Daily Non-K-pop Spotlight: “불꽃, 놀이” by CHEEZE

Not gonna lie, it’s kind of wild to hear fresh, modern takes on bossa nova 1) in 2024 and 2) coming out of South Korea. Historically a Brazilian take on samba, bossa nova reached its peak genre popularity in the 60s and 70s. I’ve heard many covers of old bossa nova tunes, and I’ve heard many indie artists lean into that style with middling success. But no one has ever sold me on the need for a bossa nova resurgence until now.

 

 

“불꽃, 놀이” by CHEEZE has all the hallmarks of modern pop music production: a meticulously carved out frequency spectrum, a kick drum you can feel in your chest, ample auxiliary production, catchy vocal hooks, and a solid vocal performance at the forefront of the mix. This song manages to feel like a modern dance track while pulling from a very specific genre influence. However, it keeps its bossa nova nods tastefully minimal, carefully not to overuse jazz flute, organ, or Spanish guitar solos – but finding places for them nonetheless.

 

This isn’t just one of my favorite Korean indie songs. It might be my favorite new song. Period.

If you like what you hear, give CHEEZE a follow on Instagram.