Meet K-Indie Band cotoba
If you’re looking for a chill group to listen to, then look no further than cotoba! Formed in Seoul, cotoba is an independent Korean rock band, focusing on the genres math rock and post-rock but with a hint of shoegaze as well. The group’s name is Japanese, with the translation meaning “sentence,” and they currently consist of vocalist and guitarist DyoN Joo, guitarist and producer Dafne, bassist SEI, and drummer Minsuh. cotoba releases songs mainly in Korean, but their discography also features Japanese versions of songs and one English version of a single.
Their first release was the EP Form Of Tongue in 2019. Form Of Tongue features four tracks: “Odori,” “oatmeal,” “frittata,” and “Disparition.” In Japanese, odori is any type of lively Japanese folk or theater dance with rapid footwork, and based on the quick tempo and irregular beat of the track, instrumental “Odori” lives up to its namesake.
Following Form Of Tongue is their single “Loss,” which was released in Korean and Japanese. “Loss” is a beautiful track, featuring a long intro where the soft guitar shines through before DyoN Joo’s vocals come in around the minute mark. From then, the beat picks up. The music video features shots of the group outdoors, whether that be in the thick of nature or on the streets. The main focus within the video is the loss of youth, with the members holding a small glass cup with a yellow cartoon animal on it, a pocket watch, a bouquet of flowers, and a small toy race car. Eventually, this loss of youth leads them to a playground, where they drop their childhood items and run away.
Name of The Seasons is cotoba’s second EP released in 2020 and features six tracks on the digital album. The EP starts with the Korean versions of “reyn” and “summer Daytime” and then ends with the Japanese versions (with “reyn” opening and ending the album). In between these four tracks are “Warm Salad” and “Next movement.” “reyn” is probably my favorite music video from cotoba due to the fun graphic style and use of colors. It’s also a nice flip, as the song starts out lively and then calms down when the vocals hit. When the group isn’t seen with instruments in hand, the music video features shots of them dancing and having fun.
Singles “Orangette” and “Curry” followed in 2020 and 2021 respectively, with “Orangette” being released in Korean and Japanese while “Curry” was released in English and Japanese. For the music video of “Curry,” guitarist Dafne made a curry recipe on camera, listing the ingredients and how to prepare the dish in the subtitles of the music video.
Another EP, Since the World is About to End, and a mini live album followed the singles before cotoba released their first album, 4pricøt, in 2022. 4pricøt features 11 tracks, including 2022 versions of previous releases “melon,” “frittata,” “Warm Salad,” “Loss, “disparition,” and “rescapé.” cotoba released three music videos for 4pricøt: “kyrie,” “Free will,” and “Love&Art,” with new track “Free will” performed as a little sneak peek on their live single before the album’s release. The music video for “kyrie” features lots of soft pinks and muted colors, with the standout colors being DyoN Joo’s hair and the shimmery eye makeup each member sports. My favorite part of “kyrie” is how it starts out soft before it gets a bit heavier halfway through the track.
cotoba has only released their single “water blue indigo” thus far in 2023, with the music video focusing on the juxtaposition of nature and everyday life. As the protagonist of the music video ventures along the beach, she encounters a pocket watch, which may or may not be a reference to previous single “Loss.” As the year isn’t even halfway through yet, I’m sure we will get more music from the group before it ends.