Photo: Swan Studio

Hailing from Seoul, Leenalchi are a seven-piece outfit led by bassist and composer Jang Young Gyu. The group is well known for their distinctive sound, reworking pansori, a traditional Korean form of musical storytelling, into a striking rhythm-driven format. Pansori, which dates back to Korea’s Joseon Dynasty in the 17th century, is typically performed as a dramatic narrative art form, often telling stories of love, conflict, and folklore. Leenalchi reinterpret that tradition through a stripped-down but unusual setup featuring two bassists, drums, keys, and four vocalists, with no guitar, placing emphasis on voice, texture and pulse.

Leenalchi have a new EP on the way, Here Comes That Crow, set for release on June 12th through Luaka Bop. To herald the announcement, the band shared the title track. ‘Here Comes That Crow’ draws from a historical pansori narrative tied to the story of Chinese warlord Cao Cao. Reimagined by the band, the track uses layered vocals and driving rhythms to frame a tense scene about life’s precariousness. The band wrote a poem to help explain the song’s meaning:

도용도용은 작은 배가 물위를 떠가는 모양을 그린 말이다. 조조도 조자룡도 쫓기는 자도 쫓는 자도 멈출수는 없다.
판자때기 아래가 저승인데 어느 누가 멈춰 설 수 있겠는가!

Doyung doyung goes the small boat seen floating down the river.
Whether the chased or the chaser, no one can stop—just beneath the boards lies the underworld!

‘Here Comes That Crow’ comes paired with an accompanying video, and you can watch it below.