In March of this year, acoustic duo Hail announced its end.
After nine years of releasing music and even longer as a busking duo, members Woo-ji and Gye-rin announced that they were “departing for a new vacation” under the name ibun. Saying that they “changed everything except each other,” they promised to meet listeners again as a completely new group.
And they delivered, complete with a new name and new visuals that were more abstract and cheeky.
“friend” starts in a Hail-esque vein with “popore.” It’s a mainly acoustic song dotted with electronic sounds and features vocalist Wooji singing in English with an occasional touch of vocal effects. “Can you really be someone you are not?” she wonders. The song doesn’t feel too far beyond the reach of Hail, sounding like a slight variation from the group.
But “popore” was only a warm-up. The second track amps up the differences and was the first song shared the same month Hail announced its rebranding. “freak” features a guitar set against an electronic background and lyrics that flit between nonsensical, almost philosophical phrases and commentary on the song itself (“slay the best synths line”).
Vocal chops sliding up and down take over towards the end of the track as well as something that sounds like a cartoon duck. “morningtears” continues the romp into the new sound palette with dreamy vocals, a sparkling string synth, and an electronic choir.
“doombye” is the standout of the EP. The track starts with a piano and then evolves beautifully, morphing as the song progresses with contrasting textures: a flute, cello, and handfuls of curious percussive sounds. As the song moves forward like a story, it guides listeners through an immersive, cinematic experience. This sound is not Hail anymore, besides the same vocals. “doombye” is squarely ibun: a new, deeper way to paint sound and stories.
The EP ends on a soft note with “we are who we are,” a piano ballad further supported by gentle synths, a saxophone, and a drum that feels like a heartbeat. It feels like a reminder that the emotional core of Hail still exists in ibun, just dressed slightly differently. In a way, “we are who we are” could have been a Hail release if it were just piano and vocals. But also, the added elements heighten the emotions of the song.
And perhaps that is part of the reasoning behind the rebranding. By expanding the possibilities of their sound, the duo could further deepen what they wanted to convey. I do wonder, though, if they’ll still write songs like the aching “How do you feel.” Would they spruce it up for an ibun twist or are fully acoustic songs not allowed in ibun’s world?
Either way, I’m fully onboard to see how the duo play with this new sound.
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Written by Ashley J Chong for Korean Indie.