Love X Stereo, a Korean Electronic/Rock band with “Soul”

I remember hearing the band, Love X Stereo for the first time at Rockdo Music Festival, a free outdoor concert on the Han River. Rockdo was the first K-Indie festival I attended and it really cemented my love affair with Korean Indie Music. I saw many bands that day and Love X Stereo was one that really stuck with me. The lead singer with her amazing voice and short bright red hair, interesting lyrics in their songs and danceable beats were all factors to make them memorable. Now two years later, I am still an avid fan.

Love X Stereo’s sound mixes electronic music with ‘90s-inspired alternative and punk and is incredibly danceable. Their song, “Soul City (Seoul City)”, from their Off the Grid album, is a soundtrack for Seoul. For me “Soul City” captures the essence of the hustle and uniqueness found in the city. The music video for their song “Fly Over” on their album, Glow, not only takes you musically to a new place but also visually, especially if this new place includes singing mannequins and giant walking bags.

Love X Stereo was officially formed in 2011 when Toby (guitar) and Annie (vocals, synth) decided to go in a completely different direction from the punk sound of their previous band, Skrew Attack. This duo switched their punk riffs for synths and added a third member, Sol (bass). Since 2011, they have released three EP albums and one single EP. At the end of 2013, they completed their first tour of North America and performed at CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. This spring, they performed at 2014 South by Southwest in Austin, Texas and then continued touring around the country. Now that they are back in Seoul, you can find them constantly playing shows around Hongdae.

They were kind enough to answer some questions about going to South by Southwest, their recent tour in the states and their future plans.

1.You recently played at South by Southwest (SXSW).What was it like playing at there? What is SXSW like?

SXSW is overall just crazy. It’s like little Hongdae but with so many more people, more than you can even imagine, because everywhere you go there’s a gig happening. The city seems like it is, is about to explode. That’s what SXSW is like.

2.What were your favorite bands you saw while at SXSW?

Out of all the Korean bands, which were there, we were most diligent in terms of watching shows. We ran around like maniacs to see bands. We even biked across a river just to watch Foster the People perform.

We saw Peelander-Z, Foster the People, London Grammar, Sam Smith, 1975, The Kooks, Bear Hands, and so many others. The craziest performance was definitely Peelander-Z. The most impressive was The Kooks, their live show was way better than their albums, which we didn’t expect. The most memorable was London Grammar – in fact, we fell in love with them “after” we came back to Korea. We can’t stop thinking about them. They are a really cool band, indeed.

3. This is your second tour in the USA, how did the second tour compare to your first tour?

It was a tighter schedule this time. There were better crowds, definitely. We had much more support in terms of management, too. We can’t wait to do our third US tour!

4. You went to new places this time in the USA to tour. What place did you like the best?

Our new places were Austin, San Antonio, San Francisco. We have to say San Francisco was the best. It had great weather and awesome crowds. But everywhere we go, the fans are just great. It is absolutely amazing to meet fans everywhere.

5. How was it touring and playing with other Korean bands instead of just on your own like last time?

Fans were fantastic. There were a lot of fans who initially came for other bands, but they eventually send us great energy anyway. So it’s good for all the bands in every aspect.

6. What are you planning for the coming months?

We’re working on our next EP. Right now, we are still talking about the concept, writing songs, and experimenting. We’re still shaping our own style, but we are trying to keep an open mind with everything. We would like it to be simple, edgy, and deep. We hope to release in June or July.

If you are interested in Love X Stereo, these are great places to find out more and listen to some great tunes.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovexstereo/info

Website: http://lovexstereo.com/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/lovexstereo

Photo courtesy of Love X Stereo and Manchul Kim Photography