Something beautifully unserious defines Jisokury Club (stylized jisokuryClub). The Seoul-based five-piece band composed of vocalist Jiseok Jeong, guitarist Jaewhan Shin, drummer Junghwan Moon, bassist Hongbi Kim and keyboardist Eunbi Park often describes their sound as “fishing rock” or “camping rock.” Their calm and predictable vibe wanders between soft indie pop, laid-back surf rock, and moments of experimentation that feel completely new.
Jisokury Club performed earlier this year at the Namsan Summer Sound Indie Band Festival in Daegu, an event I covered earlier. Even though I missed their final set, the buzz that followed spoke volumes. People described them as “honest, effortless and fun.”
Their new EP, Amateur Hunting Squad, sounds exactly like that. As a five-track reflection on the strange sense of unfinishedness and discovery, it marks a crucial moment in the band’s journey of solidifying their identity. Every chord and lyric feels more confident than their last release as their sound continues to refine.
From the first track, “Sunlight Allergy,” the band establishes their own territory completely. The jangly, compressed guitars and swingy rhythms carry a sense of warmth and intimacy that feel nonchalant, yet a closer listen reveals deeper sophistication. The eureka moment that made me notice Jisokury Club’s frequent incorporation of nonharmonic or nonchord tones into their melodies, which gives them a playful unpredictability that keeps its listeners engaged, came on this track.
Following, “Froggie” leans into a more playful, buoyant energy. Its bassline drives the song while the melodies play with dissonance just enough to remain riveting. “Megamind” feels like a whimsical interlude, although it still brims with the band’s character. I found myself constantly returning to this track multiple times—an infectious character to this tune kept me hooked.
By the time “Forever” arrives, the intention behind this EP becomes crystal clear—an aim of nostalgia and hope—but for me, this track falls a little flat. While the melody carries its own charm, it didn’t reel me in like the other tracks did.
The absence of a rhythm guitar to anchor the chords, especially in the chorus, made the arrangement a bit hollow. The tinny mix that seems to only exist in this track also sticks out. Even so, that alone says a lot – “Forever” remains a solid piece that contributes meaningfully to the project’s overall mood and direction.
The EP closes with “Dime,” which, personally, captivated me the most. Sparse instrumentation allows the melodies’ subtleties to shine, and the nonharmonic lines accentuate the emotional tension in the song. The tenderness feels like a glimpse into the band’s inner world and leaves the listener with a sense of warmth and authenticity.
What makes Amateur Hunting Squad linger so much longer after the last note fades doesn’t lie only in the melodies or the instrumentation—Jisokury Club finally claims their own voice. No other band sounds like this, and that exact quality makes their music compelling.
The EP doesn’t try to dazzle; it invites you in, to walk alongside them through their small fishing journeys and propel to capture the moments that make music matter. Each track feels lived-in, warm, and utterly theirs—and it leaves you wondering where exactly they’ll go next. This EP is more than enough to understand why Jisokury Club matters, and why no one else sounds like them.
