The latest in our "New Music Friday" series is live. Our writers have scoured all the best new tunes coming out of Korea's indie scene and picked their faves.

SYOT- Daydream (몽화)

Chosen by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)

Modern Korean fusion trio SYOT delivers a refreshing track with an upbeat tempo. The trio consists of guitar and production, piano, and a gayaguem. The group not only offers a new sound by way of mixing traditional, standard, and modern instrumentation,  but it’s also the genres they blend that make this a standout track. The gayaguem strike that opens the track, accompanied by some dnb production, is instantly attention-grabbing. The gayaguem continues to weave through the track, while the piano jumps in with technical jazz-tinged phrases throughout. The bass guitar grooving along adds a nice melody underneath and complements the gayaguem perfectly. Whatever the group comes up with next will be equal parts captivating and danceable.

Kwon Tree 권나무 – Unknowingly, So Did I 그렇게,나도 모르게

Chosen by Marie Joncquez (@mariejoncquez)

With Kwon Tree’s new album being titled The Fragrance of Life, this opening track lets us breathe in some of its subtle scents, with promises that are fulfilled throughout the rest of the work. These six minutes of dialogue between the singer and his guitar prove surprisingly captivating despite the understated melody, with a very soft chorus that repeats almost like a prayer. Even without speaking Korean, you find yourself humming along with Kwon Tree from the start of the song, so soothing. When delving into the lyrics, they reflect their melody: stripped-down and simple in the finest sense, the text verges on pure poetry, evoking life as it flows, full of unexpected events, of encounters, of beauty, of all things we do unknowingly. This magnificent song humbly connects the simplicity and complexity of life, the weight and lightness of passing time, and the consciousness and oblivion that run through us. It’s a masterpiece of music, elegance and philosophy.

Danpyunsun & The Moments Ensemble - You, Me and Namyangju

Chosen by Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209)

You, Me and Namyangju is the first single from The Moments Ensemble since the release of their multi-award-winning sleeper hit album, Hail to the Music. The song, the first half of which was written in 2022 and the second half this year, sees Danpyunsun in a nostalgic mood. “I found my mind strangely circling around images from '80s and '90s Hong Kong films,” Danpyunsun explained in a social media post. “Stories derived from folklore and legend. The faces and performances of actors, some of whom have already passed away.”

The lyrics about faded figures in the snow fit the nostalgic themes of the song. Musically, though, this feels more driving than reflective. In fact, while it shares the same luxurious feel of their last album (particularly on Boram Lee’s excellent piano work), You, Me and Namyangju is more energetic than anything they’ve produced before.

The bold, fresh tone of this, consciously or not, feels like a statement. Yes, we’re still here, and yes, we are now one of the most anticipated live acts in the country.


3SAN - Dig Dig Dig Dig

Chosen by Connor Cass (@aminorcharacter)

3san’s new EP - Spin, Life, Spin! - sees the singer/songwriter pivot away a little from the Korean instrumentation she established herself with. It’s still there. just layered in subtle ways, with one instance being the playful Korean drum groove on Dig Dig Dig Dig. Instead, this track is her embracing her musical heritage in fresh ways, bringing in vocal quirks from both pansori and K-pop for an infectious slice of fun.  While the peppy guitar lead and onomatopoeic hook do a lot of the heavy lifting in the catchiness department, the breezy instrumentation and witty lyricism still have room to shine. This might just be the first official autumn banger of the year.

나하 (Neeha) - 난새 (Nansae)

Chosen by Charity Lynn (@_charitylynn_)

Skittles never disappoints when it comes to creativity. Their unique sound really sets them apart from other artists in the scene, and they’re a band that I think everyone should try to experience seeing live. Their recent debut album, Escaping from the bubblegum, is full of great hits, but its opening track Beginning really stuck out to me the most. The twinkling cascade of the keys gently lures you in, suddenly exploding into galactic guitar riffs and instrumentals that seem to suck you into a psychedelic dreamscape. It’s a perfect introduction to the rest of the album!

Lang Lee - Shame

Chosen by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)

An ethereal confession of love, Shame opens with the scratching of a needle on a record, leading listeners into the past, as Lang Lee recounts falling in love. Her careful, measured, soft singing, which she is famous for, is layered to give it a dreamy quality. As the feelings of love get complicated with dejection and a longing to feel loved and humanity, more instruments and effects are added, including a strange guitar sound that circles around the track, much like the mixed emotions of feeling lost and loving the “wrong” person. 

Slowly, the feelings and the music ebb and flow with swelling choral and synth arrangements. But around the last minute, the bass invites a pleasing groove, with percussion steadied, that is responded to with a chime melody as a swirl of vocals encapsulates the listener, repeating the line “Since I met you, I’ve been living in my body for the first time” (나는 당신을 만나 비로소 몸을 의식해요). The bass feels reassuring, and the sweet bell tones a sweet reminder of the past. It’s a triumphant end to a track acknowledging the proximity often found between love and shame.  But just as the music reaches its peak, the song fades away with an echo. Is it leaving the past behind? Is it something we can’t resolve? Or maybe this is a memory often visited that tends to vanish on its own?

The Cracker - Swim

Chosen by Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209)

Between Ilgyne, PCR, Wah Wah Wah, and The Cracker, Korea’s psyche garage rock scene hasn’t looked this healthy in a good long while. The Cracker began in 2023, led by Hwangjae Jeong, who writes, records, mixes, and masters the entire new album, Heaven. It’s difficult to pick a highlight from the 11-track release (the brill Exit Door would have been an equally worthy choice). We’ve gone for the blisteringly grungey lead single Swim. Somewhere between the 60s garage growl of 13th Floor Elevators and big pouncey indie psyche of The Vines, Swim is raw, dirty, and energetic.

Skittles - Beginning

Chosen by Charity Lynn (@_charitylynn_)

Skittles never disappoints when it comes to creativity. Their unique sound really sets them apart from other artists in the scene, and they’re a band that I think everyone should try to experience seeing live. Their recent debut album, Escaping from the bubblegum, is full of great hits, but its opening track Beginning really stuck out to me the most. The twinkling cascade of the keys gently lures you in, suddenly exploding into galactic guitar riffs and instrumentals that seem to suck you into a psychedelic dreamscape. It’s a perfect introduction to the rest of the album!

Sailor Honeymoon - 돈 worry

Chosen by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)

Somewhere in the streets of Seoul, a group gathers. They are shrouded in black with pleated skirts, fishnets, ripped grungy denim, band tees, Kathleen Hanna necklaces, safety pins, hand-cut tops, patched tote bags, and cool belts. From inside their leather jackets, they unfurl their sacred text: zines of shocking pink and black with handwritten manifestos, ransom-note titled, of course. The crowd sways, chanting as a circle forms. There are tears, blood, and primal cries denouncing the wrongs of society. It becomes a feverish swirl of justifiable anger and plaid. Then suddenly silence. The members’ eyes wander around in uncertainty. They whisper amongst each other: Did it work? Did it happen? Will we starve? Are the blessings upon us?

Suddenly, a lone figure separates from the crowd. Donning a handmade DIY shirt proclaiming the origin of Punk (it was not England), she climbs on top of a pillar of Doc Martens and studs. As the crowd hushes, she opens her phone and turns it to landscape, pinch zooming in: “New Single Released: Sailor Honeymoon 돈 Worry.” The ritual was a success! A rallying cry for battling financial woes that features playful drums with rich and heavy snare, a driving guitar, lo-fi vocals, and even a sarcastic bilingual title (돈 means money). This is their sustenance; The riot grrrl fans will survive another season until the Sailor Honeymoon rises again. 

SYOT - Goobi Goobi

Chosen by Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209)

The UK garage revival has kinda been and gone, but SYOT have found a new angle to explore here by introducing a gayageum into the mix. It’s a combination that works better than it has any right to. The pleasure of the Goobi Goobi comes equally from three parts - the novel instrumentation, the crisp funkiness, and the satisfyingly jazzy climax of the song’s final 30 seconds. 

Toasterforaswim - When Meteors Fall  (여름보사재즈)

Chosen by Christian 이수 Mata (@chris_isu_m)

The 80s found its way into the latest Toasterforaswim track. It’s not any single thing that brings out this vintage feeling in the track, but rather the different pieces working together. Whereas her previous release, Blue Screen, had a straightforward soft indie rock arrangement to pair with the airy vocals, “When Meteors Fall” leans closer to the sadness and synths of another generation. The wispy voice yearns for the summer she spent in love with memories of jazz and a promise to see the sea. The combination of the tall, echoing piano sound, combined with splashy percussion, gives the song a rather phantasmic and vintage quality. The synth also plays a prominent role in pushing this vintage feeling even further and combines well with the singer’s effects-laden voice. With its anachronistic tint and catchy melody, it could easily slip into the repertoire of heartbreak classics that people will sing between sobs and swigs of soju.

Shirosky - Blue (feat. SEN)

Chosen by Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209)

The uncharacteristically delicate Blue comes from veteran jazz hip-hop producer Shirosky. The track comes from her excellent new EP, where Shirowsky channels the themes of harvest and cycle  “It tells a story about life itself,” she shares, “the way we nurture and grow something, bring it to completion, and then, with joy, plant seeds again. It’s about the endless cycle of tending, harvesting, and beginning anew.” The cooing vocals give it that soulful, daydreamy Avalanches feel.