Electronic vocalist Yaeji from NYC and Seoul-based musician OHHYUK, who also happens to be the lead singer of the indie band HYUKOH, have just dropped two new tracks - ‘29’ and ‘Year to Year.’
What initially started out as sketches exchanged between Brooklyn and Seoul became full-blown songs when the pair connected for studio sessions in Seoul earlier this year.
Have a look at their groovy collaboration in the visual for ‘29.’ The track which is essentially about the surreality of growing up will see Yaeji rapping in her signature, trance-like style as OHHYUK brandishes his Bossa guitar, and chimes in with a pulsating drum beat.
‘Year to Year’ is where OHHYUK’s alt-indie sensibility really shines through. The loops in this song, which come from a cascade of flute and guitar arrangements, are representative of just how briskly time passes.
From the double-single they’ve put out, it’s evident that both individual musicians are strongly influenced by each other’s distinctive styles.
In a press statement, Yaeji speaks out about working with OHHYUK: “When I was feeling a bit stuck and stagnant with music, Hyuk helped me find the joys of creating again, and this was my first time collaborating with someone so closely on music. We spent many days together in the studio in Seoul, sometimes not even making music but just chatting about how we grew up and sharing meals together, and our musical collaboration blossomed as our friendship grew.”
OHHYUK expressed similar sentiments: “Yaeji and I first started to jam when Yaeji visited Seoul last summer. At that time, I was experiencing a kind of “musician’s block” and the jams with Yaeji acted as a catalyst for me and brought back the joy of working on music again. Through the jams we made many tracks, Yaeji soon began to plan the framework for “Year to Year” and I did the same for “29.” For the videos, we worked with Directors DQM and Nam Eunuk, who are both close friends of ours. It was the love and support of many friends that made the music videos come to life. I would like to send my undivided appreciation to them.”
You can now stream their songs on Spotify.
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