Sunset Rollercoaster: The Sound of a Slow, Refreshing Love
Funnily enough, I did not discover Sunset Rollercoaster through their original music, but through covers and remakes they have created of other artists’ songs. One of these was their cover of RM’s ‘Come back to me.’ The original song has a very stripped-down, indie feel, but Sunset Rollercoaster switch this up to create a more jazzy arrangement with a groovy bassline, which sounds so refreshing! Even as they switch up the rhythms to achieve this jazzy rhythm, they preserve the meditative and calm intonations of RM’s original work. Compared to the original, where the drums and rest of the band kick in towards the middle, Sunset Rollercoaster keep it stripped down throughout. They manage to preserve the quality of the original while adding their own creative twist. The original features similar lyrics and themes throughout, but being a band, they added an instrumental section in place of the refrain which features their amazing ensemble. This section is completely transformed by their saxophonist, Haoting (drinking game: take a shot every time I mention him throughout the rest of this post) – I had never expected a saxophone to sound so good on one of Namjoon’s songs! I was pleasantly interested in the band once I heard them remake one of my favourite artists’ songs so innovatively and wonderfully.
The next of their remakes I want to talk about is ‘Xiaowei’, originally by Huang Pin Yuan. His version sounds sweet and romantic, suited perfectly to be the soundtrack to a romance drama! It sounds heartfelt, conveying adoration and yearning for the person it is sung about. In contrast, Sunset Rollercoaster’s version is much slower and vocalist KuoKuo creates a more meditative feel with his mellow singing. Where the original seems to be infused with the desperation of the singer’s feelings for Xiaowei, almost like a nervous confession, Sunset Rollercoaster’s version sounds as though it admires Xiaowei calmly, singing of her beauty as though they are already her lover and want to sincerely express to her, as they do every day, how beautiful she is and how much they love her. The swung rhythms add to this slower romance, making the song sound almost like a waltz. The lyrics are so incredibly simple, but that makes them all the more touching and sincere as they express the singer’s devotion and love for Xiaowei. I really loved the line, “The stars are so beautiful/I’ll pick one out of the sky for you myself” – it melted my heart! Of course, I couldn’t complete this description without shouting out Haoting – even his brief sections on the saxophone add so much to the slow and gentle romance conveyed in this remake of ‘Xiaowei.’ It’s truly so refreshing to hear him play!
I’ll conclude this little section by talking about my favourite remake by Sunset Rollercoaster – their version of ‘Balloon’ by ADOY, the first song I ever heard by them. My music app made the mistake of recommending their version to me before I’d heard ADOY’s original…Sunset Rollercoaster’s (SR) take on this song was so diabolically wonderful that the original fell flat for me in comparison (sorry ADOY)! The original version of ‘Balloon’ is slow-paced and meditative. The music remains largely the same throughout, which gives it a slightly sleepy quality and it begins to sound a bit repetitive. By contrast, SR’s remake is bouncy, upbeat and fun. By simply increasing the tempo and swinging the rhythm of the song, they completely transform the emotion it conveys. Where ADOY focus heavily on the synths in their version, SR manages to focus their entire ensemble. Here, the guitar and drums are also brought into focus, making the song sound breezy, light and fun. Once again, the use of saxophone elevates the song to a completely different level. I cannot describe it beyond saying that it makes me feel like I’m ascending and makes me so, so happy! The addictive melody Haoting plays at the start and the solo after the bridge is what transforms the song to sound joyful and whimsical, as opposed to the nostalgic feel of the original. I can’t say any more about this besides the fact that they have simply outdone ADOY by miles with how they rearranged this song, and somehow I’ll always be partial to their remake over ADOY’s original! I’m still a fan of ADOY’s other music though, which are equally infused with feel-good vibes. In fact, I think ADOY and Sunset Rollercoaster have very similar sounds to one another. ADOY’s singer Juhwan has a very similar vocal quality to Sunset Rollercoaster’s KuoKuo, so SR were actually a great band to cover ADOY’s music! Further, both bands convey an almost tropical and summer-infused romance in their songs with a heavy focus on bright synths. Because of this, I would love to see SR work with ADOY on a collab album, as they have done recently with HYUKOH!
Now I want to talk about some of my favourite songs by Sunset Rollercoaster! I really love the chill, summery vibes of many of their songs that make me feel so relaxed. There’s no particular order to this section, I’m just describing my favourite compositions by them!
Starting out with ‘Coffee’s On Me,’ I think it’s the perfect cafe song that has a super chill and summery feeling. I love how it showcases a summer crush. It starts out with the singer imagining enjoying a fruity, cold coffee with the person they like, then feeling crushed that this is just their imagination, something that they wish was really happening but sadly isn’t. The lyrical part of the song ends with the singer making an evening coffee in the setting “golden blue” sun as they think about their loved one. Much like the golden blue sun, their feelings are mixed and bittersweet. Their love for this person makes their summer golden with happiness as they imagine being with them and bask in how happy this person makes them. However, there are also blue undertones of sadness because this person is not yet the singer’s lover – they wish for their love to be reciprocated, but don’t know whether it is, and yearn to spend time with their lover alone. The bright synth sound and drums at the start of the song create a chill, tropical and sunny feeling. The synth interlude after the lyrical part sounds almost like being a little giddy with your head in the clouds when you like someone. As always, my favourite part is Haoting’s saxophone solo at the end! Its rising notes are so beautifully romantic and add more to the giddy, delusional feeling of a fresh but uncertain romance where you are still discovering your feelings for someone before you are ready to confess. I can’t help but smile when I hear this part! ‘Coffee’s On Me’ is the perfect chill summer song!
I mentioned listening to SR’s ‘Cassa Nova’ album earlier and I really enjoyed it! SR are the kings of making the most addictive melodies ever, like the opening melody for ‘Summum Bonum’ played on bass and guitar. It’s truly an earworm that never gets out of my head. I had to Google the meaning of Summum Bonum to write this post – it means the greatest and highest good. Thus, though the song rather wistfully reminisces about a lost love, it still sounds hopeful, upbeat and beautiful, almost as though the singer realises that they were able to experience the greatest good just by being with this person. Although the love has passed them by, they experienced something so spiritual and transcendental that they are simply grateful to have experienced it. They reminisce fondly on the memories of this person, but still believe they were fated to be with them and that this love will find them once again – so they dream of their greatest love returning home to them. The insane and amazing sax solo at the end is light, breezy and contemplative, adding to the jauntiness of the song. I love the part where Haoting plays the notes quickly – as a singer, I can barely imagine the breath control needed for such a technique! ‘Summum Bonum’ thus describes a spiritual awakening through a love that was so beautiful it made you discover something you never had before. When such a love passes you by, you end up with no regrets for experiencing it and simply gratitude that you were fortunate enough to be part of it.
‘Angel Disco Love,’ also off ‘Cassa Nova’ with a similarly addictive opening riff, also describes a spiritual love experienced with someone, referring to their lover as an “angel lover.” However, the singer’s experience of loving this angelic person drives them not to spirituality but to greed and sin. They dream that “the garden [of Eden] could be mine,” and dream of flying “back to Eden” and being “take[n] to heaven one last time.” While they enjoy being with someone who changes them so fundamentally and shows them the most heavenly experiences, they also become greedy and want to snatch this person’s goodness and keep some of these heavenly experiences for themselves. They sum up this dichotomy with the line, “without your love, I’m barely blind.” They could suggest that without this person’s love, they are almost blind, they almost see but cannot truly see without their lover helping them to see the world in a new light. However, they could also suggest that without this angelic love, they are barely blind – they do see the realities of sin, excess and desire, but being with this person and feeling their love blinds them to these sins and urges them to indulge, to take everything they wish to have and give in to their greed. SR also describe being in this love as being “in exile,” which is strange. They seem to both enjoy the “angel lover’s” presence but also feel confined by them, as though they somehow hold them back from stealing the entire garden of Edenic pleasures for themselves. The bouncy rhythms of the song add to this feeling, keeping the listener hooked and on their toes awaiting the next part of the song. It mirrors the singer searching for guilty pleasures, forbidden but sinful experiences and desires that they can fulfil through this person and not simply the heavenly and angelic nature of the love they are experiencing with them.
One thing I love is when artists make albums that tell a story through the tracklist, especially when tracks flow so smoothly into one another they sound like one cohesive song! SR have managed this beautifully with the tracks ‘Slow’ followed by ‘Oriental.’ ‘Slow’ is one of their most masterfully composed songs. It was one of the only ones I’ve heard of theirs (so far) that features a clean piano melody instead of their signature synths, and focuses on the piano notes as opposed to the entire ensemble throughout the song. While the song is called ‘Slow’ and asks “how to be slow,” everything about it is fast. The piano melodies are played quickly in short spurts, and the rhythms of the lyrics match the same pace. The running melody and questioning lyrics allow for a lot of music and feeling to fit into this two-minute-long song. The rushed melody and anxious feel of the song thus make it feel like it runs for double the time. In worrying about how to go with the flow and let things progress calmly and slowly, the singer ends up rushing their thoughts and anxiously repeating themselves. ‘Slow’ transitions directly into ‘Oriental,’ the next track on ‘Cassa Nova.’ Played one after another, they feel like they are one song. ‘Oriental’ picks up from ‘Slow,’ allowing the rest of the ensemble to shine and develop the themes of the previous song. As the music rises, almost drowning out KuoKuo’s voice as he considers “how to be slow,” losing himself in the “land of slow,” his building anxiety and confusion from trying to escape those very feelings are displayed poignantly.
I could not leave out my favourite ever transition that SR have ever done – the one from ‘10-Year-Taipei (Matured ‘17)’ into ‘Burgundy Red.’ ‘Burgundy Red’ was always one of my favourite SR songs. As I concluded the ‘Cassa Nova’ album with ‘10-Year-Taipei (Matured ‘17),’ which I loved most from the album, I heard the concluding notes transition into the opening tones of ‘Burgundy Red.’ Nothing felt more beautiful than my two favourite Sunset Rollercoaster songs blending into one another! ‘10-Year-Taipei’ is best understood as the concluding track of ‘Cassa Nova.’ The album explores a quest for love that involves indulgence and seduction in the true style of a casanova. It opens with ‘Almost Mature ‘87,’ where the singer “almost gets mature” by being in love, but then doesn’t and continues to seek it out in a way that will indulge their deepest desires. It transitions into being ‘Greedy’ for such a love, seeking a spiritual awakening (but also sin) through it in ‘Angel Disco Love’ and ‘Summum Bonum.’ However, in being greedy and focusing on realising their desires and happiness through loving another, they are driven to anxiety described in ‘Slow’ and ‘Oriental,’ confused at how to be alone and at peace with themselves. As they lose themselves in ‘Libidream,’ they finally learn to slow down and realise the need to grow on their own and discover happiness and peace within.
This leads us to ‘10-Year-Taipei (Matured ‘17).’ The song opens with a soft, nostalgic acoustic guitar, maintaining this vibe throughout. It concludes the album by saying goodbye to the listener, and also to the mentality of the ‘almost mature’ singer whom we met at the beginning of the album. I loved the first verse, where KuoKuo plays on “I won’t be long/I don’t belong.” It shows someone realising they need to find themselves because they know they themselves are the reason they don’t belong. They need to re-evaluate who they are when they’re not escaping through indulgence – so, they won’t be long, and will be back as soon as they are mature. The song concludes with the singer unsure whether they should say goodbye to the person this song is addressing. They want this person to “be all the things [they] could be otherwise.” They thus realise that their obsession with receiving love from others and external sources has held back not just them, but also the people they love from growing into who they are. They consider it best to let go and let each other be free on their own to discover their identities separate from one another. The song contains very few lyrics and concludes with an instrumental outro. The concluding melodies are full of nostalgia and bittersweetness. The sweet and gentle tones of the saxophone here add so much to this feeling. The end of the song is so tearful, almost like looking back on a home that one is leaving after many years. The song concludes with the same rising hum that features at the start of ‘Burgundy Red.’
While the songs are very different, I really love the transition from one to the other which shows further character development for the singer. ‘Burgundy Red’ conveys a much sweeter and fonder sense of nostalgia than ‘10-Year-Taipei,’ which is much sadder. In the former, the singer shares their nostalgia for “old times passing by” with a loved one as they look at the sun setting and turning the sky burgundy red. They think fondly of their old life and times, but they are content with their current one too. They are comforted by the “sweet memories” of times gone by, but also enjoy discovering their new life and love under the burgundy-red skies before them now. The song’s slow rhythms are so comforting and gentle to listen to! The main pattern on the synths reminded me of Tom Petty’s ‘Free Fallin’’ and the main riff it uses. While both songs have rather different themes, they convey a similar sweetness and romance in their melodies. SR’s songs often focus on love. ‘Cassa Nova’ describes a seductive and possibly toxic lover who seeks love for selfish fulfilment rather than companionship. It transitions into ‘Jinji Kikko’ (the album featuring ‘Burgundy Red’), which KuoKuo said was inspired by the word ‘dindi’ from many bossa nova songs that means ‘lover.’ Where ‘Cassa Nova’ features a rollercoaster of emotions around finding and grasping on to love, ‘Jinji Kikko’ features sweeter, calmer songs that showcase a deep devotion and care for the love and companionship of the person the songs are addressed to. Thus, the transition from ‘10-Year-Taipei’ into ‘Burgundy Red’ captures this maturing, this transition to a calmer, sweeter love whose beauty is in the connection rather than the rush of the feeling.
I feel like I’m doing two to three album reviews within one while talking about Sunset Rollercoaster! But I simply could not close off this post without mentioning the ‘AAA’ album by HYUKOH and Sunset Rollercoaster! When this album released, I’d actually been thinking about exploring both HYUKOH’s and SR’s music – so it felt like a sign and I was so excited to discover what the two bands would create together. ‘AAA’ is unlike anything I have ever heard before. The band members explain that ‘AAA’ is meant to signify something that’s top quality – the album thus definitely lives up to its title. The sound is varied and very unconventional. I watched HYUKOH and SR on IU’s ‘Palette,’ where KuoKuo mentioned how difficult it was to arrange the songs for 2 basses, 2 guitars, 2 drum kits and definitely more than 2 synths. And yet, this album was a cohesive piece of work that brought the two bands and their vastly different genres together to create something stunning. Through all the songs, one can hear every part of both ensembles, which sound even more unique live. I also love watching the bands adapt their individual works to be played by both groups together at their live shows.
‘AAA’ captures not just the virtuosic rock sound one would expect from these two bands coming together, but also a more chill, jazzy feel and a slow and contemplative feel too. This is all while embodying the friendship and camaraderie that the two groups clearly developed in working on this project together. I will start with Kite War and Y, which both embody a reflective message with a classic rock sound. I love how both songs are over 5 minutes long, defying the trend of short songs that end before you can get into them. The long songs allow for the development of the very rich sound that both have, allowing every instrument on both songs to shine at different moments. Both songs seem to capture a deep internal confusion. ‘Kite War’ specifically has a very forlorn sound, almost as if one is walking alone on a mountain while singing it and battling their own stubbornness and indecisiveness (“I’m not ready, can you wait for me?/For eternity,” “Deep down, there’s nothing in my mind”). I love the punchy sound of guitars on this song – it opens with a very grating screech and ends with an amazing guitar solo. Honestly, I didn’t expect to enjoy a song like this but I truly loved the sound of this song. ‘Y,’ on the other hand, has a more desperate message, but a slightly softer sound. The singer grapples with why they must suffer such insanity and pain to achieve good things for themselves – the conclusion, where OHHYUK simply shouts out “Why? Baby, why?” perfectly conveys this desperation but also the slight exhaustion that is represented in the slightly softer and less punchy sounds (relative to ‘Kite War’). I really love the repetitive guitar melody on this song and the crescendo at the end that perfectly conveys these feelings. As always, Haoting’s abilities never disappoint – his high-pitched solo at the end of ‘Y’ is beyond insane!
‘Antenna’ and its slowed and reverbed instrumental continue with this contemplative theme, using a soft, meditative sound. It is the only song in Mandarin on the album and I could not find an appropriate translation (I can only vaguely translate Korean too, RIP – and I speak zero Mandarin). However, the song has a silvery and watery sound, which paints a picture of moonlight reflecting on water. It is comforting, gentle and meditative, almost like a lullaby. The slowed and reverbed version (there are too many A’s and N’s for me to type out the title accurately) is one that surprisingly sounds truly beautiful and transcendental. Much music is slowed and reverbed to create a certain ‘lo-fi’ vibe which doesn’t work for every song. But with Antenna, which is already so slow and meditative, this further slowed-down version lulls you even more into comfort and sleep. The twinkling sounds really clear and soothe the mind! I loved hearing that the slow/reverb effect was accidentally applied to the track, but then ended up creating the masterpiece that it is.
‘Glue’ and ‘Do Nothing’ are the two jazz-inspired tracks on the album. Both are groovy and fun to listen to and also super catchy. ‘Glue’ is a sweet love song but is also filled with a lot of yearning – the singer’s desire to “always stick to” the person they are singing about, “holding on for [them]” but at the end unconvinced whether the person loves them back or not – they desperately try to convince themselves that their feelings are reciprocated, losing themselves in a frenzy of voices that ends the song. ‘Do Nothing,’ by contrast, is a very relaxed and fun number with lyrics that make you laugh along while realising the importance of slowing down and observing the beauty in the trivial things around you. I love how nonsensical the fourth verse is:
“Chicken in the fridge, do nothing
Galbi [Korean dish] in the soy, do nothing
We don’t get the point of nothing at all
Avocados cut up something
All we need is just do nothing at all
Tomato”
It really reminds you of the importance of immersing yourself in the current moment, really observing what’s around you, and letting yourself be bored and truly do nothing, much like the food in our fridge, our pets, or the clouds in the sky and nature around us. Between the busyness of life and the constant stream of information and social media that makes you feel you must always be consuming something, always be entertained, always be stimulated, sometimes you need to look around at the world that does nothing but exist and do the same because existing is just enough. Both the songs feature jazzy guitar notes and swung rhythms on the drums – I really love how HYUKOH manage to master this style that is usually typical of SR’s music and blend to create something relaxing and enjoyable to listen to.
And last but definitely not the least, ‘Young Man’ and ‘2F Young Man!’ My favourite memory of this catchy, fun song is my friend and I singing “Every day is yesterday/we don’t look back” every 5 minutes while walking around the city together. Despite this upbeat, fun sound, ‘Young Man,’ has a serious and slightly dark message. It actually sounds like a marching song, with strict and regular rhythms and beats, as though soldiers sing of their hardships in a lively voice to keep themselves motivated during the harsh wartime periods. The bands sing of leaving behind the past, even “dead friends” and simply moving ahead with no regrets. The Korean section of the song is even more nihilistic: “Sadness always comes in droves/Happiness always passes by/[...]/There’s no happiness.” The song thus seems to critique toxic optimism and positivity that suggests ignoring your struggles, even the sadness of losing things that mattered to you, and just keeping your head down and moving forward, pretending everything will be fine as long as we leave the past behind. This is the distinction between the English and Korean lyrics – the English lyrics seem to tout this toxic positive message that ignores the validity and reality of struggles and pain, while the Korean lyrics describe the singer’s underlying hopelessness although in trying to fit into the same tune.
‘2F Young Man,’ then, is refreshing, although it is based on ‘Young Man.’ ‘2F Young Man’ gives us a glimpse into the bands’ process for putting the song together. We almost feel like we are seated in the studio with them, listening to them decide what chords to use, hearing them vaguely humming the melody and laughing as they work on this creation together. It’s beautiful to glimpse their friendship and bond through this snippet of their recording process even as an outsider – the members sound happy and friendly, almost like they are sharing their memories and laughter with you, the listener. After a contemplative album featuring introspection about struggle, a good laugh with a friend always leaves you in high spirits, making this the perfect conclusion to seeing how HYUKOH and SR managed to blend their ensembles beautifully through this collaborative album.
So those were my thoughts on nearly every Sunset Rollercoaster song I have heard so far. I find myself returning to their music so often because I always enjoy it so much and find myself really appreciating the way their songs are composed and arranged. Haoting’s saxophone solos will always be a major highlight for me through their music (lol) – I also ended up listening to his solo album which was also amazing (but I will save that for another post)! I can’t wait to hear new music from Sunset Rollercoaster and hopefully watch them live too!
References:
IU's Palette Ep. 27 with HYUKOH and Sunset Rollercoaster
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