B-Sides: Three Gems of K-Rock and K-Indie
Outside of pop and hip-hop music, there's a lot of other music genres to be discovered within the Korean music realm, such as K-Rock and K-Indie. Although some K-Rock and K-Indie artists have found recognition and fame within K-Pop (such as N.Flying, The Rose, DAY6 etc.), there are a lot of artists who have never been associated with K-Pop, who may go undiscovered by some listeners. So, for this week’s B-side tracks, let's take a look at three tracks from three K-Rock and K-Indie artists for you to discover next and add to your playlists.
"Gang Gang Schiele" - HYUKOH
A B-side track off of HYUKOH’s 2018 album, 24: How to find true love and happiness, “Gang Gang Schiele” is a soft indie-pop song that puts lead singer and guitarist Oh Hyuk's mesmerizing vocals against a slow acoustic guitar and percussion elements. Mostly sung in English, “Gang Gang Schiele” sounds like the perfect song for an outdoor, summer setting vibe that, in an interview with Beats by Dre, Hyuk said he wrote about friendship with North Korea and South Korea in mind after the two countries had begun communicating again.
In 2019, HYUKOH then released a remixed version of this B-side track in collaboration with London-based indie-pop group, Superorganism. This remix added a warped, electronic vibe to the soft indie-pop track, creating a more upbeat tone for the song while still keeping the slow, soft vibes of the original. Both versions are great, so why not listen and add both of these songs to your playlists!
"Stranger" - SE SO NEON
From SE SO NEON’s 2020 album Nonadaptation, “Stranger” is a calming, psychedelic rock song that begins with the slow, enchanting vocals of guitarist and vocalist So!YoOn! (who is also an amazing soloist with various songs for you to check out) against a faint, dreamlike guitar sound. The song then transitions into a heavier guitar sound along with the addition of drum beats and an echoey adlib, that all fade out leaving So!YoOn!’s adlib to finish the song alone. While the song begins with a dreamlike sound, the end creates a more haunting atmosphere, with the blend of vocals, instruments, and adlibs creating a strong impact despite the song’s short duration, with “Stranger” running for only two minutes and forty seconds long.
"PSYCHO" - iamnot
iamnot’s “PSYCHO” is miles apart from the kind of rock songs you might be familiar with from the K-Pop/K-rock realm. A B-side from their 2015 album whoami, “PSYCHO” is the perfect infusion of modern blues and classic rock that is sung in both Korean and in English by vocalist and guitarist Lim Heonil, who has the perfect raspy voice for rock music. Although you might be unfamiliar with iamnot, some of you may recognise Heonil from season three of Begin Again, in which he starred and performed alongside Chinese-Canadian musician Henry Lau. Unfortunately, iamnot have been inactive since 2018. Luckily, you can still immerse yourself in their music on YouTube and Spotify!