As always, there are artists that slip through my feed and I don’t find them until after they’ve released something great. Della Zyr is a great example of that. Vitamins and Apprehension was released in January 2022 and I only found the album in late December 2022. What stuck out about the tone of the EP was it reminded me a lot of Donawhale, one of the most influential bands of my Korean Indie journey.
“Following Her to No Particular Sunrise” sounds like what Donawhale could have been on a third or fourth release. Della Zyr captures that indie rock and indie pop sound perfectly. The layered instrumentals with conversations between guitars and synth are a perfect reminder of why I like Donawhale.
And even better, Della Zyr presents this effortlessly. I think that the percussion on the track is programmed as there are some rhythms that don’t seem entirely organic. But this eight-minute song shows off Della Zyr’s dream pop and shoegaze talents.
The next song, “Pale Blue Dot” is a bit more subdued and presents a mellow indie rock song. Della Zyr’s vocals (and in English) are warm and carry a longing as they glide over each verse. “Pale Blue Dot” does a great job showing a different side from the introduction to Vitamins and Apprehension.
“Dream I: 호박씨, 고마움, 아쉬움” is a short introduction track that really sets up “Dream II: 저울.” The two songs are an excellent break among the six songs. “Dream II: 저울” is interesting because it uses the same foundation that Della Zyr set up in previous songs, but adds a bit of an alternative folk layer. Looking at the lyrics, I finally realized that Della Zyr mixes Korean and English in her songs. Verses exchange languages without a problem and everything sounds natural. This is a song that really reminds me of Dajung‘s audio world and it’d be great to hear a split EP or something.
Vitamins and Apprehension is her first release and it’s amazing to hear how well-composed and arranged the album comes through. “살고 싶어!” goes back to the Donawhale-esque sound and mixes in some higher energy tempos and melodies. I think what makes Della Zyr stick out to me is her synth use and how it weaves within each verse.
The final song, “나의 미래 (So Please Don’t Leave Me) / 한숨 / To Go Forward Despite the Terror of Living in This World, Clinging to a Tiny Speck of Hope,” is a beast and an impressive end to the EP. Go in clean and just experience this journey.
Della Zyr released something special. I wish I hadn’t missed the album in 2022 because it would have definitely made my Best of 2022 list. Her second EP, Nebulous You, came out in mid-December 2022 so I’m really curious about what has changed throughout the year.
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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.