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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLet\u2019s bring things to the present day. Just this month (by which I mean June 2024, because time means nothing to internet articles) Ham gifted us with Stony<\/em>, a new 5-track EP that clocks in at a healthy 21 minutes. Which, for other genres, would comprise a full-length. This EP feels less like a continuation and more like an evolution of Home in the Desert<\/em>. Like any good follow-up, it retains enough similarity to establish a cohesive sound and identity for the artist, but it does just enough differently that it stands on its own. While still very much carrying on the warm, comforting, wall of sound that Home in the Desert<\/em> had, Stony<\/em> carries a bit more weight to it. It\u2019s heavier. If Home<\/em> feels like a comforter, Stony<\/em> feels like a weighted blanket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The opening track, \u201c\ub9c8\uc74c Maum<\/a>\u201d (literally \u201cMind\u201d, but connotationally refers more to a feeling) opens with a haunting ambient drone as Ham sings some of the few English lyrics on the album: \u201cDreamer, you\u2019re stuck in your mirror\u201d with a soft longing. The first verse continues with gentle vocals and music but slowly builds for the first minute until it comes on with a wall of sound. As the music swells Ham continues, \u201cDreamer \uc5b4\ub450\uc6b4 \ud130\ub110 \uc18d\uc744 \uc26c\uc9c0 \uc54a\uace0 \ub2ec\ub9ac\uba74 \ub124\uac8c \ub2ff\uc744\uae4c (Dreamer eoduun teoneol sog-eul swiji anhgo dallimyeon nege dah-eulkka),\u201d which roughly translates to, \u201cDreamer, if I run through a dark tunnel without stopping, will I reach you?\u201d Obviously, I\u2019m putting my spin on this, as one does with art, but it gets me reflecting on the heartbreak I\u2019ve had seeing friends, family, lovers, and will-they-won\u2019t-they\u2019s head down dark paths where I can\u2019t follow. Very much like the song says, \u201c\ub0b4 \uc601\ud63c\uc744 \uba4d\ub4e4\uac8c \ud574 (nae yeonghon-eul meongdeulge hae).\u201d \u201cIt bruises my soul.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Track 2, \u201c\uc0b0 San<\/a>\u201d (\u201cMountain\u201d), reminded me a bit of the band Venice is Sinking (which, incidentally, also started as a one-person project). There\u2019s a dreamy quality to this song that stands as a great representation of Ham\u2019s overall sound. That song dips and swells, its peaks and valleys very much like, well, mountains. It feels like the soundtrack to a person recalling a bittersweet memory as they stare wistfully out the window at a mountain range. A common sight in Ham\u2019s home country of South Korea. Chicago? Not so much. Hence, the wistfulness, I guess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\ud558\ub8e8 Haru<\/a>\u201d (\u201cOne Day\u201d) Stony<\/em>\u2019s third song, is a stand-out track. For me anyway. But it also distinguishes itself in an objective sense by being the highest-energy song on the album. Even reaching a damn near moshable fervor around the 1:50 mark. Haru, while literally meaning \u201cone day\u201d also happens to be the name of Ham\u2019s cat. Which is made clear with lines like, \u201c\ub108\uc758 \uaf2c\ub9ac\uac00 \ub0b4 \ud314\uc744 \uac04\uc9c0\ub7fd\ud788\uba74 (neoui kkoliga nae pal-eul ganjileobhimyeon)\u201d which, translated is: \u201cWhen your tail tickles my arm\u201d; \u201c\ub2ec\ube5b\uc744 \ubcf4\uba74 \ub0a0\uce74\ub85c\uc6cc\uc9c4 \ub208\ub3d9\uc790 (dalbich-eul bomyeon nalkalowojin nundongja)\u201d, meaning: \u201cWhen you look at the moonlight, your eyes become sharper\u201d; \u201c\uc6b0\uc544\ud55c \ucd94\ub77d\ub3c4 \ub124\uac90 \uc9dc\ub9bf\ud55c \ucc29\uc9c0(uahan chulagdo negen jjalishan chagji)\u201d, which in English is: \u201cEven a graceful fall is a thrilling landing for you.\u201d All of which suggest a certain catness. Okay, so there\u2019s also a line that directly<\/em> states: \u201c\ub10c \uc774\uc138\uacc4\uc5d0 \uc81c\uc77c \ud754\ud55c \uace0\uc591\uc774\uc9c0\ub9cc (neon isegyee jeil heunhan goyang-ijiman),\u201d or, \u201cYou are the most common cat in the world.\u201d But the rest of the imagery would suggest it\u2019s not entirely figurative. Either way, the high energy of the song perfectly captures the anarchic nature of a cat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next up is \u201c\uac10\uae30\uc57d Panpyrin<\/a>\u201d. Unlike the other track names the Hangul (the written Korean language) and the Romanization don\u2019t match up. \u201c\uac10\uae30\uc57d\u201d means cold medicine. \u201cPanpyrin\u201d is a popular over-the-counter brand. Although not directly about cold medicine, the song offers the kind of soothing relief that a cold medicine might advertise. Even the outro is an angelic repetition of the word \u201c\ub204\uc6cc (nuwo)\u201d, which means \u201cLie down.\u201d If I could assign a situation to the overall mood of this song it would be staying home sick from school. I say \u201cschool\u201d because there\u2019s something about the wistful tone of shoegaze as a whole, that exudes a sense of nostalgia. And there\u2019s just something about this song, perhaps the title, that just reminds me of that sense of being a child in a familiar space, at an unfamiliar time. Now, while I don\u2019t condone<\/em> \u201cRobo-tripping,\u201d this song would be a good soundtrack for that too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n