Collaborations between artists in the music scene are common, but joint projects between bands remain decidedly rare, or limited to a few singles at most. But in this context, the bands Hyukoh and Sunset Rollercoaster have created something truly special: a whole collaboration album titled “AAA”. Currently, the two groups, originating from South Korea and Taiwan respectively, are on tour with an impressive team of 40 people, offering a unique musical experience to their audiences
In Hyukoh’s last interview with The Soundcheck, OHHYUK had teased the arrival of a new album; the expectations were already high, but no one expected such a bold and original project, which is the collaboration with Sunset Rollercoaster.
I recently had the pleasure to chat with Kuo Kuo ( frontman of Sunset Rollercoaster), OHHYUK ( frontman of Hyukoh) and JNKYRD ( album co-producer), and they revealed interesting details about how this creative project developed. Also, OHHYUK dropped another bombshell again, but let’s proceed with order.
Sunset Rollercoaster formed in 2009 in the vibrant underground music scene of Taiwan, an island characterized by a humid but relaxed climate. Their music combines nostalgic elements with a modern touch, giving life to a sound that recalls vintage atmospheres, but with an innovative approach. Their compositions are characterized by calm rhythms, dreamy melodies and a refined amalgam of instruments such as saxophone and synthesizers.
On the other hand, Hyukoh, active since 2014, has conquered the international scene with their innovative sound and soulful lyrics. They brought Korean indie music to the global spotlight, strongly conquering audiences with their eclecticism, OHHYUK’s pen and voice. Their musical productions manage to act as a bridge between genres, contaminating their songs with both classic sounds and more refined and alternative musical elements.
“AAA” is not simply a collaborative album; it is a real musical symposium that manages to highlight the strengths of both bands, while maintaining their distinctive identity. This bold and curated work is characterized by poetic lyrics and engaging melodies, with songs that oscillate from nostalgic atmospheres to moments of profound introspection.
The album opens with “Kite War”, a song with an energetic rock sound, followed by “Y”, an original and innovative track, not only for its sound but also in its structure. “Antenna”, with its ethereal aura, enhances the perfect harmony between the voices of Ohhyuk and Kuo. Next, the tracks “Glue” and “Young Man” infuse the album with a more upbeat vibe. However, the pace slows down again with “Do Nothing”, a strong bossa nova sound, before arriving at “Aaaannnnteeeeennnaaaaaa”, which is a slowed down version of “Antenna”, leaving the listener with a sense of sweet contemplation.
How did you guys meet?
OHHYUK I think it was 2017, we have a mutual friend called Bryan which is part of another band, The Black Skirts. So me and Bryan were having dinner together and then he asked me to check out this Taiwan band, so that was Sunset Rollercoaster. We met in Seoul for the first time and after that, since we were both touring, we met in other different cities several times
You’ve mentioned that the creation of this album felt natural. Do you think this is because working together allowed you to enjoy the process more and focus less on perfectionism, which can sometimes interfere with an artist’s creativity?
KUO KUO Somehow it’s true actually. Working together, even though we have more people, it’s supposed to feel like it’s more difficult but actually it’s kind of a really fun project and we just share all different kind of aesthetics, ideas about music, so I think because of the fun it wasn’t that difficult
You mentioned that “AAA” represents something of high quality. What elements of your album do you believe best reflect this high standard?
KUO KUO To me it’s kind of our inside joke to make the best qualities of music, because I don’t really think there’s something like best quality of music
MORENA Oh sorry, I didn’t get it because honestly to me this album is really high quality; it’s my favourite one from 2024 (and maybe forever). So I really want to thank you guys for making this album I really enjoyed it a lot, as many other people as well
“Kite War” features various symbolic and evocative images. Could you share your thoughts on this song and what it means to you?
KUO KUO I do remember that that’s from an Asian children game. It’s kind of a competition game where two teams try to cut off each other’s kite. Because it’s Sunset Rollercoaster and Hyukoh making an album together, it’s almost like two teams having a competition game so we start from the kite war, and also sounds a little bit violent over there because you can see children holding a knife, running around trying to cut the other team’s kite. So that’s why the song also sounds a little bit rock ‘n roll
JNKYRD We found out that kite war was only in Asia and also in western cultures before, so we thought it’s a kind of universal, and we made it as a song
I find “Y” to be very intense, both in its music and lyrics, addressing existential themes. What do you think is the “missing truth” the song raises?
JNKYRD Actually, we were jamming while making the song. Oh was singing the melody, and we were writing from that and then “ missing truth” was like a sentence that we just naturally wrote
KUO KUO Yeah, every time we start working on a demo usually we’ll just start singing random stuff, and I think “missing truth” started from a random sentence when we were doing the jamming and making a demo
JNKYRD But we liked it so we kept it and it sounds really good
KUO KUO We’ll get more prepared next time!
MORENA No but actually, it’s interesting because when people listen to music they give their own interpretation and it’s funny when artists are like “yeah I just liked the sound of it”
The lyrics of “Do Nothing” suggests taking time for oneself, yet you question what exactly “doing nothing” means. What are your thoughts on this topic?
KUO KUO When you try to do all this stuff, eventually, you just end up doing nothing. I wrote this song when I was touring in China. At the time, we both had a little separate time from each other and making our own demos, and then I made the song in an hotel called “Hilton” and it’s combined together with a small zoo, so I can see like random animals walking around. I was seeing deers, rabbits, raccoons… that kind of animals and they just basically were doing nothing
MORENA Yeah because you mentioned in the song like the fish, chicken… so that was curious
KUO KUO I think this kind of vibe is really inspiring. Also because that’s probably the only bossa nova track we have in the album, and it has this kind of chill and laid back sound
What are some must-haves you bring on tour?
JNKYRD Since it’s a collaboration album, and there are many members, we try to make sure that each one of us can deliver their own sound to the audience. Except the “ AAA” tracks, we had to rearrange every other song to match the 10 people, so we try our best to best to deliver to our audience
What has been the most memorable moment on this tour so far?
OHHYUK Actually, there’s so many. To me it’s always after the show, when we hang out together. Before it was only four members in total, but now its at least 10 members which is the whole fun, it’s great!
KUO KUO I remember when we finished our show in Malaysia and we tried to book a restaurant for the after party, but we found out it’s really difficult to book a restaurant to handle like over 40 people. In the end, we found one in the night market with Malaysian local street food. We went there and we found out that also a lot of local fans went there but they didn’t know we were going, and we also didn’t know they were there as well, so it’s kind of fun. In the end we just drank alcohol and ate food together
Would you consider touring in Europe?
OHHYUK Yes, actually we really want to do a show over there but…
KUO KUO I think that because of logistics it would be so hard, because we have over 40 people travelling. So we are thinking, maybe in the future, if Sunset Rollercoaster and Hyukoh will separate during our own tours, maybe we can meet together somewhere in Europe
MORENA That might be a good idea because I was looking forward to see Hyukoh live in Italy in 2020, but because of COVID it was cancelled. So I really hope to see you guys live, especially together
Are there any genres you’d like to explore in your future work?
OHHYUK Actually, we talked about “AAA chapter 2” or something like that, and then we wanted to invite musicians from the other genres, for example Hye Jin; she is a dj from New York and she just went to our concert, and then you know, those kind of ideas
KUO KUO Industrial metal, because I think in the first album we have a lot of chill music so I think maybe in the second one we can put a little bit of heavier stuff into it
How have fans reacted to the collaboration and what do you hope they take away from this unique experience?
JNKYRD I think we shared our fans before as well, but they got to know each band through this project more. Since we’re from different countries, our fans didn’t know about us each other, so they got to know us more. Actually, my friends told me that they got to know about Sunset Rollercoaster from this project, so that was really positive!
Recently it took place in Seoul “Funeral For a Friend”, can you explain us the theme of the exhibition and what it means for HYUKOH?
OHHYUK I always thought about doing the funeral for the 10 year anniversary with Hyukoh, so I thought maybe it’s a good time to do that. This project actually started two years and a half before, so it just took a little bit longer than I thought
JNKYRD, you were the music director in RM’s documentary “Right people, Wrong Place”and you also went to Busan’s Film Festival; I also saw that OHHYUK appeared in the documentary, can you tell us more about this experience?
JNKYRD Actually, the Busan Film Festival was during our tour, so I stayed in Busan only for a day, and then then I think two days later I was in Japan. I was really into the “AAA” concert at the moment but I had a day off so I could go to Busan, and it was a really great experience. Hyukoh also worked on the album and they appeared in the documentary as well. I didn’t really direct movie music before, so it was quite a different, difficult but fun experience
Any message you want to leave to your fans?
OHHYUK Thank you for your support, I really want to see you guys in Italy!
KUO KUO Sunset Rollercoaster has never been to Italy so yeah, I think it would be nice if we can all visit over there
MORENA Yes, I really think that many people want to see you there as well
OHHYUK Yeah, everyone can listen to “AAA” and maybe we can do a show there
MORENA Any other thing you’d like to say?
KUO I wanna drive a Ferrari. I want to drive a vintage one, with a sunset in Milano, while wearing a jacket
MORENA Do u know any Italian words?
OHHYUK Ciao!
KUO KUO Spaghetti
OHHYUK No, no, no: spaghetti aglio olio peperoncino e con burrata
Someone give him an italian citizenship already!
curated by
Morena Kercuku
Staff