I first learned of the existence of Mighty Coala when Janet made an artist overview for the band. Always one to enjoy some sweet pop I’ve been waiting for a release since, and a couple of weeks ago I learned that Mighty Coala has a full length album coming out. Seizing the opportunity I approached the band to see if I could learn some more about them and Seungsu swiftly returned with answers to my questions:
What is the Mighty Coala?
Mighty Coala literally means mighty koala, powerful koala. When we named the band, Hyejin (key, voc) wanted “mighty” and I wanted “koala”. So we simply put them together.
The reason why we took “Coala” instead of “Koala” is just because it looks much cuter. It’s a little embarrassing since we named it when we were young. For now we are too old to being cute.
How would you describe the sound of Mighty Coala?
Hmm… We don’t really have a philosophy here. It would be dirty, tough, rude and violent. I mean I would like to be.. haha.
In reality, However, I never can be. I just enjoy watching movies like action, noir, horror and perform cool scenes from those movies when I am alone instead of directly expressing anger. I believe there are lots of girls and boys like me out there. The sound of Mighty Coala is about the feelings of those girls and boys.
Playing post rock music looks cool to me, but actually I can’t listen to music without lyrics over 3 mins. It’s so boring. The songs of Mighty Coala are short to keep me awake while I play. =)
When we mixed For Bright and Healthy Mornings with Yeol Park from Pigibit5, The Boy Least Likely To and Go! Team were mentioned for reference. However, it turned out that reference is nothing but reference.
We never thought that Mighty Coala is unique, but we cannot come up with any similar artist.
What can you share about For Bright And Healthy Mornings?
I think Mighty Coala’s music is neither bright nor healthy, but for bright and healthy.
When you have a hard time in you life, you can seek comfort from slow music. I prefer bright music unconditionally. I will be really pleased if people have bright and healthy mornings or even if just one person dances and moves his/her shoulders up and down on the way to school or work with our tunes.
What is your best recommendation for bright and healthy mornings?
I want to recommend every track!
If I really should pick one, the answer is Bab which means steamed rice or a meal with a very simply reason. It’s not over 3 mins and fun to play and listen to.
Hyejin recommends Seoul just because she loves Seoul, the city, and it’s also fun to play and listen to.
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I always love it when I know nothing about a band and it turns out to be just like what the band’s music had me imagine. The email with the interview answers brightened my morning and what little I’ve heard of the album has the same effect.
Mighty Coala’s 밝고 건강한 아침을 위하여, or For Bright And Healthy Mornings got a digital release on September 29 and right now it looks like the CD will be out on October 6. Sample the track 서울 through Leaplay Music‘s SoundCloud:
Find more Mighty Coala to listen through by following the links in this post.