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“WITH K-POP ENJOYING SUCH A STRONG PRESENCE,
THE QUESTION WE GET ASKED A LOT IS, ‘ARE
YOU STILL DOING ROCK MUSIC?!’ BECAUSE IT’S
SOMETHING THAT’S VERY MUCH ON THE DECLINE”
“Smell The Rot is a song that makes our But, ultimately, the Seoul act hope this
blood boil, especially when we play it live,” will allow them to make a home for
says Junyong. “It’s everything we do at its themselves in the global rock scene, rather
peak. It’s the band at 100 per cent.” than remaining mired in the challenged and
While their hard work has paid off with challenging environment of K-rock.
acclaim from as far afield and Japan and “The truth is, in Korea, the rock scene
the UK, there’s still a sense that Bursters is diminishing,” says Junyong. “These days,
Bursters guitarist are struggling to find their audience in their there are fewer chances for rock bands to
Junyong Ahn on homeland – despite the fact that the Korean perform. Even on rock festival bills, there
stage with his PRS
music scene is in unabashedly rude health. are fewer spots for rock bands. It was a
“We face real difficulties coming up conscious choice to go out there and find
We believe that the time for relying on against K-pop,” says Junyong. “If the entire the spots where there is still a vibrant scene.
traditional instruments has passed. It’s time music scene was being overlooked, if it We’re trying to reach those places.”
to expand and incorporate other elements was a universal problem for all genres, that Bursters are a band on a mission, and do
and blend genres.” would be okay because we’d all be in it not lack passion for what they do. Asked
Their genre-fluid approach finds Bursters together. With K-pop enjoying such a strong what the most important thing about
in good company in the modern music presence though, the question we get asked Bursters is, the usually reserved Gyejin
industry, where everyone from Billie Eilish a lot is, ‘Are you still doing rock music?!’ was quick with his words.
to Yungblud are demonstrating that there’s because it’s something that’s very much on “What’s important is that the five of us
a huge appetite for music that carves up the decline. We hate it when people look get to be together and be united,” he says.
the rulebook and smashes sounds and styles down on genres other than K-pop. We’ve “We’re best friends outside of the band.
together in novel and engaging ways. definitely felt that.” We’re basically brothers because we’ve
This spirit of experimentation is explored With barriers being erected in their known each other almost our whole lives.
in depth on Bursters’ latest single and album homeland, Bursters took the radical step We rehearse all the time, and when we’re
opener Smell The Rot. It’s led by synth strings of recording their first songs in English in finished rehearsing, we hang out afterwards.
that bleed into Refused-style hardcore verses the hope of bringing their music to a wider Our lives are so intertwined now. Being
before bursting into a massive radio-ready audience. It was a decision that brought its in Bursters isn’t just a job to us, it’s our
chorus, and glitchy and subtle atmospherics own challenges, with the band spending whole life.”
find their way into the song’s bridge, lending months labouring over vocal takes in a
it a sense of space before its final push. language they don’t speak fluently. Once And For All is available now
GUITAR MAGAZINE 15
