My favorite Korean album is actually not K-pop but K-rock. The Great Deep - Life and Times, seems to strike a perfect balance of elements for me - beachy reverb, intimately produced vocals with hummable melodies, playful structure with varying degrees of formal complexity, and yet, a carefully maintained shape. I'm always looking for more music that resonates as strongly.

Enter Hyukoh, Korea's "hottest" summer Indie Group, checking off all the right beats. Their range is jam band wide, an eclecticism bluesy with a early Black Keys rasp, shadows of John Legend soul, laid-back with disco/island/funk. The ambiance is thickly dosed with melancholy blue glamour and yet rooted in a seductive groove. Hyukoh's vocalist and leader, Oh Hyuk, fills the album spaces with smokey, whiskey character and occasional jazzisms that makes the narrative richer.

Latest single "Panda Bear" is beachy, reverb-y, and pretty existential.

Hyukoh - 22
2015 EP

Track three, "Big Bird", is an accessible summary of their vibe, but also happens to be a personal favorite.


"Comes and Goes" MV version and the Live and Direct version.


Hyukoh - 20
2014 EP

Wonky and off kilter, "Lonely"


"Wi Ing Wi Ing"


Oh Hyuk is a versatile demon in English/Chinese/Korean. His interpretation of "Tian Mi Mi" on Sketchbook is charming and an impromptu Stevie Wonder cover on Pikicast shows off the advantages of having an inherently unique timbre. If you can't get enough, there's also his collaboration with Primary for the Lucky You album, where "Bawling" gets all R&B romancey up in there.