Emerging from Seoul, South Korea, is UMF, and the band have made a striking first impression with "Märzen". The album does a great job of blending alternative rock, art rock, post-punk, indie rock, and psychedelic textures.
... a thrilling and accessible Korean rock album packed with variety, energy, and memorable hooks.
The opening track of the album is titled "Drifting Generation" and is the longest track on the 12-song release, but once those horns come in around the 20-second mark, you'll be gripped, and you'll be looking forward to the next 43 or so minutes, as we did.
On the very first play of the album, the opening song was an absolute grabber for us. It really brought us in and got us addicted to the sounds that they have. The dark sounds, mixed with some moodier alternative noises, were a stroke of genius.
The LP also has some punkier sounds, such as "At the Gates of Dusk" and "Galaxy", offering up more of a radio-friendly pop-punk kind of sound. The whole album is absolutely solid. You would never have thought of a rock band coming out of South Korea sounding this accessible, but they are.
My personal favourite on the album is the Korean-titled "Gudang Bahan". This is something that I love in bands. They have plenty of English tracks, but they still manage to throw in one in their native tongue. This offering, which is less than three minutes long, is an absolute thrill, with solid guitars, plenty of rushing drums, and those native vocals.
Rounding out the album is the title track of the release, and it is a fantastic example of everything they are about: a rushing intro shortly followed by some vocals that are unapologetically Korean. It is once again under three minutes long but will leave you hooked for its entire duration, beckoning you forwards for one more spin of the album for good measure.
I personally really enjoyed the ride on this album, with punk textures, Korean rock, and everything in between. Literally everything in between, with all the sub-genres thrown in for good measure, even a bit of metal here and there. If you like any sort of rock music, then be sure to give this album a spin while you can. A very strong 8.2 out of 10.