Nam Taehyun is a singer that used to be signed under YG Entertainment in the idol group known as WINNER. He left the group suddenly for artistic reasons but he didn't hesitate to apologize to fans of WINNER before making his departure. I'm so late to Kpop news that I didn't know that he had made his exit from YG Entertainment until this band called South Club came up on my radar. The band is Nam Taehyun's current project, who have released two albums. 20 is their second mini album.
Track List:
01. 왕따 (OUTCAST)
02. Blues Of D
03. Blues Of A
04. GROWN UP
South Club's sound is a mixture of 80's rock and pop punk. The songs sound like Taehyun's release into freedom. A freedom that allows him to do whatever kind of music he's in the mood for that day. Outcast's upbeat party vibe connects to a catchy chorus that's easy to sing along with. Blue D & A pick listeners up in a time machine then takes them back in time using two songs that are vintage in every way of the word. Vocals and the band come across as put the dime in the diner music box from the eighties era to hear the style South Club was clearly inspired by. Grown Up also takes much of it's blueprint from the Beetles but it's nice to hear more rock bands coming out of South Korea. Nam's English is good in the short phrases used in the Korean songs as well. I just have a hard time understanding everything he sings when he sings English songs. This isn't a huge deal to me. I thought that I would make note of this though.
Nam Hyun's vocal ranges sound more flexible in South Club's songs than it did in WINNER's music. Maybe this is because he wasn't required to use all of his ability in a group since other singers are there too. He defiantly lets it all hang out in his singing. Hitting high notes then yelling out after guitar solos. I enjoy this side of him. He's less robotic, more human.
Why is Nam Hyun's name in front of the band's name? My guess this is to promote the band using his name. Whoever did this needs to realize that people who listen to WINNER might not listen to South Club because rock music isn't their thing. The fans that do follow him will get some good music from both albums they have released. The music isn't enough to make them the best in the K-indie rock scene but South Club is making their mark.
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