한국국제교류재단

GWANGALLI SURF ROCK

Just 200 meters away from Gwangalli, one of Busan’s most famous beaches and holiday spots alongside Haeundae, is an alley that is home to the modest basement serving as Say Sue Me’s hideout. It is the band’s rehearsal and recording studio and doubles as the headquarters of their own record label, Beach Town Music. Say Sue Me has remained in this tucked-away spot since their inception in 2012. When the band members hit a wall or feel exhausted while rehearsing, they often take a break and head down to the beach, just a three-minute walk away, and enjoy the occasional beer together.

The band’s name was inspired by vocalist Sumi Choi’s name. In the early years, Say Sue Me performed at local pubs popular with international customers. Gradually, the group built up a large fanbase. Despite their grammatical oddities, the English lyrics Sumi Choi composed seemed to charm foreign listeners, while sounding trendy to Korean audiences. And the ambiguous “Sue Me” part of the band’s name naturally aroused the curiosity of non-Korean listeners.

Above all, it is the band’s music that has captivated listeners. Reminiscent of the night sea at Gwangalli Beach, it is a blend of jangly, dreamy, and invigorating sounds. Someone dubbed their genre “surf rock,” owing to its origins at the shores of Gwangalli. But there is a clear distinction to be made with the surf rock that emerged on the U.S. West Coast in the 1960s, popularized by pioneering guitarist Dick Dale and the Del-Tones along with the Beach Boys, one of the decade’s most popular bands. Say Sue Me’s music defies easy categorization, blending dream pop and shoegaze’s elusive melodies with the soft whispers of indie pop, occasionally giving way to the unrestrained energy of punk rock.

TURNING POINT

“Some aspects of our debut album, We’ve Sobered Up, which we released in 2014, were meant to reflect the way we were being perceived by the public as a surf rock band from Gwangalli. But since then, we’ve been making our own distinct style of music, focusing on messages and sounds that resonate with us in the moment,” says Byungkyu Kim.

His words could not ring truer given that Say Sue Me’s second album, Where We Were Together (2018), marked a turning point in their trajectory. One of the tracks, “Old Town,” became a sensation after winning praise from legendary singer-songwriter Elton John, who introduced it on h is podcast, Elton John’s Rocket Hour. The same year, Say Sue Me went on its first world tour titled “Busan Calling!” and achieved another milestone by becoming the first Korean musicians to perform on the famous podcast and YouTube Channel “Live on KEXP.” Based in Seattle, Washington, KEXP-FM is a highly respected non-commercial radio station specializing in alternative and indie rock.

The following year, Say Sue Me’s album earned an impressive five nominations at the Korean Music Awards (often called the Korean Grammys), unprecedented for an indie band. They successfully clinched the Best Modern Rock Album and Best Modern Rock Song trophies.

FANS AROUND THE WORLD

In recent years, the increasing popularity of bands from the Busan area has afforded the likes of Bosudong Cooler and Hathaw9y several opportunities to share the stage with Say Sue Me. However, according to the band, the Busan music scene remains relatively small. “There’s only one live performance club in Busan that has yet to close its doors, making it no different than a smaller city like Daegu. It doesn’t match up to the vibrant scene of Hongdae in Seoul,” Kim notes.

This hasn’t stopped Say Sue Me’s music from transcending local and national boundaries to reach the hearts of fans around the world. “We can feel that our music resonates with young listeners not just in neighboring countries like Japan and China but also as far as North and Central America,” Choi says. On their final tour stop in Mexico City last year, about ninety percent of the audience consisted of music lovers in their twenties.

The band believes the popularity of K-pop and K-dramas has contributed to their international appeal. Having their songs featured in TV series like tvN’s Yumi’s Cells (2021–2022) and JTBC’s Nevertheless (2021) has helped capture the attention of global audiences. “I’ve always tried to incorporate more English lyrics into our songs, so I was surprised to find out that fans abroad actually seem to prefer Korean lyrics,” Choi notes.

When asked about the most memorable places during the band’s tours, each member comes up with a different answer. Byungkyu Kim reminisces about their 2018 performance in Glasgow, Scotland; Sungwan Lim picks the band’s appearance at the Green Man Festival at Bannau Brycheiniog National Park in Wales in 2019; Jaeyoung Kim says last year’s performance at the Great Satsumanian Hestival in Kagoshima, Japan, left a lasting impression on him; and Choi says she can’t forget the band’s 2018 European tour when they performed in the backyard of a family home in the small French town of Colmar.

“Oh, and there’s that time we drank the night away with a local heavyweight in Krakow, Poland!” Choi recalls with a smile, drawing claps and laughter from the others. The band fondly remembers their full-on experience of Poland’s drinking culture along with pierogi, dumplings similar to Korean mandu.

Their world tours have been rollercoaster rides, with too many twists and turns to recall all details. Yet, in the end, they always returned to one place — their current home, Beach Town Music in Gwangalli.

“While it would be wonderful to works that resonate strongly with listeners, our main focus is to make music that captures the joy that naturally emanates from within us as best as we can,” says Choi.