As our last review of March, things have started to take a turn from K-hip-hop and into a more mellow or slightly retro hippy in feeling. There are some surprising entries, along with a couple of artists who have been featured in our weekly reviews before. Keep an eye open for some great rock and roll, bands, soundtrack and collaborations in this week’s reviews.

Our Weekly K-music Review posts are here to give you a helping hand and a quick look back at the notable releases from Korean artists in a weekly format. This article looks at releases and comebacks from 22- 25 March.

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Black Syndrome – Bible Black (FEAT. Park Geunhong, Manju)
Released: 22 March

Bringing rock and roll to Korea in a more traditional style, Black Syndrome are reminiscent of the good old days where heavy solo rifts on the guitars, an insane solo on the drums, and that deep, gravelly vocal were ready to pleasure your ears in the way that some music just doesn’t touch. They may not be the youngest band, nor the oldest, but they have certainly made a mark on us, and we look forward to seeing more music from them in the future.

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Nam Soo Rim – Drive Me To the Moon (FEAT. Park Ji Yoon)
Released: 22 March

Nam Soo Rim and Park Ji Yoon’s vocals work well together on this track that has an exceptionally beautiful music video with a Hatsune Miku Vocaloid kind of feeling to it. The rap isn’t overpowering or too fast, which accompanies the song’s beat well. Although we wouldn’t call this a pure chillout song, it does have a certain vibe where it could be used as a cruising song when on a long journey – upbeat, yet calm.

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Ja Mezz – Wanna Get (Oasis Pt.2)
Released: 22 March

Ja Mezz has been taking the rap scene by storm in Korea with his latest album release and has also been featured on our weekly reviews a few times already. When he releases music as good as this, we have definitely got to spread the word about it. The MV features Ja Mezz and a bunch of kids hanging around a bus at Hongdae’s Busker Park. The song and lyrical style itself reminds us somewhat of the Devilman Crybaby rappers, which we really liked. It’s chill, but hip-hop, a nice mixture of both.

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Justhis & Paloalto – 4 The Youth (FEAT. OLNL, Yeseo, Ku One Chan, Cherry Coke & Minie)
Released: 23 March

With a beautiful and scenic music video that pinpoints some of the most visually pleasing parts of Seoul, Justhis & Paloalto’s rapping vocals are a great collaboration and contrast to what is shown on the music video. The song is uptempo with chilled vibes, but the lyrics have a very powerful message about the youth of South Korea.

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Super Junior – Super Duper
Released: 23 March

In true SM Entertainment style, Super Junior made their comeback to the music scene with Super Duper under the SM Station brand name. Although technically it isn’t an official release, it was announced that the song will be featured on their upcoming album. Fans were told to see this as a prelude to what was to come. The song is a heavy EDM dance song with a mix of K-pop vocals, rapping and just a general feel good, fun and exciting song. The music video is very trippy, with some great animated visuals and little animated walking men that represent the members. We would say it’s highly artistic, and now we can’t wait for Super Junior’s new album.

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Illo Ylo – Phone Ring
Released: 23 March

There are a lot of great bands out in Korea, Illyo Ylo is no exception to this. With rock undertones and some soft and fun vocals, this new release from the band is worthy of a soundtrack to a K-drama. It’s lighthearted, fun, cute and has one of those tunes that you can’t get out of your head once you have listened to the song. It also seems the band had a lot of fun letting their hair down and going crazy for the music video.

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Dongsu & Bo Ram Lee – Oh Yeah
Released: 23 March

Cutsie and soft, the vocals of Bo Ram Lee and Dongsu are able to sweep your heart into a fluster. The song is light, bouncy and full of romance. Visually the music video is not so distracting, with a great use of colours and aesthetics. There is something of a story with a dating couple, which fits very well with the lyrics of the song. Light, pretty and romantic is something that seems to be coming out a lot more with spring taking bloom.

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EXO CBX – Someone Like You
Released: 24 March

Featuring clips from the police K-drama Live, there is a definite sadness behind the latest release from EXO CBX. The drama has been hyped up and heavily anticipated, so having the opportunity to make one of the soundtrack songs for it must have been a burden. The song is soft and heartfelt, and you can truly feel the emotion behind the vocals. The lyrics are touching and the music has a tendency to feel slightly heartbreaking.

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Sunday Moon – Eleven
Released: 24 March

Keeping some of those spring vibes alive, and featuring Elmo from Sesame Street, Sunday Moon recreates a dreamy slightly hippie aesthetic within their music video. Very earthen child with a slightly retro twist, the vocals are dreamy and mesmerising. The kind of song that’s great for a sunny day walk or a cold rainy day.

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As there have been a lot of releases this week, be sure to check back for the second instalment of K-music week in review, which will look at releases from 26 March – 28 March 2018