In my never-ending quest to root out the good stuff going on in the leaden world of Kpop, I came across a few compilations put out by the Korean-indie act promoting music website Mint Paper. Initially drawn in by the inclusion of my current favourite band 10cm’s song 오늘밤은 어둠이 무서워요 on Vol.3 - Life, I’ve come to discover a bunch of artists…any of which could possibly end up as my next favourite band(s).

There’s a decent mix of genres and styles, acoustic pop and bossa nova being those most favoured. Of the acts featured on Vol.2, I’d already heard of No Reply and their collaboration with vocalist Taru on 조금씩, 천천히, 너에게 doesn’t disappoint. Same goes for the ever-cheery Neo Shibuya-esque Peppertones and the mellow Tearliner, but what really caught my attention was Windy City’s ska-esque collab with Whale (from W & Whale). Very nicely done.

Vol.3 is just as good, if not better. Apart from the aforementioned 10cm, contributions from Naru, Serengeti and Han Jee Jeong do their best to charm your pants off, though my favourite might just be Earip’s 우리집 싱어 - it’s just so cute! 

Good news is that Vol.4 is on its way, and three digital singles have already been released before it arrives - 10cm’s 안아줘요, EZ Hyoung’s 솔직히 말해도 될까 en Oh Ji Eun + Lee Sang Soon (of Roller Coaster)’s 또 왜 그래. Hopefully, this fresh set of indie sounds will live up to expectations.

Links:
10cm - 오늘밤은 어둠이 무서워요
Peppertones - ABC (with Arina of Mocca)
No Reply - 조금씩, 천천히, 너에게 (with 타루)