sure when Joyful Underwear officially started. Somewhere Between is their first official EP, but I found live videos from a year ago and covers on YouTube from three years ago. But it actually doesn’t matter because Somewhere Between showcases the band perfectly and highlights the British rock and indie rock mixed music. “Hello” will have to be their first song at every single show. It’s the band’s introduction. With lines like: “Hello, nice to meet you We are fucking cool band” What can you say? “Hello” pulls you into the mixed genre sound. The main melody has a distinct British ro ..read more

Released in the middle of 2023, Contain both a Moment and Eternity is Wing of the ISANG‘s live album recorded in 2019. The album was performed at Platform Changdong 61 in January 2019 so I wonder what the release delay could have been. Also because of the recording date, this is essentially a live version of Stream of Consciousness. But looking at streaming sites, the official album is only available on the band’s Bandcamp. (The band’s Spotify bio states that the first album is unavailable because the label that produced the album pulled it from all international streaming sites without telli ..read more

Dahlia Kim : Tonight “Tonight” has the skeleton for a decent R&B single, but Dahlia Kim‘s vocals need more work to fit this style. Her other tracks sound more confident. Instagram | YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube Music 01SYNTH : HANAMI 01SYNTH‘s discography is mainly singles spanning from 2020. But this electronic style is perfect as work music and I can listen through all these songs without a break. “HANAMI” is another excellent addition and I impatiently wait for a an extended release. Instagram | Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube Music Sonlmor : Whisky While I think Sonlmo ..read more