Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by Kevin Cole, co-host of Drive Time on KEXP, is "Beautiful" by 박혜진 Park Hye Jin, from the 2020 How Can I EP on Ninja Tune..
On her sophomore EP How Can I, DJ/producer/rapper 박혜진 Park Hye Jin continues to expand on the dreamy production style she introduced with her 2018 debut If U Want It while expanding into heavier house sounds, pulsing with energy.
Originally from Seoul and now based in L.A., Park has expanded her sonic palette, bubbling beneath her hypnotic vocals, sung in both English and Korean. "I actually believe Korean to be the most beautiful language. Is there a more delicate or emotional language? That I do not know. Of course, it may be because I don’t know the languages of other countries well. For example, when I try to write lyrics in English, I can’t clearly express the feelings I want to convey," she said last year in an interview with Hypebeast.
On today's Song of the Day, Park eschews vocals entirely, relying on punchy percussion and a repetitive, echoey voice in the distance. The result is, well... beautiful.
