Seoul-based indie-punk band Sailor Honeymoon’s debut album ‘The Worst of Sailor Honeymoon’ introduces an “alternate world” full of humor, self-expression, imperfections, and most importantly, fun in the face of life’s daily frustrations.

by guest writer Emma Hums

Stream: ‘The Worst of Sailor Honeymoon’ – Sailor Honeymoon

Not everything has to be so serious. Take Seoul-based indie-punk band Sailor Honeymoon as the leading example of how to have fun.

They’re not saying life is perfect but they’re not letting that stop them from doing what they want, saying what they want and playing how they want. Take The Worst of Sailor Honeymoon, the band’s debut full-length album out today via Good Good 굿굿 Records. Their remarkable debut album confirms that even through life’s daily grievances, societal expectations and oppressive industry standards, Sailor Honeymoon will continue marching forward with a sense of self-assuredness that is inspiring.

“We are not trying to represent everyone. We’re just trying to represent ourselves. We want people to see that there are different kinds of women in Korea making different kinds of music and expressing themselves in different ways,” shared drummer/vocalist Abi Raymaker (장인화) in the album’s press release. The dynamic all-women trio is rounded out by guitarist/vocalist Zaeeun Shin (신재은) and bassist Yelim Kim (김예림).

Meeting in 2022, Raymaker and Shin began the band with no expectations; all they wanted to do was have fun playing music. The two started jamming in a shared practice space with local female musicians including Meaningful Stone – the band’s first bassist – and HUNJIYA. It was during these low-pressure jam sessions that Raymaker experienced newfound joy through doing whatever she wanted to do, playing whatever instrument she wanted to play, or screaming at the top of her lungs. Sailor Honeymoon has since evolved, growing from improvisational jam sessions with no intentions of becoming a band, into one of the most fun and charismatic bands of our time. Their music resonates beyond borders, speaking to modern-day trials and tribulations with the specific lens of their very own lived experiences in Korea.

After their first-ever festival appearance at the inaugural Seoul indie festival Block Party, the band decided to release a debut self-titled EP full of eight original songs on Good Good 굿굿 Records – a DIY record label co-founded by London-based producer Luke Smith, manager Russell Crank and Raymaker. The London-Seoul label was created in hopes of building “a bridge between underground music scenes in Seoul and London,” signing Sailor Honeymoon as its first ever artist. Now, they’ve released the band’s debut album.

Across thirteen energetic and pithy songs, The Worst of Sailor Honeymoon chronicles the everyday lives of women forging an “alternate world” where people can be direct and daily hardships can be handled with humor.

Sailor Honeymoon’s signature nonchalant delivery and witty humor lead by example. Pushing aside the pressures of perfection, the band shows up authentically in their creativity while refusing to compromise their values. As Sailor Honeymoon charts their own sonic path – with nods to ’90s riot grrrl, dance punk, and indie rock – they draw on influences from iconic artists on the front lines of experimentation and self-expression like Kim Gordon and Kathleen Hanna (Le Tigre, Bikini Kill).

“We don’t need to be perfect,” said Raymaker. “We just want to make something meaningful. A lot of cultural things exported from Korea to an international audience are held to an incredibly high standard. They look perfect, sound perfect and feel very carefully controlled. We wanted to make something that felt human.” At no point on the record does the band abandon their ethos of centering self-expression, independence, community, honesty and having fun.

Honesty is at the crux of album opener “Bad Apple,” a statement track that hooks the listener from the first note. The song is about realizing one of your friends is a bigot and deciding to end a friendship due to a big mismatch in values. Raymaker’s relentless drums set a determined pace for the falling out that’s in progress. She sings:

“I don’t wanna do it anymore
Don’t wanna smile through your prejudices
Yeah, I just wanna be free
But you feel free to say the shit you want to preach
If I can’t say what I want
Why am I sitting at a restaurant with you?
I think we might be through”

Next is “Armchair,” a clever song critiquing manufactured hierarchies and condescension frequently encountered in the music industry and beyond. “I don’t wanna kiss your feet / I don’t wanna say you’re sweet” goes the chorus backed by Shin’s sharp guitar riff and Kim’s rippling bass.

“I Wanna Leave You” is about wanting to dump a terrible partner with lyrics full of undeniably justifiable reasons why. The guitar and bass are in conversation with the vocals like the disapproving friends who are in disbelief of the terrible partner. Backed by propulsive drums, wiry guitar riffs and an echoing bass, the song builds momentum to finally help you get up and leave.

“Pickle” is for when you’re in a tricky situation. When you’re, as Sailor Honeymoon might say, “in a pickle.” The band uses the motif of a jar of pickles to build their latest song. “Salt-water dip / Have a good time with it / Soak it all in / Put a lid on it,” goes the introductory verse. The chorus follows with “I’m in a pickle” ending with “Won’t you help me / Get me out of this brine.” The drums and bass keep things steady as the guitar mirrors the unfolding chaos of realizing you’re in trouble.

The album’s thesis statement seems to be “Having Fun.” As the lyrics “I’m having fun” are repeated over and over, the song gives way to a spinning and whirring guitar – almost reminiscent of a circus act – before exploding into something a bit harder. The repetition feels like an attempt to convince themselves and the listener that everything is great. Yes, without a doubt, Sailor Honeymoon is having fun making music. And, they find themselves in a world full of expectations and pressures that are anything but fun. So, they’re making it fun for themselves.

“Don’t Do That” resembles the retelling of a story centering the band and their friend who has become a powerful salesman who could end the world. Sailor Honeymoon encourage their friend to do something better and more aligned with their values than wasting away among corporations. Over the course of numerous meals they remind their friend of their power and how it could be used for better.

Next up is “Money,” a song about the stresses of finances that make capitalism go round. The fuzzy, distorted guitar mimics a sense of mental overwhelm that goes along with thinking about earning and expenses. In their signature style, the band is capable of making something so stressful somehow feel incredibly playful.

The eighth track “My Band” pays homage to the “non-traditional” lives the three of them are living as well as the underground indie music scene in Seoul. Legendary underground venues are listed as the song begins to fade out. Kim’s rhythmic bass playfully emphasizes Raymaker’s narrative-style lyrics throughout the verses as Shin’s guitar snarls. In the background they sing the lyrics of “Catch A Falling Star” by Perry Como. They remark on how people have given them advice about how to avoid wasting their 20s only to cheekily close out the song with “I’m 30 years old.” Sailor Honeymoon doesn’t mind, they’re living life how they want.

Inspired by the Korean medicinal candy 홍삼 (red ginseng), “Red” feels nostalgic – both the sensory memory of bitter 홍삼 fed to children by their grandparents and the ’90s-inspired guitar riff. With an incredibly catchy rhythm, the song highlights the dissonance of saying “it’s okay” when in fact, things are not okay.

Frustration bursts to the surface on “Click Click,” an addictive bass-driven song about trying to connect with someone who won’t put their phone down. They sing, “You’re not hearing me / You think you’re being discreet / No, yeah I can hear your fingers going” before erupting into the chorus which goes “Click click / Tick tick on the clock you take your time.”

I got something to say
It doesn’t fit in a text
When we talk on the phone
And your head’s a mess
You gotta update your feed
You’re not hearing me
You think you’re being discreet
No, yeah I can hear your fingers going

“Paperwork” chronicles the mundane and soul-crushing nature of a day job with a danceable twist. The glitchy, syncopated beat on this one is a bit of an earworm. The band marches the song forward as mundane details of paperwork are lamented. “Who made the taxes like this? Confusing every single way,” they ask in the second verse – a question all too familiar to anyone who has had to pay taxes.

The second-to-last song “Don’t Wanna” depicts the lack of desire to socialize. The lyrics are hysterically familiar and feel like a monologue that may pass through your head at an event you don’t even want to be at while you dissociate slightly in a group conversation.

The album closes with “Extinction,” a song about Korea’s societal pressures beginning with a warped voice defining the word ‘extinction’ with frenzied Korean vocals in the background. The song suddenly cuts out, bringing the album to an unexpected halt.

On The Worst of Sailor Honeymoon, Sailor Honeymoon’s statement is clear: We ought to have fun even if we are not having fun.

Luckily, we have this album to keep us company as a reminder of the world Sailor Honeymoon is building where things like self-expression and going against societal norms are celebrated. After giving the record a few spins you will surely have every word memorized.

— —

Emma Hums (she/her) is a music journalist who runs the independent Substack What I’m Humming. You can always find her humming along to a song or leafing through an artist’s liner notes. 

— —

:: stream/purchase The Worst of Sailor Honeymoon here ::

:: connect with Sailor Honeymoon here ::

— —

— — — —

Connect to Sailor Honeymoon on
TikTok, Instagram

Discover new music on Atwood Magazine

 © Kim Taeyoung, Abi Raymaker

The Worst of Sailor Honeymoon

an album by Sailor Honeymoon