“who’s that in my mirror?” - musical retrospection

 “who’s that in my mirror?” - musical retrospection

<colde’s yin EP & release party>

by desi | 데지 (intrbloo)

It’s 2017. You’re lying in your bed on yet another one of your music searching rabbit-holes, falling deeper into the abyss of the Korean hip-hop scene. Eric Bellinger’s collaboration with Dean a few years prior sparked the initial passionate flame, leading you to discover the latter’s feature on a project by “offonoff” – a duo consisting of singer-songwriter, Colde, and producer, 0channel/EOH. Suddenly you’re fluent in all the lyrics from the <boy.> album, finding yourself totally immersed in the happenings of Club Eskimo and offonoff… all the way from your childhood bedroom in Germany. A teenager with a dream, you witness the founding of labels you.will.knovv and Wavy, and wonder if you’ll ever have the chance to experience the iconic parties and concerts you see all over your Twitter feed. Bumping their discographies on loop through your headphones for years on end, it’s suddenly 2024, you’re celebrating your 4th year living in Seoul and graduating from Korea University, this time physically at the scene of Colde’s release party for his newest project, “YIN.” 

Incredibly surreal, to say the least.

the tracks ♡

Just as the “Nirvana Blues” lyrics encapsulate, “Oh, who’s that in my mirror / You look just like me / But you smell like teen spirit” – the whole experience of listening to this EP and attending the release party has so deeply fed my teenage nostalgia and transported me back to the days when I dreamed of living just as I am right now. Although my dreams and nostalgia may lie in a different dimension than those of the singer-songwriter, experiencing my coming-of-age journey and slowly fulfilling my dreams with his art persistently as my life’s background soundtrack has surely embedded Colde in a very special sphere of my heart. Beginning every day since its release with “Your Dog Loves You” as my morning alarm (that’s over 2,000 days btw) and traveling all the way to Busan to attend his first post-pandemic concert, my sentimentality for the singer feels almost never-ending. A similar retrospection and reminiscence are weaved throughout the new three-track EP in various ways;, the title, “YIN,” literally stands for “Youth in Nostalgia,” convincing me that this project will stick with me for many years to come. 

toxic love °˖➴

When the countdown for YIN’s release finally reached zero, and the first track “Toxic Love” met my ears with its escalating intro, I was immediately obsessed. The addictive clap sound paired with the heart-fluttering bass rhythm is the perfect foundation for Colde’s unique, raw vocals, sonically portraying the “youth in nostalgia” theme. I also found it quite charming that the lyrics in this project are exclusively in English, setting them apart from the singer’s preceding releases (shoutout to Jiwoo and Yukon for their participation in these captivating lyrics). While I really love all three songs, I would definitely label “Toxic Love” as my favorite on this EP, already having streamed it 40+ times as I’m writing this. The instrumental itself has such an alluring effect, and layering that with Colde’s hybrid singing-rapping qualities, not to mention his gorgeous adlibs… absolute chef’s kiss. While I don’t necessarily have a favorite lyric from this song, I utterly adore verse 2 and the subsequent bridge, and would like to highlight the last line in this bridge “Make me feel loved like I do” (1:33). Colde showcases a beautiful falsetto which sends chills down my spine – I have to hold myself back from repeating that part (or the whole song, for that matter), over-and-over-again just to hear it again.

i color you 🖌₊ ⊹

Track 2, “I Color You,” is the title track for this EP, featuring a very colorful and playful music video which is quite reminiscent of the vivid visuals from offonfoff’s <boy.> project in 2017. The song features very wholesome lyrics, highlighting the colors of the rainbow as a metaphor for “bringing out the best” in a partner. In fact, this exact sentiment exists as a line in verse 2, which I find absolutely adorable: “You’re my complementary color, baby / I’m bringing the best outta you”  (1:43). I also really love the lyric in the chorus, “Let’s invent new shades of me and you / Color me, babe, I’ll color you” – a very innocent invitation to make new memories together and “become one” as partners. The fun analogies and figures of speech are reflected in the music video, featuring bright LED signs and striking graffiti in the city. This is just such a feel-good song that makes you want to dance around like nobody’s watching, which Colde also partakes in in this video production, adding +1,000 wholesome points to this track overall. Not to mention, once again, a gorgeous falsetto in the final bridge at 2:54, when he sings “You belong to me / And I belong to you” (... can you tell I’m a sucker for Colde’s falsetto?). This song was a great choice for the title track, and couples the scorching hot summer vibe flawlessly with its early August release date. 

nirvana blues ♪✧˖°

Lastly is the third track, “Nirvana Blues,” which I think lyrically represents the “youth in nostalgia” theme the best. Featuring lyrics about “teen spirit” and a “throwback to my youth,” the Y2K/2010’s sentimentality is strong in this song. I especially like the first 5 lines of verse 1; “You can’t throw shade at me / I’d cool in it” (0:44) a particularly amusing lyric. I really enjoy the vibes of this song, and the lyrics are incredibly relatable as a fellow dream-chasing yet sentimental individual. I found that the bridge perfectly summarizes my retrospective yet present and also prospective thoughts in a way that inspires me to continue creating unforgettable memories and pursuing big aspirations: “Looking back on all the time I spent / Let it all replay inside my head / Good old days, remember? / I could stay in this place forever.” Hearing this song live at the release party really reinforced my desire to enter this industry and document not only my own but various individuals' shared memories and moments of eventual nostalgia.

the release party ★

August 1, 2024, marked the release date for Colde’s EP “YIN,” and just a few days later on August 3rd, he held a release party in Seongsu at a venue below the Wavy company building, formerly a cafe known as Time After Time. Listening to the project upon its release, I knew I had to be at this event, not only to witness the songs being performed live but also to finally satisfy my teenage dream of attending this type of function. While I’ve gone to a fair share of concerts in my lifetime (too many to count at this point), it’s still not every day that you can say you’ve been in a moshpit with two of your favorite artists, right? Not to mention being interviewed by the staff before the show (like woah?!), taking my first tequila shot (gross–), and returning back home in the very early, sun-rising AMs. The whole night completely exceeded my expectations and has made me hopeful for more moments like these in the future… perhaps in a position surpassing my “fan” status. 

I tried putting together a (very) mini release-party recap visualizer with video clips I took throughout the night, which you can watch here. 

I hope everyone enjoys this EP as much as I am~ And 김희수님 or 웨이비직원님 if you’re reading this… I would absolutely love to work under Wavy for any position you may be in need of (A&R, international affairs, content creation, manager, writing, etc.) :P Shooting my shot, desperate times call for desperate measures, right?