HYUKOH - 22 [Vinyl]

SIDE A 1. Settled down 2. Back and forth 3. Big Bird SIDE B 1. Mer 2. Hooka 3. Gong-deuri

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[Spec] - GateFold Cover (315x312x7mm) - Black Color 1LP (12”, 180g, 33⅓rpm) - Black Polylined Inner Sleeve - 8p Insert [Purchase Notice] ※ Images are for illustrative purposes and may differ from the actual product. ※ Due to the nature of the manufacturing process, there may be color differences between colored discs, and small dots or other colored dyes may be mixed in during production. ※ Pre-orders may end early if stock is exhausted. Made in Germany HYUKOH [22] Barely eight months have passed since the release of HYUKOH's first EP [20]. In this second album, where the guilt that had cleverly hidden itself to torment him has eased significantly, the sensibility has deepened and the sense of freedom has become even clearer. During this short period, as a rookie who had just turned twenty, he was given opportunities for meetings and diverse platforms that would have been overwhelming to handle. Despite having almost no proper promotion or marketing, the audience listening to HYUKOH's music—which became famous through word of mouth—gradually diversified; having performed small-scale shows on the streets and in clubs, they are now receiving love calls from nearly every festival in Korea and have even appeared on terrestrial television. Furthermore, working on an album with one of Korea's top producers, such as 'Primary,' and receiving countless offers for featuring and collaborations, the requests for interviews from various media outlets as the most anticipated artist of 2015 were endless—one could say his potential has completely exploded. However, the Venn diagrams formed by individuals like particles gathering on these various platforms inevitably dissolved. Paradoxically, contrary to the title, the track "Settled down" sings of his inability to settle; the track "Comes and Goes" highlights the people and relationships that leave just as he gets used to them—a cycle repeating from his childhood living abroad to his current life settled in Seoul; and the track "Hooka," cited by the members as their favorite number on this album, rawly contains the emotions he felt regarding human relationships amidst a greatly changed environment. In this way, the wounds caused by a non-functioning community and the desire to fill the resulting void in life led to musical experiments in a purer direction. Since releasing the first EP last September, 'Oh Hyuk,' the band leader who writes and sings HYUKOH's music, has truly run without a moment's rest. For someone who had been making music since childhood but could not find an exit, he has now found the opportunity to release everything he had wanted to vomit out. While the rapid success as a musician, the explosive response, and the expectations for his band are certainly things to be grateful for, for the introverted 'Oh Hyuk,' the burden must have been too great to simply be happy. However, rather than hesitating, he decided to move straight forward. If the first album focused on the act of producing a result, in the second EP [22], he sought to further increase the musical quality by adding layer upon layer of contemplation. Now that an environment allowing for professional work has been provided, experiments with new musical techniques that were not attempted before are greatly reflected; at the same time, he put effort into detailing the inherent charm of 'Oh Hyuk's' own voice by boldly stripping away exaggerated reverb and effects. As a result, his raw and vivid voice—which has come closer by adding or subtracting the sense of space—found its place without relying on mechanical power, and is instead highlighted within the rich band sound that fills every single song. Poet 'Park Jung-dae' said in his poem "Snowy Night" that love is like making a soundless music; that the hearts playing each other are a time deeper than any music in the world. "Mer" means sea in French. In this song, 'Oh Hyuk' sings of a love that sinks quietly, as if being sucked into the depths of the sea, like the deepest abyss in the world. What is surprising, however, is that he wrote this song at the age of 19. At the time, he longed for a mature love, but the form of love he desired was, in fact, somewhat selfish and self-centered. It is intensely human and romantic. Seeking romance is, in truth, a sad thing, for it is longing for a sweetness that is currently absent from one's life. "Big Bird" is a song written in this context. Amidst a busy schedule, on a day when a full moon rose, 'Oh Hyuk' recalled that the last time he had seen the moon, it had also been a full moon, and he felt a stifling sadness. He felt pity for the fact that he had lived without even the leisure to look up at the sky until the lunar cycle had completed a full turn. "Gondry," which evokes the languid warmth of lovers sharing love amidst the warm sunlight filling the atmosphere at midday, is a song dedicated to the French film director 'Michel Gondry.' The melody, music video imagery, and mise-en-scène of this song, which was written in one go while thinking of his film "Eternal Sunshine," are also an homage to him. A noteworthy point about Hyukoh's album is the high-density non-musical artwork that harmonizes with their songs. Collaborations with artists from various genres—such as artists Ryu Kyung-ho, Noh Sang-ho, and Kim In-yeop, who have worked on the album covers, and cinematography directors Jung Jin-soo, Kim Sung-wook (Director OUI), and artist Cho Gi-seok, who are in charge of the music videos—are producing results that interact closely with their songs. It should not be forgotten that collaborations with those who have always been present at the foundation of their interests, within long-term relationships that began with a mutual eye for recognizing one another, have permeated every aspect of Hyukoh's album. What dreams do we hold as we gather and live here? Even if we live curled up in a corner of a moldy studio apartment like an anteater trapped in a zoo cage, the things we each hope for are as refreshingly clear as a sudden rain shower on a hot day drenched in sunlight. In this album, one can feel the resolute freshness of walking down the street alone without an umbrella, letting the pouring rain hit the entire body amidst the crowd scrambling when a sudden downpour begins. Moving from an inner self that closed itself off and hid, they have gradually stepped outward, revealing and showing themselves, and in doing so, they have learned how to endure the relationships that are created, whether they desire them or not. If the first album highlighted an anxious feeling of not being able to fulfill one's calling as a human being, in this album, they have looked once more into the essence of existence and found composure. I look forward once again to their next steps as they grow steadily, both musically and humanly. - Lim Da-woon, Contributor to Independent Art Space Initiative KIGOJA / Independent Curator