JAMBINAI
“Most people expect Asian traditional music to make something smooth for yoga or meditation”, says Lee Il-woo of Korean noiseniks Jambinai. The follow-up to 2016’s A Hermitage, ONDA is anything but meditative, fusing ferocious metal and post-rock. Opener Sawtooth is named after a soundwave due to its shifting dynamic, while The Woods considers environmental catastrophe. “The earth is in serious pain”, says Lee. “After the US tour of 2017, I travelled the country for a month. I was worried about my future, but when I visited the Grand Canyon, Mother Nature cheered me up. Back in Korea, I wrote more songs with confidence and happiness.”