SHAIKH SABIK KAMAL

The Korean indie band, wave to earth embarked on a new journey surrounded by stardom following the release of their debut album 0.1 flaws and all . The band, however, has managed to release yet another charming album with a pleasant twist. Play with earth! 0.03 is the second album from wave to earth featuring only seven tracks.

The first thing that caught my attention was the incorporation of a more confident yet playful flair. The first half of the album specialises in laying out the essence of “playing with earth” as the songs juxtapose comfort with excitement, without disturbing their signature melancholia. The relatability of the songs peeks through the lyrics where the bitterness of a monotonous life is emancipated with a “playful” sound.

Instead of featuring a single aspect, their music encapsulates different parts of youth and blends them with sonic tranquillity which is best reflected in tracks like “annie.” and “beck.” especially when the entire album is heard from front to back. The fourth track “Pueblo” which is a remaster of their old track, seamlessly ties the themes of the two halves of the album. With songs like “slow dive” and “holyland” it also becomes apparent that the band has learned to steer clear of being overindulgent with any one sound.

Nonetheless, I do have some reservations. The album’s runtime is less than half of their debut album with the entire record clocking in at only 25 minutes. And the fact that such a short duration includes an intro as the opening track as well as a remaster of an old song did rub me the wrong way.

Overall though, Play with earth! 0.03 is a calm, youthful, and melancholic album that should be a proud inclusion to wave to earth’s discography. Even if they don’t belong in the same bracket with bigger names yet, wave to earth have proven themselves as an act that is capable of more than just making hits for internet reels.