“I want to become an irreplaceable presence in the band scene. I believe it’s entirely possible if we just keep pushing forward like this for a few more years.”
Mixing rock with pop and hip-hop… “We’re like a buffet band!”
Gaining attention in the Hongdae indie scene, Skipjack cites their wide musical spectrum as their greatest strength.
Nam Yu-sik explained, “Our direction is ‘pursuing the act of not pursuing anything.’ With rock at the center, we freely incorporate elements from other genres like pop and hip-hop.”
Regarding their lyrics, they shared, “We tend to write as if recording various emotions felt in daily life. While our early songs focused on inner struggles, we’ve recently been weaving in themes like how the world works and the sense of isolation people feel.”
Kang San-teo added, “Skipjack’s music is a collection of the songs we all loved during our school days. We used to listen to entire albums by bands like Green Day, Limp Bizkit, and Linkin Park.”
Kim Min-soo noted, “If you put Skipjack’s music in your playlist, you can hear a variety of styles from pop to rock,” to which Nam Geon-uk laughed and added, “We’re a buffet-like band.”
Skipjack quenched their thirst for the stage through various competitions. They’ve built an impressive track record, winning the Gold Prize at the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival Super Rookie, winning the Busan International Rock Festival Rising Stage, winning the Gyeonggi Content Agency Indiestance, ranking Top 1 in Rolling Hall’s rookie musician project ‘CMYK’, and winning the Isabu National Indie Band Competition.
Kim Min-soo said, “We really started from the bottom. Since it wasn’t easy to find a way to get our start, we turned to competitions. Usually, the prize is a performance at a music festival the following year. We kept challenging ourselves to get those stage opportunities.”
There’s a huge difference between just participating and winning. When asked about their secret to sweeping competitions, Kang San-teo replied, “We received good evaluations for our performance and teamwork. Since we’ve been together for a long time, I think we have great synergy.” Kim Min-soo reflected, “While there’s a trend of bands doing lyrical and soft music, I think our focus on ‘rocking’ music stood out.”
Nam Geon-uk pointed out, “Skipjack was definitely a standout band. I think our unique performance direction and firm identity worked in our favor.” Nam Yu-sik added, “The experience of performing on the main stage after winning the Busan International Rock Festival remains my proudest and most intense memory.”
The members agreed that they can personally feel the recent boom in band music. Kang San-teo said, “I’ve felt a new audience flowing in since last year. For a while, many clubs closed because there were no audiences, but these days, the number of people visiting venues has noticeably increased.”
Kim Min-soo added, “In the past, band music was consumed deeply only by a niche fan base, but these days, there seem to be more casual listeners. I believe the influence of artists like LUCY, Xdinary Heroes, QWER, and DAY6 definitely plays a part.” He further noted, “It seems to be a global phenomenon. Not just in Korea, but overseas, rock bands that were active in the past are starting to move again, and fans are returning to the venues.”
The members of Skipjack balance their music with their day jobs. Kang San-teo works at a construction company, and Nam Geon-uk works in sound and lighting rental for performances. Nam Yu-sik is a music instructor at youth centers, and Kim Min-soo continues his music activities while balancing various jobs like performing, part-time work, and video editing.
At the end of the interview, they recommended three representative songs for those who aren’t familiar with them yet: ‘C/A’, ‘Seoul Days 13’, and ‘The Day of Return Will Not Come’.
They introduced ‘C/A’ as “a song that best describes Skipjack, combining subculture vibes, hip-hop rap, and a rocking sound.” Recommending ‘Seoul Days 13’, they noted, “It’s a song that best shows the hip-hop elements melted into Skipjack’s music. It’s based on metal, so it’s intense, but it’ll be surprisingly easy to listen to.”
Regarding their latest release this year, ‘The Day of Return Will Not Come’, they asked for interest, saying, “It’s a song that captures Skipjack’s current thoughts and sonic characteristics with the highest level of completion.”
