[Release Round-up] Rock-tober

With the success of the Mnet survival competition series ‘Great Seoul Invasion,’ the Korean rock industry has received a huge amount of attention with many of Korea’s more unknown and hidden talents thrust to the forefront with the survival series being one of the biggest competition shows of the year.

Since the end of the show on September 30, many participants of the ‘Great Seoul Invasion’ have been releasing new albums. Alongside the likes of Dreamcatcher, The Rose and N.Flying. It has been a busy month for the Korean rock industry.

Dreamcatcher – Vision

After announcing their European tour dates at the start of the month Dreamcatcher would quickly follow up the news with the release of their latest album ‘Apocalypse: Follow Us.’ 

A high-tempo electronic masterpiece lead song ‘Vision’ is the perfect representation of the album. complemented perfectly with the band’s vocal ability and rapping it’s the song’s base instrumental that stands out. The music video features equally explosive choreography, alongside visual imagery of a post-apocalyptic world, showing just how far the band are pushing themselves with their image and the strong use of electrical instruments gives hope to future releases.

ONEWE – Still here

ONEWE melted our hearts this month, dressing up in stunning suits in what can only be described as a beautiful building the group look truly beautiful in an extremely visually appealing M/V. The song itself matches this with strong vocals from Yonghoon and Dongmyeong. I can’t get enough of the simplicity of the beat and how well each member’s instruments complement the vocalists, as the band pure their emotions into a beautiful song with lyrics about the loss and the pain left behind.

N.Flying – I Like you

Time for a personal favourite now as Korean rock royalty N.Flying would release their 8th mini album ‘Dearest’ with the album marking the final comeback before members Cha Hun and Kim Jaehyun enlist in the military.

The song is classic N.Flying, with an upbeat light track reminiscent of their previous hit-track rooftop. What separates the song is the vocals of Seunghyub and Hewseung whose strong vocals and rap are the perfect story-telling device alongside the brightly coloured and cute music video.

The Rose – Sour

Just a couple of months after announcing their world tour in which they will head to London in February 2023. The rose would release their first long-awaited comeback in over a year. And the song would not disappoint, reaching number 4 in the Billboard Heatseekers chart, the highest any Korean rock band has ever reached. 

The song is everything you would expect from The Rose with perfect harmonisation of the song’s chorus matched by the beautiful soft-rock style. The lyrics of love and getting over the pain of heartbreak makes for a perfect overall song.

SURL – Every day

After an impressive showing on Great Seoul Invasion SURL has followed up this success with the release of their latest album Of Us. The album is a perfect showcase of the band’s talent. ‘Every day’ is enough to bring tears to your eyes. Hoseung’s singing brings the band’s lyrics to life and when placed alongside the band’s music video brings across an important lesson of just how short life can be and loneliness.

LUCY – Little star 

Part of the Bad Prosecutor OST LUCY would release the song ‘Little Star,’ a fast-paced electrical track that is the perfect representation of the fast-paced crime k-drama.

CNBlue – Let it shine 

In their first release since October last year, the song comes as CNBlue’s 13th single. The song features a groovy guitar rift, the song’s catchy lyrics make this a future party, and the integration of rap further proves just how innovative they are in their now 13th year since debuting in 2009.

Rolling Quartz – Nazabrabara

Arguably the most distinctive sound on this list, Rolling Quartz have always embraced its classic rock style. ‘Nazababara’ is no different with amazing instrumentals; it can be easy to overlook the band’s lyricism and vocals which are just as impressive. 

This song not only makes me want to go out and party, but the girl’s true rock style personified in their music video makes me so excited to hopefully see them perform live.

UpStar – Unusual 

A group that I didn’t know until over a week ago, Up Star stunned me this month with probably my favourite release. With a catchy beat and good vocals, I am excited to see where this second-year K-band go and how successful they can be.

Gyogyo – Stay Longer

Debut group GyoGyo would release their first single in October as they would pour their hearts into a heartfelt break-up song. With beautiful vocals that capture your hearts and ears, it is easy to forget that this is a rock band. The ending guitar solo reminds you just how talented this band are and how bright their future can be.