Silica Gel are an unpredictable band. Will they release a 19-minute track that morphs from acoustic plucks to electronic layers, as they did with ‘S G T A P E – 02’, deliver indie-rock anthems like ‘No Pain’ or take on a more classical piano piece in the likes of ‘MachineboyGong’?
That reputation for being impossible to pin down is one the Korean indie band have built over years of experimental works, from their early days as a group that included VJs among their number to their sprawling second album, 2023’s ‘Power Andre 99’. Their latest move, ‘NamgungFEFERE’, sees them team up with Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner for a song that shifts from dreamy drifting to energetic electronic-fuelled rock. It’s the first intriguing step into their next era.
Silica Gel’s drummer “Geonjay sent the file to the members and when everybody heard it, we thought if we could work on this song with a featuring artist, it would be a very fun song to be created,” singer and keyboardist Kim Hanjoo explains to NME over video call from the band’s rehearsal room shortly after its release. “We felt the potential of it and tried to pull that out of the song while working on it, and then imagined collaborating with Japanese Breakfast.”
The collaboration represents not just a coming together of two artful and innovative acts, but also new ambitions for Silica Gel. Already indie heroes in their homeland, they’re now looking to spread their music further afield – a mission already started with appearances at festivals like Vivid Sydney, Primavera Sound and Festival Les Escales last year.
“It was a really big honour” to play Primavera Sound, says bassist Choi Woonghee. “When I was first playing bass, I was always dreaming about playing Glastonbury or Primavera, or some huge rock festival. I was really shocked [at Primavera] because it [felt like] real freedom. I was shocked about everything – the music, the people, everything.”
Why did you want to work with Japanese Breakfast and how did you eventually meet her and get her involved?
Kim Chunchu: “Actually, we met Michelle maybe five or six years ago, so we already knew her when she came to Korea. We watched her career [grow] and we’re so glad to see her success. Silica Gel has grown up pretty well in Korea so [we thought] when we make a single this year, maybe she can make the song great and have a great influence on the global market. We want to make more active movements on the global market, so maybe she could be a good partner for that. But the most important thing is the members all love her music and love her as a person, and we have common ground through East Asian culture.”
Kim Hanjoo: “The first time we heard the song, we weren’t like, ‘Oh, we have to work with Michelle’. It was more that as we were listening to the demo and working on it, her voice naturally came to our minds and we decided to reach out to her.”
Michelle hasn’t written lyrics in Korean very often before ‘NamgungFEFERE’. What were you expecting to receive from her, given Korean isn’t her first language?
Hanjoo: “When we requested a part from Michelle, we didn’t give her a guide – it was her choice to use Korean or English. It didn’t really matter. When we received it, it was a mix of both and it made us very happy. Even though Korean isn’t her first language, she tried her best to write in Korean and we were very thankful and felt very welcomed by that. She also connected the lyrics to English, which made her part very balanced, so that was really good.”
If you didn’t give her a guide in terms of language, were there any prompts or a brief for her in terms of themes the lyrics should explore?
Kim Geonjay: “At first, Hanjoo was the key person for communicating with Michelle. Much like [how] he didn’t give her any guide for language for her part, he also didn’t give her any guide for writing her part. It was all her choice and we let her do her art on her part. After we received it, we were just thinking about how we were going to work on it and then the version that was released [earlier this month] came out.”
Is there a connection between ‘NamgungFEFERE’ and the Machine Boy universe that you created on ‘Power Andre 99’ and the ‘MachineBoy’ EP, or does this single take us into a new story?
Choi Woonghee: “There are a few connections between ‘NamgungFEFERE’ and Machine Boy, but at the same time, it’s very new as well. It’s a completely different story and then has a few connections [between the two]. We’re trying to make a different universe after Machine Boy, but we’re just trying to make something fun out of it. We’re trying to make it fun, not just for us, who are working on it, but for everybody – fans and the audience.”
How does ‘NamgungFEFERE’ signpost the direction you’re taking on new music and your next album?
Geonjay: “‘NamgungFEFERE’ is more like a song that has each member’s feelings and melodies in it. In our third album, we’re wishing to do that more and show our own identities. We’re very open-minded and we have a lot of demos ready, but we’re trying to purify them and trying to sort them out and what the best direction to go is. We have one goal, which is trying to do something fun.”
What has been influencing the songs you’re working on so far, whether sonically, lyrically or thematically?
Woonghee: “If you look at the Silica Gel Instagram profile picture, there’s a small sprout coming out [in the corner]. That’s the image that we’re building for the third album, it’s a theme of starting new lives. We’re thinking about containing something natural, but at the same time not natural.”
Hanjoo: “The previous songs we released were very machine-themed. ‘NamgungFEFERE’ could have acoustic elements so it’s more of a hybrid idea. We’ll focus more on something like ‘NamgungFEFERE’ – something that is very hybrid.”
What is your vision for the next chapter of Silica Gel – in terms of how you want to grow the band and develop, as well as your status within the music scene?
Chunchu: “We’re making different genres and styles for our music, so first we have to make those songs and then the next most important thing is touring and overseas performances, interviews like this one and making global fans. We want to make a good reference for Korean indie musicians on the global market, so we want to do a successful tour and album campaign for our next album.
“Because Asian countries are so close to each other, we can easily go to those countries and make a show, so maybe Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, maybe Indonesia, will be the first goals for our tour. But we’d love to go to the US or the UK – on our side, we think we’d have a lot of fans in the UK. So, the UK and the US is our next goal.”
You’re holding some shows in Korea next month. What kind of show are you hoping to put on this time and how do you want to level up your performance at these concerts?
Hanjoo: “We’re preparing the music with all our passion and all our hearts. We’re exploring and talking about how we’re going to make a very strong impact on the audience and we’re thinking about the whole concert’s storytelling. We’ve set the setlist in the order of the release – so the first album, second album, EP, etc, it’s in release order. We’re trying to get the audience to think about how Silica Gel were able to get the reputation that we have or how we grew up in the scene.”
The Korean indie scene is full of so many interesting, exciting artists. Who would you personally recommend and why?
Geonjay: “There are so many bands in Korea, but the one I picked is called Wah Wah Wah. It’s Woonghee’s! He plays guitar and he sings.”
Chunchu: “Wah Wah Wah is a great band. I also have a solo project named Noridogam and there’s a keyboard player in our band called Kangziwon. She makes music and arrangements and string sections for other musicians and she’s very talented. Maybe Wah Wah Wah and Noridogam will make an EP and collaborate, too – maybe in September?”
Geonjay: “I want to recommend another musician – his name is Mulsoo, he’s the bassist in Balming Tiger. He sings and plays bass solo and the bass solo is incredible, so you have to listen to Mulsoo’s ‘Asphalt’.”
Hanjoo: “My recommendation is a band called Byul.org, their Korean name is 모임 별 and 모임 means community in Korean. They have an electronic sound and a band sound together at the same time so it’s very fun to listen to. The reason why they were created was not that they were trying to be a band, it was more like a drinking community or party in the beginning. They would all gather up and read poems together, share books that inspired them – anything to share something artistic. One day, they decided to become a band. They were just like, ‘Hey, should we make music?’ I love the story of how the band was created and I love the music. The leader of the group is a graphic designer as well and the branding is very fun to look at too.”
Chunchu: “We made our very first concert with them, too, so it’s very meaningful for us.”
Woonghee: “I prepared Wah Wah Wah… [laughter] but I can recommend another. Did you hear about Huijun Woo? She’s a bassist and singer, she sings like a Korean Thundercat. It’s a very different style. She has a really good voice and really pure songs.”
Silica Gel’s ‘NamgungFEFERE’ featuring Japanese Breakfast is out now via CAM