SOUTH KOREAN ARTIST SOYOON HWANG’S SE SO NEON RELEASES DEBUT ALBUM NOW
NOW, the debut album from genre-defying South Korean band SE SO NEON, is out now to critical praise. 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. Sung primarily in Korean, their music is rooted both in the present and in nature, making NOW relatable regardless of any language barrier. “People will feel my energy and my soul,” Soyoon proclaims.
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 realize that she needed to worry about the future less and live in the present more. “That’s why the album title is NOW,” 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 NOW, aiming to defy genres to create a wholly unpredictable, yet utterly natural landscape, much like the ones she marveled at as a child in Korea and as a young adult in Los Angeles. “I love nature—sky, sunshine,” she furthers. “NOW is about nature, because I’m from nature.”
In conjunction with the release of new music, SE SO NEON will take their lauded live show back on the road this fall with a run of headline tour dates. Kicking off on September 3, the NOW North American Tour will stop at iconic venues across the country, including performances at New York’s Brooklyn Steel, Los Angeles’ The Wiltern, DC’s 9:30 Club, Chicago’s Metro and many more. Full tour routing can be found below while tickets are available for purchase at sesoneon.com.
SE SO NEON was formed in 2016 by Soyoon. Mirroring their sonic dexterity, the band has seen various iterations with Soyoon remaining the consistent anchor. Winning “Rookie of the Year” and “Best Rock Song of the Year” at the prestigious Korean Music Awards in their debut year, SE SO NEON instantly became a leading figure of South Korea’s indie scene.
In 2020, SE SO NEON released their EP Nonadaptation, which was featured in Pitchfork’s “The 35 Best Rock Albums of 2020” and Paste’s “The 40 Best Rock Albums of 2020.” In addition, the band was also selected as one of Fender’s “Next Artists of 2020.” SE SO NEON was also the only South Korean band to be selected for YouTube Music’s global artist development program, YouTube Music Foundry.
NOW
TRACKLIST
- Twit Winter
- Remember!
- New Romantic
- Now
- Secret Police
- Small Heart
- Eden
- Jayu
- Kidd
- 3Revolution
- Pandq
- O
SE SO NEON LIVE
Wednesday, September 3 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
Friday, September 5 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
Saturday, September 6 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
Tuesday, September 9 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel
Wednesday, September 10 – Boston, MA – Royale
Friday, September 12 – Montreal, QC – Théâtre Beanfield
Saturday, September 13 – Toronto, ON – The Phoenix Concert Theatre
Monday, September 15 – Chicago, IL – Metro
Tuesday, September 16 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater
Friday, September 19 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox
Saturday, September 20 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
Sunday, September 21 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
Tuesday, September 23 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom
Thursday, September 25 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park
Friday, September 26 – Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory OC
Saturday, September 27 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
Thursday, October 2 – Mexico City, MX – Teatro Metropolitan
Tuesday, October 14 – Manchester, UK – Academy 2
Wednesday, October 15 – London, UK – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Friday, October 17 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Melkweg OZ
Saturday, October 18 – Paris, France – Alhambra
Sunday, October 19 – Cologne, Germany – Bürgerhaus Stollwerck
Tuesday, October 21 – Berlin, Germany – Heimathafen Neukölln
Friday, November 14 – Tokyo, Japan – The Garden Hall
Saturday, November 15 – Okayama, Japan – Setouchi Contemporary Festival
Wednesday, November 19 – Seoul, South Korea – Love In Seoul – Blue Square Mastercard Hall
Thursday, November 20 – Taipei, Taiwan – SUB Live
Saturday / Sunday, November 22 -23: Taoyuan, Taiwan – Fireball Festival
Wednesday, December 10 – Brisbane, Australia – The Triffid
Thursday, December 11 – Sydney, Australia – Metro Theatre
Saturday December 13 – Melbourne, Australia – Northcote Theatre
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