E.HEH‘s first full length follows three singles and an OST track. behind closed doors is a 10-song album that lives in an indie rock, shoegaze light, and whispy ballad world. It’s designed to slowly draw you in and then surround you with mellow melodies, warm compositions, and slow tempos.
Among the 10 tracks are the three previously released singles. The addition of these songs actually gives behind closed doors an uneven delivery. “sunset” offers a recognizable indie rock that reminds me of yeah, I don’t want it-era Bosudongcooler. “can I call you my babe” is R&B indie with some jazz. But “Everything goes fine” is firm in its folk ballad world. “Eternal” is E.HEH’s first single and it’s a melodic rock ballad.
I think the transition that started with “100tattoos” definitely has more desirability. It may pull from the same universe as orange flavored cigarettes, but I think there’s more room to explore this audio space. I like “orange car” because it reminds me of Donawhale.
The unbalance may come from the specific song’s vocalist. JISU‘s vocals are prominent in the indie rock and shoegaze-style songs. Koo Ki-hoon‘s vocals favor the melodic and mellow. Like if you hear JISU’s voice, you already know what type of song you’re going to get and the same with Ki-hoon. Combined into a full length, it sounds like two EPs forced together.
From listening to behind closed doors, it definitely feels like a tension between the two styles, and I don’t know which one is favored. It could be that the band went in one direction first when composing the album and then found inspiration with another style, but didn’t want to get rid of the original work.
behind closed doors is a weird introduction that highlights two styles in a single band. I have a preferred style, and the album will speak to listeners in different ways.
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Written by Chris P for Korean Indie.