Renowned for her formidable and boundary-pushing cello improvisations, including free jazz, improvised noise and experimental electronics, South Korean artist Okkyung Lee is taking a surprising turn with her newly announced album, Just Like Any Other Day (어느날): Background Music For Your Mundane Activities. Due September 5 via Shelter Press (Felicia Atkinson, Claire Rousay, Perila), the album marks a significant departure for the composer as she sets aside her cello for the first time to explore the realms of ambient and minimalist music. The lead single, the charmingly titled “good morning, harrison, it’s time to go,” offers a first glimpse into this new, intentionally understated sound world.
For over two decades, Lee has been a towering figure in experimental music, renowned for her creative rigour and emotive depth. However, her recent work has signalled a gradual shift in her artistic focus. Albums like the chamber-folk-inflected Yeo-Neun (2020), the electroacoustic explorations of Teum (The Silvery Slit) (2020), and the emotionally raw 나를 (Na-Reul) (2021) have all hinted at a broadening of her musical palette beyond the intense improvisations for which she is celebrated.
Just Like Any Other Day appears to be the culmination of this evolution. Created at home on keyboard, computer, and a simple cassette recorder, the album is a deliberate move towards what Lee calls “music in daily life” (일상속의 음악). The project was shaped over four years, a period that coincided with her return to South Korea after many years in the United States. This geographical and cultural shift appears to have prompted a profound examination of the fundamental purpose and role of music in our lives.
“I hope these tunes will dissolve completely into the background with whatever you might be doing or thinking or even feeling,” Lee states, signalling a radical embrace of passive listening. This concept stands in contrast to the often demanding and active engagement that her previous work often required.
The new album features nine pieces that blend the minimalist with the baroque, designed to loop and envelop the listener in subtle, repetitive cycles. With “good morning, harrison, it’s time to go,” Lee introduces this profound artistic statement on unexpectedly gentle terms, inviting listeners to find the experimental in the everyday and the extraordinary in the mundane.
Pre-Order: just like any other day (어느날): background music for your mundane activities
