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omonatheydidWhether you’re a serious fan or a curious newcomer, discover a monthly roundup of new releases from South Korea. From K-Pop to hip hop and everything in between, gorge yourself on all that’s new.
When mega-girl group Twice and mega-boy group BTS announced they’d be making comebacks in mid-February, only the brave and foolish decided not to move their releases given the risk of being flattened on the charts. Twice, with their gorgeous visuals for “Knock Knock”, stuck to their tried-and-tested formula of hooky, pattering lyrical rhythms – understandable for a young act, but given they’ve smashed so many other girl groups out the park since releasing their debut, they definitely could have experimented slightly without risking the grip on their fandom.
Elsewhere, Girls’ Generation’ Taeyeon continued her slew of solo releases but, in an error of style over substance, made a purple, ruffled dress look so incredible that she forget to put an interesting song to go with it. Multinational boy group Cross Gene came up against the same problem – they released a juicy, blood-soaked, skull-crunching MV (music video) for “Black or White”, yet even after multiple viewings, there’s little chance you could hum the song’s chorus.
As any long-term K-Pop fan will attest to, East-meets-West rarely goes well (anyone who heard JYJ and Kanye West’s “Ayy Girl” is probably still going through group therapy), but the tide had to turn at some point, and you should thank Gallant, Tablo, and Eric Nam for breaking the collaboration curse with “Cave Me In”. It’s a silky hybrid of R&B, pop, and hip hop that feels completely effortless. Still in hip hop, Cheetah (the feisty rapper who won the survival show Unpretty Rapstar in 2015, with fluctuating success since), released “Blurred Lines”, blending jazz, simple beats, and old school scratching beneath one of her stronger vocal performances, let down only by a distractingly insipid piano refrain.
The month’s most divisive track had to be Red Velvet’s “Rookie”. If you played it to someone who’s never listened to Korean pop, it’d either put them off for life or drag them kicking and screaming into the K-hole. It recently scored its eighth win on Korea’s music shows, proving yet again that cute-to-the-point-of-nausea is unfathomably popular.
XXX – “LIQUOR”
Visually powerful and disconcerting, the striking MV that accompanies “Liquor” is the work of Mattis Dovier, who also animated XXX’s 2016 single “Flight Attendant” from the same album, KYOMI. XXX, a collaboration between producer FRNK and rapper Kim Ximya, developed because “Kim Ximya was one of the rare ones who saw eye to eye with me on music,” as FRNK tells us. “He understands and interprets beats better than I do.” FRNK describes their music as “eerie, bizarre, and grotesque,” and indeed “Liquor” is ugly (full of brutal stops and starts, and effects that pulse, reverberate then shatter) yet beautiful (in its jagged rawness, which exists only to please itself).
Ximya’s voice lashes out like fists, his lyrics plaited with cockiness, black humour, and fury – stemming from, he explains, a real incident that happened to him. “However, I enjoy my lyrics (being) confusing and misleading so I’d like to keep it that way,” Xiyma adds. “I find the music industry in Korea irritating, so I want to make music that irritates them back.”
BTS – “SPRING DAY”
Beneath the thought-provoking surface of BTS’s music lies a complex map of overlapping stories told in their MVs. Although “Spring Day” aligns visually with sections of the narratives explored in “Run” and “I Need U”, it feels like it’s seeking to widen the net by being a bit of something to everyone (unlike its brash sibling “Not Today”, which covers familiar territory). The song’s lyrics are opaque (to some, “Spring Day” documents a failed relationship, to others, it’s about the death or suicide of a loved one), while sonically it adopts the globally beloved but relatively safe language of British stadium rock. At first glance, it’s a step back from the adventures of their last single but BTS’s urge to mess with the rules lights their way, and they toss aside the former’s bombastic cliches create an intriguing tension, allowing the voices – particularly V and Suga’s – to paint a landscape of light and shade against shuddering bass.
“Spring Day” recognises a universal journey: the loss of friendships, the need to move forward, the desire to hold onto (and instinct to hurt) what we love most. The MV, at its core, is about the choice of life paths. So whether you feel compelled to understand the new references (to Those Who Walk Away From Omelas and Snowpiercer) or you’re familiar with older storylines (Jin’s death, Jimin’s depression), the beauty and success of “Spring Day” is that you don’t need either to be able to embrace it. However, such ambiguity, no matter how useful in pushing BTS deeper into the mainstream, is surely only a brief liaison for a group with a fearlessly loud voice, which raises just one pertinent question: where to next?
MISO – “TAKE ME”
Miso, who performs in English, was born in South Korea but grew up in England before returning to her homeland, where she’s become associated with the Club Eskimo crew, a diverse group of solo performers ranging from DJ/producer Millic to rapper Punchnello to the successful R&B singers Dean and Crush (with whom she collaborated on his 2016 album track “Castaway”). On “Take Me”, her languid vocals are utilised to create a full body stretch of a song, the slightly set back bass more like a heartbeat as she muses over broken trust in a relationship – and while she sounds like a gentler, dreamier Kehlani, there are also moments where you suspect Miso may be holding back some power, particularly as she sings, “I don’t need a man to complete me… but you can be my pearl king and I can be your diamond queen.” Although currently a little bit of a mystery, Miso – who was requested to DJ at the Fendi x Boiler Room party at NYFW, and who popped up on Spotify’s US Top 50 viral tracks – surely can’t stay under wraps for much longer.
B.I.G – “1. 2. 3”
Five-piece B.I.G debuted in 2014 with the tourist board-friendly “Hello”. Since then, though, they’ve struggled to get their hands on a hit song – so it’s unsurprising that their label is calling “1. 2. 3” a ‘rebirth’, because it overshadows their somewhat disjointed past and should be (if the fates are kind) the comeback that breaks them to a wider audience. They’re now without rapper Minpyo (who’s out with health issues), but “1.2.3” – with its nods to vaporwave aesthetics and VHS effects, colour-pop styling, and over-saturated grading – looks flawless. If it sounds reassuringly familiar then mark that down to how it splices the funk guitars of EXO’s EXODUS era, the sweeping strings of Infinite, and the vocal stylings of SHINee into its DNA. The trick up its sleeve is that while all those elements can be isolated and remarked upon, “1.2.3” as a whole is smartly coherent and easily one of the most immediately captivating K-Pop singles in recent memory.
O3OHN – “KALT” (FEAT. JOONIE)
The repetition in the video for “Kalt” – which was filmed in Berlin – is clean, simple, and uncomfortable, a Groundhog Day for a lonely soul. The routine o spliff, photobooth, and notepad descends into an act of giving up, of lying on the frozen ground and waiting for something better (or worse) to break the monotony and inspire him to live again. O3ohn, along with female vocalist Joonie, both soothes and acerbates the visuals. O3ohn’s voice is a defeated one, but within it remains the vestiges of hopeful sweetness. “I’m tired of myself,” he sings over a softened, organ-like drone, muted handclaps, fuzzy, spaced-out guitar, and burbling beats, “I know you want to hold onto me… Look at my heart.” Recurring images like the yellow notepad have already appeared in his work, with last year’s “Untitled 01” exploring the balance between creativity and mundanity, adding an intriguing allegorical dimension to a talented singer/songwriter/guitarist.
What do you think, Omona? Any other songs you'd like to add to this list? B.I.G's song got me hyped for Eurovision tbh
Source: Dazed | BanaTV | ibighit | MISO | CJENMMUSIC OFFICIAL | 오존O3ohn
When mega-girl group Twice and mega-boy group BTS announced they’d be making comebacks in mid-February, only the brave and foolish decided not to move their releases given the risk of being flattened on the charts. Twice, with their gorgeous visuals for “Knock Knock”, stuck to their tried-and-tested formula of hooky, pattering lyrical rhythms – understandable for a young act, but given they’ve smashed so many other girl groups out the park since releasing their debut, they definitely could have experimented slightly without risking the grip on their fandom.
Elsewhere, Girls’ Generation’ Taeyeon continued her slew of solo releases but, in an error of style over substance, made a purple, ruffled dress look so incredible that she forget to put an interesting song to go with it. Multinational boy group Cross Gene came up against the same problem – they released a juicy, blood-soaked, skull-crunching MV (music video) for “Black or White”, yet even after multiple viewings, there’s little chance you could hum the song’s chorus.
As any long-term K-Pop fan will attest to, East-meets-West rarely goes well (anyone who heard JYJ and Kanye West’s “Ayy Girl” is probably still going through group therapy), but the tide had to turn at some point, and you should thank Gallant, Tablo, and Eric Nam for breaking the collaboration curse with “Cave Me In”. It’s a silky hybrid of R&B, pop, and hip hop that feels completely effortless. Still in hip hop, Cheetah (the feisty rapper who won the survival show Unpretty Rapstar in 2015, with fluctuating success since), released “Blurred Lines”, blending jazz, simple beats, and old school scratching beneath one of her stronger vocal performances, let down only by a distractingly insipid piano refrain.
The month’s most divisive track had to be Red Velvet’s “Rookie”. If you played it to someone who’s never listened to Korean pop, it’d either put them off for life or drag them kicking and screaming into the K-hole. It recently scored its eighth win on Korea’s music shows, proving yet again that cute-to-the-point-of-nausea is unfathomably popular.
XXX – “LIQUOR”
Visually powerful and disconcerting, the striking MV that accompanies “Liquor” is the work of Mattis Dovier, who also animated XXX’s 2016 single “Flight Attendant” from the same album, KYOMI. XXX, a collaboration between producer FRNK and rapper Kim Ximya, developed because “Kim Ximya was one of the rare ones who saw eye to eye with me on music,” as FRNK tells us. “He understands and interprets beats better than I do.” FRNK describes their music as “eerie, bizarre, and grotesque,” and indeed “Liquor” is ugly (full of brutal stops and starts, and effects that pulse, reverberate then shatter) yet beautiful (in its jagged rawness, which exists only to please itself).
Ximya’s voice lashes out like fists, his lyrics plaited with cockiness, black humour, and fury – stemming from, he explains, a real incident that happened to him. “However, I enjoy my lyrics (being) confusing and misleading so I’d like to keep it that way,” Xiyma adds. “I find the music industry in Korea irritating, so I want to make music that irritates them back.”
BTS – “SPRING DAY”
Beneath the thought-provoking surface of BTS’s music lies a complex map of overlapping stories told in their MVs. Although “Spring Day” aligns visually with sections of the narratives explored in “Run” and “I Need U”, it feels like it’s seeking to widen the net by being a bit of something to everyone (unlike its brash sibling “Not Today”, which covers familiar territory). The song’s lyrics are opaque (to some, “Spring Day” documents a failed relationship, to others, it’s about the death or suicide of a loved one), while sonically it adopts the globally beloved but relatively safe language of British stadium rock. At first glance, it’s a step back from the adventures of their last single but BTS’s urge to mess with the rules lights their way, and they toss aside the former’s bombastic cliches create an intriguing tension, allowing the voices – particularly V and Suga’s – to paint a landscape of light and shade against shuddering bass.
“Spring Day” recognises a universal journey: the loss of friendships, the need to move forward, the desire to hold onto (and instinct to hurt) what we love most. The MV, at its core, is about the choice of life paths. So whether you feel compelled to understand the new references (to Those Who Walk Away From Omelas and Snowpiercer) or you’re familiar with older storylines (Jin’s death, Jimin’s depression), the beauty and success of “Spring Day” is that you don’t need either to be able to embrace it. However, such ambiguity, no matter how useful in pushing BTS deeper into the mainstream, is surely only a brief liaison for a group with a fearlessly loud voice, which raises just one pertinent question: where to next?
MISO – “TAKE ME”
Miso, who performs in English, was born in South Korea but grew up in England before returning to her homeland, where she’s become associated with the Club Eskimo crew, a diverse group of solo performers ranging from DJ/producer Millic to rapper Punchnello to the successful R&B singers Dean and Crush (with whom she collaborated on his 2016 album track “Castaway”). On “Take Me”, her languid vocals are utilised to create a full body stretch of a song, the slightly set back bass more like a heartbeat as she muses over broken trust in a relationship – and while she sounds like a gentler, dreamier Kehlani, there are also moments where you suspect Miso may be holding back some power, particularly as she sings, “I don’t need a man to complete me… but you can be my pearl king and I can be your diamond queen.” Although currently a little bit of a mystery, Miso – who was requested to DJ at the Fendi x Boiler Room party at NYFW, and who popped up on Spotify’s US Top 50 viral tracks – surely can’t stay under wraps for much longer.
B.I.G – “1. 2. 3”
Five-piece B.I.G debuted in 2014 with the tourist board-friendly “Hello”. Since then, though, they’ve struggled to get their hands on a hit song – so it’s unsurprising that their label is calling “1. 2. 3” a ‘rebirth’, because it overshadows their somewhat disjointed past and should be (if the fates are kind) the comeback that breaks them to a wider audience. They’re now without rapper Minpyo (who’s out with health issues), but “1.2.3” – with its nods to vaporwave aesthetics and VHS effects, colour-pop styling, and over-saturated grading – looks flawless. If it sounds reassuringly familiar then mark that down to how it splices the funk guitars of EXO’s EXODUS era, the sweeping strings of Infinite, and the vocal stylings of SHINee into its DNA. The trick up its sleeve is that while all those elements can be isolated and remarked upon, “1.2.3” as a whole is smartly coherent and easily one of the most immediately captivating K-Pop singles in recent memory.
O3OHN – “KALT” (FEAT. JOONIE)
The repetition in the video for “Kalt” – which was filmed in Berlin – is clean, simple, and uncomfortable, a Groundhog Day for a lonely soul. The routine o spliff, photobooth, and notepad descends into an act of giving up, of lying on the frozen ground and waiting for something better (or worse) to break the monotony and inspire him to live again. O3ohn, along with female vocalist Joonie, both soothes and acerbates the visuals. O3ohn’s voice is a defeated one, but within it remains the vestiges of hopeful sweetness. “I’m tired of myself,” he sings over a softened, organ-like drone, muted handclaps, fuzzy, spaced-out guitar, and burbling beats, “I know you want to hold onto me… Look at my heart.” Recurring images like the yellow notepad have already appeared in his work, with last year’s “Untitled 01” exploring the balance between creativity and mundanity, adding an intriguing allegorical dimension to a talented singer/songwriter/guitarist.
What do you think, Omona? Any other songs you'd like to add to this list? B.I.G's song got me hyped for Eurovision tbh
Source: Dazed | BanaTV | ibighit | MISO | CJENMMUSIC OFFICIAL | 오존O3ohn
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no subject
Date: 2017-02-21 10:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-21 10:38 pm (UTC)B.I.G's song got me hyped for Eurovision tbh
Speaking of, get into this classic boyband tune from the swedish national selection
though I doubt it's gonna win the whole thingno subject
Date: 2017-02-22 11:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 02:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 03:10 pm (UTC)...it's a lot. This song was from the 3rd semi and was sent to the second chance round. Basically it's not even the huge favorite to win the swedish final lol. But I love the guy at the beginning, I wish he'd go solo. This is the performance (which would look the same on the Eurovision stage): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU2tAfDt6lA
It's really hard to find footage of the entries that have gone directly to the final. And we still have one semi final left (Loreen is entering again, you may remember Euphoria). So far I think this is the front runner:
no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 03:26 pm (UTC)I think I listened to Loreen's song last month but I don't think it can top Euphoria's success. Or maybe it was just a song of hers.
This Robin Bengtsson is giving me JYP vibes.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 03:39 pm (UTC)The last semi is this Saturday, second chance round the next Saturday, and the final the week after. So no, no final song yet :P That boyband was a favorite to win the whole thing but the song/performance had no "wow" eurovision factor so now I think they will def. pass the second chance round and end up in the final, perhaps in the top 5 as well, but I don't see them going to Kiev.
There is no way you've heard her entry, it's supposed to premiere this week. She'd have been disqualified had it leaked. So yeah, if you have it, don't spread it yet hahaha.
Robin was also a favorite last year but ended up somewhere in the top 5. I think this is his year unless Loreen brings it.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 06:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 06:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 06:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 06:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-21 10:40 pm (UTC)i really love spring day!!! the production and mixing is soo good. the instrumentation is so spacious but full..? there was some really nice and unexpected but subtle build ups in the song
i'm glad to see V getting a shoutout cus this is the best he's sounded in a title track for me. he had good control switching between chest and head.. plus you can hear his low notes *dies*
cave me in is sooo smooth.
ayy girl never happened.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-21 11:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 03:58 am (UTC)it's like for stigma, many didn't like his vocal performance for that track, but his singing complemented the instrumentation. and i find that it fit within the style of soul/jazz which stigma draws heavily on (like when v would sing in a higher pitch the bass line becomes deeper to balance it out)
all to say, i have a lot of love for this boy and his voice!! :>
no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 04:44 am (UTC)His voice is my favorite in BTS hands down and one of my all-time favorites in kpop, IMO nobody else I've heard (granted, I haven't heard everyone in kpop) sounds quite like him.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 06:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 06:27 am (UTC)It's troubling how I can recognize his hand and mouth in your icon. I mean, all your icons seem to be of him but I'd recognize that hand, those fingers, and mouth anywhere lmao I'm sad.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 06:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 06:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 10:23 am (UTC)This boy is so visually appealing I feel like posting his face everywhere and everytime I want to switch my icon to someone else he has to post a selfie or do a photoshoot and I'm back to him. I can't help it.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 11:59 pm (UTC)He's ridiculously gorgeous, it's unreal. It's like I'll see his face and it'll be that beyonce.gif where she's like "God is real," because his face is like a religion looool.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-23 08:34 am (UTC)his face is like a religion - This is so fucking true. I have never seen a picture where he looks bad. Makeup/no makeup he looks stunning. It's like if he's in a crowd, you can't see anyone else besides him and can't even move your eyes away from him. Bless his parents, bless his genes that came together in perfect harmony to make his gorgeous face.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-24 04:04 am (UTC)Sometimes I'm mad at his parents for creating such perfection because his face comes for my life constantly and I just want to live peacefully.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 07:13 am (UTC)I don't know anything about vocal technique so I'm not going to talk about that lol.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-21 11:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-21 11:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 12:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 12:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 12:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 12:55 am (UTC)In addition to Spring Day, I have had this song on repeat as well. Gorgeous ballad, music video and EDEN/Kwon Jina's voice is wonderful.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 12:57 am (UTC)they didn't need to do cross gene like that tho
no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 03:36 am (UTC)one of my friends got into kpop after listening some random bap song in a department store
another friend listened standing egg lalala in a podcast
this other friend overhear when a kpop dance cover group practicing in the park took a break and put a bunch of cnblue songs....
in my experience kpop can get you anywhere, in all forms 😃 lol
no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 05:12 am (UTC)the club eskimo show is gonna be so chill and not chill at the same time. i dont even know how to prepare. drink, i guess.
also, to this list I would add the Gallant Tablo and Nam collab. most of the people I have shown this to got into eric.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 08:28 am (UTC)Why did they say that about Cross Gene though, I love 'Black or White' lol.
I would add K.A.R.D's 'Don't Recall' here.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-22 07:24 pm (UTC)