Today, genre-defying South Korean band, SE SO NEON drops their highly anticipated debut album ”. Sung primarily in Korean, their music is rooted both in the present and in nature, making ” relatable regardless of any language barrier. 
Led by songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, Soyoon Hwang (also known for her So!YoON! solo project), SE SO NEON have crafted their own brand of lo-fi and vintage sound, displaying a wide spectrum of musical influences varying from blues and psychedelic rock to new wave and synth pop. “People will feel my energy and my soul,” Soyoon proclaims.
Led by the focus track of the same name, “NOW” is SE SO NEON at their most expansive — a bilingual slow-burn that swells with atmospheric vocals, haunting echoes, and the raw intensity of overdriven, melodic guitar riffs. Shifting seamlessly between Korean and English, and anchored by the aching refrain “what should I do now”, the band leans into vulnerability over a bed of echoing vocals and spacious instrumentation. It’s raw, reflective, and unmistakably SE SO NEON.
After releasing her second solo album, ‘Episode1: Love’ in 2023, Soyoon felt anxiety about the band’s next move. She decided she needed a change of scenery, so she traveled to New York City to work on the next phase of SE SO NEON’s music. Being in different surroundings and spending almost 10 hours a day in the studio proved invigorating and it also made her realise that she needed to worry less about the future and live more in the present. “That’s why the album title is ”,” Soyoon says. “I had been thinking, ‘I’m done. I’m not going to do music anymore.’ But after that New York experience, I felt hope.”
Soyoon’s guitar playing is key to ”, aiming to defy genres to create a wholly unpredictable, yet utterly natural landscape, much like the ones she marvelled at as a child in Korea and as a young adult in Los Angeles. “I love nature—sky, sunshine,” she furthers. “” is about nature, because I’m from nature.”
” Tracklisting:
1. Twit Winter
2. Remember!
3. New Romantic
4. Now
5. Secret Police
6. Small Heart
7. Eden
8. Jayu
9. Kidd
10. Revolution
11. Pandq
12. O
