Accessible Analysis and Review of Popular Korean Music
MONTHLY MIXTAPE
Vacation is reaching its peak and the early enthusiasm of the season is beginning to fade. As we move into the dog days of Summer I find myself in a melancholy but hopeful mood. August is a month for whimsey and the occasional fresh banger.
AUGUST
1. Beautiful Days - Rothy
Rothy's "Beautiful Days" combines an angelic IU-like voice with the swagger of DEAN. The instrumentals are synthetic but still sound endearing and intimate when paired with Rothy's unique voice. Rothy has gone relatively unnoticed (if you count videos with ~1mil views unnoticed) in the heavily saturated Korean industry, but her talent speaks for itself.
2. You, Who? - Eric Nam ft. Somi
A fresh duet perfect for the end of a long Summer day. Nam and Somi don't possess incredibly powerful voices, but they both have access to a certain charm that is ideal for a charming and lightweight track like this.
3. Inferiority Complex - Park Kyung ft. Eunha
Another cute duet. Sue me. Park Kyung's earnest and bouncy rapping meshes well with Eunha's forward pronunciation. Some creative beat and style changes keep this song a fresh mashup of GFRIEND and BLOCK B's sounds.
4. Bae - Hyolyn
If you know, you know. Hyolyn is blessed with an incredibly versatile voice that that can pull off pretty much any song. "Bae" is an upbeat Summer song through and through, but with hints of whimsey that are perfect for the end of the season. This is a song that makes you feel nostalgic for memories you may not even have.
5. I C U - Hoons
I C U is a mellow and endearing love song accompanied with subtle keys, guitar, and drums. The song does just enough to capture the innocence and all-consuming nature of pure love.
6. Random - Lee Jin Ah
Lee Jin Ah is one of the most slept on artists in the Korean industry. A blues pianist with a unique voice, Jin Ah also has a hand in composing almost all of her songs. Random is perhaps the best showcase of her eclectic taste and talent. Blues, french waltz, and some chaotic jazz - they combine to form a wholly unique Summer picnic track.
7. Artist - Zico
A song straight from Zico's soul. After some time dabbling in more melodic-focused tracks, "Artist" is a return to his roots as an MC. The song is more relaxed and doesn't have as much aggression as earlier Zico works, but his flow remains razor-sharp and the entire video drips with his signature swagger.