The Two Koreas – “Midnight Brown” MP3 (PopMatters Premiere)

The Two Koreas jagged, riff-heavy rock samples from the glory decades in music’s recent past, with nods to ’60s garage beat, ’70s British punk, ’80s post-punk, and ’90s alternative rock, a sound the band labels “glacial garage”. The Toronto band’s 2007 sophomore effort Altruists tore it up on Canadian radio and earned the group some early blog buzz. The haven’t lost a step in the past four years as they are about to unleash their latest, Science Island on 1 March. “Midnight Brown” is a frenetic tune bursting at the seams with both energy and instant catchiness. It reverberates in the head long after the last notes have sounded, creating a lasting impression in a crowded musical world stocked with ephemeral moments.

The Two Koreas

Science Island

(Randy Vicar Records/Last Gang)

Releasing: 1 March

SONG LIST

1. “Scared Straight”


2. “Midnight Brown”


3. “Hotel Christiana”


4. “Haunted Beach”


5. “Diamond Geezer”


6. “Disco Slave Songs”


7. “Withering Heights”


8. “Dinck Helen”


9. “Karl Johans Gate”


10. “Majored in Swimming”