Do you want to listen to the same music Koreans listen to? Try out Kiha & the Faces (장기하와 얼굴들). This legendary Korean band is beloved by Koreans young and old, and the frontman, Jang Kiha, continues to earn the country’s love and respect through his solo career. 

For a first taste of this Indie Rock band’s unique sound, look no further than their 2008 debut track “Cheap Coffee,” a song that perfectly communicates the mundane day-to-day of Korean life. Kiha & the Faces’ first performances of the song were unforgettable. Also unforgettable: Kiha’s fashion, which was less like a public figure and more like a highly intelligent student or office worker. Fitting, since he was a graduate of Seoul University, essentially the Korean Ivy League! 

“Cheap Coffee” catapulted the band to success, even winning them “Song of the Year” at the 2009 Korean Music Awards. Perhaps part of the reason for the song’s success is its poetic lyrics that continually reference the lifestyle of young Koreans. The track begins with the refrain:

I’m drinking cheap coffee. It’s luke-warm

And my insides are burning a little

My feet stick and unstick

To the damp linoleum floor

Kiha is probably referring to cheap instant Korean coffee like Maxim. It tastes great, but since it’s packed with sugar and caffeine, heartburn might be in your future if you drink it! Additionally, it’s an ideal drink if you’re on a budget.

My feet stick and unstick

To the damp linoleum floor

I don’t care any more

Even if a cockroach zips by

The pad Kiha mentions is known in Korean as 장판, or linoleum flooring. It’s very common in many Korean apartments. Under it lies the 온돌 (ondol), which makes the linoleum floors in Korean homes nice and warm. 

Every heavy morning

This little cough

Has no thought of stopping

(Translation by Molly Kate Toombs)

Well, I can’t tell you what exactly Kiha meant by these lyrics, but I know that I live in Korea and I am coughing ALL THE TIME because of the 미세먼지 (fine dust) in the air. Be warned: the air quality in Korea is no joke. 

These are only a few of the ways that Kiha, the band’s songwriter and lyricist, made “Cheap Coffee” an ode to modern Korean life. 

Sadly, Kiha and the Faces disbanded in 2018, but the reason they separated is heartwarming. They had achieved all their goals, done everything they set out to do, and delivered the best art they thought they could create. In Kiha’s words, “...I feel like we did everything we wanted to do in the past 10 years…” 

Those 10 years truly were important, not just to the Indie Rock community, but to the Korean people, who continue to enjoy Chang Kiha’s music as he delivers quirky and clever songs like “Envy None,” which was recently popular on social media sites like Instagram and TikTok.

If you want to stay up-to-date and listen to what real Koreans are listening to in Korea, keep an eye on Jang Kiha and whatever he puts out next!

Edited by Deshalia Murray