We’re back with a new K-indie chart and this time we’re taking a look at the biggest releases of June. Let’s dive right in!
Some familiar faces, like wave to earth, Silica Gel and The Black Skirts are always great to put on repeat. TOUCHED was one of the artists we reviewed for the month of May, which you can find here.
Newcomers this month are Hanroro with the EP ‘Home’, MONNI with their album ‘One Day, Light’ and Bosudongcooler with ‘Sitting on a chair’. Surprise newcomer is also Soul Delivery with their album ‘Peninsula Park’ which originally came out in 2023.
Let’s take a closer look at some of these!
HANRORO – HOME
In this mini-album Hanroro is looking for the owner of the vacated building that is Earth.
‘After Landing’ is the opening track and sets the stage for a dystopian landing.
I’m absolutely digging the first of two title tracks, ‘Home‘. This is such a raw track with fantastic visuals that help the storytelling. It’s bitter and feels like an honest, hard look at some people around us.
The opening drums in ‘System Error’ are dope. I’m obsessed with all these different layers in the instrumentals. It sounds playful like a faulty video game, but it’s a lot deeper than that which creates a dichotomy that makes for an interesting listen.
Also check out this line from the album description: “What is the reason and method for distinguishing between predators and prey? Is it something that can be decided based on rational judgment? The moment we think deeply, our justice is distorted, falls, and becomes extinct.”
‘Playground’ is a stunning, bittersweet track where we’re singing to our younger self while knowing that nothing changes. It’s stunning, heartfelt and reads like poetry.
After that comes ‘Ashes’. This is the second title track. We’re going for hard guitars in this alt rock single with a solid progression and an impressive chorus. The outro gave me chills.
‘How To Go On’ brings unexpected strings and a ballad that lingers. It’s beautifully brought and a delight to listen to. This was a pre-release and came out last month.
The closing track of the album is ‘Restart!’. This is a hopeful track where we’re working on remodeling the vacant building. It’s awesome.
Listen to the album here.
MONNI – One Day, Light
This one is a bit hard to review since this was released in 2005 and the only place I could find it was in this YouTube video.
Bosudong cooler – Sitting on a chair
I’m super stoked this group is back. We’ve already featured them in our Indie Pick here. I love their style and their tracks. This album was released last month in May so let’s dive in!
The album opens with ‘Joy and Despair’ which is a great indie track with sick guitars and a killer layering. I love how laidback this feels while the lyrics are quite depressing and deep.
Two months ago they released the single ‘Sitting on a chair’. I still love the panning in the different headphones.
‘Sparkle’ is literally such a cute and happy track. In the next track ‘Song of Withering Flower and Love’ we get some sick guitars and a very cool vibe. You’ll be bopping around in no time.
About a year ago they released the Korean version of ‘Betty‘. The English version is included in this album.
The intro to ‘High Tide’ is literally stunning and when the vocals come in, I was already adding this to my playlist. What a lovely track! I’m kind of obsessed with the string noise of the electric guitar. That’s so dope.
‘Helen (intro)’ and ‘Helen’ made me nostalgic and a little bit sad. How beautiful.
‘I’m sorry’ is a languid, honest track that has a soft build-up and a lovely instrumentation.
The closing track is ‘Aurora’. This indie rock ballad feels like an appropriate ending where we finish with a wish.
Go listen to it here.
