I heard about Jean Rhee‘s debut EP from an email they sent and an Instagram post by KIRARA. Reading the post, Hey…It’s Been Crazy is the result of a class but began as an earlier project. This EP feels like Jean Rhee had a lot of ideas swirling around but wasn’t confident recording them..yet.
But let’s be clear, Hey…It’s Been Crazy is disjointed, random, and infuses so many genres in a strange electronic indie music landscape. It uses electronic music as a base but adds other genres to flesh out more ideas. Another facet of the EP is that every song reminds me of another artist, either through a verse or the overall tone.
“sure sure” made me think of AA=, a Japanese band I haven’t listened to for over a decade. It’s not a copy, but the energy and tone felt similar. As the EP introduction, it sets up a distinct feeling of curiosity. “Mystery” goes towards indie rock with an electronic foundation. Because it’s different from the energy that “sure sure” offered, it’s a calm distraction.
“Flaky” sounded like the intersection of Universe Mongae and KIRARA. I think this might be Jean Rhee’s signature song for the EP. “nothing feels like anything anymore” follows the style of “Mystery.” It’s more mellow and layered with a more melodic focus.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you” sounds like Jean Rhee’s exploration into R&B through Joji‘s perspective. It’s like an attempt to see if it works. A little uneven, but it’s a good discovery session. “Standing Here” is my favorite song and reminds me of Dajung‘s artist evolution. This track feels like the true look at what type of musician they want to be. This continues on “why do you let me missing you.” A strong EP closer.
Hey…It’s Been Crazy is the result of a music creation class and it sounds like it. While it might lack an overall narrative from track to track, it accomplishes a lot more. It’s a strong introduction into the mind and ideas of Jean Rhee. The potential next release could be something entirely different and that’s ok. This is the baseline and insight into the music creation process and will stand on its own even if it doesn’t fit the overall discography.
Hey… It’s Been Crazy by Jean Rhee
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Written by Chris P for Korean Indie.