This country is filled with anger, ignorance and hatred. And, at least for myself, it’s becoming all too easy to fall down into a social media rage spiral for hours every day as of late — with seemingly no end in sight.
Consider, if only for a fleeting moment, taking some time out from the world for the sake of self-care.
For me, since I was a teenager, foreign pop provided a necessary escape in times of anxiety; an opportunity to dive into a different culture by drowning out the noise and getting lost in unfamiliar sounds. K-Pop, especially in its current conveyer belt state of girl group and boy band aural confections, is one of my favorite ways to tune out the turmoil for a while.
Moon Hyuna is an ex-member of the underrated troupe Nine Muses — who currently have an incredible track out, called “Love City.”
Over the past year or so, the soon-to-be-married Hyuna has steadily paved a path for herself (alongside composers The Lowkies) using calm, soothing sounds best suited for late night listening, from the adorable gentle chirps of “Cricket Song” to the indie-pop strum of “Remedy Take 2.”
This week, she returned with another offering — and a familiar face along for the ride: EU Erine (Euaerin), another former member of the ever-rotating Nine Muses roster. And together, the two ex-girl group members are sailing far, far away.
Bolstered by a poolside-friendly house beat, the solo stars go with the flow across the warm pulsations. It’s a calming and repetitive groove (“Baby, I don’t know…“) full of soft vocals (“I’m sailing…“), perfect for providing a blood pressure comedown after scrolling through your timelines and logging out out of sheer necessity.
“Play some Bob Marley…feel the rain,” Euaerin offers. Sound advice.
The two shot a playful, aesthetically pleasing video for the track in Rota, part of the Northern Mariana Islands, which suits its summery groove as the girls strike a pose for the camera with some selfies, lounge and dance by the pool and generally serve up the serene vacation vibes we could all use at the moment.
Here’s hoping this one helps you sail away, too.
The cover art for “Doong Doong” is also gorgeous, which you can check out on Moon Hyuna’s Instagram below.
Thanks to Terence on Instagram for the find.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXraClNl-OO/?hl=en&taken-by=moongom119
“Doong Doong” was released on August 11. (Apple Music / Spotify)