Have you ever wondered what would happen if you threw all of your funk, jazz, and math rock fascinations into a blender with your favorite energy drink to see what comes out? It’s 2026, of course you have. But we doubt the results had as much personality as one of our new favorite bands, Dabda.
While somehow staying cohesive, the band’s debut almost plays like two records overlapping. There’s chunky POG-guitars, free-spirited drums, atmospheric bass pads, and strong vocals parts that all work together, yet feel like distinct characters from various backgrounds.
Funny enough, we read the press release after emoting through the songs and riffing out the text above, but first, get a load of 온 ON(百) here:
Okay now that we’re all on the same page, here’s the part of the press release that really spoke to us in terms of how these wide-reaching elements meet in the middle to create something really special:
Dabda has spent the past few years constantly on the move. They found a new home, said goodbye to old friends, and met new ones. Leaving Korea behind, they traveled to Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Germany, and beyond, encountering different weather, seasons, times, and spaces. They ran, played, and performed wherever they went. When they returned to Dabda’s studio and began recording again, those experiences naturally accumulated, piece by piece, like fragments. Gathering those fragments together, Dabda completed their new release, ON(百).
This is the band’s second LP after a series of outstanding EP’s and singles, but it’s also their first to feature Jungwoong Park. We’ve gotta say, the resulting synergy is palpable. You never know quite how altering a lineup is going to change a group’s chemistry, but it’s clear as day this was the right move to take Dabda’s sound to the next level.
”온(ON)” is a native Korean word meaning “everything” or “the whole.” It is also an old Korean word for the number “100.” Following their first full-length album, But, All the Shining Things Are, which sang of things that continue to shine, and the EP Yonder, which captured the nature of longing and desire that exists somewhere beyond us, Dabda’s new album ON(百) explores the mindset and attitude of choosing to keep living.
(Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for more music, check out our Bandcamp compilations here. If you like us, or possibly even love us, donations are always appreciated at the Buy Me A Coffee page here as well. Don’t let the bastards get you down!)