A creative rebirth from the South Korean artist...
09 · 10 · 2025
Embarking on a new creative partnership can resemble a rebirth. This is true for Yerin Baek, the South Korean singer who attains fresh artistic heights with her moody and atmospheric album ‘Flash and Core’. Produced by PEEJAY, this record showcases her voice through dramatic ballads, industrial pop, vibrant funk, breakbeat, and refined R&B. If her joyfully-named single ‘I MET PEEJAY’ from earlier this year didn’t indicate an artistic emancipation, the wonderfully diverse sound palette of ‘Flash and Core’ clearly reveals Baek to be as focused and sharp as ever.
‘Flash And Core’ artfully balances two extremes — profound bitterness and pure joy — with a precision that can be overwhelming. It serves as both an exploration of a breakup and the pursuit of new love; one moment features a song about being overwhelmed by pills, while the next presents a sunny tribute to vacations in Sicily. However, don’t confuse its wide-ranging emotions with uncertainty: the incisive breakup anthem “in the middle” sees Baek taking a strong stance. “I love deeply, and it’s not a flaw, but you made it feel like a weakness,” she asserts. Later, leading into its soaring outro, she offers the album’s most succinct line: “I know what’s right, and I don’t need someone like you.” Ouch.
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Yet, Baek’s songwriting — at its most powerful and visceral here — extends beyond love: she critiques everything within her view with grace and a newfound insight. In ‘Lovers of Artists’, infused with St. Vincent-like yelps and guitar riffs, she examines fame, art, devotion, and spectacle: “The crowds are so empty and cruel,” she reflects, “I wasn’t the icon, just the incident.” In the bleak, trip-hop track ‘No man’s land’, she dismisses issues of racism, legacy, and heritage — “I know you’re not proud of me,” she relays for someone to communicate to her mother, expressionless. By detailing lost minds and ego trips, it attains a surprisingly hazy and detached, drug-laden confusion. The playful funk of “Television star” delves into the showgirl lifestyle (and arguably outshines a certain megastar…) with its grounded ambitions and determined outlook. “There’s a kind of grace in moving slow,” she reflects, “Some just walk, no need to shine.”
Aside from her involvement with the band The Volunteers, this marks Baek’s first album in five years, playfully hinted at with the opening track ‘DUST ON YOUR MIND’. However, taking time to refine a project often proves worthwhile. The synths blast, the beat vibrates, and the dust accumulating on the fridge is finally swept away.
8/10
Words: Sam Franzini
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A fresh creative collaboration can resemble a revival. This was the case for Yerin Baek, the South Korean singer, who attains new artistic peaks in her