K-pop Discography Deep Dives: Rolling Quartz đž
Rolling Quartz is the fourth band Iâve covered here, and the first girl band, which is very exciting! They debuted in 2020, with five members: bassist Arem, guitarists Iree and Hyunjung, vocalist Jayoung, and drummer Yeongeun. They arenât exactly K-pop, but instead a blend of that and k-rock. Here are my credentials: Iâve been a fan of Rolling Quartz for a while now, after being recommended their excellent cover of Dreamcatcherâs Good Night, and though I know theyâre not that popular (and so this review is more for me than other people), I thought itâd be fun to do to break up the SHINHWA epic.
Blaze was their debut, and what a debut it is! Coming right out the gate with a blistering, half-minute-long guitar riff, inspirational lyrics, and Jayoungâs signature husky contralto. From this first song, they immediately stand out from the crowd: besides playing instruments, having a grungier style and music video, and dabbling more in rock, their music also feels more personal, probably due to the fact that they werenât assembled by a company but instead formed on their own and have the power to write their own songs.
Delight starts out quieter than Blaze, though it doesnât stay that way for long. It keeps the inspirational lyrics, with a slower, more minimalistic opening that feels like itâs holding its breath until the song explodes in rock bliss. Itâs a masterclass in pulling back and rushing forward, and keeps you guessingâin a good way. This was never one of my favorites as a casual listener but Iâm pleased to say this changed my mind.
Holler starts with the somewhat haunting call of âHoller, holler, hollerâ, befitting of the MVâs vampiric inspirations (especially Jayoungâs awesome dress), and the chant repeats again in the post-choruses as a break from the established build ups. Itâs definitely reminding me of a Taemin song, with its seductive creepiness, albeit based on far more of a rocky vibe than is usual for him. Overall, I like this one more this time too!
From the EP, Fighting, I liked the crisp guitar riffs of Higher and of course their excellent cover of Dreamcatcherâs Good Night...but my favorite would have to be Azalea. Adapted from an old poem protesting the Japanese occupation of Korea, itâs the true definition of an anthemic, passionate, head-banger, and I hope one day (Hera willing) Iâll get to experience its incredibleness in concert.
One is a collaboration, and goes more of a teen-movie-soundtrack-pop-punk route; as one comment I saw said, âit sounds like it could be from a Monster High movie.â Which is absolutely not criticism, by the way; though I donât think that One is as good as tracks like Blaze, Delight, or Azalea, itâs a fun break from the darkness and makes me want to relive my younger teenage years (though maybe not all of them, letâs be honest here).
Nazababara is their return after a while, and goes a much sunnier, brighter route, making it feel less like a political anthem and more like one for a night out for friends. I love the segments with less instrumentation in the pre-chorus so that the vocals have time to breathe, and of course the short âyou got me, got meâ bridge was a highlight too. Itâs a short song, but a memorable one.
Sing Your Heart Out is a b-side, but it was given a music video so Iâm treating it like a single. Itâs harsher in sound and darker in tone than Nazababara, and more true to their usual sound. The guitar riffs are as sharp as ever, and have a great sense of build in those pre-choruses, before the chorus appears to smash everything out of the park. It definitely had me banging my head, especially during that great guitar breakdown and outro.
Iâm A Loner isnât a usual Rolling Quartz song in many ways; itâs both a collaboration with Nam Do-hyun, and an OST. But, it retains their staples of driving beats and Jayoungâs strong voice with those sharp guitars that propel it forward. I hadnât actually heard this song before this deep dive, but I ended up liking it. I wish it had more of a cathartic end to its great build-up, but otherwise itâs pretty good.
Fearless takes a more EDM-based approach to its rock, for another banger, this time choosing something I normally dislike: an âIâm-so-cooler-than-youâ songâŠand yet, they pull it off! That guitar solo was perfection and I couldnât resist the urge to dance along with them as they played their instruments in the rain (which I hope they didnât have to film more than once).
Reminiscence is their most recent single, and though it starts with a sharp snare drum, its first verses are actually a quite straightforward ballad, made unique by the ever-present power in Jayoungâs voice. But of course, since this is Rolling Quartz, it soon becomes a power ballad worthy of single status, and manages to be incredibly captivating despite its music video only being them playing their instruments in their studio, and it actually became one of my favorites of theirs. Also, I had no idea that Jayoung plays piano, so that was a fun surprise.
Iâm glad I did this! I knew I would have a great time, but it was still a fun ride. I forgot how few songs Rolling Quartz actually has, but when every one of them is so high in quality, I canât really complain. I learned a lot more about them as people too, watching some interviews and behind the scenes content and having some good laughs along the way.
My Top 5 songs are Blaze, Azalea, Nazababara, Reminiscence, and Fearless, with Sing Your Heart Out as an honorable mention. Rolling Quartz gets a 9 out of 10 from me, the same as The Rose did, which isnât surprising at all. I donât think that thereâs a single song of theirs I donât like, and very few that I donât love. Theyâre remarkably consistent and incredibly talented, and I canât wait to see what they do next!
Next time, weâll finally be finishing the SHINHWA deep dive, so stay tuned. TschĂŒss!