I’ve listened to some Asian Boys, Crying‘s older singles, and waited for a longer release to review. a s l o w l o s s o f a g e n c y is different because according to the release notes, the songs were written during college and highlight that specific time. Now it feels like a s l o w l o s s o f a g e n c y is a chapter marker instead of a presentation of “new” music.
Asian Boys, Crying on this EP is a mix of indie rock mixed with other genre influences. “i think too much” sounds like a melancholy solo track that’s an introspective dive into the past. There’s definitely a rawness to the track. It’s fully realized but doesn’t have a fine polish which I like. It does sound like a demo, but also works well as the first song.
That changes on “citipop (I confess, I tend to make everything feel so empty but I hope to find meaning in you).” The track includes some funk and jazz elements to switch the style from “I think too much.” It’s a big switch but also highlights the composing talents. Since a s l o w l o s s o f a g e n c y is a bundle of time-specific songs, it makes sense that it jumps genres.
“around u” moves back to “i think too much” territory and adds a percussion line. The song also adds more extra synth lines in the verses for some added audio space and the vocal filtering marks a change in the song too. “around u” sounds like a song that was recorded like a stream-of-consciousness experiment because the song builds with every verse.
I’m kind of surprised at the emotional weight that Asian Boys, Crying presents. Since the vocals are in English, it sounds less like something you’d hear in South Korea and more like something from a United States-based indie artist. a s l o w l o s s o f a g e n c y speaks to a younger audience and perspective.
The blend of “i’m a kid” and “bipolar bourgeoisie bop” is a favorite transition on the EP. There’s finally a recognizable full band sound on “bipolar bourgeoisie bop” and that might be the point of the song connection. The track burns quickly as it transitions into a wider sound. A big surprise is how Asian Boys, Crying uses saxophone because it really changes the song style.
As for “everything is gonna be alright,” I think it’s best you listen to it fresh. I wasn’t sure what to think about Asian Boys, Crying. And finding out that a s l o w l o s s o f a g e n c y is a set of songs from the past already proves there’s a lot of talent brewing. I’m going to have to keep watch and see where the band goes.
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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.