#곽지현

[likefeathers]

band review #1: owalloil

im not sure exactly how i want to format these posts yet, so i apologize if this is a bit rambly.

great seoul invasion brought a lot of new bands to my attention, which ive been beyond thankful for because oh my god theyre all SO talented. one of these has been owalloil! i really enjoyed watching their live audition, where they played their songs ‘young adult’ and ‘tree.’ i added them to my playlist after hearing them, but never listened to those songs much afterwards and never dove into the rest of their discography...

until a few days ago!!

i decided to put their music on shuffle while on my way to get breakfast; usually i wont listen to new music first thing in the morning but i was in a Mood and decided why not lol. i actually remember this really vividly, because the weather was amazing--it was foggy and not too hot, and there were leaves falling everywhere. the vibes were immaculate and i feel like they really complimented owalloils sound...which is what ill be moving onto!

i wasnt entirely sure what to expect after listening to the two aforementioned songs..i liked that they were upbeat, but often times ill listen to a song or two from a band, like them a lot then find out none of their other songs sound like that (not that its always a bad thing!). owalloil, however, leads a really nice transition from their softer songs to their more upbeat ones. they have an INCREDIBLY distinct sound, which is something that always pulls me deep into a kband

before i talk about the instruments and roles within the band, i wanna talk about the members. there are three members; leader and synth kwak jihyeon, vocalist and guitarist ryu jiho, and guitarist jang taewung. jiho and taewung are enfps and jihyeon is infp which i think is the funniest dynamic on the planet. jihyeon looks like their supervisor who never outright admits how much he adores his children... anyway! jiho is an absolute sunshine im a bit shocked its possible to be as cute as he is. he has the most ADORABLE smile on earth i cherish it dearly. taewung...i haven’t completely figured this dude out yet but hes like jihos partner in crime. overall incredible vibes with these guys

now onto instruments, you probably noticed i didnt mention a bassist or drummer (or have been waiting to hear me talk about this if you already stan!). owalloil has by far the most unique instrument lineup ive seen in a band. they were lowkey ridiculed for it on great seoul invasion, but i think the idea that a band must consist of the four traditional elements is so outdated. im not completely sure about this, but from what i hear and gather from my knowledge of synthetic instruments, it sounds like jihyeon produces the bass and drum sounds using his synth getup. the rhythm lines sound like they have less full of a base compared to recorded instruments, especially when you compare their independent tracks to their songs from great seoul invasion, where they had a guest bassist and drummer. im a total nerd for synthy stuff, so you can imagine this sound is right up my alley. jiho’s voice is REALLY nice. like. really really nice. the veeeeery vague rasp, the curve of his vowels, the range, its all just perfect. its really fun listening to how much energy his voice can have when singing quicker paced songs, and how relaxing and soft it can be in owalloil’s ballads. i was actually a bit sleepy while listening to them in one of my classes recently...they make incredible lullabies! taewung is a really fun guitarist to listen to. the bands guitar parts always sound like the ocean, very flowy and wavy and they have this glimmer to them that makes them really memorable as something that makes you feel lively. overall, owalloil is a complete feel-good band

oh oh real quick though, theres another thing i wanted to add about instruments! in one of their gsi stages, ‘the world we lived,’ jihyeon plays the glockenspiel! if youre unaware, glockenspiel is a mallet percussion instrument, like a tiny metal xylophone. it adds the most beautiful sound to the song..to me it sounds like twinkling stars. as a mallet percussionist myself seeing jihyeon play it honestly made me consider biasing him even more...

my favorite songs by them are ‘warrior’, ‘tree’, and ‘echo!’ the melody of echo is SO satisfying, and the lyrics to warrior are so gorgeous, especially the chorus. tree is so fun and its special to me as the first owalloil song i heard!

all in all these guys are an incredible addition to my stan list, and im honestly so thankful they seem to be getting a lot of traction from other kband stans these days. lets hope they go far!

[solplparty]

[GSI] 오월오일 (五月五日) (OWALLOIL) - 별 빛이 내린다 (Star Shower) Teaser https://youtu.be/iU8QGZ6EWv4 [GSI] 오월오일 (五月五日) (OWALLOIL) - 별 빛이 내린다 (Star Shower) Teaser ＜GREAT SEOUL INVASION＞ 한국 밴드 음악의 세계를 향한 도전! 대한민국 밴드 음악의 반란이 시작된다. 5라운드 미션의 주제는 [RESPECT] 치열한 대결 끝에 5라운드에 진출한 5팀이 [RESPECT] 미션을 통해 2000년대 밴드 사운드의 대표곡들을 자신만의 스타일로 재해석하여 연주, 이를 통해 FINAL 3 진출자를 가리게 된다. [INTRODUCE] 오월오일 ( 五月五日 ) - 별 빛이 내린다 도시의 차가움 속에 우리 삶의 아름다움을 표현한 곡이라고 생각했습니다 별은 어둠을 만나더라도 온전히 자기의 빛을 내고 있으니까요 삶 속에 차가운 바람들이 불어와도 우리는 마치 별들과 같이 그 삶 속에서 살아가고 있다고 생각해요 우리는 지금 이 순간에도 빛을 내며 살아가고 있고, 그 마음이 오월오일의 색깔과 많이 닮아있다고 생각했습니다 곡에 담긴 말들에 집중하여 온전히 우리들 감성으로 전달했어요 [CREDIT] Produced by 오월오일 (五月五日), 박영빈 Park Youngbin Lyrics by 안녕바다 Bye Bye Sea Composed by 안녕바다 Bye Bye Sea Arranged by 오월오일 (五月五日), 박영빈 Park Youngbin, 문성환 Moon Sunghwan Vocal 류지호 Ryu Jiho Guitar 장태웅 Jang Taewung, 김규범 Kim Kyubeom Synth 곽지현 Kwak Jihyeon, NTHT Keyboard 곽지현 Kwak Jihyeon Chorus Vocal 류지호 Ryu Jiho Bass 박영빈 Park Youngbin Recorded by 전승환 Jeon Seunghwan @The Mix LAB Mixed by 전승환 Jeon Seunghwan @The Mix LAB Mastered by 권남우 Kwon Namwoo @821 Sound Mastering #그레이트서울인베이전 #GSI #오월오일 Stone Music Entertainment