Swedish dance producer Armand Jakobsson, known professionally as DJ Seinfeld, is in the midst of a tremendous run of one-off singles like last year's "If U Like Me" and "Hopecore." Today, he's got a very new track with vocals from Sogumm, a member of the Seoul colletive Balming Tiger.
Balming Tiger were a Band To Watch in 2021, and they dropped the very fun Greatest Hits EP last year. They present themselves as "underground K-pop, extra-alternative." If we're going to accept that framing, then maybe "Are You In?" is the extra-underground version of when BTS and Steve Aoki would have a song together. It's way cooler than that, though -- a swirling, whispering dance banger that makes virtues of its echo-murmur vocals and its lo-tech '90s bass sound. The track was apparently made for Hyundai’s InsterStudios video series, and I don't know what that is, but congrats to Hyundai for sponsoring a very cool new single. Here's what DJ Seinfeld says about it:
Collaborating with artists from different genres is definitely my preference because people come with new styles and ideas, and probably a different outlook on music, but also life. You're almost guaranteed to make something that you haven't done before. For me, that was super exciting... [Sogumm] had a lot of energy, and I think the coolest part was definitely when the beats started coming together. It was super fun to work with her!
And here's what Sogumm says:
The moment we've been waiting for finally arrives, and it feels as though time has peeled away, leaving behind a mix of excitement and unfamiliarity. At this starting point, the new me and the old me stand face-to-face, each feeling like a stranger to the other. In the end, all I can do is move forward with a sincere heart. This song reflects the feelings of hope, truth, and the emotional turbulence of that new beginning.
Listen below.
