Lee Juck is back with his new full album ‘Trace’. Let’s dive right in!
TRACE
The opening track is ‘Water’. In the album description Lee Juck wrote that everytime he drank water during a concert, the audience would cheer. He jokingly said that he would write a song about that one day. So here we are. This explosive track with one of the funniest choruses I’ve ever heard is a bop y’all. I can’t believe Lee Juck had me singing ‘mul’.
‘Whale Song’ is up next and talk about emotional whiplash. We go really slow and soft with Lee Juck’s emotional vocals. The song is about reaching out to others like whales in the immeasurable seas.
After that we get ‘Trace’. This feels quite country to be honest. The acoustic guitar had me feeling a whole bunch of things. ‘Trace’ is such a lovely track. Lee’s vocals are simply out of this world.
Next up is the title track ‘Stoning’ featuring Kim Jinpyo from the band Panic, he’s also an entertainer, rapper and race car driver. The man has a very diverse career. In the album description they wrote that this song is a celebration of different opinions, in the sense that even if you don’t agree with someone else, you’ll fight for their freedom to say it.
The following track ‘Things we took for granted’ was pre-released a couple of months ago.
‘Breath’ comes next and we’re going bluesy. The synth they added makes the texture so interesting. This track is so dope. This might be one of my favorites.
After that we get ‘At Han River – Interlude’. I love the instrumentation and layering of this interlude so much. I wish it was a full track. The sound is so ambient and pleasant, though at the same time it does tug at my heartstrings.
‘Dandelion, Dandelion’ follows that with a slightly more upbeat vibe. This is such a happy little song. You can’t help but sway to it.
Next up is ‘Night’ and we’re going straight-up ballad. Though it’s a belt your heart out kind of ballad, which honestly, I’m up for 100%. I love the addition of the electric guitar and the little guitar solo. It’s dope.
‘Numbers’ follows that, though in the album it’s mixed differently.
After that we get ‘Preparation’. The build-up with the instrumentals is so interesting. Please listen to it with your good headphones. It feels like there are so many layers to it. It’s kinda amazing.
‘Compass’ was also a pre-release. Apparently he wrote this one while thinking of his two daughters. The instrumentals were tweaked, so it might be interesting to listen to the original version and then the album version. I’ve actually been quite obsessed with this song since it came out so I’m very happy to hear both versions. This is also the last song on the album, which I find really sweet.
‘Trace’ is the sixth studio album by Lee Juck so the man knows what he’s doing. You can tell. The progression between the songs is absolutely lovely and this feels like a very coherent work. I do believe this is the kind of work that stands the test of time easily.
The album isn’t on Spotify yet, but here’s his Artist Profile, so keep an eye out.
