Merong City making waves in the music world

Rock band Merong City from Seoul, South Korea continue to make quality music with their new EP, the self titled Merong City. The band cannot put a foot wrong as they impress with eclectic sounds and Jo In's vocals. Six songs and 23 minutes in total, the EP is a little piece of heaven I do not mind listening to on repeat.

Who are Merong City? Where did they suddenly sprout from? These are some of the questions we asked the boys in an exclusive interview with them.

Name: Shin Woongsu

What's your role in the band

I play the guitar and sing. I am also the leader of the band.

How would you describe your personality in your band

As the leader of the band, I gather members' opinions, mediate conflicts, and provide musical inspiration. However, honestly, I don't have outstanding leadership. Haha.

Name: Yang Dream

What's your role in the band?

I mainly play drums and sing a little.

How would you describe your personality in your band?

I have a lot of worries about real life problems. These problems concern me a great deal , so I raise those issues with the rest of the band members. Sometimes I play a role in leading opinions in a rational direction, giving good ideas and advice.

Name: Jo In

What's your role in the band?

I am in charge of the main vocals, so I'm the Lead singer. I also play the guitar .

How would you describe your personality in your band?

This band can't function without me. I'm the mood maker. I like to make jokes and make everyone smile. I keep everyone positive and relaxed. Jokes are always welcome.

Name: Lim Halim

What's your role in the band?

I play the bass guitar. Additionally, I am also in charge of making unicorn screaming sounds.

How would you describe your personality in your band?

I am the most emotional and artistic member in the band. I am trendy and fashionable. I am not hesitant to express unpleasant opinions, so I play a role of holding the band together and help with improving ourselves so that we can create world class music.

Merong City answered some questions as a band, giving a collective answer. Woongsu, Dream, Halim and Jo In had a lot to say about their band and their future planes.

why did you choose Merong City as the name of your band and what is the story behind it?

Our band's name is 'Merong City.' This is a fact that many Koreans may already know, but the name 'Merong City' is a liberal translation of the deep-sea city 'Rock Bottom' from SpongeBob SquarePants. And 'Merong' is a Korean expression used when sticking out one's tongue and teasing someone. We thought that this was a truly witty translation, and decided to use it as our band name. Although it doesn't have any deep meaning, we all love SpongeBob. It's a cartoon that we grew up with together.

Who writes the lyrics?

When we released our first two singles, Woongsu wrote all of the lyrics for the songs. However, for this EP album titled 'Merong City', everyone participated in the lyric writing process.

Does everyone sing?

Woongsu sings quite a lot in many songs. Each member sings at least a few lines in the songs.

Who plays instruments?

Jo In and Woongsu mainly play the guitar, Harim plays the bass, and Dream plays the drums.

How did you guys meet?

Jo In, Woongsu, and Harim have been friends since middle school. We formed a band and used to practice together in a small container with crappy instruments. We went through countless drummers before recruiting Dream as an official member through an online audition a few years ago.

How long have you been together?

The four of us have been together for about four years. We had some breaks due to military service of some members, though.

How would you describe your music?

Although we've been influenced by American pop punk, emo, alternative, modern rock, and so on, the concept of genre is becoming increasingly vague these days. So I don't think there is a need to be bound by those things. Our goal is simply to make good music that many people can enjoy.

Tell me more about your album?

There are six songs. The entire producing process took about a year. We started in the beginning of last year.

When will we see a live performance? For example a concert? Do you plan on a concert in the future?

We will start small live performances at various live clubs near Hongdae and Itaewon from early April. We are also planning online live performances through platforms such as concert apps, YouTube, and Instagram. Please look forward to it.

Listen to Merong City's music on YouTube. You can find links to their other sites there too. The link is: https://www.youtube.com/@merongcity5477