Glen Check Talks Emotional Waves Behind Netflix’s Boyfriend Soundtrack

Dual Live Set Formats and Allowing the Audience to Interpret

Let’s talk about your live performances as well. Glen Check’s shows are known for being danceable and highly energetic, but should people also pay attention to the more sensitive and personal aspects of the lyrics, like the struggles and doubts you’ve mentioned earlier?

Hyuky: Most of our lyrics are fairly short and repetitive, and one reason for that is to avoid being too specific. If the lyrics are too specific, their meaning becomes fixed, and people can no longer interpret them freely. We want each listener to find their own meaning in the song. So, during live performances, we hope the audience will take the lyrics in their own way.

June One: Rather than wanting people to understand something specific from our lyrics, we want them to enjoy the freedom of listening and having fun during the live shows.

Glen Check uses two different live formats, the “Band Live Set” and the “Electronic Live System,” depending on the performance. What is the basis for choosing which set to use?

June One: It depends on the venue size and the nature of the event. We enjoy both electronic music and band music, but mixing the two during a live performance is difficult. So, we thought it would be better to separate the sets to give us more freedom during the performance. The “Electronic Live System” was created because we wanted to showcase our remix tracks live, but simply DJing wouldn’t be interesting, so we made it more dynamic and flexible in terms of approach.

So that’s how the division works. “60’s Cardin,” with Tigerdisco (a Korean DJ who also performed at ‘FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL ’24’) dancing, has become a staple track in the “Band Live Set.” Can you tell us how this style came about?

Hyuky: It probably started in our basement workshop, right?

June One: That’s right. We used to live in a basement that also served as our workspace. It was during that time that we met Tigerdisco by chance through a friend. He heard the demo of “60’s Cardin” and loved it, saying, “This is my kind of thing!” Then, he started dancing while drinking, and that became the starting point.

That’s very much a Korean style, isn’t it? [laughs] Lastly, your Japan tour starts in January. Please say a word to the fans who are waiting.

June One: We’ve always made an effort to create music that people will like, regardless of nationality, but honestly, I felt like we hadn’t achieved as much as we expected. However, I’m really happy with the positive reactions from the Japanese listeners, and it motivates me to keep going.

Working with K-ALT and releasing the Japanese album has sparked many new ideas about music. I’ve started thinking that I’d like to increase our activities in Japan, and for that reason, I’ll be giving it my all during next year’s tour.

It’s been about 9 years since our last solo performance in Japan, so it feels like we’re starting from scratch again. We’ll be performing not only in Tokyo but also in Osaka for the first time, so it feels like meeting new friends and also going to greet everyone. Through these new encounters, I hope we can create a new culture together.

Glen Check『Bleach』

[CD] Release Date: June 19, 2024 / Price: ¥2,500 + tax / PCD-25397 《ROCK/Electronica》★ First Physical Release
[LP] Release Date: October 2, 2024 / Price: ¥4,500 + tax / PLP-7446CW 《ROCK/Electronica》★ Color Vinyl Edition

Tracklist:

1. Acid Test
2. Waves
3. Dive Baby, Dive
4. Sins
5. Sometimes You Gotta Shake It Off
6. Blush (Feat. Sokodomo)
7. Bliss
8. Raving
9. Long Strange Days Pt.2
10. Runaway
11. 4ever
12. I Feel Like Ridin’ Slow
13. Acid Test (2024 Remix)

LP…SIDE A: M1-M7 / SIDE B: M8-M14
Link to Glen Check page