They don’t chase trends. They don’t follow typical K-Pop formulas. But that’s exactly why wave to earth has become one of the most quietly impactful acts in Korea’s growing indie scene. With their breakout track “seasons”, the trio — Daniel, Dong Q, and John — reached an unexpected international audience and found themselves at the heart of a movement redefining what Korean music can be.

In this exclusive interview, sori. sat down with the band to talk about songwriting, slow growth, and why vulnerability is their most powerful instrument.

“We didn’t know ‘seasons’ would reach so far.”

sori.: Let’s go back to ‘seasons’. It’s now one of your most streamed tracks. Did you expect it to resonate this much?

Daniel: Not at all. When we released it, we thought it would just be a quiet song for people who needed to feel a little less alone. It was raw. It wasn’t meant to be a hit.

John: But I think that’s why people connected with it. It wasn’t polished or overproduced. It was just… real.

Dong Q: The lyrics talk about time passing, change, and feeling stuck — things everyone goes through, especially after the pandemic.

“We record like we’re writing a journal.”

sori.: Your sound is very intimate — lo-fi, melancholic, almost like a memory. How do you approach songwriting?

Daniel: I write a lot of lyrics alone, at night. It’s like journaling. Sometimes I don’t realize how personal they are until I listen back.

Dong Q: Our production is very minimal by choice. We leave in small imperfections — breathing, background noise. We want it to feel human.

John: There’s a lot of beauty in simplicity. You don’t always need a big chorus to say something meaningful.

“We’re not trying to fit into any box — not even the indie one.”

sori.: You’re often labeled as ‘K-indie’, but your audience is very global. How do you feel about genre labels?

Daniel: We understand them, but we don’t think in those terms when we create. We’re influenced by jazz, surf rock, bedroom pop… a bit of everything.

Dong Q: And it’s interesting — some fans discover us through anime edits on YouTube, others through Spotify playlists. Music travels differently now.

John: What matters to us is that the emotion gets through, regardless of language or genre.

“Our goal isn’t to be viral. It’s to be timeless.”

sori.: In a digital world that moves fast, how do you stay grounded in slow, analog emotions?

Daniel: We try to stay close to the people who’ve supported us since the beginning. Small venues, handwritten notes, making time for connection.

Dong Q: Sometimes it feels like we’re moving slower than the rest of the industry. But slow doesn’t mean weak. It just means we’re doing things our way.

What’s next for wave to earth?

sori.: Any hints about the direction of your next project?

John: We’re still writing. It might sound warmer, maybe more hopeful.

Daniel: seasons was about letting go. The next chapter might be about arriving somewhere new — but we’ll let the music speak first.