[Herald Interview] KARD returns with Moombahton, paying homage to their debut

Mixed-gender quartet KARD has returned to the local music scene after a five-month hiatus, the longest break they’ve had been since debuting in 2016, with fourth mini-album “Red Moon.”

This five-track album might be the group’s last mini album for a while, as J.Seph has to enlist in the Korean Army by the end of the year to fulfill his military duty of about 18 months.

Unlike the group’s latest single “Dumb Litty,” a song described as “very aggressive trap” by B.M, the lead track of the new album returns to their previous style of Moombahton, a fusion genre of house music and reggaeton.

“Since we had to go on tour right after the release of ‘Dumb Litty,’ we couldn’t promote it and have always felt sorry to our fans,” Somin said.

“To compensate for that, we put in our best effort into this album and picked ‘Red Moon’ as the title track because of its tropical vibes that remind (listeners) of our debut. Our fans also consider it as our signature style.”

The four bandmates certainly appeared much more relaxed in an interview with The Korea Herald ahead of the album’s release Wednesday, compared to the fishnet stockings and leather tights they appeared in for performances of “Dumb Litty.”

B.M had glasses on while J.Seph showed up in a navy Brooks Brothers-esque collared sweater and Jiwoo donned a cotton baseball cap. Only Somin, the most dressed up among the group, wearing a white tweed jacket, had witch-like glam nails and full-faced makeup.

Local fans who have long waited the four-piece act’s return are in for another treat: For the first time, the group included unit songs in the album. B.M and J.Seph rap on “Inferno,” whereas Somin and Jiwoo sing on their own in “Enemy.”

The band also got more involved in the album-making process. B.M wrote the lyrics of all songs on the album while composing and producing “Inferno” and “Go Baby.” J.Seph also helped write the unit track and “Go Baby.” The female bandmates came up with ideas for the overall theme and gave feedback on the songs to make sure the quartet’s personality was portrayed well in “Red Moon.”

“We want to interact with the fans in Korea as much as possible with our new album since we have been touring abroad for a while,” Jiwoo said.

“Until J.Seph goes to the Army, we will do as much as we can as a complete KARD -- I definitely want to have a concert to meet our fans. And when the time comes, the three of us will hone our skills so that we can be even better as a group later,” added Somin.

By Kwon Yae-rim (kyr@heraldcorp.com)