K-indie band SURL Captivates Fans With Fantasy-like Single '[Beside]' Release

One of the most recognized indie bands, SURL released a new single, '[Beside],' on July 22nd. It is their first official release in a year after a well-received collaboration single ‘Don’t Say No’ featuring rapper Jay Park.

Recommended by such K-pop idols as BTS leader RM and IU, SURL is a 4-member South Korean indie band that is notable for creating genre-blended hits and telling relatable, true-to-life stories through their music. Being already widely recognized for such songs as ‘Dry Flower,’ ‘Snow,’ and ‘The Lights Behind You,’ SURL continues rising their profile with unique-sounding tracks.

'Beside' and 'Colors,' two songs that are featured in their new album [Besides], are the ones that SURL worked on in their early days as a band. According to vocal Seol Hoseung, both songs are very personal and tell a life story that the listeners might have experienced themselves at least once.

Both songs were initially included as hidden tracks (demo versions) on limited edition cassette tapes of SURL’s 1st EP [Aren't You] and 2nd EP [I Know], which became one of the most popular items during the annual MPMG WEEK held earlier this year. Both songs got a lot of positive responses and were decided to be officially released after being carefully rearranged by SURL members.

The main song ‘Beside’ appeals with relatable lyrics about the feeling of having a crush on someone along with the ambient dream-pop melody and the distinct guitar riff. The second track, ‘Colors,’ is about comparing good and bad daily life events to colors and desiring to have more different colors in life while the reality is just black and white.

The music video for ‘Beside’ gathered a lot of attention way before the release because of the dreamy and fantasy-like visuals shown in the teaser. It was announced to be a collaborative work with an independent Korean animator who created a visualizer for the song.

SURL is one of a few independent artists in Korea who are actively pushing the boundaries between music genres through collaboration with hip-hop musicians such as Jay Park and Hash Swan and connecting with artists from various fields. They also gained a solid overseas fanbase after being invited to perform at music festivals in Germany, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, and Canada.

SURL's single [Beside] is now available for streaming on all major platforms.

Photographs provided by MPMG MUSIC.