In dreamy By The Calm Water, 92914 move further away from their acoustic origins to explore the uncharted territory of electronic music.
The Seoul-based indie darlings made a name for themselves with emotional, acoustic ballads like “Okinawa” – their touching love poem to the Japanese shores. From the very start of their career, 92914 succeeded in creating an instantly recognisable sound, inspired by nature and overflowing with dreamy melancholia.
However, the electronic craze currently sweeping through the indie music scene managed to seize the duo. Their first full album offers a surprising new spin on this sound by leaning heavily into the electronic genre.
In By The Calm Water, 92914 stick to the core of their music – creating a calm, safe space for daydreaming and connecting with nature. The duo has always emphasized their music’s strong connection to nature and the world around us, ceaselessly taking inspiration from their surroundings.
Even their band’s name comes from the address of their first studio. This inspired and filled-with-wanderlust approach undeniably brings laid-back energy to the album. “Night” is a prime example of this sound- a bluesy ballad with a slow tempo and a guitar plucking away a simple melody. It’s difficult not to space out listening to this release, however, that seems to be the band’s intention.
Throughout the album, song lyrics draw listeners’ attention to nature, the movement of the sea, the twinkle of the stars in the night sky, bringing a zen-like sense of being grounded. Lyrics don’t focus on anything specific. With thrown-out little phrases, describing places and mundane situations, the album evokes sentimental feelings without telling a cohesive story. The songs feel like little snippets of distant childhood memories.
The wistful nostalgia of the lyrics finds support in electronic beats added to the arrangements. In their first full album, 92914 experimented with new sound and musical style while still incorporating their usual nostalgia and tranquility. Their acoustic songs always had a tendency for New Age ambience, therefore the added slow electronic beats fit in well.
Production quality is where the artists’ growth is the most noticeable. With this album, 92914 put a considerable amount of effort into ensuring good sound quality. Improvement can be especially heard in the remastered track “Summer.” The vocals are way more crisp, the sounds well blended to create pleasant harmonies.
All the songs are left open-ended, for the listener to continue the story in their head, preferably daydreaming while staring at the sky. That’s the appeal of 92914’s music – it invites you to notice the magic hidden in the mundane.
Instagram | YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube Music
Written by Zuza for Korean Indie.