Grunge and K-pop aren’t two genres that typically go hand in hand. When you think of the former you think of 1990’s Seattle, Kurt Cobain, and flannels, while the latter sparks imagery of bright stages, intense choreography, and groups of members nearing or exceeding the double digits. That’s all about to change with THEBLACKLABEL and 88rising’s rising artist LØREN. His name was initially brought to the forefront of K-pop fans’ attention when he got writer credits on Blackpink’s first full-length album, but he is determined to make a name for himself as a musician. If you’ve been looking for your grunge music fix but are still deep in the quote K-pop phase unquote, LØREN might be the artist you’ve been looking for.
‘EMPTY TRASH’
This song was LØREN’s debut as a soloist, and it really set the sound that we had been craving for a long time. The music video itself has an aesthetic that is straight out of the early 2000s, with scenes of LØREN in a tunnel with his instruments or seemingly film footage of the singer at a house. There are some more aesthetic shots intermixed, but the song is really what helps make the music video shine. “All the sh*t you put me through,” he sings as an opening to the song and the first line of the chorus, the vocal style seems like something Kurt Cobain would sing, and it gives our flannel and band tee-wearing heart the warm and fuzzies.
‘NEED’
From the heavily distorted guitar to the repeated “Ooo-eee ooo-eee ooo” this song definitely feels like something we’d rock out to at Warped Tour during the festival’s heyday. Even the way that the chorus lists what LØREN needs seems to fit in a 90’s punk anthem. There is one thing for certain; while he needs a little bit of madness, we need a lot more from LØREN. This song has us headbanging and rocking out to the air guitar in our bedrooms, and we label this song a ‘need’ for your playlists.
‘Folks’
‘Folks’ is LØREN’s latest release and his first since performing at SXSW in Texas. He really leans into his grunge sound with a type of angst that truly encompasses the genre. You don’t need to speak Korean to understand the song, with enough of the lyrics in English to let the message come through. Even without the English lyrics, though, the music video coupled with LØREN’s tone and emotions in his song, the message still shines through. We’re going to hum the chorus for at least the next few days.
LØREN may sing that all of his friends are turning blue in his 2022 English song of the same name. All of our friends are turning into LØREN stans. He originally showed that he was a force to be reckoned with while working on the composition for G-Dragon’s hit ‘Bullsh*t’ his powers only grew in the years that followed, and he truly is about to be unstoppable. Now tell us, our beloved Honeybees, either leave a comment or send us a tweet and let us know which LØREN song has you lacing up your vans, pulling on a beanie, and lining your waterline with black eyeliner.
