Time to wrap things up, looks like everybody has already gone home.
Joseon’s latest track, AMFAL, skillfully blends together sweet psychedelic sounds and dreamy tones, creating a captivating and mesmerizing listening experience.
Describe your sound in 3 words
Immersive, Hypnotic, Visceral
Tell us a few things about AMFAL. What is the story behind it?
AMFAL is a reminder of Joseon’s frustrations during a time of uncertainty. It’s a bittersweet song about letting go of past versions of yourself and people who evoke those qualities, serving as a reminder of who you no longer wish to be. It was written at the tail end of a whole year apart from each other due to school commitments. We all had our reservations about where the band stood when we met up to jam in person for the first time in a year last summer in LA. But as soon as we started playing it was like instant relief, like there’d never been any doubt in the first place. All the pieces just snapped right back into place. Within the first five minutes of jamming in Jonah’s garage, we’ve never looked back.
How did you meet and form Joseon?
Our (Brennan / Grant) parents were friends before either of us were even a thought. Quarantine 2020 had many downsides, but travel was a silver lining. We met Los Angeles-based dancer Jonah Cho (who also happens to play the drums sometimes) on our gap semester visiting the motherland, South Korea. On a whim, we scrounged up 20,000 won to plug in our instruments and jam in a rundown Hongdae studio for an hour. Despite having met only a day ago and Grant only knowing power chords, in that moment we felt like we’d played with each other for years.
Artists and people that have influenced you?
Beatles, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Young Thug
What album would you suggest for someone feeling isolated, and which album do you think best captures the feeling of frustration?
Awaken, My Love! by Childish Gambino (Isolation) & In Utero by Nirvana (Frustration)
Aliens visit us from far away and they want to know what makes a song ‘psychedelic’. What would be your answer?
An otherworldly listening experience induced by hypnotizing melodic phrases and atmospheric soundscapes. The song becomes its own entity, with the instrumental and vocals working together like paint on a canvas to transport the listener to whatever headspace the artist desires. Whether fast, slow, dizzying, or focused, its controlled chaos is always entrancing. Then we’d take them to our leader. Thought we forgot about the aliens, didn’t you?
What do you love/hate about Los Angeles?
We love the terrain and weather of Los Angeles. Especially considering that we all go to school on the east coast and midwest, there’s nothing better than coming home and waking up to the LA sun. The lookouts and grub, if you know the right spots, are always worth the drive day or night. On the other hand, we hate the very cliquey aura among the people of LA. They don’t usually interact with others outside their safe little circles, and there’s a definite sense of unease when disrupting norms; an underlying sense of anxiety built into the social fabric. Other than that, traffic.
If you were arrested, what would it be for?
Graffiti. Disturbing the peace. Then grand theft auto.
Thank you!
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