Band of the Week: Walking After U
Welcome back to another Band of the Week! This week we feature Korea’s mistresses of hard rock, Walking After U. Known as “Korea’s Strongest Girl Band,” they were formed in 2014 from two different bands, Rubber Duckie and Swings. The girls are a fusion of both bands’ awesome styles. The members are Baek Haein, lead singer and guitarist, Sunny (Kim Song Hee), keyboard and vocal, A-Zzang (Seo Ah Yeon), drums and vocal, and Cho Hankyem, bass and vocals. Song Jia, their original guitarist, is still listed as part of their band on their Japanese official website. Due to battling illness, Jia has taken a break, but there have been hopes of her returning to make their band a five-member band.
Their latest songs from their third album Arirang, “Strike Zone” and “Arirang,” are full of hard rock power with an early 2000s punk edge. “Strike Zone” opens up with a steady guitar followed by the head-banging-worthy chorus. Filmed in front of many national flags, including the U.S. and South African flags, there is already a sense that the girls welcome everyone to listen to their music. The song talks about how many want to be famous, but that it’s a hard climb to the top. Though the narrator may be a “zero,” she won’t give up her dreams.
In “Arirang,” the music video focuses on the group performing and having fun with each other. The song starts off emotional but then becomes awesome and enjoyable during the chorus. You can see the girls goof off with each other, showing that they are life-long friends with good dynamics and a love for what they do. The song reflects on how the narrator doesn’t want her “baby” to leave her and that she’d do anything for them, hoping they never forget.
Though not from their latest album but rather their second album Running Wild, their song “Karma” is the latest music video on their Youtube channel. In all black and white, the girls rock out with a more hardcore sound than ever before. Totally in English, the song talks about one person being a liar and how their face just expresses their lies. Haein metals out with her channeling Joan Jett and producing screams Janis Joplin would admire. At one point she gets a color pop on her clothes, makeup, and hair, making her attitude come alive. The song is slated to appear in an U.K. indie short film called Keep Mum. Currently, the project is in post-production and the girls are anticipating its release.
The girls are currently on tour, with their next performance being on November 3 as a part of the Queens of the Night show. If you are in the Seoul area, definitely crash their gig and you won’t be disappointed! Check out details on their Facebook. With their jamming style and sexy appeal, you’ll surely be mesmerized by their talent!