Busan indie bands you DEFINITELY need to hear - Part 2
By Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209)
Last week, we shared part one of our list of the best indie bands in Busan. And here is part two. Initially, there were supposed to be just about ten musicians, but there were so many great ones that we decided to spread it over two lists. Here, we have another ten Korean indie bands we want to share.
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.
hathaw9y
Another band that can be described as capturing the Busan sound is indie-pop three-piece, hathaw9y.
This trio crafts such gorgeous summer tunes that they're impossible not to love. The band's slick style is influenced by the worlds of indie, pop, soul, and R'n'B. Since their debut in 2020 and leading up to their debut album in 2023, hathaw9y have produced some of our favourite beach jams.
For more information on hathaw9y, follow them on Instagram.
Soumbalgwang
Now, kicking off a trilogy of bands featuring guitarist and poet Kang Dongsoo. The first of which is Soumbalgwang.
Soumbalgwang's ferocious noise combines post-punk, post-hardcore, and garage rock. With their driven rhythms, discordant guitar, melodic, emotional core and passionately wailed vocals, Soumbalgwang might just be the best band in the whole fucking country.
For more information on Soumbalgwang, follow them on Instagram.
Taepyeong Time
Taepyeong Time (or sometimes just Taepyeong, depending on what platform you look up) released their debut EP last year, and we have been obsessed with it ever since.
While less shouty than Soumbalgwang, Taepyeong share a similar cataclysmic style, an almost menacing, hypnotic swirl of guitars that draw on post-punk, shoegaze, and the slightest layer of Britpop.
Taepyeong acts as a Busan supergroup of kinds, featuring members of Soumbalgwang, Paper River, Barbie Dolls, and Greenvilla.
For more information on Taepyeong Time, follow them on Instagram.
Beach Underground
Beach Underground are a duo made up of Dongsoo (Soumbalgwang) and Seonghyeon (Leaves Black). They make atmospheric folk music with dreamy textures. The hazy, high-pitched susurrate of the vocals is reminiscent of Cocteau Twins.
For more information on Beach Underground, follow them on Instagram.
Ilgyne
Ilgyne (formerly known as We're Kitae) are an art/noise rock band. The band have only released one EP officially (the excellent Zero) but have a tonne of stuff on their Soundcloud page. Their schizophrenic sound is probbbbbably closest to shoegaze, but there's bits of absolutely everything in there - garage rock, indie, grunge, surf, punk, and one track that sounds like it was actually made in Manchester in the 80s.
For more information on Ilgyne, follow them on Instagram.
The Vastards
The Vastards are one of those bands that mix raw punk energy with pure riff-driven indie rock and roll. The band have been around since 2017, making balls-out guitar music and playing very loud shows. It wasn't until 2022 that the band released their first album, Carnival. It's banger central, designed to get kids at shows dancing. All wrapped in a Beavis and Butthead-inspired cover.
For more information on The Vastards, follow them on Instagram.
Daisy Gun
Daisy Gun's debut EP came out earlier this year, and it's been on our speakers almost non-stop. It's the purest, uncut indie anthem style with a DIY-but-good aesthetic at its heart.
What we love about this band is that they’re breathing new life into staple indie vibes with refreshingly juicy songs such as surfy single Calamity Jane and beefy ear-worm Next To You.
For more information on Daisy Gun, follow them on Instagram.
Gino Brann
Gino Brann is an artist who is often celebrated for his technical gifts and intimate live performances. The Busan-based multi-instrumentalist has been making music forever and has been a part of Busan's music scene for a long time, having been part of several bands such as The Rice Paddies, The Hermit Kings, and loads more.
Gino's thoughtful folk style draws on country music and classic pop. His reflective, nostalgic lyrics have been celebrated by critics, with one reviewer describing his music as a "heartfelt exploration of human emotions, encapsulating themes of love, loss, and the quest for connection."
For more information on Gino Brann, follow them on Instagram.
Barbie Dolls
Barbie Dolls are absolute icons of the Busan indie rock scene. We first wrote about them all the way back in 2015 when their DIY-as-all-living-hell debut album, Pretty Enough To Die, came out. It wasn't for another six years that the band released their marginally less raw follow-up, Friends and Neighbours. Barbie Dolls sound is an echo of the early 90s alt of Half Japanese and Beat Happening but with some garage-bluesyness thrown in for good measure. If you're reading this, Barbie Dolls, make some more music, please.
For more information on Barbie Dolls, follow them on Instagram.
MIMICRY-X
To wrap this list up, which frankly got out of hand, we have a lesser-known band that are showing some great potential - MIMICRY-X.
MIMICRY-X make smooth-as-all-hell folktronica with a hip-hop influence. The band released their debut EP, 말소, in 2021, but it's their groovy RNB bopper last year which caught our attention. One to watch out for, definitely.
For more information on MIMICRY-X, follow them on Instagram.
