REVIEW: Korean Cars - #1

Straight out of Follo, Norway are Korean Cars with their debut EP '#1'. Korean Cars have put together a blend of melancholic post-rock and noisy post-hardcore, with a nineties and noughties throwback feel. The band is formed by members of Rumble in Rhodos, Infidels Forever, Arms on Fire and Insense. The self-stated influencers of this album are; Failure, Trail of Dead, Helmet and Explosions in the Sky. There is, however, a statement of edge and freshness here - easy enough to promise, but often very difficult to deliver! Korean Cars’ first mini-album comprises six tracks, with three being fully instrumental and the other three featuring vocals.

The album opener 'Magalomaniac' is a technically impressive instrumental experience carried along by evolving guitar melodies, setting the tone for what’s to come on the rest of the album. The next track along is 'Drömtorp', which hits with a surprising swagger reminiscent of a Gallagher brother on a particularly moody day. The echo vocals and cutting riffs really stand out here, sending the listener on a nostalgia trip that will especially appeal to enthusiasts of Britpop. For the writer, this is easily pick of the album.

The third track, 'Cheese Me Macaroni', opens strongly, with thumping drum beats soon followed by kicking guitar work, making for an upbeat and catchy instrumental. There’s a clear prog-rock influence here, as more and more is gradually layered on in the build up to an energetic crescendo that would not be out of place in the climax of a Hollywood blockbuster. The fourth song 'Treeline Siren' leads you to believe that you’re set for a moody instrumental, before the vocals offer a surprising yet almost romantic feeling intervention around the halfway point.

Fifth on this album is '1979'; a highlight being that it's got a really catchy, head-bopping rhythm, that almost initially feels like a departure from the moodiness of the rest of the record. This builds up though into a brilliantly natural transition to vocals - the title of this track implies a look into the past and that’s exactly what the listener gets; another high point on this album. The conclusion of the album, the track 'The Billion Trillion', really does set out to end on a high. The confident blend of percussion, guitars and bass combine with electronic elements to form an enthralling, almost hallucinogenic progressive number where you just can’t predict what’s coming next. The best way to describe this track is the soundtrack to finding your way through a labyrinth; the twists and turns all part of the journey.

If a somewhat strange blend of prog-rock and Britpop, garnished with just the slightest hint of grunge, is your kind of thing, then this debut record from Korean Cars is really worth a listen! A word of caution however: the mixing of this album offers a vinyl-esque listening experience that, on a laptop, a phone or even in the car can come across a little fuzzy and muddled in places. While a higher quality audio setup might improve things, we fear we may not have heard these songs at their best. Despite this, it’s a promising debut and it’d be great to hear what twists and turns Korean Cars could bring to a full length album.

Score: 7/10

'#1' will be released on May 23rd 2025 via MAS-KINA Recordings.

Words: Dulce Mendes

Photos: Korean Cars