Dabda – ON(百)

South Korea’s Dabda release their electrifying new album, ON(百), today on Electric Muse!

Dabda has spent the past few years constantly on the move. They found a new home, said goodbye to old friends, and met new ones. Leaving Korea behind, they traveled to Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Germany, and beyond, encountering different weather, seasons, times, and spaces. They ran, played, and performed wherever they went. When they returned to Dabda’s studio and began recording again, those experiences naturally accumulated, piece by piece, like fragments. Gathering those fragments together, Dabda completed their new release, ON(百).

”온(ON)” is a native Korean word meaning “everything” or “the whole.” It is also an old Korean word for the number “100.” Following their first full-length album, But, All the Shining Things Are, which sang of things that continue to shine, and the EP Yonder, which captured the nature of longing and desire that exists somewhere beyond us, Dabda’s new album ON(百) explores the mindset and attitude of choosing to keep living.

In a world that changes rapidly every day, is it really possible to live as fully as “100”? We don’t know, but we know that it is difficult to do so on our own. Sometimes, we ask ourselves if we were the ones who did something wrong (“Choo-Choo”), or wonder whether we ever truly existed (“DDDD!”). We let questions pile up somewhere deep in our mouths (“Dear Hope”), continue to lose sight of things even though we know what has passed (“tomato”), and find relief in simply making it through another day (“Circle”). But in the end, it is about allowing the feelings we have put aside to come alive again, and making the decision to keep living all the way to the end. That is what ON(百) means to Dabda. With this album, they hope to share those feelings with you.

The biggest change on this new release is the addition of new member Jungwoong Park. Having previously worked as a solo artist and performed as a session musician across various projects, Jungwoong brings new sounds and possibilities to Dabda. The title track, “ON(百),” offers the fullest experience of these new sonic dimensions.

Most of the new album was recorded in Dabda’s own studio. After years of experimenting with different approaches to capture and develop their distinctive sound, the band chose to record the album themselves, using the method they felt could best preserve that sound. Bassist Keohyun Noh, who also mixed their previous pre-release singles, handled the overall recording and mixing for the album.

“ON(百), If living with our body and mind divided into a hundred parts. We live on, proving that we still exist. And we know that there are still things that shine. (But, All the Shining Things Are) Yet ordinary life is often made up of long, difficult stretches of simply enduring. Then, ‘is it possible to truly live ON(百)’? How distant, and how fleeting, would it be to divide our bodies, minds, and time into a hundred parts and live each of them to the fullest? In the name of pacing myself, we live by letting go of so many things. Under the guise of calling it intentional, the things we have actually lost without choosing to lose continue to pile up. Even as we live in this diminished state, can we really say that we have lived completely? And yet, we want to talk about the will to keep living until the very end. To ‘live ON(百)’ may not mean filling life completely, but rather embracing an attitude that says: we will keep trying to live, all the way to the end.” Jiae Kim, Dabda

Dabda:

Jiae Kim(Vox/Guitar) | Jungwoong Park(Guitar) | Keohyun Noh(Bass) | Seunghyun Lee(Drums)

Dabda is a four-piece indie rock band known for their sensitive, ever-shifting arrangements and energetic live performances. Within their distinctive sound, meaningful spaces and intricate details coexist, allowing Dabda to transcend the boundaries of math rock and connect with young people around the world through their music. Since their debut EP Island of Each in 2016, Dabda released their first full-length album But, All The Shining Things Are in 2020, followed by the collaborative single “Jungle Gym” with Takashi Kashikura of toe in 2021. In August 2023, they released the EP Yonder and have continued to stay active through appearances at festivals in Korea and abroad, as well as international tours.

#banddabda