Their previous full-length album, Kitsch Space, has stronger sounds because of the guitars. Most of the tracks (eg. “Hybrid” and “The Way of Youth”) are energetic and melodic tunes. The lyrics are the same but there is a smooth music arrangement from the combination of the different individual sounds from each member. On the other hand, Let’s Drive, Let’s Go has less heavier tunes but is more dynamic because of the keyboard sounds. After listening to this EP, I am looking forward to hearing these new tracks live in the UK. The tracks (eg. “18세기(Sipalsegi)”) are more cheerful and melodic and make me want to dance and have fun. Their music speaks louder than words and truly shows how their “hybrid punk” sound continues to evolve and why they want to share it with the rest of the world.

PATiENTS (Courtesy of the Artist)

Ahead of their UK tour, Sumin Jo took part in an interview with us to talk about “hybrid punk” music and their upcoming concerts.

What is “hybrid punk”?

Sumin Jo: “Hybrid punk” is a term we created to describe PATiENTS.  We came up with this phrase for two reasons.  The first reason was to distinguish ourselves from other punk acts because the music we play isn’t straight-up punk.  We’re against the idea of people blindly following the standard punk image.  I believe the essence of punk rock is to destroy something and then create something new and exciting from it. Sadly, a lot of people only think of the style in the image they have been taught to recognize as “punk.” So we wanted to come up with a new way to describe our own unique brand of punk and decided to name it “hybrid punk.”

The second reason why we came up with the name was to give ourselves more musical freedom to do whatever we want.  Since we created the term ourselves, we can experiment with a wider spectrum of styles and at the same time still stay true to our DIY roots, which to us is the cornerstone of punk rock.  We love being able to do our own thing, and being a “hybrid punk” band allows us to mix different kinds of music based around a punk rock mindset.  “Hybrid punk” is our ideal version of what punk rock should be like. 

Your band formed in 2005. How do you feel the Korean indie scene has changed between 2005 and 2014?

Sumin Jo: I think now is a much better times for bands.  A lot of music fans in Korea have developed wider tastes, and the number of indie music fans has increased.  There’s better equipment for recording and the people doing sound at gigs have better technical skills than they did in the old days.  Also, the internet and social networking makes is easier for bands to do things on their own without having huge budgets to work with.

Please tell us about your upcoming EP. How is your new EP different from your past EPs and your Kitsch Space full-length album?

Sumin Jo: Our new EP is called Let’s Drive, Let’s Go.  It’s going to be released through the label we own and run in Korea, Steel Face Records, in late May or June.  But we’re going to bring copies of the EP with us when we travel to the UK in early May, so people there will get to have it first.  Since our last album, we’ve parted ways with our old guitarist and invited a keyboardist named Hyuckjang Kwon to join our band. Having keyboard on the new EP instead of guitar has helped us to create more sensitive and brighter melodies in our music.  Also, the subject matter in the lyrics on our new EP is less heavy than on our previous work.

What is your opinion about K-indie music, and especially punk rock, slowly becoming more known amongst international audiences?

Sumin Jo: I think it’s obviously a good thing.  For bands, it’s always a great thing to be able to share your music with more people.  More and more bands are having the chance to play outside of Korea, which is great to see.  I think it’s important for bands to keep going abroad and that doing that will help our music scene grow.

PATiENTS (Courtesy of the Artist)

This will be your first time touring in the UK. What are your feelings about your upcoming tour?

Sumin Jo: I’m happy that we’re getting to tour in the birthplace of punk rock.  We’re excited about our upcoming tour.  It’s going to be great to get to play in new venues for new people.  I think we’re going to learn a lot from this tour.

What are you looking forward to doing while you are in the UK?

Sumin Jo: I’m looking most forward to playing really good gigs while we’re there!  After that, I want to try and see lots of performances from other bands too.

What can audiences expect from PATiENTS’ UK performances?

Sumin Jo: They can expect to see a “hybrid punk” act from Seoul, Korea who are trying to create some very cool and new things.