Nicole Yun’s “Matter” Matters !

Nicole Yun shares her latest work in an album entitled Matter. Her collection of 90s-inspired  rock tackles issues of depression, melancholy, and personal moments in her relationships with the people around her.

Nicole Yun/photo by Aaron Spicer / courtesy of Kanine Records

Matter Album Art

Her opener, entitled “Heavy Voices”, is a metaphor for the constant anxiety that comes with constantly being under the spotlight. Everywhere Yun goes, she is unable to escape the “dull deadness that cloaks/ The fears that paralyze/ Delivered as a joke/ Cutting you down to a sizable or minimal hoax.” The imagery in these lines tell all, as the musical melody that lies in the electric guitar throughout the song carries Yun’s feeling of darkness.

Yun’s intricate rhyme schemes and clever lyrics take the lead in her third track, “Desperation I Know.” Using rhyme schemes and complex phrases such as “individuals since infancy,” “social symmetry” and “the great mythology”,Yun tells the story of her insecurities not being understood. The cover art seems to relate to the title of this song, as it shows one hand reaching out in darkness, desperate for attention.

Pensive Nicole Yun / photo by Aaron Spicer/courtesy of Kanine Records

Track four, “Annyeounghaseyo Again”, addresses a personal moment, referring to this phrase in Korean, meaning “hello,” as an expression to symbolize Yun’s relationship with this character. The musical interlude at the end of the song captures her feelings of frustration, as a collage of heavy metal screeches and panned screams ends abruptly.

The upbeat, percussive song structure of “High American” brings about a smart contradiction for the listener to unpack. The song is upbeat, using primarily major chord progressions and fast drum patterns, but the lyrics shout about Yun’s feeling useless. The latter half of the song plays a spoken word piece over the music, leaving the listener to balance between listening to three different pieces: the music, word piece, or Yun’s repeated use of the word “arrive”. The album closes on “Jewelry,” a slower track that resembles the musical styles of Nirvana and Melvins.

The music quiets down and gives Yun the space to repeat her melodic phrasing about her relationships, bringing the album to a satisfying conclusion.