Alternative K-pop group Balming Tiger is expanding the “Gongbu Korea” universe and diving into Oriental psychedelic sounds with the pre-release single “Gojingamrae” from their upcoming second full album, ‘Gongbu’.
Balming Tiger dropped the second pre-release track, “Gojingamrae,” on May 12 at 6 PM across various online music platforms.
“Gojingamrae” is a track that modernizes the classical emotions of East Asia, including Korea, by adding psychedelic textures to a retro band sound. With sogumm as the main vocalist, the song sensually explores the life lesson that “pleasure comes after pain.” Members bj wnjn, Unsinkable, and San Yawn also joined the production to enhance the musical quality.
The second full album ‘Gongbu’, officially releasing on May 19 at 6 PM, is a massive project where sound design, visual identity, music video direction, and live performances are organically linked. Consisting of 14 tracks, the album uses a virtual laboratory called “Gongbu Korea” as its backbone, creating an original narrative that observes and records human dreams and the unconscious through experimental technology.
The visual elements also drive the album’s detailed narrative. While the first pre-release track “Home” garnered attention for reinterpreting the works of the late architect Kim Chung-up as a laboratory and featuring a black comedy music video based on the “Hamjin-abi” motif, “Gojingamrae” adds more detail through its cover art. Created by member Hong Chan-hee, the art features bj wnjn’s face on a “Gongbu Korea” employee ID template, vividly bringing the virtual world of the text into a precise visual reality.
Following the release of the second full album on May 19, Balming Tiger will hold a solo concert of the same name, ‘Gongbu 工夫’, on June 6 and 7 at the Seoul Bluesquare Woori WON Banking Hall. They plan to prove their unique musical identity through all five senses with an intense 100-minute live performance that brings the album’s multi-layered narrative and overwhelming visual elements to the stage.
