On May 25, 2019, K-R&B icon DEAN dropped the single album Howlin’ 404 featuring the track of the same name. That same day, the artist performed at Seoul Jazz Festival, giving fans in attendance the first live performance of “Howlin’ 404.”

“Howlin’ 404” is dark, it’s gritty, and it’s a far cry from the soft acoustic “Dayfly” featuring Rad Museum and the late Sulli that was released seven months prior. Even though the track features an acoustic guitar as well, it’s also interlaced with wolves howling, autotune, and heavy backing instrumentation that thuds in your chest, lending itself as a physical and audible representation of the vicious cycle DEAN has found himself in at the end of a relationship.

Even though the single was dropped in May, DEAN didn’t release a music video for the track until September 6, 2019. In the video, DEAN and marldn are seen in an empty parking garage; it’s just them, marldn’s acoustic guitar, a partially broken-down coupe, and DEAN’s incredible voice. There’s a rawness in this version that isn’t present in the original single; without the autotune and other distractions of the single, you’re forced to focus on his voice, his range, and the lyrics. This performance honestly may be the most emotionally vulnerable DEAN has ever been, and it’s that open vulnerability that makes listeners feel comfortable to be vulnerable as well.

While “Howlin’ 404” didn’t chart, wasn’t promoted, and didn’t win any awards for the musician, 2019 was still a busy year for DEAN. A month before the release of “Howlin’ 404,” he and Tabber featured on ROMderful’s “1 Missed Call” off of his debut album Press L To Continue. Following the release of “Howlin’ 404,” DEAN reunited with FANXY CHILD to release “Y” two days before the group’s two concert dates in Seoul (where DEAN also performed “Howlin’ 404”). Things were quiet for DEAN for the rest of 2019 until he featured on “Wake Up” from Crush’s album From Midnight To Sunrise. DEAN also helped write and produce the track.

It’s been a long time since we’ve heard from DEAN. Though he recently featured on Rad Museum’s RAD and was also on IU’s LILAC in 2021, we haven’t had a DEAN release since 2020, when he teamed up with Rad Museum and Mokyo for the single “breath.” He hinted in his Instagram story late last year that the follow-up album to 2016’s 130 mood : TRBL was being worked on and nearly finished, but there have been no other updates since.

Edited by Omani