Release Date: February 8, 2022
Track Listing
- Delight
- Holler
- Rock ‘n’ roll Paradise
- Good Night
- Azalea
- Higher
Review
When it comes to Asian music, the only other thing I am interested in outside of female pop idols is female rock bands, with the majority of who I am into hailing from Japan. I have been listening to Korean music on and off since 2009. However, I never dipped my toes into the pool of Rock music from South Korea.
Being behind a shield of K-Pop idols for so long I didn’t think that South Korea exported something other than idol music to the world. So colour me surprised when I saw this group appear on the radar. Given my interest in these types of bands, they immediately got my attention.
So before getting to their current album, let’s go through a short bio about Rolling Quartz.
Rolling Quartz is a five-member rock band formed in 2019 from a merger of two bands, Rolling Girlz and Rose Quartz. Their roster consists of:
- Arem (Bass)
- Iree (Guitarist)
- Yeoungun (Drummer)
- Jayoung (Vocalist)
- Hyunjung (Guitarist)
They made their official debut on December 30, 2020, with the single Blaze and then a lot of silence for new releases because of the current world situation.
During 2021 Rolling Quartz remained active through social media and put on solo concerts throughout the year. They also participated in the Ambitious Girls Rock 1 live stream event with other female Korean and Japanese rock bands.
Moving forward to the present day, we have a fresh new release in 2022 from the band, their first EP titled Fighting. The lead track from the album is a cover of Dreamcatcher’s Good Night.
This version of the song starts differently from the original, with a soft electric guitar replacing the music box that plays the introductory melody before going immediately into the first verse.
Rolling Quartz’s version also feels harder in comparison. I think it’s because of small arrangement changes to accommodate the band’s style and Jayoung’s singing voice is lower than most of the Dreamcatcher members (except for maybe Dami).
Whatever the case, it’s an excellent cover.
The remainder of the Fighting EP consists of studio versions of the demo songs (Delight, Holler, Rock ‘n’ roll paradise, Higher) posted on their YouTube channel and performed in their various online concerts. So for their long-time followers, these versions of the songs are very welcome.
I have been listening to this album repeatedly while writing this review and find every bit of it to be great after every complete cycle through, and it’s difficult for me to point out highlights since I think they are all fantastic songs.
But if forced to choose from their original songs, I gravitate towards Delight, Holler and Azalea. And I will also include their cover of Good Night since I loves me some Dreamcatcher.
Usually, I would compare another existing band to understand Rolling Quartz’s sonic space. But since South Korea doesn’t have a deep field of female rock bands to choose from (and what a travesty that is.), I’ll have to use Japanese bands for examples.
Using the sample size of the music on this album and the types of songs they like to cover on their YouTube channel, I believe it’s safe to say you’re looking around the ballpark of bands like SCANDAL BAND-MAID and BRATS if you want a rough idea of where Rolling Quartz’s sound lies.
Looking at the various talents of the Rolling Quartz members, I’m reasonably sure they could convincingly pull off even heavier and faster styles of rock or metal easily. However, looking at them at this point in their career, it seems they are leaning a little towards being a little more mainstream-friendly for the time being.
I have nothing but positive feelings about Fighting. The instrumentation is top-notch, and Jayoung’s power vocals are impressive. However, like many EPs of this calibre, it’s sad that it’s so short of an experience. But they’re leaving the listener wanting more, so that’s what counts.
