Awesome new Seoul-based band othersmayforgetyoubutnoti want to help build a new indie scene

With just a handful of shows and two singles under their belt, hyper-stylish othersmayforgetyoubutnoti have already become one of the most talked about bands on the scene. With their punchy new wave rhythms and grungey sound, unique chemistry and provocative approach to visuals, it's time you got to know othersmayforgetyoubutnoti.

We meet at Union Studios, where icons of the Korean indie scene like So!YoON!, Chang Kiha, The Barbarettes, and more have all recorded material. The space is now home to a band hoping to follow in their footsteps - othersmayforgetyoubutnoti (which will be shortened to omfybni from now on for obvious reasons). We're joined by Danny (guitar, vocals), Jungle (bass, vocals), Chaeni (keyboard), and Brad (drums, vocals). There's a fifth member of the band, Liseok (visuals), who couldn't make it today.

Some may know Danny from his time with indie rock band Used Cassettes and for his involvement in the Loose Union collective between 2012 and 2018. Jungle used to be one of Seoul's most iconic drag names. Brad is a well-known producer working with Korean pop stars and emergent indie artists alike. Yang Chaeni, on keys, is a rising talent in the scene and recently won her first Korean music award.

For the uninitiated, the obvious first point of contact is the name. Even in a world where bands are seemingly trying to outdo each other with increasingly odd names, this one stands out. "It’s a pretty unusual one," Danny laughs. "It comes from a 7th-century Japanese poem written by the poet Empress Yamato Hime. The full poem is 'Others may forget you but not I, I am haunted by your beautiful ghost.' I read it years ago, and I've wanted to use it for something ever since."

"We did discuss the name for a while," adds Jungle. "We asked ourselves if it was too long, but we decided to just go for it. For example, our first song is 15 minutes long. We're not making pop music here. We're making something that we will love."

Brad expands: "There are lots of names that sound quite strange the first time you hear them, but after a while they just fade into the band's identity. Take a band like Pearl Jam. If you heard that name for the first time today, you would think it sounded a bit ridiculous. But now, Pearl Jam is just Pearl Jam."

Brad is right. Names can act as a hook, but eventually, the music has to do the talking. Or, indeed, singing. Their debut track came out late last year and is a 15-minute long eponymous single. The track feels more like a whole EP, though; with little repetition, it weaves through movements, a sprawling series of ideas showing a kind of back-and-forth conversation between a couple breaking up. "I wrote that song on an acoustic guitar about five years ago, and it just kept going," explains Danny. "I was going through a difficult breakup, and writing this really helped me to process it. Every part of the song is like a different chapter in processing the pain of a breakup, so some parts feel hopeful, some parts feel darker, and some parts are nostalgic. Also, some sections written from my ex-partner's point of view.

Despite the melancholic subject matter of their first song, the band's ethos and energy are focused on something more uplifting. "There isn't really a central message to what we do, as such," explains Jungle. "We're all just diving into the sea of music and exploring together with a feeling of pure joy."

"Hopefully we can be part of helping to inject the indie band scene with a bit of energy," Brad adds. "There are some really great bands around at the moment, but I think the scene itself is not quite where it was ten years or so ago." "Yeah," Jungle expands on this, "people are more likely to make electronic music, music that can be played in clubs. We want to make indie rock with a grunge style, but we also want people to be able to dance to it."

While only one song has been released so far, seeing omfybni live gives the listener an idea about their musical influences. Their songs have a grungey, Americana vibe delivered through a kind of emotional sensitivity that makes them powerful. Rhythmically, the band draws from British indie music of the 80s and 90s, particularly the likes of new wave, baggy, and Britpop. 

"We're all really different," explains Brad, "and we're all bringing something different to the mix. Like, Jungle and I have bonded over our love of Joni Mitchell. Danny's experience is with garage rock bands. Chaeni is into metal and is a big fan of Japanese Rock. We're really all over the place in terms of our musical influences."

While the band may be bringing an eclectic range of tastes, there are some overlaps. "We don't aim to be a throwback band," says Danny, "but we all share a love for The Cure and New Order as well as the 90s grunge scene."

With only a slither of music released so far, the buzz around this band stems from their killer live shows. With some dance floor-ready bangers and a unique chemistry that comes from each member's distinctive background, omfybni have already become one of Seoul's must-see bands. A big part of what makes their live shows so special is their interest in creating a visual spectacle, as well as a sonic one. "Liseok is the fifth member of the band," says Danny, "and he controls our live visuals. He makes these really beautiful videos that accompany our songs and then manipulates them in real-time on stage."

"What Liseok does really enhances the music that we play," adds Brad. "We want our shows to feel a little like a movie, where the sound and the visuals mesh together to say something. We want it to feel like an experience."

It's not just what Liseok does with live video-generated graphics that add to omfybni's visual appeal - the band also considers their style and presentation. Jungle's background in drag makes her especially interested in the visual aspects of performance. "Drag is a very visual medium," she shares, "and there's a visual language to it. We're trying to bring an element of that into our shows, and we enjoy thinking about what outfits would work. We all have very different styles, though." 

It's true, each member has their own individual style. Even Chaeni, the band's more reserved member, shines brightly on stage because of her creative use of clothing and face paint. "I just have 12 different black t-shirts, though," Brad jokes.

Some of the shows that omfybni have played so far include a Palestine fundraiser, Wind and Flow Festival, and Porsche's Scopes event. "That one was wild," explains Jungle. "It was only our second show, and it had way more people than we were expecting. We're all really comfortable on stage, but that was still pretty surprising."

"Wind and Flow was also great fun because it was in Haebangcheon, where I live, and the lineup was amazing. It felt like we were playing for our community and sharing the stage with some insanely good artists."

"I have to admit," says Danny, "I had not been keeping up on the Seoul band scene. We're all kind of tuning back into it all now and I've been pretty blown away. So, seeing all these artists at Wind and Flow and Scopes was really cool. We're really digging Yangbans, Sailor Honeymoon, Mandong, Wack, and Snake Chicken Soup. I think the scene out there is pretty good right now. It feels very alive."

Recently, the band released their followup single, Banpo Bridge. The song has already done well, ranking highly on the Korean iTunes chart. "It's another breakup song,” Danny laughs, “this time told from the viewpoint of motorcycling across the Han River". We also have an upcoming release called Express Love Terminal, which is a reference to Seoul's Express Bus terminal. We want to kind of play with areas of the city.”

It's easy to see why omfybni are already being talked about as one of the most exciting bands on the scene. Their interest in doing things differently while creating something that connects with people is what earns them that label. Also, they're just really, really fun, and that won't be easy to forget for anyone.

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