Korean Music to Buy on Bandcamp this month (May 2024)
By Connor Cass (@aminorcharacter)
As part of a new monthly series, we’ll be sharing some Korean tunes right before Bandcamp Friday. Bandcamp Friday is a monthly event in which online music store Bandcamp foregoes it’s fees and allows artists to take 100% of the profit of any music purchased.
On the Bandcamp yearly calendar, for some months the first Friday is reserved as a day when (on average) 93% of the money from every digital release sold is distributed to the artist and/or label. Making it the very best day to spend your money on music. This is a series to prepare you for the upcoming Bandcamp Friday (May 3rd).
For every month that produces a Bandcamp Friday, we will be scouring the depths of Bandcamp for the most exciting, under-the-radar or innovative new releases, while also revisiting some of Platform’s older beloved favourites.
Jambinai - Apparition
There is nobody in Korea making music quite like the Seoul-based band Jambinai. An absolutely wild mish-mash of influences and ideas from completely different music worlds make them an intense but electrifying listen. It’s little surprise that internationally they’ve been marked as something special. Both NPR and the UK’s Great Escape showcase festival are among those that have taken notice.
On Apparition, the mix of influences is absolutely head-spinning. They pull from the unmistakable sounds of Korean folk music with otherworldly sounds from the piri and yanggeum. They pull from black metal and post-rock with punishing yet blissful walls of sound. They even pull from the pop sphere with a soulful guest appearance from the K-pop adjacent soloist Sunwoojunga. You’d have a hard time finding anything as uniquely Korean and generally unique on the Bandcamp platform.
Sindosi - A Devout One
With their now years of experience, Daegu based band Sindosi are a bit of a regular staple of the live circuit around Korea. But looking back on their debut EP, A Devout One, there’s a lot of riotous garage rock energy that could only come from a fresh faced band finding their groove.
From the outset ‘New City’ takes you on a gripping ride with its propulsive rhythm section and excitable guitar stabs. ‘Manilla’ offers darker post punikier vibes, while ‘Tropic of Cancer’ is a bit more laid back. The real running thread though this ep is its anthemic choruses, the kind that stick in memory almost instantly. Even four years later, these songs surely still win over anyone that hears them.
Kang New - Here is the Thing
These days, Kang New, alongside live performing partner Fat Hamster, has been absolutely crushing stages inside and outside the Korean peninsula. A lot of those songs that send concertgoers into a dance frenzy originate from Here Is The Thing. This is Kang New’s incredibly confident and self realised debut ep.
‘Kill This Sound’ shows a lot of love for the 80s pop blueprint while wittily narrating those post night out struggles. ‘Nana’ reveals the tragic story of a lost friend among sorrowful synths. The Fat Hamster produced ‘The Sun From Mars’ is an intense political shout about the state of the world's environment. With so many facets of Kang New’s personality shown on just their first ep, you can’t help but be excited for what they do in the future.
Sawteeth - Natural Thing
Seoul based producer Sawteeth is incredibly dedicated to breathing life into Korea’s meager jungle/drum ‘n’ bass scene. They head up their own label, Jungle Fatigue Records, which provides a healthy selection of music from Sawteeth and friends. They also have been pumping out a lot of excellent solo music.
The entirely self produced ep Natural Thing is well worth the time of those looking to get lost in atmospheric and entrancing drum and bass. The three track ep constantly switches between warm, peaceful synths and relentless beats. Adorned with a winky face, the ep description simply says “There is no such thing as ‘intelligent’ dnb”. However, this is some of the most stimulating and engaging drum ‘n’ bass coming out of Seoul.
Drinking Boys and Girls Choir - Marriage License
Daegu trio Drinking Boys and Girls Choir follow a lot of the tenets of punk music. Their skate punk sound is characterized by scuzzy guitars, sub-two-minute tracks and a whole lotta attitude on vocalist Meena Bae’s part. However, what makes them special is bright, charming energy absent from a lot of their peers' music.
As an album recorded under the pandemic there’s an unsettled urgency to some of the songs Marriage License. Their second effort shows a bit more rage than their debut, with choppy guitars and political declarations of ‘I’m Not a Machine’ being the most obvious example. But songs like the dazzling ‘There is No Spring’ and wistful closer ‘Wish’ are among their most elevating songs. They always come back to that lovely, hopeful baseline.
Goths on the Beach - Goths on the Beach: Greatest Hits Volume 1
Look, the next Bandcamp Friday isn’t until next September, leaving with no choice but to prime you for summer right now…at the beginning of May. Busan based quintet Goths On The Beach barely need explanation, they do exactly what their name describes. As silly as the idea may sound, they’re absolutely committed to the bit, and their first album is just front to back fun.
With its blend of lo-fi peppy surf rock and black eye make up smeared techno music, the aptly titled Greatest Hits Volume 1 just has some absolutely banger music. There’s laughs to be found in track titles too, like its twist on classic surfisms like ‘Don’t Hang (Ten) Yourself’ and ‘Catch a Wave of Sadness’. ‘Hip to Be Depressed’, despite its tackling on mental health in quite the way you might expect, has become a bit of an anthem. Finale ‘The Boat Party is Canceled’ makes plans gone wrong sound like an absolute ball. There’s definitely hope they have a Volume 2 in them.
