Wave to Earth on music, motorcycles, and their love for the little things
If I could describe what Wave to Earth’s music sounds like, it would be the golden hour bottled into a playlist. Think lo-fi beats, dreamy guitar riffs, and vocals that feel like soft confessionals whispered under fairy lights. It’s romantic and calming. Their sound drips with nostalgia, something that would remind you of rainy morning cuddles, sunsets on the beach, or the peaceful afternoons spent watching people go about their lives in the park.
For casual listeners, it’s easy to lump them with K-pop acts that usually visit the country. Sure, they hail from South Korea. But their music leans more toward indie rock layered with jazz which is very different from what we usually associate with popular K-pop groups that have high energy performances.
They have instruments in lieu of choreographed performances. They—mainly guitarist Daniel Kim—write and produce their own music. Accompanying him are bassist John Cha and drummer Dong Q. We met with the trio prior to their “Play with Earth! 0.03” concert at the Mall of Asia Arena on Feb. 28. They were waiting backstage, sitting on venue chairs, a few minutes before the concert started.
I had been looking forward to Dong Q’s hair and that day, he rocked a shaggy, layered cut, and bangs that fell across his forehead. He paired his black top and jacket with pink pants and accessorized with a chain necklace and watch.
Polished
Kim, who sat in the center, went for a more polished vibe with his all-black ensemble of oversized blazer and flowy trousers which went very well with his honey-blonde hair and black glasses. Cha was the most casually dressed of the three in his olive green blazer over white tee and jeans. His tousled hair, glasses, and bright smile gave off a friendly vibe.
Cha answered mostly in English and was the mood-maker of the interview. Kim couldn’t help laughing with him whenever he laughed, while Dong Q smiled demurely, often telling us shyly that his answer was the same as his bandmates.
One thing that really piqued my curiosity is how they don’t capitalize the titles of their songs and albums. If we weren’t following the Inquirer style, even their name Wave to Earth would be in lowercase.
“It’s a concept of great joy. We really like the feeling of being incomplete,” said Kim. “Usually, English is a capital letter. We like to get the feeling of being incomplete. So our music titles are in small letters.”
The trio have been everywhere in every corner of the globe. Manila is the last stop of the Asian leg of their “Play with Earth! 0.03” tour and the crowd gave them the energy they deserved. Realizations are bound to happen especially to musicians like them.
“The world is big,” said Cha.
“And we’re small,” continued Kim smiling.
Embracing cultures
“We’re small,” Cha agreed. “There’s lots of culture around, and maybe the experience of touring made us embrace more of the various cultures,” This is a privilege that they enjoy together as a band. Part of it is discovering things that shock and surprise them. For example, they were so surprised by the pedestrian rules in other countries.
“In some cities like New York, jaywalking is legal,” said Cha laughing.
Kim said that the exposure they get from countries allows their artistry to grow further.
“We’ve been talking with people from different countries. I think that led us to develop a lot of different varieties of emotions,” said Kim. “I think our emotions for expressing music have become deeper.”
Cha said that ideas pop up for songs on these tours. But some ideas do not always form a song. Sometimes, they become expenditures. Cha admits, laughing, that besides traveling the world, there are things he would have never done if not for his bandmates.
Purchases
“Motorcyles. I would never have bought a motorcycle if not for them,” he said pointing at the other two.
Kim agreed with the statement and dropped his own revelation.
“I bought a car,” he said, throwing it out like it was no big deal. This made the entire room laugh including the few souls who were with us in the huge MOA dugout. Cha kept laughing until he revealed why he thought it was funny.
“I like cars. He likes motorcycles,” he said. “So yeah, we switched our purchases.”
This would later on be the TMI (too much information) they shared with us. Kim said that Cha really knows a lot about cars and that he’s very passionate about them.
“Dong Q bought a really expensive bag recently!” Cha declared proudly.
Dong Q nodded his head.
“I bought a Balenciaga,” he said.
Cha looked at us with wide eyes and added, “That was a secret!”
Dong Q would later say in a very quiet voice that Kim has taken a liking to speakers.
“Daniel is really into speakers these days. He’s trying to upgrade his audio systems,” he said.
But that’s not the only thing Kim likes. The songwriter likes reading books and when pressed to give us a recommendation, he named “Boy and Dog” by Hase Seishu.
“It’s a story about a dog on a journey and going through different owners,” he said. “The first owner is a god. I think a lot about myself. How I live my life.”
When the interview was over, they walked over to us, handed our microphones back in polite Korean manner, bowing in gratitude.
The way they pay attention to the little things gives you a glimpse into what fuels their songwriting. It’s not always the big, dramatic moments. Sometimes it’s the quiet stuff we tend to overlook: the friendships, the strangers who leave a mark, the places we pass through without realizing they’ve stayed with us.
