Glen Check (band)

Glen Check
OriginSeoul, South Korea
GenresElectronic, indie
Years active2011–present
LabelsSoundholic, BANA
MembersKim June-one
Kang Hyuk-jun
Past membersRyu Jeon-yeol
Choe Tae-geun

Glen Check (Korean: 글렌체크) is a South Korean indie band, consisting of singer and guitarist Kim June-one, and bassist and synthesizer player Kang Hyuk-jun.[1][2] They debuted in 2011 with the EP Disco Elevator, and released their first full-length album, Haute Couture, in 2012.[3]

History

[edit]

Kim June-one (김준원) and Kang Hyuk-jun (강혁준) were both born in South Korea, but spent much of their childhoods abroad, listening mostly to Western music.[4] They met after returning to South Korea, while attending Busan International High School, where they decided to pursue music as a career. After graduation, they formed a band called The Closure, which Kim later described as being "quiet and boring."[1][5]

They changed the band's name to Glen Check, and began releasing electropop and synth-pop music, starting with their first EP, 2011's Disco Elevator.[5][4] Their first full-length album, 2012's Haute Couture, was met with rave reviews from critics, and won Best Dance & Electronic Album at the 2013 Korean Music Awards.[1][6] The band's second album, 2013's Youth!, also won Best Dance & Electronic Album the following year at the 2014 Korean Music Awards,[7] and Billboard called the album track "Young Generation" one of the best South Korean songs of 2013.[8]

In 2014, Glen Check performed at the South by Southwest music festival as part of a Korean rock showcase.[9] That same year, Melissa Locker of Time singled out Glen Check as her favorite band from South Korea, praising their "edgy '80s energy" and "style that's nearly impossible not to dance to."[10]

In 2017, the band released its first album in four years, the EP The Glen Check Experience. The album was a departure from their synth-pop sound and featured genres including psychedelic rock, old school hip hop, acid jazz, and techno.[2] The album charted at number 38 on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart.[11] Billboard named it as one of the twenty best South Korean albums of the year and described it as "perhaps the most sonically adventurous album on the list."[12] On 3 August 2018, the band released the track "Velvet Goldmine".

They released the single Dive Baby, Dive on 13 September 2021. This was followed by the release of the song "Raving" and the announcement of a new album, Bleach,[13] released on 5 March 2022.[14]

The track "Dazed and Confused" on Bleach was chosen as the theme song for the 2024 Netflix show The Boyfriend, a landmark series that was the first gay-dating show on Japanese television.[15] A second track on the album, "4ever," was used as a leitmotif, or recurring refrain, to highlight key moments in the series when two cast members progressed their relationship, or an individual showed emotional growth.

Artistry

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Glen Check is notable for only singing in English.[2] While the duo have cited Western music as being an influence on them, they were also inspired by African music and traditional Korean music on their album Haute Couture.[16][17] For Cliché, they looked to funk and disco music from the 1970s and 1980s for their inspiration.[18] The duo has said that they do not want their sound to be limited, and that they plan to experiment in many different styles. The band places an emphasis on the visual aspects of their live shows and have been noted for their stage design.[5]

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[11]
Haute Couture
  • Released: 28 February 2012
  • Label: Soundholic
Track listing
  1. The Naked Sun
  2. Vogue Boys And Girls
  3. French Virgin Party
  4. The Flashback
  5. Rebellion
  6. Bataille!
  7. Au Revoir
  8. Concorde
  9. 60's Cardin
  10. Racket
  11. Vivid
 — N/A
Youth!
  • Released: 19 November 2013
  • Label: Soundholic
Track listing

Disc 1

  1. The Match Open
  2. Pacific
  3. Summer Hearts
  4. Youth In Revolt
  5. Paint It Gold
  6. Anthem For The Wild Souls

Disc 2

  1. Young Generation
  2. I've Got This Feeling
  3. Brooklyn
  4. The Coast
  5. Jordan
 — N/A
Bleach
  • Released: 3 March 2022
  • Label: EMA Recordings
Track listing
  1. Acid Test
  2. Dazed & Confused
  3. Waves
  4. Dive Baby, Dive
  5. Sins
  6. Sometimes You Gotta Shake It Off
  7. Blush
  8. Bliss
  9. Raving
  10. Long Strange Days Pt.2
  11. Runaway
  12. 4ever
  13. I Feel Like Ridin' Slow
 — N/A
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Extended plays

[edit]
Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[11]
Disco Elevator
  • Released: February 11, 2011
Track listing
  1. Disco Elevator
  2. Metro
  3. Dressing Room (Demo)
  4. Dressing Room (Acoustic)
 — N/A
Au Revoir
  • Released: September 29, 2011
  • Label: Soundholic
Track listing
  1. Au Revoir
  2. 60's Cardin
 — N/A
Cliché
  • Released: September 28, 2012
  • Label: Soundholic
Track listing
  1. Blood, Sweat & The Beat
  2. ’84
  3. Leather
  4. Want You Back
  5. ’84 The Original
 — N/A
The Glen Check Experience
  • Released: August 13, 2017
  • Label: BANA
Track listing
  1. Dreaming Kills
  2. Follow the White Rabbit
  3. Long Strange Days, Pt. 1
  4. Mayhem
  5. Rude & Confused
 38 N/A
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Remix albums

[edit]
Title Album details
'84
  • Released: December 11, 2012
  • Label: Soundholic
Track listing
  1. '84
  2. '84 (Arno Grieco Remix)
  3. '84 (Acid Punk Dynamite)
  4. '84 (Surrender! Remix)
  5. '84 (Juneoney Remix)
I've Got This Feeling Remixes
  • Released: March 19, 2014
  • Label: Soundholic
Track listing
  1. I've Got This Feeling
  2. I've Got This Feeling (Kartell Remix)
  3. I've Got This Feeling (Lorenz Rhode Remix)
  4. I've Got This Feeling (Tesla55 Remix)
  5. I've Got This Feeling (Cabinett Remix)
Pacific Remixes
  • Released: June 5, 2014
  • Label: Soundholic
Track listing
  1. Pacific
  2. Pacific (Moullinex Remix)
  3. Pacific (Justin Faust Remix)
  4. Pacific (Les Loups Remix)
  5. Pacific (Glen Check "Summer" Remix)
Paint It Gold Remixes
  • Released: July 16, 2014
  • Label: Soundholic
Track listing
  1. Paint It Gold
  2. Paint It Gold (Anoraak Remix)
  3. Paint It Gold (Jean Tonique Remix)
  4. Paint It Gold (Like Likes Remix)
  5. Paint It Gold (Knuckle G Remix)

Awards

[edit]

Korean Music Awards

[edit]
Year Category Recipient Result Ref
2013 Best Dance & Electronic Album Haute Couture Won [6]
2014 Youth Won [7]
2023 Best Electronic Album Bleach Nominated [19]
2023 Best Electronic Song 4ever Nominated [20]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Doo, Rumy (2017-09-04). "[Next Wave] Glen Check tells stories of Seoul, curiosity, experience". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  2. ^ a b c Lee, Eun-jeong (2017-08-20). "글렌체크 '음악 모험에 성취감…시대의 대표 장르 담겼죠'". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  3. ^ "Glen Check 앨범" [Glen Check Albums]. [Mnet (in Korean). CJ E&M Music. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  4. ^ a b Kim, Young-jin (2013-02-19). "Match made in synthpop heaven". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  5. ^ a b c Park, Anna (2012-06-15). "Indie ID: Glen Check". MTV K. Archived from the original on 2012-07-20. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  6. ^ a b Seo, Jeong-min (2013-02-28). "버터플라이·싸이 '화려한 귀환'…인디·비주류 음악 대중속으로". The Hankyoreh (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  7. ^ a b Yang, Eun-ha (2014-02-28). "윤영배, 제11회 한국대중음악상 음반상 3관왕(종합)". News1 Korea (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  8. ^ "20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2013: K-Town Picks". Billboard. 2013-12-23. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  9. ^ Park, Jin-hai (2014-02-10). "Here comes K-rock". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  10. ^ Locker, Melissa (2014-05-26). "From Brazil to Iceland to Korea: Go Around the World In 11 Bands". Time. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  11. ^ a b c "Gaon Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart.
  12. ^ Jeff Benjamin; Tamar Herman; Caitlin Kelley (December 14, 2017). "The 20 Best K-pop Albums of 2017: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  13. ^ 글렌체크, 신곡 '레이빙' 발매…새 정규앨범 내년 공개, Naver, 16 December 2021.
  14. ^ Bleach by Glen Check, Amazon.
  15. ^ Staples, Louis (2025-06-30). "The Boyfriend: How TV shows are finally getting gay dating right". BBC.com. Retrieved 2024-08-05.
  16. ^ Edwina Mukasa (April 2012). "An Interview With Glen Check". thislondonchick.com. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  17. ^ Pancho Paradela (August 25, 2012). "P&B ON-TOUR KOREA Glen Check". Pull the Metal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on August 28, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  18. ^ Kim, June-One; Kang, Hyuk-Jun; Ryu, Jeon-Yeol (2012). "B-Sides Episode 5: Glen Check". MTV K (video). Archived from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  19. ^ Kim, Chian (2023-02-10). "The Complete List of Korean Music Awards 2023 Nominees윤". K Pop Post. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  20. ^ Kim, Chian (2023-02-10). "The Complete List of Korean Music Awards 2023 Nominees윤". K Pop Post. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
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