This year, Bosudongcooler reminded everyone how fun they can be with their 4-track EP recorded in collaboration with Hathaw9y. The two Busan bands put together a lively indie pop album featuring Festival, a song about enjoying every moment with someone.
Saxophonist Kim Oki has so many different sides, it is hard to keep up. On his 2022 album Greeting, we saw the romantic Oki come out with a collection of slow-paced and sentimental jazz songs. Between is an intimate-feeling track with an R'n'B beat and a guest vocal performance from DAYE.
Another band who have really shone in 2022 are the city pop-inspired bedroom popsters Orange Flavored Cigarettes. Their track plastic body is relatively energetic for them, with it's skipping drum beat, disco bassline and hooky chorus.
There are few voices that have the same emotional impact as that of PARKJIWOO. The heavily-layered vocal harmonies so effectively deliver the intended heartache that her songs always feel so captivating. Orange is one of her biggest-sounding songs to date.
In his interview with us in the summer, Yangbans lead singer Jun Bum Sun explained that the new direction of their music was all about finding harmony in the world while having a good time. The psychedelic-disco-funk of Through The Tunnel says to us that they have achieved this goal.
In 2022 Haepa, one-half of the folk duo Siot and Breeze, released her incredible debut solo album, Playing Dead. On it, she channels a huge amount of influences into her sophisticated soft rock sound. Check out the lead single and standout track I'm Finally a Ghost.
Undeniably one of the breakout acts of the year is jisokuryClub (formerly known as Jisokury). A year of high-profile live shows and rookie awards were topped off with the release of the unbelievably likable bedroom pop EP orientation. Album opener, If You Say So, is the perfect introduction to their sound.
The first of a punky threesome on our list, 18Fevers always go hard with their LA skate punk. Save Your Venom is about saying fuck you to poisonous people. It's the band at their confrontational best, with lead singer Christmas's growl never sounding so effective.
After over 25 years as a band, the godfathers of Korean punk, No Brain, released their 2022 EP Big Mistake, with their iconic fist-pumping pop-punk gnarl on full display. I Will Fight is a punk love song about fighting to defend who or what you care about.
G.H.O.S.T 18 is a live favourite from everyone's drunken indie band. And it's easy to see why this gets the crowd going so much. As punchy as it is irreverent, G.H.O.S.T 18 is a jaunty garage punk-influenced track that shows the band at their most energetic.