Busan indie bands you DEFINITELY need to hear - Part 1
By Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209)
Look, there’s no sugarcoating it. Korea’s indie music scene, nay, it’s entire musical industry revolves around Seoul. The sheer quantity of people/venues/events makes it an all-consuming draw for many bands. Because of this, though, cities that are doing really good stuff can often be overlooked.
One of them is Busan. As logic would follow, Korea’s second-largest city has Korea’s second-largest band scene, with many big names and some of our all-time faves having come from here. In this article, we are going to take a look at some of the best artists currently playing in the beach town. This is part one of a two-part series. The second part will be out when we feel like it.
Few notes: we’re only using bands that that are currently active. Also, we want to highlight some newer names so we’re not including bands that we have written about extensively before.
Bosudong Cooler
Over the last couple of years, Bosudong Cooler have become one of the most popular indie rock bands in the country. Their light and melodic style makes their music feel nostalgic and thoughtful.
Their first and only album, Sand, was a critical smash and saw the band in an unusually melancholic mood. While the album is a fantastic listen, Bosudong Cooler are at their best when they’re having fun such as their excellent EP yeah, I don’t want it, and their collaborative release with hathaw9y, Love Sand.
For more information on Bosudong Cooler, follow them here.
ddbb
Last year, Platform Magazine hosted some shows in Busan, and of all the great performances, ddbb were the standout.
Led by Jung Juri (formerly of Bosudong Cooler), ddbb create dream-pop-inspired indie rock that can be sweet, sinister, stylish, or sad.
With just a handful of singles out so far, it’s still early days for the soft-pop trio, but we have a feeling there’ll be a lot more to come from them in the future.
For more information on ddbb, follow them here.
Seaweed Mustache
Don’t be fooled by this band’s quirky name, Seaweed Mustache’s intensely textured cacophony of fuzz is not to be taken lightly.
Ear-fuckingly loud, Seaweed Mustahce’s sound draws on shoegaze, post-rock, and death metal, with a heavy helping of Sonic Youthesque noisy art rock.
It’s not just about hurting people’s ears, though, and their 2022 album, Bombora, showed that there’s an incredible amount of soft beauty to their songs.
Also, they’re really sound people, too.
For more information on Seaweed Mustache, follow them here.
Yajasu
“우린 야자수!” shout the band on the opening track from their debut EP, announcing themselves as the new sound of sun-drenched lounging.
Featuring members of Say Sue Me and End These Days, Yajasu’s music is an absolute tapestry of summery sounds, from the lively surf rock to sunsetty yacht rock all the way to the warm breezey bedroom pop.
They make music for beach days, road trips and times that you want to smile. In that way they are kind of the perfect Busan band.
For more information on Yajasu, follow them here.
Unchained
Busan’s band scene is not all sunshine and smiles. The absolutely filthy noise of stoner grunge band Unchained best shows this.
Unchained formed way back in 2001 and has been intermittently releasing grunge-inspired music since, drawing heavy influence from Alice in Chains.
The band released their first and only full-length album in 2014, the epic 가시. The album was released by Mirrorball Music and received a nomination for Best Rock at the KMAs.
For more information on Unchained, follow them here.
Mountains
Daegu-born math rock three-piece may have spread themselves out a bit now but their heart belongs in Busan (where two members still reside).
Their impactful sound blends Midwest emo with jangly math riffs.
Being so spread out means that seeing them live is a rare occurrence but if you ever get the opportunity we highly suggest you take it.
For more information on Mountains, follow them here.
Cheap.n.Sweet
Cheap.n.Sweet’s anthemic sound is a loving tribute to British indie of the early 2000s I.e the greatest era of music ever come fight me.
Their penchant for hooky riffs and post-punk rhythms has seen them accurately labeled (by me) as one of the most underrated bands in the country.
Live, singer and guitarist 성기명 (also of The Vastards, more on them later) brings such an almost lethal amount of swagger to performances.
For more information on Cheap.n.Sweet, follow them here.
Leaves Black
Another band that draws inspiration from British music, Leaves Black have been described as “Britpop made in Busan”.
This four-piece produce lilting guitar pop reminiscent of Johnny Marr and John Squire, and their thoughtful lyrics have a kind of poised reflection to them.
Leaves Black formed in 2016 and in 2021, they released their incredible full length debut Farewell, My Books, which went was nominated for Best Modern Rock album at the KMAs.
For more information on Cheap.n.Sweet, follow them here.
Erøtic Wørms Exhibitiøn
EWE are one of the newer bands on this list, their debut EP having come out last year. The Busan four-piece produce tender and ethereal bedroom pop with a sunny Sunday morning feel.
Their sophisticated sound is at times lethargic, and at other times (such as on the excellent Telltale Signs), their music is driven and punchy.
For more information on Erøtic Wørms Exhibitiøn, follow them here.
Goths on the Beach
Goths on the Beach are a singular experience. The hyper-fun, black comedy-loving band are best known for their on-stage hijinks and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. But don’t write them off as just a comedy band, because they also produce some absolute bangers. Drawing on an absolute shitmix of influences that includes surf, industrial metal, post-punk, techno, new-wave, and more, GotB should be the band that you wanna see.
For more information on GOTB, follow them here.
