Along with Fresh Always On, Akua released Drink! Refreshing Dream, Sink into AKUA. I’m not sure why the band decided to split releases, but offer them on the same day though if you want the full Akua experience then buy both albums. Depending on how you listen to the EPs, Drink! Refreshing Dream, Sink into AKUA could either be the start or continuation of your Akua experience. I think people should start with Drink! Refreshing Dream, Sink into AKUA first.
There’s something calming about Akua. “She Got The Control” starts pretty minimalistic with just the guitar and drums before adding the vocals and second guitar. I think what sticks out with Akua is that the music has no ego. It just feels like it flows off each beat with the only purpose to give you a landscape to escape in. It only gets better on “Sea.” Since Akua has established themselves on “She Got The Control,” they’re able to go right into the meat of their dreampop and shoegaze style. There’s no hint of aggression on the song and like the title, you are drifting with each beat.
Somehow each song gets better than the one previous. I don’t know how long it takes for Akua to compose their songs, but if they came organically I wouldn’t be surprised. “Monday” is my favorite song from the EP because it’s a little different. The tempo is slightly faster and the melody and rhythm is a bit dance friendly. I think this song could easily be played on the radio and people would get into it. It does sound like the last three songs add some speed from the beginning, but you are still full ingrained in Akua’s ecosystem. Finishing the EP with “Blue Light,” Akua have a second single behind “Monday.” It feels like the natural closer to the EP, but also could be a standing single without a problem.
Both Drink! Refreshing Dream, Sink into AKUA and Fresh Always On create one of the best albums of 2016. There aren’t enough dream pop bands in South Korea and there need to be more. I need more Akua soon because these ten songs aren’t enough.
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Chris P
Korean Indie owner and Editor at Large. Constantly looking for new music and working on library parity on Spotify and YouTube Music.