On Sept. 9, fans filled the Greek Theatre to experience South Korean band wave to earth. Instead of pulling fans in with catchy lyrics, the band used a combination of dreamy melodies and indie rock instrumentals to bring the audience into a euphoric sense of calm.
Instead of the energetic cheers that are present at most concerts, wave to earth sent their audience into a relaxed state, letting fans vibe to their soothing performance.
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt so much calmness, and I feel very at peace with all the songs,” attendee Naomie Rodriguez said.
wave to earth was formed in 2019 by Daniel Kim and Dong Q with the goal of bringing “a new wave” to the music industry through raw, imperfect songs. Their discography reflects this direction, as the group built its reputation through fusing sentimental lyrics with a wide range of instrumental sounds, such as jazz and blues. The band’s setup reflects their melancholic reputation, turning the stage into a living room, as if their performance was a music jam between friends.
The band doesn’t attempt to pull listeners in on the first listen. Instead, they slowly but surely turn them into fans.
“I didn’t really like wave to earth in the beginning. But then you force yourself to listen to it 200 more times, then you’ll start to enjoy it,” attendee Charlotte Wong said. “The edits on TikTok definitely helped.”
One of these songs was “seasons,” the band’s biggest hit with 599 million listens on Spotify. “seasons” is a display of wave to earth’s signature dreamy sound, with slow instrumentals and nostalgic lyrics. As the song was announced, a pop of cheers rose from the crowd. Much of the audience had their phones up during the song, capturing the sentimental piece being played in real time.
“Everything about it to me is so perfect. And whenever they sang it, it was so surreal,” Rodriguez said.
Though wave to earth’s earlier hits leaned more on the dreamy lofi side, the band isn’t scared to experiment with their music. On the track “annie.,” the band swapped out its soothing instrumentals for an upbeat vibe. As the song was announced, fans suddenly went from calm to energized, chanting along as the song was performed.
Songs like “annie.” grew Wong’s fandom for the band.
“There were a lot more upbeat songs that definitely helped balance out the slow, melodic songs they played,” Wong said. “Listening to those songs definitely helped submit [that] they don’t only have slow music. They have other music too.”
On top of their lyrics, a big component of the band’s identity is their instrumental skills. Besides the typical instruments such as the guitar and drum set, wave to earth features a saxophone player, adding an extra layer of jazz influence that was received with many cheers.
These instrumentals pulled in attendee Daniel Liu, who was seeing wave to earth for the second time.
“The band just came together super well. I really loved the solos that they did last time, so it was perfect,” Liu said.
Many other fans in the crowd shared the same thought, as they squealed in awe of each solo performed by the band.
Despite many moments of excitement from the audience, the band remained calm and collected the entire night, choosing to let their performance set the soothing vibe.
This was sealed by the ending of the concert, where lead singer Daniel Kim wrapped up the performance with a simple guitar solo and his voice.
Edited by Aaron Ogawa and Justin Ha
