For the first time in The K M.E.A.L. history we can share the July K-Indie Chart on our platform. You can find the chart on Instagram here.
We’re taking a closer look at some of the newcomers this month, let’s dive in!
The new releases that managed to snag a spot in the top 10 are Park So Eun, Electriceels, Pateko and Kid Wine, and hathaw9y.
Park So Eun – Timeline
Park So Eun debuted in 2017 and has even won the encouragement prize at the Yoo Jae-Ha Music Contest. Her talent has only grown since then.
‘Timeline’ is an EP consisting of six tracks and was released towards the end of June. The album cover looks like a game and ties in nicely with the album description that talks about how each interaction as a teen was just a lucky roll of a dice, in the way that you never knew how it was going to end.
The mini-album starts with the track ‘Summer Salt’ whicih is a languid indie pop track with some awesome vocal layering and warm guitars. ‘Time Flies’ follows that up with a more melancholic tone and a great synth riff.
‘2017’ has a bit more of a rock vibe. The guitars and the drums go a bit harder and it has more of a grunge tone to it. Theh chorus is a vibe and the whistle in particular was a great addition.
‘It Seems Like Hangover’ talks about bad coping mechanicsm after a break-up. This is one of the saddest songs I’ve heard in a while. I really liked this phrase from the album description: “I abandoned tomorrow to endure the terrible today.”
‘2:13’ has a beautiful melody and is very focused on vocals and guitar. It’s a beautiful track and feels very introspective. ‘My Weekness’ continues with the introspectiveness but it feels like a more tempered confession. The addition of the piano creates a more dimensional sound as if there’s some peace found in the confession.
Overall ‘Timeline’ is a beautiful listen and will leave you thinking about your own childhood and failed relationships. You can listen to the album here and find Park So Eun on Instagram here.
Electriceels – Circles
After seven years Electriceels has released their third full-length album at the beginning of June. Member Hwang In-Kyung wrote, composed and produced all of the tracks, apart from ‘Tangerines’ and ‘Part-time Heroes’. These two tracks are not on the Spotify version of the album, however they are on the official physical release.
‘Circles’, ‘Natural History Museum’, ‘Monsoon’, ‘After Dark’, ‘Airplane’ and ‘Quiet Grief and Gentle Warmth of Night’ are new tracks whereas the others have a new arrangement and were re-recorded.
‘Circles’ has a very whimsical quality to it. This lovely indie rock track is a great listen and will have you go out for a walk in your local park.
‘Natural History Museum’ was released at the end of May as a pre-release. The twangy guitar is awesome and creates a very cool ambience. ‘Monsoon’ has a trumpet in its instrumentation and I love a good brass moment, so I adore this track. I also think the lackadaisical pace was fun!
‘Afterdark’ has the only feature on the album. Summer Park is an indie singer with a lovely voice and I really enjoyed how their vocals blend so nicely. The title comes from the Haruki Murakami novel ‘After Dark’. The bridge is a very cool moment that really grabs your attention back.
‘Airplane’ has some really cool plucky guitars that give it a very driving momentum. The closing guitar was also pretty dope. ‘Quiet Grief and Gentle Warmth of Night’ has a really interesting cadence in the vocals and the instrumental that give it a deeply intimate feel. It’s a lovely track.
You can find ‘Circles’ by Electriceels on Spotify here. Go say hi on Instagram here.
Top 10
Patek on Wine by Pateko and Kid Wine is a more ballad based album. I really enjoyed the full listen, it felt quite retro. Listen to the title track ‘I love you, I’m sorry’ and the rock ballad ‘All my love’.
Hathaw9y has never disappointed me yet with their releases. This full-length album ‘Essential‘ is going straight into my regular rotation on Spotify. Even from the very first track ‘Eclipse’ you get a killer groove and a smooth listen. Definitely listen to ‘1392010’ as well.
That was it for this feature on the K-Indie Chart for the month of July. Stay tuned for next month’s chart!
