Korean Rock Recall: Reasco Relive The Best Of '90s Alternative Rock On 'In The Night' [VIDEO]

Nostalgia is a funny thing.

Since everyone's experience is different, one person's discovery can be another person's distant memory.

Somehow, though, Korean indie rockers Reasco seem to transcend experience to create a wistful feeling on their 2014 single "In The Night." This song communicates nostalgia, albeit through a positive lens.

Reasco is a recently-formed band led by expat Steven Morton, formerly of the band Kachisan. "In The Night" comes to us from the band's self-titled debut, released in September of last year. While the band is only just now getting some traction with the press, the emotional depth and technical chops of the Reasco members seems to reveal each of their lengthy musical histories.

For this reviewer, "In The Night" immediately brings to mind a feeling of the 1990s. Specifically, the song's muscular introduction conjures up favorable comparisons to Dinosaur, Jr.'s thick textures of guitar, minus J. Mascis' ever-present shredding leads. "In The Night" also follows the '90s template of tension followed by release, quieter moments relieved by volume, or "Loud Quiet Loud" as the title of a 2006 Pixies documentary described it. Bands like Nirvana and Weezer rode this arrangement choice all the way to the top.

The song's verses contain a non-backbeat drum pattern that benefit from a taut, rolling snare pattern.

The accompanying bassline zig-zags between holding down the song's roots and exerting some jagged dissonances. Naturally, this all gives way to a soaring chorus, replete with a call and response that gives way to satisfying harmonies recalling another great '90s band, Teenage Fanclub.

The minor chord progression on "In The Night" bolstered by distortion and triumphant drumming combines to create a feeling that isn't easily pinned down. Perhaps it's the band's combination of youthful abandon with knowing experience. It's certainly not depressive, but it nails a thoughtful melancholy that is strengthened by its aggression and volume.

Are these feelings established by the listener's age, record collection or general disposition? Perhaps. But I'd argue that there's an ineffable emotional truth contained here, something that goes beyond a simple tribute to the average college freshman's CD collection in 1998.

"In The Night" brings to mind the fleeting feeling of how easily our time sneaks away from us when we aren't looking.

Watch the music video for the Reasco song "In The Night" RIGHT HERE

 

Jeff Tobias is a composer, writer and multi-instrumentalist currently living in Brooklyn, New York. As of late, he has been researching arcane systems of tuning and working on his jump shot.

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Reasco
In The Night
Korean Rock Recall
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