Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by Mike Ramos, in honor of Pushing Boundaries, is "City" by Drinking Boys and Girls Choir, from the 2023 album Hey, Listen To Me on Damnably.
This week's Songs of the Day were selected by DJ Mike Ramos, in honor of Pushing Boundaries, KEXP’s celebration of Asian and Pasifika stories through music, taking place on-air and online throughout the month of May.
The latest release from South Korean trio Drinking Boys and Girls Choir is a collaborative project with three female artists from their hometown of Daegu. (On this EP, they've also invited special guest Jang Young-eun, guitarist and vocalist of the band igloo.)
On today's Song of the Day, they've teamed up with artist Kim Seoul, known for her humorous work in printmaking with hand-colored details. As they write on their Bandcamp, the song was inspired from a conversation with drummer/vocalist Myeongjin Kim and Kim Seoul "about the loneliness and fear that metropolitan cities can give to individuals living in them, especially those cities that feel bigger for women living alone. Inspired by the conversation, the image of the song itself is about comforting yourself, after having experienced those feelings, and comforting fellow citizens who are still in such a situation."
For the accompanying exhibition, Kim Seoul crafted a space that looks like her old living room. "The memories of living in a gap between clothes and objects in a small room are reproduced in this work. Through installations made with eco-friendly materials such as Tyvek, and silkscreen engraving techniques, the artist created a space filled with small but precious things which allowed for small citizens in large cities and exhibition visitors to search for other entries."
Check out Kim Seoul's exhibit below as the band performs within it for the song's music video, and revisit the band's exclusive 2022 Live on KEXP at Home session below that.
