Tag Archives: Seoul

SLANT.

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Whilst at work today, I accidentally found the loudest band from South Korea. That band is SLANT. They are proper rowdy. A real hardcore Punk band with a lot of bite and a lot of energy. Short punchy songs that make you feel like you’ve discovered Minor Threat or Bad Brains for the first time.

Now, I know next to nothing about the Punk scene in South Korea but if we are going by how SLANT sound- then it’s pretty safe to say that it’s a decent scene. A scene that you want to completely immerse yourself in. Except, I’m in Manchester and they’re in South Korea so I’ll have to mentally transport myself there. It’s a good job that SLANT make you feel like you’re right there in Seoul with them. They have got this ferocious sound that I’ve not heard in any other band before.

See, with bands like SLANT- you feel like you’ve heard a proper loud band before. But once you hear SLANT everything will completely change. You’ll think everything you heard before them sounds like ambient background noise. SLANT is something else. I have no idea how they do it, I don’t know who they are or their story but I know this- they are incredible.

When I was listening to them at work today (no one was around so I was playing them pretty loud) I felt like I was in some basement Punk venue in Seoul watching them. I totally felt I was right there with the band. They’ve got 3 releases on their Bandcamp page, and I think their latest record came out in 2021 and it’s called 1집 and it’s a record that is not for the faint hearted at all. It’s for those who crave the loud, the out there and the unheard of. Their sound is hard to pin-point and that’s just another part of the charm.

There’s 5 of them in the band, but you feel like there’s a huge gang of them. Their sound is like a secret weapon. You don’t mess with this band at all. Will they ever tour the UK? Who knows. But if they ever do, I’ll make sure I’m at the front taking it all in. A band like this and with this energy don’t come around often. They are made up of members from other South Korean Punk/Hardcore bands, so knowing they have created music similar to this before makes you quickly realise how powerful the Punk scene is there. They’ve released a couple of EPs/demos prior to last year’s debut, and the stuff they’ve put out leading up to their debut is ridiculous. You’ll be hard pressed to find anything else like it.

Take some time out and watch this live set from 2019. It’s mind-blowing!

If like me you can’t stand Christmas songs, then do yourself a favour and check out SLANT. Play them as loud as you physically can- and maybe push yourself to go louder. Scream along and become immediately obsessed with one of the most exciting bands around.

DEAD BUTTONS.

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Sometimes when you know virtually nothing about a band, it makes it easier to write about them. That’s what it’s like with Seoul’s finest. Dead Buttons. All I know about them is this- they are insanely brilliant, and they’re beautifully weird.

If you’re looking for something that will make you think you’ve got a riot kicking and screaming in your head, then you’ll love this band. They’re unlike anything else you’ve ever heard. I honestly have no idea what sounds like them, who are their influences etc. But to be honest, that shit doesn’t even matter. They’re a bunch of musical maestros who truly know how to rip you apart in the most pleasant way possible.

Their songs are these huge masterpieces that make you just sit in awe as you listen to them, they are truly something else. They really will blow your mind. The guitar is off the wall, and the drums keep up effortlessly- it truly does just make you feel like you are unable to move or jolt slightly, because what you’re hearing just throws you off. If you’ve think you’ve heard it all before, then think again! Dead Buttons are probably one of the most exciting bands around, and going by what I’ve heard so far- I’m pretty sure the music scene in Seoul is something we most certainly need to pay a lot more attention to.

Dead Buttons are a band that have probably been sent here to corrupt our minds, and get us all to just zone out as we listen to them. The music is nothing short of perfection. They have this Psychedelic feel but at the same time, the vocals are Punk-ish/ have a Garage Rock feel to them. Everything I love about music is in this band. I really cannot get enough of their sound. Take the song, Foggy Night. It’s just under 7 minutes long (they do songs that last over 5 minutes which is part of my huge love for them)  and it’s a song that has all these twisted and gorgeous layers to it. It’s gentle, but at the same time has a slight sinister tint to it. This song would be perfect in an 80s horror film where you can see all the set props move and the blood is clearly ketchup. It’s such a brilliant song, and it just gets you right in the gut. It’s one of the best instrumentals I’ve ever heard. They make music that is so beautiful, and I love that their recordings up on bandcamp are live ones. It makes you feel like you are at one of their shows, truly. I love how they convey the atmosphere over these recordings, and how you feel it’s just you and them.

There’s a lot of mystery and eeriness in their sound, which I love of course. I love how different they sound and how they are clearly unafraid to mess with the listener’s head. I love music that does this, and I love bands that are utterly fearless with what they do. It makes you believe in them more. I hope we get more music from them, because they are a band that need to be heard. Loudly.

You know when you hear something, and you just know it’s going to stick with you for a long time? That you know that nothing else is going to come from that euphoric feeling you get when you listen to them? Dead Buttons give you that, and so much more.

They’re just a phenomenal collective of musicians who are absolutely unafraid to push the listener, and have this wonderful passion within their music that just makes you be in complete and utter awe of them.

I need to hear more from them. We all do.

Play loud.

CRAWLER.

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10 years ago I started this blog. I started it whilst in my second year at University. I’m not sure if I knew I would stick at this, or if I’d just let it fade away. Everyone has something that keeps them sane. Keeps them busy. Some draw, some play music. I write about it. 10 years is a long time. It’s not out of habit, it’s never forced. It’s been one thing I have solidly relied on, and I’m pretty happy to “celebrate” this by writing about South Korea’s finest band- Crawler.

I know nothing about them, but it doesn’t matter. What I do know is that they make brilliant music that allows you to escape time and place. We always need that, and at the right time- a band will find you that will guide you away.

Their last release, Why Did You Sleep Last Night? consists of 6 mind-blowing songs that deserve to be played as loud as humanly possible. But, if like me you are aware of your surroundings- you’ll keep noise to a minimum. Sort of. The songs will make you want to break stuff, it’ll make you want to do a whole bunch of crazy shit. Do it. Do whatever the hell you want and let Crawler be the soundtrack to it all.

Crawler make effortlessly wild music that will just make you feel, as awfully clichéd as it sounds, alive. They will give you that kick you’ve been seeking for far too long. If you’re feeling disheartened about something or someone, then they will fix you right up. They’ll unleash every ounce of fury inside of you. Songs like Phantom and Baby Doll will make you feel good. They’ll make you feel free.

Something I really love about Crawler is that they really do have such a strong Punk feel to their sound, and they really do make you want to check out their shows and just totally soak up their music and what they are about. They give off that same feeling that bands like Dusty Mush and Dr Chan do. It’s like they have all created their own little scene, and all we can do is lovingly observe it all. Which I am totally fine with. They just make you want to get lost in the music and fall into a different time and place. If music can make you feel, and do this- then surely it is one of the most powerful forces we have, right? There’s no disputing just how powerful music is.

Crawler are such a huge joy to listen to, and like all the music I write about- they have a sound that I am always looking for. A sound that I absolutely idolise and cannot get enough of. Like I mentioned earlier, I know nothing about them but I do know that they are nothing short of brilliant.

You know what to do- buy the music and play it as loud as you can handle!