Following the release of her new title track, celebrated experimental musician Okkyung Lee offers a second glimpse into her upcoming album, Just Like Any Other Day (어느날): Background Music For Your Mundane Activities, with the track “let’s walk down to the swamp together.” Due out September 5 via Shelter Press, the album marks a significant shift in Lee’s compositional style, aligning with her return to South Korea and a deep reengagement with her own culture and childhood memories.
Inspired by a childhood obsession with Sherlock Holmes stories, Lee explains: “I read them in Korean translation, where the word 늪 (swamp) was used for “marshes”—though 습지 (wetland) would’ve been more accurate.” she recalls. “The only swamps I knew back then were the tropical ones with alligators, which didn’t seem to match the eerie English landscapes described in the stories. That slight mistranslation gave the setting a more exotic atmosphere. Since there were no swamps in Korea—and no internet, duh—I remember trying so hard to imagine what this specific “swamp” might actually look and feel like. In the end, I decided it must be a place hauntingly beautiful, mysterious, and tinged with danger. So, the title became an invitation: to walk together into the unknown—and into my childhood memories at the same time.”
For the first time, Lee steps away from her renowned cello virtuosity, creating the album at home on keyboard, computer, and cassette recorder. The result is a remarkable form of ambient music intended for “passive listening.” Lee’s goal is to redefine experimental music not as a grand statement, but as a discreet and elegant practice. With its repetitive and rhythmical notes, “let’s walk down to the swamp together” is a hauntingly beautiful invitation to walk with her into a world of memory and profound sound.
Just Like Any Other Day (어느날): Background Music for Your Mundane Activities arriving September 5 via Shelter Press.
Pre-Order via Bandcamp: https://okkyunglee.bandcamp.com/album/just-like-any-other-day-background-music-for-your-mundane-activities
Shows
August 30 @ Berlin Atonal: Night IV (Main Stage) – Berlin, Germany
September 1 @ d/p – Seoul, South Korea
October 1 @ Kings Place – London, United Kingdom