After being consumed by the wall of sound of Bless, I was curious what 新世界 would offer over a year later. Seoul Magic Club continues to jump genres depending on the release, but last year’s dual EPs showcased two different sides of the band. What would this five song EP deliver?
“Nebula” is a moody and keyboard synth-driven opener. The slow tempo and almost plodding pace is led by SiAN‘s vocals. Compared to Seoul Magic Club’s other tracks, it’s something new but also a mixture of all the different songs that came before it. The midsong jazz-infused bridge was unexpected and this song disarms your expectations of hearing a repeat of the style that Bless delivered.
But I’m glad that Seoul Magic Club didn’t throw away what they created before. “Love Elements” is a fast-paced shoegaze track to start. The instrumentals fill every possible beat while the vocals move in half-time. It’s a combination of genres that Seoul Magic Club split up before.
I think that Seoul Magic Club’s continual evolution is great. The six minutes and 46 seconds are a precision attack and even takes time to let you digest the first half before running into the back half of the track.
新世界 features vocals to accompany the majority of the songs this time around. It’s clear halfway through the EP that Seoul Magic Club is combining the past two EPs and adding new elements to push a rounder sound. They do lean heavier into shoegaze on “Love Elements” and “Blue Peach,” but there are additional stylistic pieces that help the song break out of a single genre. I can imagine that these two songs live are amazing.
Even though it’s not one of the singles, “Dreamers” might be the best draw in the band. It’s the shortest song but includes every element of the band. Listening to the instrumentals, this is a complex track that sounds like a slightly rippling water surface.
“Mahdism” is the surprise closer. It sounds like an industrial synth mixed with post rock song and is an outlier compared to the other EP tracks. I feel like it’s a concert opener because of the difference between this song and the other tracks. “Mahdism” is a fun listen but feels a little too far from the audio landscape. Now I wonder if this is a preview of what could be next.
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Written by Chris P for Korean Indie.