… Wait a minute.

Hey there! And welcome to the K(??)-Music Exchange/Rate! If this is a welcome back, then I take it you’ve been here before and already have a pretty good idea of what this series is all about. However, if this happens to be your first time here and you’re not all that familiar with what this post is, please take a moment to give the following a quick read before diving in any further:

The Exchange/Rate is a tandem album review series conducted every month by yours truly alongside my good friend and fellow Japanese music fan Al (from Omunibasu). Each month we decide on a specific theme with which our reviews would revolve around. We then pick out albums from our respective libraries which we think best coincides with that theme. We will then give the album we chose to the other person and vice versa (exchange), after which we then listen to and subsequently review the album we were given (rate). This project has not only allowed us to explore music beyond our libraries, but it provides an opportunity for us to see our favorite albums from a different point of view. It is our hope that this series is able to do the same for you and that you either find a new artist to try out and/or we offer you a fresh take on one of *your* favorite albums 

Al and I take turns picking the theme each month, as some of you may already know, and for this round, it was my turn again. In the spirit of this past April Fools, I thought it’d be fun to pull one final prank before the month ends and have both Al and I review non-Japanese albums that we think could pass as a Japanese music album (hence this being the “K-Music Exchange/Rate” this time around, lol). Contrary to what it might seem like, Al and I don’t only listen to Japanese music, even if that’s mainly what we cover in our blogs. That said, I personally don’t get a ton of chances to talk about music outside of Japan, so while I’m not exactly looking to branch out full-time or anything (this is still mainly a Japanese music blog, after all), I figured this would be a neat little change of pace worth doing at least once.

To that end, I had Al take a listen to a personal favorite of mine in singer-songwriter Luli Lee’s Fade Away Like A Dream. You can catch Al’s thoughts on the album now over at the Omunibasu Substack, so be sure to check it out! Al, in turn, handed me VIVID by ADOY to take for a spin this time around.

Let’s go do just that!

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ADOY (아도이) is a four-member South Korean indie pop band who made their debut in 2017 with their EP Catnip. The group consists of Vo. Juhwan Oh, Vo./Syn Zee, Dr. Geunchang Park , and Ba./Vo. Dayoung Jeong. The name “ADOY” is an anagram of the name of Juhwan’s cat, Yoda (named after the Star Wars character of the same name), whom the band spent time with during the production of their first release. To date ADOY have released a total of four EPs and two studio albums

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(＊Spotify link to the full album)

CDJapan Affiliate Link(s):
N/A

＜T ｒａｃｋｌｉｓｔ＞

０１・Lemon
０２・Porter
０３・Pool
０４・Someday
０５・Domino
０６・Swim
０７・Ever
０８・Ugly
０９・Moondance
１０・Away

Ａｌ：While I easily could’ve made Leap dive deeper into the world of K-Pop, those don’t necessarily remind me of ‘Japanese music’. Of course, there may be some legitimate comparisons that could be made between those two, but I figured I’d give Leap something that I believe is much more in-line with what we’re both used to as JP music fans. And the best offer that I came up with would be the 2019-released album VIVID from indie band ADOY.

I stumbled upon this a few years ago but only recently did I kinda realize that this record did have- at least, a few hints of JP music elements. For one, ADOY categorizes themselves as a ‘synth-pop’ band and I feel like one can easily view their music, as well as in songs like “Pool” or “Ugly”, having a strong ‘80s city pop influence on them. And to go off that point, I’d say it’s almost as if they’re contributing to this new era/revival of city pop and giving their take on the ‘modernization’ of what was heard many decades ago in Japan & South Korea. Their songs feel very serene, feel good and even romantic in some ways, all while at the same time, exerting an easily recognizable retro vibe to them. Another thing that stood out to me personally was the vocals/lyrics shown through. Not only does ADOY perform almost entirely in English—and even included a cool feature from rapper Woo Won-jae—but the somber & softer tone they give off feels perfect for the kind of ‘chill’ music they create (if I were to make a direct JP comparison, I honestly was reminded of LUCKY TAPES & Takahashi Kai’s vocal styling at times).

Overall, really solid album that I come back to from time to time, if I’m in the mood for something cool to put on. And to echo ADOY’s sentiments, I think this album and this band have the potential to be a good introduction or ‘gateway’ into the vast & talented Korean indie music scene.

＜Ｓｏｎｇｓ　ｏｆ　Ｉｎｔｅｒｅｓｔ＞

０１・Lemon、０２・Porter、０３・Pool
Since we’re already doing things a little differently than usual here on the Exchange/Rate, what with this month’s pick being an album that isn’t Japanese music, I figured it’d only be fitting to shake up the way I approach the review too. So, for this write-up on ADOY’s VIVID, I’ll be tackling it in sections (mainly two), each covering a sequence of songs that stood out to me, rather than focusing on individual tracks one at a time. Granted, I’ve done something similar before, grouping together songs that sit next to each other on a tracklist, typically because I felt they served a shared purpose within the album. This time though, my reasoning’s a little different. It has more to do with how the album felt as a full, front-to-back listening experience. I found that the best way to describe what I took away from VIVID was by zooming out a bit, looking at how the songs flow into one another and what they start to build up to when taken in sequence. You’ll see what I mean in just a sec.

For now, I’m grouping together the first three tracks of the album, Lemon, Porter and Pool. From where I stand (with my admittedly surface-level understanding of ADOY’s catalog), I’d say this opening stretch feels the most emblematic of the band’s signature style. If I had to put it into words, I’d describe it as a kind of electronic dream pop with touches of synthwave that even border on city pop at times. There’s a consistent layer of hazy distortion that lingers across much of VIVID, giving these songs a distinct retro texture. And while they all share a laid-back, easygoing vibe, they also carry with them this quietly vibrant energy, or, dare I say, VIVID. If I were to draw a comparison to bands we’ve covered before, ADOY’s synth sensibilities remind me a lot of Quw, a group I’ve recently been getting into and enjoying quite a bit. Meanwhile, their overall mood and aesthetic call to mind brkfstblend, which is another name we’ve talked about here on Exchange/Rate (which makes sense, really, since Al’s a fan of both, hence how we got this album in the first place, lol).

If I were to split hairs, the tracks that I think most clearly embody ADOY’s signature sound, at least in terms of the overall vibe that VIVID puts forward, are the two A-sides, Lemon and Pool. Porter ends up sandwiched between them, but I still want to give it its due. It’s a super catchy number in its own right and actually holds the unique distinction of being the only track on the album that I’d consider even remotely “fast.” Everything else on VIVID leans mellow, which makes “Porter” stand out even more, largely thanks I imagine to the feature from rapper Woo, who naturally requires a bit more tempo to ride the beat.

ADOY fully delivers on that front, but what’s more impressive is that they manage to do it without stepping outside of their established tonal signature. Porter still feels like it belongs, and it holds its ground right alongside what are arguably two of the strongest tracks on the record. Altogether, this opening stretch does a great job introducing you to the band’s core style, one that carries through the bulk of VIVID, extending well into the album’s midsection.

０７・Ever、０８・Ugly、０９・Moondance、１０・Away
That being said, something interesting happens once you hit the seventh track of the album, “Ever.” Specifically, the synths start to shift. They take on a noticeably darker tone compared to the brighter, more shimmering ambiance from earlier in the record. Gone are the vibe-y guitars and jazz-inflected drum beats. The energy changes. The light fades. Vocalist Oh Juhwan sings in a lower register here, and with it comes this echoing rumble that deepens the farther down his voice goes. The ever-present veil of distortion that’s coated the album up until this point is gone. And what was once a warm, hazy dreamscape now feels cold and desolate. There’s a tension in the air. Like the day is winding down and the night is fast approaching. You start to feel it in your chest. A creeping sense of unease. Suddenly, it’s as if you’ve wandered into a place you don’t quite recognize. You can’t linger here. You need to keep moving.

What comes next, in my opinion, is the most memorable stretch of VIVID. A sequence of tracks that, for lack of a better way to put it, made me feel like I’d somehow stumbled into an ARG. For the uninitiated, an ARG (or “alternate reality game”) isn’t really a game in the traditional sense. It’s more of a narrative experience that unfolds across multiple types of media, often blurring the lines between fiction and reality. The “player” becomes an active participant, piecing things together by following clues, decoding hidden messages, or interacting with the world around them. It’s meta in that ‘game within a game’ kind of way. Now, to be clear, I’m not suggesting that VIVID is actually some kind of secret ARG (lol), but this part of the album gave me that feeling. The sense that you’ve somehow ended up in the middle of something strange and cryptic. Like one moment, you’re just vibing along to some chill summer tunes, and then suddenly the clock strikes midnight and a mysterious late-night radio broadcast takes over.

That feeling really starts to come to a head with Ugly and Moondance, as both tracks ramp up the use of synths quite a bit more compared to the earlier parts of the album. Ugly in particular stands out thanks to this rather peculiar synth note (specifically at 1:07, again at 1:16, and then sprinkled throughout the rest of the track) that just… lingers. It’s an odd sound that feels kind of unsettling in how it just hangs there in the air, adding a subtle layer of eeriness to an otherwise slow and groovy track. I remember thinking around this point, “wait, is this why the girl on the album cover is making that face?”

Moondance is where we ultimately get into the thick of it. Vocalist Oh Juhwan is now all of a sudden completely nowhere to be found. We’re all alone. All that remains is a slow, eerily repeating synth. It’s dark. But by now, we’ve grown used to the darkness. There’s no turning back, but that’s okay. We can see that we’re almost at the end. We can keep going. We have to. And as we do, a subtle calmness begins to wash over us, accompanied by sound effects that echo a quiet sense of reassurance. And then, silence.

We’re met once more with a repeating synth in Away. However this time, it’s different. The unease that loomed over us before is gone. In its place is something warmer, gentler. Something safe. And just as we begin to settle into this newfound calm, a soft voice reaches out. It’s vocalist Zee. “You and I are safe tonight,” she sings. It almost feels too good to be true. But it is true. We can rest now. We made it through the long night. Or at the very least, we’ve found a momentary reprieve in the safe haven that ADOY offers with this song. To go back to a video game analogy, this song feels like finally reaching a save point after wandering for who knows how long, unsure if one even existed. It’s satisfying. It’s rewarding. But more than anything else, it’s the overwhelming sense of relief that hits you, and that’s what this track intentionally or otherwise captures so beautifully.

＜Ｗｈａｔ　Ｉ　ｔｈｉｎｋ　ｏｆ　ＶＩＶＩＤ ＞

Now, before I go any further, I do wanna make a quick disclaimer: Korean music is definitely not my wheelhouse. That’s not to say I’ve got Japanese music completely figured out either, but at the very least I’d like to think I have a decent feel for how and why certain Japanese albums come together the way they do. Like, I can usually tell when something’s leaning more commercial versus when it’s meant to be a pure creative expression. I don’t quite have that same intuition when it comes to Korean music, mostly just because I haven’t engaged with it enough to really get a read on what a particular album might be aiming for, or what audience exactly it’s trying to speak to.

Suffice it to say, I more than likely didn’t approach ADOY’s VIVID the way you’re supposed to, or at the very least, not in the way the band may have intended (lol). That being said, as Al and I always like to remind folks at the start of every Exchange/Rate album review, this is just one way of experiencing an album. A different lens, if you will. And through that lens, I honestly really enjoyed the experience. That surreal moment when the mood shifts in the latter half of the album? The first time I felt that, it was like stepping into the Twilight Zone. Totally caught me off guard, but it was also what drew me in ultimately. Which I would like to think speaks volumes about the kind of immersive dreamscapes ADOY is capable of crafting with their music.

Something that might’ve added to that sense of immersion, at least for me, is the fact that all but one of the songs on the album are sung entirely in English. I actually see that as one of VIVID’s low-key strengths, not just for the accessibility it offers to a wider audience, but also in how it helps blur the perception of it being “Korean” music in a categorical sense. Not in a way that strips it of its cultural or national identity, but rather in a way that highlights how music can transcend those boundaries. It’s a reminder of how music, at its core, can be a bridge between people, between ideas, regardless of where it comes from. That no matter where you’re coming from, even someone like me who’s primarily immersed in Japanese music, there’s always enjoyment to be had..

＜Ｍｙ　Ｒａｔｉｎｇ＞


４ ｏｕｔ ｏｆ ５

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８ ｏｕｔ ｏｆ １０

Of course, not to say that you won’t find similar if not greater enjoyment if you were to just listen to it like you would a regular album too. If I were to nitpick one thing about VIVID, it’s that the earlier stretch of the album leading into the middle can start to feel a bit too same-y, with the tracks sort of blending into one another a little too smoothly. It might just be a case of ADOY stacking all their A-sides up top in the tracklist. That aside, I thought this album was pretty neat, all things considered. I’ve been meaning to dip my toes into more K-indie for a while now, and ADOY feels like exactly the kind of group I want to start doing that with. Would definitely recommend if you’re in that same boat.

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What are your guys’ thoughts on ADOY’s VIVID? Let us know in the comments section down below! Likewise, lemme know too which non-Japanese music albums do you think could pass as a Japanese music album! We’d love to hear it!

Before you head out, make sure to check out Al’s review of Fade Away Like A Dream by Luli Lee over on the Omunibasu Substack if you haven’t yet already!

Happy Listening!