Celebrating their tenth anniversary this year with their fifth studio album ‘Xennials’, Love X Stereo is no stranger to the fans of K-Indie music. Formed by the lead vocalist/synthesizer player Annie Ko and guitarist/producer Toby Hwang, the Seoul-based duo’s dreamy kaleidoscope of stellar synthpop anthems have enraptured music festival audiences across Asia, Europe, and North America. Their name has also reached outside the indie scene when the band did one of the soundtracks for the popular K-drama ‘Love Alarm’ and their single ‘Zero One’ got featured on Billboard in the same year of 2009.

For this Sunday’s Press Play feature, we had a lovely chat with Annie Ko of Love X Stereo about the inception, the dynamic of the band as well as the story behind her curated playlist.

Hi Annie, can you give us a brief introduction about yourself and share with us your earliest musical memory?

Hi, my name is Annie Ko. I’m the lead vocalist of electro band Love X Stereo, based in Seoul, Korea. I used to sing along to songs coming out of the radio in my dad’s car. I always knew how to throw harmony with any kind of song that we were listening to, and it was gold. I also remember when I started wanting to play the piano. My older brother had piano lessons and I think at one point, I sorta demanded that I too should learn how to play the piano. Fun times.

I remember when I first saw Cyndi Lauper on TV, I wanted to perform like her. I’ve always loved to sing and perform throughout my childhood. But during my teenage years, my environment just wouldn’t allow me to just even enjoy music due to my studying. I was mad all the time. The situation felt so cruel to me and actually made me want to know about music even more, ironically. I believe if the people around me just let me be me, then I wouldn’t have chosen this path to become a musician. Doing something against all odds, drives me forward.

I think if you’re a musician, then you’re a musician, period. No matter what they say, you’ll do music anyway. But music doesn’t always guarantee security. It’s more like a gamble in many ways. Financially, I would be so happy if I didn’t have to work another day, doing work that has nothing to do with music whatsoever. However, facing reality, you need to learn how to balance your music and your reality. But that said, when you’re creating something, when you’re performing elsewhere, when you’re doing what you love, and receiving love from someone else, that’s the biggest reward. I treasure my creation, my experiences, my travels, and my fans around the world.

Love X Stereo started in 2011. It only started because we were bored with our own music back then. Toby had his punk rock band called ‘Skrew Attack’ at that time. The band survived many years, and I joined the band in 2005. However, we both realized that punk rock was dying, and we wanted to try something new. The idea was to create something that we haven’t done before, to try our best to reach out to the world, but never lose our rock roots. Bands like New Order inspired us so much.

Sometimes the melody comes first, sometimes the lyrics come first, but usually, we are drawn to sound itself. We love analog instruments because we love the texture that is deep, thick, and rich. Whenever we find a sound, then everything follows organically.

Dazzling, dreamy, grand

Xennial is a generation that is stuck between Gen-X and Millennial. When we first heard of that word, we thought it would be a great title for our new album. As xennials ourselves, we are both used to the analog world and the digital world. We can communicate both ways, but we somehow feel ostracized and disconnected. The album is about our honest thoughts, lost within people, lost within generations. We wanted to find true nostalgia. There are a lot of hidden homage to lost devices. The album cover image itself – some of our friends who are much younger than us, had a hard time understanding it 🙂

People assume that South Korea is all about K-pop, but there are many subgenres in the music scene. A variety of music is happening for sure, but the weird thing is that most of the music is happening in Seoul, and most of the indie music is happening in Hongdae Univ. area since the 90s. But I think that’s also slowly changing due to gentrification, and of course, covid. I’d say try to listen to one artist/band that you like, and naturally dig up hidden gems afterwards.

South Korea is probably the most fast-paced country in the world. Everything changes so quickly. Everything is so conveniently laid out for you. Many things are already digitized. Especially Seoul city, what a crazy town. Definitely not peaceful, but if you like the noise and chaos, then this is the place for you.

We have some interesting projects coming up. First, our friend in the States, Charles Fauna just released a single called ‘Glistener’ and our remix is coming up very soon! We are also collaborating with our friend in LA, her name is Mindy, and the song turned out really cool – coming out next year. Also, most importantly, we’re releasing a single during New Years 2022. So follow our IG and Spotify to get notified for our upcoming projects!

I decided to make a playlist that showcases our friends’ work. Our biggest passion is to travel and tour around the world, and since our band started, we had the privilege to do so every year. We went to the States, Canada, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Bali, UK, and Germany so far. But that stopped due to covid, and it breaks our heart. Through traveling (and the internet), we met so many incredible artists that became our dearest friends. So here are songs by our friends from other countries we played in the past, hoping to meet them again, and hoping to tour again soon.

Press Play: Love X Stereo – wanna tour again

Follow Love X Stereo:
Website: https://lovexstereo.com 

Facebook: https://facebook.com/lovexstereo

Cover image credit: FA TAL DOPECHILD
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