Authenticity And Sad Reality: The Korean Rock Scene

Do you hear that? That crashing of the cymbals, the low hum of the bass, the crunchiness of the electric guitar. It’s a sound you’re probably very familiar with. But what about lyrics written in hangul, sometimes even our Latin alphabet, being vocalized by a native Korean speaker, in some cases even a foreigner? I’d assume not. Korean music companies are trying very hard to make sure that you don’t. That’s why names of BTS, Girls’ Generation, and BIGBANG have a high possibility of international recognition. Besides those of us in America (and on the off chance others in western territories that speak English that may be reading this piece) already have a wealth of rock music to listen to in all of its many forms that have taken shape since the inception of the genre. Beneath the glistening shine and squeaky clean aspirations of the Korean pop music industry lies an underbelly of self-made talent. Hardworking, under-compensated, and creatively free from the shackles of mega corporate money that you’ve never heard of. And I’m sure that it’s not limited to rock music, nor the sub-genres of rock that I am personally interested in.

The Korean rock scene is equal parts endearing and sad. Rich with talent and artistry but commercially a fair few pegs behind its more commercially successful and viable. A few bands have been able to cut through the darkness to popularity (Hyukoh comes to mind) but if your band isn’t a part of a major label you probably won’t get that exposure, not to mention the fact that they probably don’t want you anyways.

“Hey wait a minute, what about bands like CNBLUE, The Rose, FTISLAND, and Day6?” Don’t you worry my dear, I haven’t forgotten. In fact how could I? Day6 might be one of the most popular Korean bands of all time, and FTISLAND, The Rose, and CNBLUE were certainly no slouches either in terms of popularity. But see that’s just it, marketability. None of them lack for quality in their respective discographies, however the sounds they seek to emulate have a much more large net of accessibility at their disposal. In more uncertain terms: each of them has a sound and an image that is much safer to market, the bread and butter of the Korean music company. That’s not to criticize their merit, far from it, in fact Day6 are one of my favorite currently active bands and I respect FTISLAND’s attempts to infuse a modicum of grittiness and verve into the mainstream soundscape, but I laugh endlessly at thought of the reactions of the higher ups at SM or JYP should the likes of Green Day or The Sex Pistols ever walk into their offices.

While it certainly keeps the artistic integrity and wholly organic nature of the music intact since there’s no large companies dictating what they can and cannot do with their material, you’re left wishing they were compensated more handsomely for their efforts and promoted with company backing not just their own word of mouth. The eternally unhappy marriage of artistic endeavors and commercial interests. Even if they were given large company backing, whose to say that the movers and shakers would even let them continue to grow their image and create as they see fit with them sticking their filthy marketing noses into proceedings.

Another large factor at play is that the interest for the many vibrant sub-genres of rock music is extremely niche in Korea. Where we take the Green Days, the Metallicas, and the Linkin Parks for granted, these sounds our ears are so accustomed to have only been briefly toyed with by the large scale audience, most notably Seo Taiji, one of the most innovative and experimental artists in Korean music. The interest just isn’t available in larger numbers. I would imagine most Korean consumers of those kinds of bands get that fix from overseas bands. Hell it took me over three years to figure out what and where I should be digging to find these Korean bands. And naturally the one whose sound I fell in love with the most have been disbanded now for six years. That didn’t stop me from downloading their entire 2 EP and one Single discography onto my music library.

Now we’ve reached the part where I need some help from you. I’ve given you the backstory, now it’s your turn to play a role. I ask this of you: there are so many Korean bands out there that warrant attention that have next to none in the grand scheme, domestically or internationally. At the very least would you be willing to give them a view, a listen, and at most a share, remembrance, and interest that they very well deserve. Here are my favorite currently active bands:

…Whatever That Means are a full-blooded punk rock band formed by American Jeff Moses and his wife Trash (I promise it’s her stage name) Yang. Their music is mostly in English so that does away with the language barrier and their subject matter is full of the kinds of rebellious ideas most Kpop companies would faint at the thought of.

2 Day Old Sneakers are relatively new to the underground Korean band space, sporting an organic garage-rock sound that factors in elements of punk and alternative rock to boot. Their debut album Shoe Cabinet is a great starting place for them and I hope they are given the opportunity to grow even further.

Walking After U is an all girl band of which there are precious few of in Korea. They don’t particularly stick to one sub-genre and see themselves more as a tonally consistent band that doesn’t mind trying new sounds. The music executives are cringing at that very sentence. Their vocalist has the rasp and finesse of a Joan Jett, so if you love girl power and “stick-it-to-the-man” beliefs, don’t go any further.

Smoking Goose are a band who clearly love the sound of 90s Green Day and The Offspring. You know what you’re going to get with these rockers. I admire their admiration for the bands that came before them.

Sugardonut are a mostly pop-punk band who likes to dabble in the sounds of Weezer in the 2000s, incorporating electronic synth and acoustic sounds every now and again. They were among the first “off-the-grid” Korean bands that I ever listened to and their music is still among my favorite I’ve heard in Korean rock.

While this “my special little secret niche” thing I’ve got going on is nice, I can’t help but want better for these bands. The ultimate blue-collar performers who have fallen through the too-large cracks of their country’s music industry. Livelihoods are at stake, especially if these bands are living solely off of their musical endeavors. 

Do you hear that? Do you like what you hear? If the answer is yes, it's nice to have another believer on board.