The intricate, unnerving beauty of Jina0King's music
Written by Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209)
There are three separate and distinct aesthetic versions of Jina0King. Yet, while they differ completely in tone, delivery, and even format, they are each equally powerful in their own right. Here, we'll explore the three public faces of one of Seoul's most captivating and provocative voices.
Jina0King is nothing short of a guitar god. Her impressive natural technique is matched by her ability to craft incredibly juicy and diverse songs. Her work as guitarist and backing vocalist for politically-charged blues-punk band Billy Carter is emblematic of this. Along with firebrand frontperson Jiwon, Jina is one of the creative forces behind Billy Carter's incendiary style and unapologetically progressive lyrics. While Billy Carter are known for their bombastic, riff-heavy sound, a deep dive into their discography shows there's much more here to the guitarist's output. The hot house blues of their early work evolved into the for-the-jugular punk sound of their sensational album Don't Push Me. But that's really only half the story. Listen to their four Color EPs, and you'll see multifarious styles and sounds, including metal, neo-psychedelia, avant-garde folk, and more. It's here where we see the first indications of what Jina0King will go on to produce as a solo performer.
The first time I saw Jina0King perform solo was part of Platform Magazine's Art Party in April 2022. Many of the attendees there came expecting lively musical accompaniment to the visual work on display. True to form, Jina subverted everyone's expectations and true to form, she blew everyone away in the process. Her performance, titled The Tiny Isle of Nobody, is the second aesthetic style of Jina0King. During the thirty-minute performance, Jina explores themes like nature, identity, desire, and existence through a chaotic swirl of unconventional sound production. The music of Tiny Isle is seemingly-structureless as Jina flows around the stage, creating sounds with a series of ever-surprising instruments and objects. Tiny Isle is not only about the sound, though, but Jina's choreography and costume are beautifully crafted and add to a powerful performance that left many in the audience awestruck.
This brings us to the third incarnation of Jina0King, the intimate folk of her recent solo album Everybody Different Scent, which she is currently performing in venues around Seoul. The ethereal and personal songs on this album starkly contrast with the in-your-face blues-punk of Billy Carter and the avant-garde sound art of Tiny Isle, but are every bit as provocative. The songs here feel personal to the point of confessional, like Jina is sharing her deepest feelings with you and you alone. This is best summarised by album highlight, Green Breathe. Closing track, Walking with No Vision, is dark and unsettling and is another one of the album's high points. Everybody drifts over the listener with a kind of minimalism that repeat listens reveal to be a mirage. There is actually so much going on during every song here, and the whole thing glistens with depth and ideas. Having seen Jina0King perform these songs twice in the last week, I can attest that seeing these songs live adds an even extra layer to them, and I cannot recommend seeing her play enough.
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