Recommended tracks: “sing it all again,” “everything comes and goes,” “cherry flavored love inside your heart”
Similar artists: The Poles, The Black Skirts, SE SO NEON
How can your day be bad when you have new music to listen to on your fall walk? And best part of all, it comes from one of South Korea’s favorite indie rock bands, Wave to Earth!
The band first emerged in the scene with the roaring success of their 2020 EP, summer flows 0.02, and their illustrious 2023 album, 0.1 flaws and all. With fan-favorite singles like “seasons,” “love,” “ride,” and “homesick,” you may end up finding another song to blast on repeat in their latest album, bad pieces.
Frontman Daniel Kim, along with members Dong Q (drums) and John Cha (bass), has set out on an invigorating journey of sound discovery. Having created a symphonic 11-track album with a mixture of jazz fusion and soft rock, it is no wonder this band is so loved worldwide.
Released just a month before the album’s official release, “babo,” meaning “idiot” or “fool” in Korean, made waves (see what we did there?) across social media as it marked the return of this talented trio. Though a seemingly striking title in which the singer calls himself a “fool,” many interpretations online suggest that the single is much deeper.
With the song speaking of a lover who couldn’t bring themselves to act upon the love they hold for another, they turn the word from an insult to an almost pet-like nickname. They redefine a shameful word into one of tenderness and endearment.
Opening the album, “talking ’bout u” tells the tale of the light one brings into your life — in their smile, the flicker of light in their eyes — and the way in which the love brings about a poetic musing: a song written to remember them.
“everything comes and goes” is what one may call an experimental song. This track plays more into the jazz fusion style the band is known for, taking influences from a number of idols such as Michael Jackson, Ryan Beatty, Paul McCartney, George Benson and even Richard Marx. Following this inspiration, John Cha’s specialized track “skylark” incorporates a “danceable rhythm” as quoted by the band in a piece with USA Today.
Daniel Kim had this to say about the process of creating the album:
“The process of making this album was a very hectic one. But as hectic as it is, I think it’s an album that really encapsulates who we are as people, and I think it’s an album that represents the closing of our 20s and beginning of our 30s, and I think it’s an album that’s going to last long and age with us and grow with us into the future.”
In the same light, drummer Dong Q shared his thoughts in regards to the most important singles to him. His picks? “you” and “sing it all again.” Dong Q mentions how the band practiced the addition of more acoustic sounds in these two singles, giving the album, and band as a whole, a more mature sound. The same can be felt for additional singles like “heaven and hell,” “hyang,” and “closing.”
Indeed, there is much to still be seen and discovered by the band, but wherever the wind takes them, they know that they have the support of their fans right behind them in all regards.
You can stream the full album here:
If you like what you hear, your chance to see them live is now as they get ready to set out on their North American tour starting September 4. The Pieces Tour will feature Korean soloist Milena as their opener. Tickets and VIP packages are available now here.
The Pieces Tour dates:
- Sept 4 – Vancouver, BC – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
- Sept 5 – Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater
- Sept 8 – San Francisco, CA – The Theater at Bill Granham Civic Auditorium
- Spet 9 – Los Angeles, CA – The Greek Theatre
- Sept 11 – San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
- Sept 12 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
- Sept 15 – Mexico City, MX – Pepsi Center WTC
- Sept 18 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Union Event Center
- Sept 19 – Denver, CO – The Fillmore Auditorium
- Sept 21 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory
- Sept 22 – Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom
- Sept 25 – Toronto, ON – The Theatre at Great Canadian Toronto
- Sept 26 – Montreal, QC – MTELUS
- Sept 27 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
- Sept 29 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
- Oct 2 – Washington DC – The Anthem
- Oct 3 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
- Oct 6 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy
- Oct 7 – Charlotte, NC – Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre
- Oct 9 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
- Oct 10 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at The Moody Theater
- Oct 11 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
- Nov 12 – Bangkok – UOB Live
- Nov 15 – Manila – Mall of Asia Arena
- Nov 18 – Hong Kong – AsiaWorld-Expo, Hall 10
- Nov 20 – Singapore – Singapore Indoor Stadium
- Nov 22 – Kuala Lumpur – Idea Live Arena
- Nov 24 – Taipei – Taipei International Convention Center (TICC)
- Nov 26 – Osaka – BIGCAT
- Nov 27 – Tokyo – Zepp DiverCity
- TBA – Seoul, SK – TBA
Keep up with Wave to Earth: Instagram // Spotify // TikTok // X // Youtube
