Seoul – I Become a Shade

By Ryan G

(by Ryan Getz)

Seoul is one of those quietly epic groups that I’m sad I didn’t find out about until now.

Hailing from Montreal, Quebec, this band mixes dream pop with chill wave in a nice concoction that only should ever be listened to in the dark. I recently saw Tycho tour with Beacon and both acts would be perfectly acceptable to pair with this band. Seoul’s music is a bit more dark and brooding than the sunny, dreamy Tycho, but it conveys a similar degree of warmth.

I recently covered the music video for “The Lines” on here, and it’s truthfully one of my favorite visuals to accompany music since M83 released his trilogy to go with songs on his album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.

One thing I like about this record, titled I Become a Shade, is the smart use of interludes to break up the monotony of the tracks. Yes, even good stuff can get monotonous sometimes.

I Become a Shade conveys a sense of finding comfort in darkness. Shade is where people go to find refuge from the sun’s heat. So this album exists to show that going against stereotypes of light = good and dark = bad isn’t always bad. As a biblical precedent says, the devil sometimes masquerades as an angel of light.

Shoegaze influences come and go throughout the album – notably on “Haunt / A Light” and “Silencer”. “The Lines” doesn’t carry this influence as much but is a clear choice for a single, as it invites you to bask in the soft glow of the record, in the shadows, if you wish.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/208283616″ /]

As I was writing this, some weather rolled through the area. Almost as if to emphasize the comparison I’m about to make, the song “Real June” started playing – the sunniest sounding track on the album. It’s really hot and muggy outside and there are lots of outside festivities happening in downtown Columbus today. While my knee jerk reaction was to feel sorry for the outdoor vendors and the festival patrons, I couldn’t help but think of how the rain was a relief of sorts for these people. “Real June” feels like the a perfect “summer rainy day” track. If I were filming a music video I think I’d have b-roll of people dancing in the rain, filmed in slow motion.

Since I’ve spend a while beating one idea into the ground, I’m going to tell you to just check out I Become a Shade now. OK? OK.