March has shaped up to be an exciting month! So far, we have two post-LOONA projects to devour and a lot of fun rock music coming out from all around the globe from artists such as Basement (UK), Iceage (DK), Tigers Jaw (USA), LATENCY (KOR), Yuta (JP), and Oscar The Wild (AUS), so let's dive right in.
Basement
Basement are a UK-based alt-rock band, and have been one of my all-time favourite bands since I first heard Earl Grey on tumblr. They've just announced their latest album, Wired, after over a decade of long hiatuses and no new music, so to say I am excited is a huge understatement!
The band just concluded two highly successful tours here in Australia within the past year. They're one of the few bands I don't have to worry about 'missing out on' because I know they'll always come back here. They've invested a lot of love into their Australian fans and we in turn do our best to show up for them every time.
Their shows here have quite the reputation, and I met a lot of fans who travelled from overseas just for the Australian crowd experience during Basement's recent tour with Turnstile. This information really surprised me, but I trust in it, especially coming from fans who have seen them a hundred times more than me.
But for as long as I've known, a lot of Basement's diehard fans are Australian, and I can see why their sound resonates with a lot of us who grew up listening to 90s/00s alt-rock Australian bands because they aren't afraid to be noisy and emotionally devastating, all at once.
Anyway, here are my thoughts on the two new singles they've just released!
WIRED
I got to hear a snippet of this song on their recent Australian tour and was blown away by the late 90s/early 00s sound on it that you can attribute to a lot of bands who released music after Nirvana's Nevermind exploded onto the scene in 1991.
This is a really interesting song to release as a lead single with a thematic little twist at the beginning. It's definitely going to become a crowd pleaser at their shows because it's gritty and raw, but doesn't shy away from a sustaining warm and comforting melody.
In many ways, Wired sounds like a demo that was lost and haphazardly restored, and it intrigued me a lot to learn that was almost the case with the song, so it is intersting they decided to launch this as the lead single as opposed to scrapping the song.
Andrew Fisher almost sounds like he's tapping into Gavin Rossdale's voice on this track, but I have no complaints about that here.
Broken By Design
Broken By Design is a true classic emo single which reminds me a lot of Basement's debut studio album, I Wish I Could Stay Here, fused with a b-side from The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me by Brand New.
I really love the nostalgic, mellowed-out vibe to this single - and the fact they filmed the music video for it in Wollongong, of all places, on their recent tour in Australia, which makes it all the more special to me.
P.S. If you've never listened to Basement before, I highly recommend checking out these new songs, or diving into two of their best albums, Colourmeinkindness and Promise Everything.
Archive.1 - Woodz
This album was recommended to me by my friend Eva !
My first impression of this Archive.1 was how it made me feel like I'd just listened to a greatest hits compilation soundtrack of songs featured in 00s era CW teen dramas such as Smallville or One Tree Hill, and perhaps a glimpse into what Kara's Flowers could've evolved into had they continued down their sound instead of becoming what Maroon 5 are today.
Woodz has an absolutely incredible voice and a clear love of rock music, given the sheer amount of experimentation with subgenres explored on this record: nu-metal, R&B, garage/blues, 60s-70s psychedelic, country, bossa nova, pop-punk, 00s alt-rock and ballads...just to name a few. It's also incredibly refreshing to see a full-length album these days as opposed to short 6 song EPs that barely clock in over the 15 minute mark.
If you're as much of a fan of rock music as I am, then I couldn't recommend this album more as you'll certainly be impressed by the sheer amount of genres that Woodz is capable of performing, and at times, it is almost hard to believe that this is the same person on every track as he has a real chameleon-like quality to his musical persona.
Ghost - Oscar The Wild
Ghost is a brand new single from my wonderful friend 's band, Oscar The Wild.
Australia has one of the best rock scenes in the entire world and Oscar The Wild have certainly carved themselves a place as one of the most distinct bands in our current roster. Having opened for Amyl & The Sniffers and AC/DC (no big deal or anything!) this past summer, you're certainly going to be hearing a lot more from them.
Ghost is the sound of the summer autumn, so if you're looking for some insanely tasty indie-grunge riffs, explosive vocals and some incredibly hard-hitting lyrics, this is the song for you. As always, the production is ridiculously sleek and doesn't shy away from letting the rhythm section absolutely rip whilst keeping the vocals clean and crisp. This is a really fun single and so easy to put on repeat.
Make sure you add Oscar The Wild to your shopping list for the next bandcamp Friday, and give the rest of their music a spin.
Nicola also writes a lot about pop culture over on nic's culture logs, so go check that out if you're looking for cool book recommendations, gig recaps and many more!
Star - Iceage
I've followed Danish punk band Iceage since their early career days and am very attuned into their particular music scene in Copenhagen, however, this is probably the first single of theirs that has left me feeling a little bit lukewarm and I'm not sure if I can pinpoint why that is just yet.
That said, I'm not one of those diehard old-head fans who won't let go of the band's noisy punk origins. That era suited the band at the time when they were in their late teens/early twenties, and living a far grittier lifestyle at home and on the road picking up cash on hand jobs and relying on the generosity of strangers to offer them free accommodation.
Whilst I loved the youthful, pessimistic and egotistical loathing of their earlier albums, I would never go as far to say Iceage have completely sandpapered away their punk origins. Hell, I've even witnessed them change their set list mid-show on a whim to include older, more energetic songs such as White Rune if they know they have a passionate crowd that wants to get a bit rowdy in the pit.
Iceage have never once shied away from experimenting with their influences outside of punk including blues, country and folk, and that should be clear since the direction they took on Beyondless. Structurally, Star captures all the elements of a typical Iceage song, driven by explosive off-beat rhythm juxtaposed against deeply poetic imagery. However, Star is their first single which boasts a more upbeat, optimistic sound, both lyrically and sonically, with floaty riffs plucked straight out of a Marr era Modest Mouse song.
The chorus is a bit too grating for me, and I'm not too hot on the idea of fronmant Elias Ronnenfelt rhyming 'star' with 'nebula' because it reminds me a bit too much of Kevin Parker juggling his Australian accent with corny lyricism. However, if you enjoyed Ronnenfelt's collaborative solo EP with Dean Blunt, Star could have easily been a b-side on that record and a solid recommendation if you're looking for something similar.
I'm still interested to hear how the band perform Star live, as that often helps me view their music in a different light. It's strange, but I know that whenever Iceage are ready to release their next album, Star might eventually click for me once I understand how it fits in the scope of their new direction.
One of Iceage's biggest strengths as a band lies within their b-sides, rarities and unreleased material, many of which have only seen light of day at a gig, and their former bootleggers and archivists (like myself) are now focused on other aspects of our lives. It's a shame, but if anything, their recent surge in popularity thanks to Ronnenfelt's work with Dean Blunt has brought a lot of newer, younger fans to the scene, and I hope they can pick up where we left off.
I also know a lot of people tend to focus solely on frontman Elias Ronnenfelt, who I fondly remember as an edgy, 2010s tumblr heartthrob who once dated Sky Ferreira and used to make-out with Loke Rahbek in dingy dive bathrooms, whose stage presence and steely gaze is both captivating yet terrifying. But I really cannot imagine this band with any other lineup, let alone without guitarist Johan Wieth, who is extremely versatile as a guitarist and an incredible classical composer to boot. There is no denying that Wieth is such an integral part of Iceage's sound, as are Dan Kjær, Jakob Tvilling Pless and Casper Morilla.
PLAY BACK - Yuta
Nakamoto Yuta from NCT 127 securing an OP for the latest season of Kamen Rider? What the hell, sure!
I can't comment on the significance of this in relation to the show as I'm unfortunately not caught up with ZEZTZ. I used to heavily watch Kamen Rider when I was a kid/teenager and admittedly the last season I watched in entirety was Zi-O (Woz, I miss you) and am still really fond of the joy tokusatsu once brought to my life! Life has become so busy I rarely have time to focus on television, so I've only ever sporadically tuned into newer episodes here and there as background noise.
I'm also not sure if this is the first time in Kamen Rider history that we've had a k-pop idol make an opening? The fact it's Yuta, the first ever Japanese idol to debut under SM Entertainment, makes it feel pretty special though. PLAY BACK is a whole blast of energy and immensely fun, I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the full length version because this abridged version isn't enough.
I'm really loving the trajectory of Yuta's blossoming rock star career. I've always thought Yuta deserves to shine a little more in NCT 127 and he is one of the most unexpectedly versatile vocalists in that entire group. He seems very determined to forge his own path and is inspired by so many wonderful rock icons, such as Jaejoong (TVXQ) and HYDE from L'Arc-en-Ciel, with whom he now occasionally performs with.
I'm sure moving back to Japan to focus on his solo career and scoring a Kamen Rider OP is really awesome exposure for him and it wouldn't shock me if he started composing for video games in the future too, but this might just be wishful thinking for me, but you never know! At this point, I don't think there is a single genre out there that Yuta isn't capable of mastering, which brings me to...
Prisoner - Yuta
This is a hauntingly beautiful, piano-driven ballad arrangement of Prisoner which perfectly demonstrates Yuta's honeyed timbre and incredible range as a vocalist.
I'll take any excuse to talk about how much I loved Yuta's first mini solo album, Depth, and Prisoner is one of my favourite songs he has released so far.
Please, if you love rock music, do yourself a favour and give Yuta's solo material a listen!
Late O'Clock - LATENCY
Late O'Clock was one of my most highly anticipated releases for the year and it turned out to be a really pleasant and extremely consistent mini album! The melodies are warm and the vocals are absolutely outstanding.
The b-sides sound like they'd fit right on the soundtrack for a romantic, slice of life drama, especially Malibu, which was the highlight of the entire mini for me. I can't stop listening to this song, it really scratches the itch for a nostalgic, mellow, city-pop rock soundscape which suits their vocals immensely. I'd love to see them lean more into this sound going forward!
Latency have a really bright future ahead of them as they continue to hone their skills with their instruments, growing confident and building a lot of synergy as a band. Hopefully they go on tour one day! They all look like they're having a lot of fun performing together and I'm sure there is plenty of room for growth and experimentation on future releases.
I feel like I'm the resident LOONA glazer here because I'm always one of the most easy to please orbits who ends up liking everything post-LOONA, mostly because I'm just happy that an impressive 10/12 of them are still in the industry, despite everything they went through. What more can I say? It's cool hell to see Hyunjin back on stage as a drummer and vocalist. That takes some serious co-ordination, but whatever she puts her mind to, she manages to achieve. I'm looking forward to the day she becomes a CEO and makes OT12 reunion happen.
Lv.1 - Yeojin
Two post-LOONA/LOOSSEMBLE member projects in one month? We're so back. I'm so happy that Yeojin is having an official re-debut as a soloist and a bright and catchy r&b sound is perfect for her vocal tone.
Sugar Talk is really sweet title track which reminds me a lot of Sabrina Carpenter's sound. My only complaint here is the same as everything else in k-pop right now: the short song length! It ends so abruptly that it almost feels more like a concept teaser than a full length track, I think it could've benefitted from a catchy bridge or dance break.
Overall, very enjoyable and extremely fitting for Yeojin's vibe as an artist. Hopefully she will release an mini or f this year!
Tough Love - Onew
Sometimes I genuinely cannot believe how much music Onew has released since signing to Griffin. It's wonderful to see him flourishing as a soloist, releasing music on his own terms.
This mini unfortunately wasn't to my personal tastes but I tried my best with it. The title track, Tough Love, reminds me too much of Imagine Dragons (a band I famously cannot stand), which really pains me to say, because I utterly adore Onew. I can always give credit where its due though, the live stages look so wholesome, expressive and downright fun, and I'm forever blown away by the stability of Onew's live vocals.
Lie and X, Oh Why were the two songs I felt more partial towards, they ended up being the most interesting on this mini. They're a little off-kilter and there's something so undeniably Onew about them. The structure and production didn't exactly hit for me the way I was hoping they would, but if he continues in this direction, I might come to enjoy future releases!
Overall, I'm in awe of Onew's artistic vision here. His determination to have full creative control and experiment with his sound, pushing beyond the realm of ballads into more electronic/dance style tracks, is the best thing about this mini. If you've listened to Shinee, then you know Onew is more than capable of tackling a wide range of genres, so I'm still execited to see where he goes next.
The music video for Tough Love was absolutely crazy too. Onew seems to be doing his own crazy Hyrox challenge throughout most of it. Seems like Minho might have some serious competition.
P.S I'm a Shawol first and foremost, and Onew has one of the most beautiful and distinct voices you'll ever hear in your life, so I'd still wholeheratedly recommend his music to anyone that might be feeling a little bit curious about his career.
Love Catcher - Yena
I love how my bluesky timeline is completely divided about the title track, Catch Catch. It reminds me of when Sticker came out people were either saying it was the song of the year or the worst thing they ever heard...
...well I thought Catch Catch was a really fun throwback to 2nd gen electropop, reminding me of groups like T-ARA, Orange Caramel, and Perfume so it really is no surprised that I really enjoyed it!
Unfortunately, I wasn't too fussed on the rest of the mini. The ballads sounded more or less the same as every other ballad mini, now and I was personally hoping the b-sides would match the up-beat concept and energy of the title track.
Yena is still fantastic though!
U - underscores
We're only three months into the year and we've landed upon one of the most defining pop albums of the entire decade that will go on to inspire literally every other pop album for the next few decades.
There's no denying the hyperpop train won't be stopping anytime soon, but underscores has always stood out from the rest and remains to be one of the most interesting pioneers of the genre.
U is an incredibly captivating album that sounds like a bleeding wound coated in layers of vocal manipulation, glitchy electro-pop, punk-rock, and 2010s EDM. Honestly, this album was an emotional rollercoaster which left me speechless and crushed my heart in the best possible way.
Give it a listen.
Lost On You, Tigers Jaw
If you love heartfelt rock music, Tigers Jaw are the band for you.
There's something about the way Tigers Jaw always start their albums with a tender, almost understated song which lures you in without so much as a glimpse into what the rest of the album might sound like. It isn't until the band kicks in on the second track that you finally understand what they are all about, once again proving why they are one of the most lauded emo bands to date.
Lost On You strikes the balance between heartache and dreamy optimism, a delicate craft which Tigers Jaw have mastered over the past twenty years. This album isn't as energetic or noisy as their previous records, but leans more into their shoegaze/alt-indie/ballad-rock influences.
Baptized On A Redwood Drive is a grand, sweeping rock-ballad that clocks in at 5 minutes and 37 seconds which took me by complete surprise. This may sound like a typical closer for most bands, but for Tigers Jaw, it's merely a precursor to the second half of the album which I found myself enjoying more than the first.
Light Leaks Through might very well be the best track for me, highlighting the strength of the band's rhythm section and some of drummer Teddy Roberts best work on the entire album. Closing the album is the titular track, Lost On You, which scratches the itch for a more upbeat, pop-punk sound that brings the album to a cathartic close.
Man. This was an incredible return Tigers Jaw and I've already put this album on loop for hours on end. I'm so grateful this band are still around today because the world just wouldn't be the same without Tigers Jaw. If you know, you know.
Wor$t Girl In America, Slayyyter
FUN AND CUNTY. Sometimes that's all music needs to be. I do wish Slayyyter would lean into a heavier, industrial-type electro clash sound though, but that's mostly personal preference. Get her a Nine Inch Nails or Health collab stat.
Biggest Fan - Irene
Irene has one of the most gorgeous voices in k-pop, and I utterly adored Like A Flower, so I was very excited to hear she was finally getting a full-length solo album - something which is sorely overdue for the three members of Red Velvet still under SM Entertainment.
The title track, Biggest Fan, is quite cute but it isn't exactly hard-hitting or impressive for me. It has a slight kitschy quality to it, which contrasts nicely with Irene's reputation and star power, rounding out nicely with those concept teasers. Sadly, I think it suffers from the same issue as the majority of title tracks in k-pop right now which seem heavily geared towards dance challenges and instagram reels.
Irene, however, doesn't need to rely on driving clicks on tiktok and instagram, so it was hard to guage which direction this album was headed after a shaky start. Thankfully, things picked up for me with the third track, Don't Wanna Get Up, a house track accompanied by breathy vocals which make you feel like you're floating on a cloud, and Face To Face further solidifies why Irene is one of the most powerful vocalists in the industry.
The fifth track, Million Miles Away was a game changer. I wasn't expecting to encounter a heavy dose of French Touch influence on this album, other than reading the tracklist and seeing a song called Face To Face and fondly thinking of one of the best songs ever made. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if the moodboard for Million Miles Away included Music Sounds Better With You by Stardust which famously samples the iconic guitar riff from Chaka Khan's disco masterpiece, Fate. Tell me I'm not crazy and that you hear it too! This song really blew me away. The blend of French House, disco and synthpop is utterly perfect for Irene's vocal tone, evoking a sophisticated, yet playful sound. I'd recommend Million Miles Away to anyone who loves French Touch or Kylie Minogue's seminal disco-pop albums Fever and Light Years. Honestly, I wish this was chosen as the title track, so I'm placing the blame here on SM Entertainment and the current trends in the music industry.
Unfortunately the weakest part of this album for me was Love Can Make A Way which is more or less your standard, ballad-esque pop-rock that sounds like it was composed for the end credits of a romantic k-drama. This wouldn't bother me so much if it weren't for the odd choice in sequencing which breaks the flow of the album, especially after the best song on the album.
Thankfully, Biggest Fan still manages to cruise towards a cohesive ending. Black Halo sounds like a classic Red Velvet b-side begging for a music video with gothic/horror-inspired aesthetics which a lot of us diehard Reveluvs are sorely deprived of at the moment! I wonder if this was originally intended to be an OT5 Red Velvet track. Absolutely no complaints here.
MTV (My Timeless Video) is a whimsical, nostalgic r&b song heavily inspired by retro k-pop melodies and powerful and concise vocals. It sounds like the younger sister of S.E.S in the best possible way!
Wasteland closes the album with more dreamy synthpop, perfect for a beachside cruise beneath a vibrant sunset. This was definitely a step in the right direction for her, and as cope as it is to say, I hope Irene is presented with more opportunities to continue establishing her sound as a soloist.
Overall, this was enjoyable though I see where fans are coming from, especially those who were hoping for something a bolder, experimental or groundbreaking for an experienced idol of Irene's calibre. I'm not sure how much of that is possible under SM, sadly, and I've learned to reign in my hopes a bit regarding new releases in the past year or so, but one can certainly dream.
I hope we get a Red Velvet comeback sometime this year (realistic expectation), or even a full-length Seulgi or Joy album (extremely cope expectation). I miss them too much to say no, they're my ult girl group alongside G-FRIEND for a reason! I'll probably listen to Biggest Fan on repeat when I'm working on my craft projects, but only after I delete the fifth track from my walkman...sorry!
Also, can someone please explain to me why this desaturated train station has such a chokehold on the entire k-pop industry? Yves, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, Twice, and probably others have been here. Now it is Irene's turn. I'm not complaining though, there's something so chic about a simplistic music video.
Remember how much we used to make fun of the cube? Well, I'd rather we go back in there. I'd rather watch a music video where everyone is dancing at a dimly lit train station than watch a music video where a million dollars was poured down the drain in exchange for a migraine inducing, AI-generated visual clusterfuck...
Anyway, should I visit this train station on my girl group pilgrimage?