THE KOXX (더 칵스)

Members: Lee Hyunsong (guitar, vocals), Lee Sooryun (guitar), Park Sunbin (bassist), Shin Saron (drums), Shaun (synthesizer, keyboard)

THE KOXX are changing the face of Korean music. The quintet’s unabashed partying, punk rock, and lady-killing ways have been taking fans (namely, female ones) by storm in Seoul and beyond, transforming an industry where pop music has historically reigned absolutely. In the past year, they’ve become one of the most talked-about live acts in Korea’s indie scene, winning honors like Best Album of the Year at the Mint Paper Awards and placing on MTV Iggy’s Best Debut Albums of 2011. Having all studied something called “applied music” at the same college, these dance punk, smoking, drinking, and sexing electro darlings sing about losing their minds over a very tight musical groove. They’ve got a new EP on the way this summer, Bon Voyage, which the members describe as a peek into the more sentimental times of their lives. “You won’t be able to call us children anymore,” bassist Sunbin tells us. With their cheeky live shows, bow ties, synth solos, and low moral standards, THE KOXX are evidence of a diversifying musical climate in Seoul.