Here at KEXP, we’ve been big champions of South Korean band Say Sue Me for the past year. The quartet released their sophomore album, When We Were Together, to much fanfare and acclaim in April and have just been continuing that streak ever since, releasing a covers EP for Record Store Day and the split 7” “Just Joking Around/Otoboke Beaver.” Our Song of the Day, “Just Joking Around,” is a masterclass in dynamic songwriting, with the song completely flipping halfway through. The first half starts hushed, with vocalist Sumi Choi whisper singing over an intricately layered guitar line only to build in an upbeat thrasher.
“I wrote the first concept of ‘Just Joking Around’ when I played in my other band before Say Sue Me,” explains guitarist Byungkyu Kim. “I’m actually a big fan of Pavement & Stephen Malkmus. I was into an album called ‘Real Emotional Trash’ by Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks when I wrote the song and very influenced by his song making style. I wanted to make a song that gives a variety of emotions by mixing various compositions in one song, and most of these songs seem to be long in length.”
