By Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209) Korea's ska punk OGs Lazybone's time as a band has had all the ups and downs of a rollercoaster. With a carousel of lineup changes and the occasional bumper-car clash, the band are ready to return to the funhouse of great live shows. With the release of their new amusement park-themed single Wonderland (that's why I was doing all the fairground ride references, and I promise I will stop now), the band talk to us about their journey so far. Lazybone are the ultimate good energy band. Their reputation for infectious live energy is seco ..read more

By Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209) Paper River's delicate folk sound is underscored by a chasm of soul, lethargic charm and some of the juiciest songwriting you're likely to hear. In this article, we take a look at what makes them so vital. The essential characteristic of Paper River is lightness. It's central to everything they do. In the course of two albums (2020's Why Why and 2022’s where, there was), Paper River effectively write the definitive edition on lightness. Such is their lightness that even when the band explores darker themes or tones, the sunshine-through-the-cu ..read more

By Sam Dougherty (@_mancub_) BØJEONG is a band that knows what it’s doing. The Seoul Indie rockers released their first single just seven months ago but already have a fully formed sound and a killer live show to boot. With the release of their excellent debut EP, Neom 0541, BØJEONG firmly belong in the “bands you need to know” category and lead singer Kang Hmm gave us some insight into their story. The name BØJEONG is phonetically said as bi gong jeong or 비공정 in Korean and comes from the Chinese characters for “airship.”  The airship, explains Kang Hmm, is seen “often in fantasy works, a ..read more

By Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209) For part one, click here. Last week, we shared part one of our list of the best indie bands in Busan. And here is part two. Initially, there were supposed to be just about ten musicians, but there were so many great ones that we decided to spread it over two lists. Here, we have another ten Korean indie bands we want to share.  Few notes: we’re only using bands that that are currently active. Also, we want to highlight some newer names so we’re not including bands that we have written about extensively before. hathaw9y Another band that can be described as c ..read more

By Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209) Look, there’s no sugarcoating it. Korea’s indie music scene, nay, it’s entire musical industry revolves around Seoul. The sheer quantity of people/venues/events makes it an all-consuming draw for many bands. Because of this, though, cities that are doing really good stuff can often be overlooked. One of them is Busan. As logic would follow, Korea’s second-largest city has Korea’s second-largest band scene, with many big names and some of our all-time faves having come from here. In this article, we are going to take a look at some of the best artists currently pl ..read more

With just a handful of shows and two singles under their belt, hyper-stylish othersmayforgetyoubutnoti have already become one of the most talked about bands on the scene. With their punchy new wave rhythms and grungey sound, unique chemistry and provocative approach to visuals, it's time you got to know othersmayforgetyoubutnoti. We meet at Union Studios, where icons of the Korean indie scene like So!YoON!, Chang Kiha, The Barbarettes, and more have all recorded material. The space is now home to a band hoping to follow in their footsteps - othersmayforgetyoubutnoti (which will be shortened t ..read more

As part of a new series, someone will be sharing their life through the music that shaped them. This week, we talked to up-and-coming electro pop singer/producer SUCOZY. With sucozy’s sultry city-pop-inspired music comes some smooth-as-all-hell grooves and mood-setting lyrics. Here, he tells us about the soundtrack of his life. A song that reminds me of my childhood Snail - Panic During elementary school, I used to ride my bicycle to school, and this song was something I listened to a lot during that time. I don't know how or where I first heard it, but whenever I hear this song, it brings bac ..read more

By Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209) Like many countries, the Korean indie scene is full of diverse genres, subgenres, and weirdos making weird stuff. One sound that has never completely taken off here, though, is math rock. That's where Dabda come in. With their intricate structures and atypical rhythms, Dabda have made the calculus that math rock equals a good time. Here, we talk to the band about their journey so far. Dabda's place in the Korean music scene is an interesting one. They've become one of the underground's most recognised names since their formation in 2014, and yet they remain somet ..read more

By Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209) Volume 3 of the annual Post-Rock Gallery Compilation was released today. At a staggering 79 songs in length, the album is an unfiltered collection of all the music shared by members of the Post-Rock Gallery message board. Here, we talk to the compilation's organiser about the project. Talk to any alternative music fan in Korea, and they will tell you how important message boards have historically been to their communities here. The kind of music that was often ignored or even hated by the mainstream in Korea was being celebrated in small pockets of the internet h ..read more

By Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209) Spring is here, and no style of music gets us in the seasonal mood than folk. Folk is one of the most popular genres in Korea, with the hushed simplicity of it resonating with a culture that is often too focused on the fast-paced. In fact, to many, the word "indie" is synonymous with unplugged guitars. Here, we share some of our favourite musicians for anyone looking to explore the world of Korean folk. Some notes: We mean folk in the more contemporary sense. Maybe we'll do a list of folk musicians from the more traditional use of that word at some stage, but for ..read more