Juck Juck Grunzie
mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea | Established. Jan 01, 2014 | SELF
Music
Press
It’s been a long time of waiting for Juck Juck Grunzie‘s full-length. After their single, Soundchecking, which was recorded before the band ventured into a new direction, Psycho is much more of a mix of styles. It combines elements of post-rock, rock, psychedelica, and sometimes funk. The mixture is strange on first listen, but the practice that the band put in has produced a very impressive result.
Starting with “Psycho,” there are small elements of Primus that come across during the sections without vocals. This was surprising because I haven’t listened to Primus in a long time, but was immediately
reminded.
Juck Juck Grunzie also play a cover of Dead Kennedys‘ “To Drunk to Fuck” which is a great rendition of the song in their style. The meat of the album definitely happens midway through with much more dense songs. Vocalist and keyboardist Ah-reum uses vocals as another instrument rather than guiding the music, it flows within the music. All the different instruments produce standalone melodies that mesh together.
“Meth-Odd” is probably my favorite song on the album because the slow tempo that finds a groove combined with Jeehye‘s impressive guitar. Combine that with the impressive bass melodies from Booooong and the technical drumming from Geun Chang and the result is a perfect collaboration. The album is sung in English so it’s easy to understand the lyrics, even though the distortion on the vocals
might make it a little difficult to understand at times.
Psycho is the album I’ve been waiting for from Juck Juck Grunzie. It captures the power of their live shows while restraining it slightly. The band’s live show is an amazing experience and you can get a taste of it on Psycho. - koreanindie
Discography
Photos
Bio
The
band erupted onto Seouls underground scene in 2007 as four-piece all-girl
post-punk outfit performing Hairspray Queen at a Nirvana cover show. After
playing the show clad in nothing but their underwear Juck Juck Grunzie
established themselves as force in the alternative scene in traditionally
conservative South Korea. For the next three years, the band garnished a name
for themselves by performing abrasive post-punk and noise rock songs while
dressed in everything from soccer uniforms to pajamas. In May of 2011, Juck
Juck Grunzie recorded their first EP Soundchecking, with new bassist Hyojeong
Shim in one take at a live indie club in Seoul. The songs on the EP as well as the
recording process reflect the punk-ethos which had guided the band up until
that time.
In
2012, with the addition of new drummer Geunchang Park, Juck Juck Grunzie took
the stage at Jisan Valley Rock Festival, one of Koreas largest music
festivals. Later that year, the band took second place in, Hello Rookie, an
annual music competition aired nationwide in search of the best up and coming
indie bands in Korea. Following their acceptance of the award, the band
continued to expand their fan-base, most notably, with a nationally broadcasted
showcases in 2012 (and again in 2014), an appearance at Taiwans Spring Scream
Festival in the spring of 2013, and a performance at Hyundai Card City Break
Festival in the summer of 2013. In October 2013, the band released their first
full-length album Psycho. The
album reflects the bands progress from post-punk forging ground in what can be
described as, neo-psychedelic, and has received positive reviews from
national and international critics.
Band Members
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