We’re back with the latest Korean indie chart and this time we’re taking a closer look at the newcomers to see what’s happening in theK-indie scene.
There were a lot of shifts if I compare this and the chart from June. Band Nah, The Poles, Rolling Quartz, The Solutions, Peppertones and Hyukoh all are newcomers or came back.
Let’s take a closer look at some of these!
Lee Seung Yoon – Yeok Seong
Lee Seung Yoon is on top with his new album ‘Yeok Seong’. Last month he was in the list with his live album ‘Nemo’.
This is a pre-release of his upcoming album ‘Reversal’. “Reversal is an album about going against the grain. It’s a story about the determination to go against the obvious, just this once. I’ll tell a more in-depth story in the full-length album.”
‘Yeok Seong’ contains eight tracks. The opening track ‘Waterfall’ I’ve had on repeat because it is such a stunning number.
Together with ‘Waterfall’, the following track ‘Pokzook Time’ we get a killer opening with the double title tracks.
‘Strings as a Sword’ has a very strong opening and really is such a well-crafted track. I love how moody and intriguing this sounds. It’s dark and will drag you along in its story in no time. I’m obsessed with the dirty guitar sound and the very measured vocal release.
‘Sold out’ goes for a hard rock moment whereas ‘Return Match’ goes for a more of a playful vibe, the guitar solo is SICK.
’28K Love’ is a really sweet track. I loved the song description: “There are many things that are defined by the number 24, such as time, gold, and frames. I wondered if the purity of the heart could also be expressed with 24, and then I thought that I wanted to share a heart that goes beyond that number. Even if it’s mixed with impurities, even if it goes beyond the defined frame. I want to welcome our own moments that are stronger than purity.”
The following track ‘Blown To Me’ feels like the kind of track you have to hear live with an orchestra and maybe even a live choir. What a beautiful song!
The same counts for ‘Canon’. The opening alone had already given me chills. The build-up is fantastic and leaves us with catharsis. Ugh, I love this so much!
Literally when the full album comes out, this might just be one of the best releases. What a stunning work.
Listen to it here on Spotify.
Band Nah – Clover Part 1.0
Band Nah is being retrospective in their latest album ‘Clover Part 0.5’. I liked this part of the album description: “[CLOVER Part 1.0] contains Na Sang-hyun Band’s experiences and their own answers regarding our wandering. Just like the composition of the album, which starts with a rough rock sound and gradually moves toward a bright pop sound, we hope that everyone who listens to [CLOVER Part 1.0] will gradually move forward in a brighter way.”
The opening track ‘:59′ is such a beautiful work. It’s such a soothing track to listen to.
‘Dumb’ is such a vibe with sick guitars, a fast tempo and a solid progression. The same goes for the following track ‘What’s going on?‘. The switch-over was quite seamless!
‘Thinking’ gives us a mellow rock track with a really playful sense of rhythm. The guitar solo was awesome.
‘Right Now’ transitions into the pop hemisphere a bit more. I enjoyed the punchy instrumentals and the bright vocals.
Next up is the title track ‘I feel like you do’. I absolutely love this track. It’s the perfect summer soundtrack with a lighthearted ambience and a cool groove.
‘I don’t know’ comes up after that and continues to bring a sick groove. The little ‘ooh’ before the chorus is just awesome!
The closing track of the album is ‘Stars’. This is a lovely closing track with fun instrumentals and really nice vocal stacking.
Overall ‘Clover Part 1.0’ is a really fun listen. Go check it out here on Spotify!
Rolling Quartz – Victory
The girls from Roling Quartz dropped their second mini-album ‘Victory’. The group cominbed two different rock bands; Rolilng Girlz and Rose Quartz and created this killer combo.
‘Victory’ is the title track and creates a powerful scene. I enjoyed this line from the song description: “It is a song about the confidence in the result of overcoming a difficult journey through constant challenges.”
Next up is ‘one’. This is a remake of the official theme music for the 2022 Afreeca TV BJ Destruction War in wich Rolling Quartz participated.
The following track ‘Stand Up’ was a pre-release that came out four months ago.
‘Red Wine’ went through the mixing process five times. It’s an interesting track with some piano added and a cool progression.
All of the tracks have their instrumentals on the album as well.
Listen to the album here.
That’s it for this K-indie chart overview for July. I hope that next month I can write about the other newcomers I didn’t get a chance to review yet.
