Intro

THORNAPPLE is a South Korean rock band from 2009 known for its dark, existential music. The band’s music, outfits, and lyrics have an obvious dark style. The band consists of three members: Seonghyun Yoon(vocalist and guitarist), Dongkyun Hong(Guitarist), and Bang Joseph(Drummer). The track “Strange Tropics” is one example of how THORNAPPLE creates an atmosphere with its unique dark sound.

Song Review

“Strange Tropics” begins with a surreal tone, with a guitar starting the intro. The guitar reminded me of the Jaws theme when the shark appears, creating that horror and uncomfortable feeling immediately. The initial lyrics are sung very softly, almost as if he’s in your ear whispering it to you. As the song goes on, you hear how they begin to add more instruments in the background. The beat begins to pick up quickly within the first minute of the song.

The lyrics talk about inner thoughts and emotions they have about the world they live in. Lyrics like “What shall I do? What shall I do?” show how they feel unmotivated, confused, and pointless. The lyrics indicate that he’s trying to understand what to do after “the strange tropics I suffered, the tropics where you left me”. They keep their voice low and monotone the entire time which gives that eerie sensation to the audience. It emphasizes the theme of how they feel confused in their life and almost lifeless. Everything together makes you as the listener feel and understand what they are going through; at the surface level of course.

Eventually, we reach the turning point where even more layers are added and the song level reaches a peak. The drums and guitar crash together at the halfway mark and we get a nice guitar solo for a little bit showcasing their skills before the lyrics come back. Now, the lyrics are performed at a way higher pitch and it almost seems like he exclaiming his words saying “What should I even do? What should I even do ahh”. The entire song gets a lot more dramatic and with the vocals, you can feel the pain coming out of his words even though I don’t understand the language.

Final Thoughts

“Strange Tropics” is a very interesting song that I feel most people would enjoy. Even though I don’t understand what he is saying as I listen, I can feel the emotions and the theme of the song. They did an amazing job of being able to create that atmospheric sound with their production and vocals. Once you’re able to read the lyrics, you can fully grasp what the song is about. The buildup from the slow, eerie introduction into the very emotional ending is what anyone can appreciate. A beautiful rock song.

My score: 9/10

Let us know your thoughts of the song and the review in the comments.

GENRE: Rock
ARTIST: THORNAPPLE
Song Link: https://youtu.be/U6IuopxXHyg?si=zDyB7zFEJZC5IPbD