Korean, Japanese punk bands team up for split album

The members of Seoul-based punk band ...Whatever That Means visit Japan. Courtesy of ai_Hasumi09

The Seoul-based punk band ...Whatever That Means (WTM) has had another busy year. Not only did they bring back the IT'S A FEST! beach punk festival on Incheon's Muui Island, and win third place in the Indiestance competition out of more than 700 bands, but they also managed to put out two releases this year. The first was a collection of the band's best songs since 2009, and the second was a four-song split album with the Osaka-based skatepunk band the Skippers.

The album, which is already available on Bandcamp, was officially released early this month at shows in Osaka on Dec. 1 and Kobe Dec. 2, featuring both the Korean and Japanese bands. After bringing what was left from the tour to Busan's HQ Gwangan for a Dec. 9 show with Barbie Dolls, they're ready for a Seoul release show happening this Saturday at the still-new Club Victim located near western Seoul's Hongik University.

The new album's inception began in April, when WTM toured Japan for three shows in Kobe and Osaka. After returning to Korea, they started planning their next Japan tour, which ended up happening earlier this month. They also decided to return to the same cities on this tour again.

"It's fun going to new spots on tour, but we figured it'd be more beneficial to go back to the same cities just so people would actually remember us from our last tour," WTM singer-guitarist Jeff Moses told The Korea Times. "It was a chance to start building a bit of a fan base and grow out from there."

As is often the case with this band, they decided to release new material for sale on this latest tour. But without enough time to make a lot of new songs and record them in the studio, they opted to find a Japanese band to team up with. This wasn't their first split, after having released one in 2016 with U.S. band Burn Burn Burn.

"Split albums are always fun, and this would give us even more of a connection with the area we were going back to," Moses said.

They met the Skippers' guitarist-vocalist, who goes by the name Jagger, when they ran into him on tour in Kobe.

"He was doing a solo acoustic tour, and just as a solo artist in the middle of a punk show," Moses said. "He had so much energy, and it was obvious that the audience loved him."

They got to talking after the show, and Jagger introduced the Skippers, his main band back in Osaka, which has been playing for over 20 years.

"When we decided to do a split, they were the first band we called," Moses said. "I mean, why not swing for the fences and ask one of the biggest local bands? We were super happy, and kinda surprised, when they immediately said yes."

"When I was thinking about wanting to go to Korea, Gomi-chan invited me," Jagger said. Gomi-chan is the Japanese name for WTM's bassist Trash, who is also Moses' wife. "Let's release a split and do a tour in Japan and Korea, they said. There was no reason to refuse this opportunity at this time, and I felt excited about it."

The Skippers contributed two very energetic songs to the album, "Kimuchi" (named after the Japanese way of pronouncing kimchi) and "Bulgogi."

"Both songs were made when I was young," Jagger said. "Although I hadn't performed them for years, there had been requests from the audience, so I got the chance to re-record and release them."

WTM contributed the songs "Her n I" and "Cheap Booze & Cigarettes." The album was released under WTM's Korea-based label World Domination, Inc., and the Skippers' Japanese label, Immortal Zombie Records.

A CD copy of Seoul punk band ...Whatever That Means' four-song split album with Japanese skatepunk band the Skippers, shared on social media Nov. 29. Courtesy of World Domination, Inc.

Once the album was all put together and given a cover befitting the Korean and Japanese heritage of both bands, WTM hopped in a plane bound for Japan for the second time this year.

"Going back to the same cities and releasing with a beloved local band was definitely the right move. The crowds were obviously bigger this time. A lot of that was because of The Skippers and the fact that they and our other promoter were able to put together great lineups for each show," Moses said. "Playing with The Skippers was also really inspiring and motivating for us. Those guys have great stage presence and really know how to work the crowd. Everyone knows their songs in Kobe and Osaka, so going on stage after that, you really have to bring your A game."

But he added that Japanese concertgoers also showed more love for WTM this time around. "There were people at each show, up front singing along with our songs," he said. "It's always wild when you're so far from home and people you've never met have not only heard your music but know the words well enough to sing along."

He added that they got to reconnect with some of the bands and friends from the previous tour, shouting out the bands The Dahlia and The Means.

"That's really the best part of hitting up the same spots on multiple tours. It's like a family reunion with all the punk rockers you've met over the years," Moses said.

"Touring in Japan is so much fun. The scene is just so much bigger over there. There are so many bands and so many fans. There are shows every day of the week. Our promoters have treated us so well and taken such good care of us when we're there. We really couldn't ask for anything more."

Members of Seoul-based punk band ...Whatever That Means pose outside a restaurant with three members of Osaka skatepunk band the Skippers and a tour organizer in Japan earlier this month. Courtesy of ...Whatever That Means

He said the hardest part about touring Japan is the language barrier, something his multinational band with members from the U.S., Korea and Poland don't have to worry about at home.

"The use of English is a lot less widespread in Japan than it is in Korea," he said. "It can be kinda frustrating not being able to talk to people as easily as we can in Korea. It reminds me of my first days in Korea when I couldn't even read a menu."

The show this Saturday features PAKK, Half Brothers, Cockrasher, reggae band The Reseters and the first show by Tom Tom Tom. Tickets cost 20,000 won in advance or 25,000 won at the door, and the first 30 reservations get a free CD.

Once that's over with, next year WTM will be busy working on the Skippers' own Korea tour, scheduled for Jan. 19 and 20.

"It's the first time for all the band members (to visit Korea), so we're excited," Jagger said. "Of course, we're looking forward to experiencing the food and culture, but the biggest excitement is reuniting with everyone from ...Whatever That Means whom we love. I'm full of gratitude and anticipation for the chance they've given us to dive into the scene they've built."

Listen to the album at whateverthatmeans.bandcamp.com, or visit wdikorea.com or @wdikorea on Instagram for more information.