Enjoy the Soothing Sounds of Indie Band jisokuryClub’s Newest Release, “throw stones”
Have you ever imagined what song could be perfect for a fishing or camping trip? It could very well be jisokuryClub’s latest release, “throw stones,” released March 10.
It was hard to choose a song among the many interesting releases of the last couple of weeks: the runners-up were SEVENTEEN sub-unit BSS’s catchy OST for Queen of Tears K-Drama “The Reasons of My Smile,” Wonstein’s latest single “Valentine,” the jazzy “Power” by Hannah Jang, and the lively “All Blue” by Heon Seo - so if you have a chance go check them out too, they’re totally worth a listen.
Why, then, was “throw stones” the winner? Mostly because of its unexpected sound. This song definitely has retro vibes: from the very first listen it reminded us of certain britpop of the ‘90s (think, for example, “Coffee & TV” by Blur) and the soft rock, kinda hippie vibes of some Fleetwood Mac’s music from the ‘70s. Something that inspires harmony, where voices blend perfectly together, so that no one in particular spikes up.
jisokuryClub is a very indie band, so much so that it was really hard to go hunting for pieces of information about them. So here’s what can be gathered from the web (feel free to correct us if you know better!): jisokuryClub consists of vocalist Jeong Jiseok (정지석), guitarist Shin Jaehwan (신재환), drummer Moon Junghwan (문정환) - but we also found another member listed as a drummer in another event the band attended, and he is Moon Sansu (문산수); bass player Kim Hongbi (김홍비), and finally at the keyboards we find Park Eunbin (박은빈).
The 'Jisokury' (지소쿠리) in the band’s name stems from the combination of one syllable of the vocalist's real name, “Ji”, and the Korean word for “colander”, “Sokury” (소쿠리) - more correctly a woven basket, traditionally made of bamboo or of a plant named Ssari (싸리, Lespedeza bicolor). The singer combined the two words because he hopes that the music he makes will be “captured in a colander of good thoughts.” Surely, the positivity in their songs can’t be missed.
During 2023 they started getting some recognition, as they took part in various music festivals in Korea and were featured as the cover band for the Spotify Playlist “In The K-Indie”
In the very opening of this article, we mentioned a specific scenario that “throw stones” is able to conjure: the quiet hours spent among close friends when fishing or camping in nature. And truly, jisokuryClub’s music has the ability to make you think about blue skies, sparkling water, the breeze moving the grass. All while you’re skipping stones, as this song would suggest…It’s quite idyllic!
Image Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CxRxHRVJOPx/
After the release of the EP orientation in 2022, the jisokuryClub positioned itself as a rising band by winning numerous competitions, such as the “Hello Lucky Grand Prize” (헬로루키 대상) in 2022, “Musicon Artist” (뮤지온 아티스트 선정) in 2022, and “Tune Up Artist” (튠업 아티스트 선정) in 2023.
On the occasion of the Guro-B Music Festival 2023 (구로-브 뮤직 페스티벌 2023), the Guro Culture Foundation (구로문화재단 ) introduced the band saying that they believe their sound is hard to place on the Korean music scene (or possibly even beyond?): “they feel like they don't belong to any existing music genre, so they pioneered a new genre [...], which is experimental but at the same time familiar and comfortable.”
In the same blog post we can read: “Experimental guitar and keyboard sounds. Presenting a fascinating and comforting style of music with painted drums and an addictive bass melody.” So how do you think they define their innovative sound? Well, they have a quite curious name for it: it’s “Fishing Rock/Camping Rock, which is musically experimental and new, blended with a familiar and comfortable charm.”
The concept seeped into the lyrics and titles of some of their tunes. So, for example, in the EP Lunker we find songs such as “fishing fishing”, meant to be listened to precisely when doing that: fishing! Or “Tent PINS,”the perfect soundtrack of your camping adventures when setting up a tent.
How could all this not bring a smile upon our faces? Give them a listen, they’re going to soothe away your worries!