INTERVIEW: Catch The Young Chat About Their Youthful Energy, Musical Exploration and Identity

South Korean Rock band Catch The Young released their latest single "이상형 (Ideal Type)" on June 26th. Fitting in what the group calls "Youth Pop-Rock," the track captures the members as they express being overcome with new feelings leading them to own those feeling and ultimately profess them, discovering their ideal type. "Ideal Type," released after the group's first instrumental track "The Young Wave," precedes their upcoming first full length studio album.

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MIXTAPE 317 joined with other outlets to catch up with Catch The Young, where they shared their exploration within their instrumental track, preparations for their upcoming festival performances and suggestions on what signs and slogans they'd like to see from CATCHER on their upcoming performances.

Five members, Sani (산이), Kihoon (기훈), Namhyun (남현), Junyong (준용), and Jungmo (정모) debuted with Catch The Young in 2023 with mini album Fragments of Youth. The members have tackled each new release fearlessly, and as excitement builds for their first studio album, Sani took a moment to share what fans could expect from their upcoming release.

"We're putting in our best effort to make it as strong as possible. We're adding a lot of new elements to try things we haven't done before and to show sides of ourselves that fans haven't seen yet." - Sani

Touching on how the group's sound has evolved from their 2023 debut until now he adds, while their debut was a great introduction to who they are, their latest and upcoming releases will showcase their color and style more clearly. With Sani on bass, Kihoon on guitar, Namhuyn as vocals, Junyong on keyboard and Jungmo on drums, each member plays a pivotal role in shaping the sound of the band. As active members in the creation of their music, we asked the group if they were hit with any unexpected challenges, or even surprises, when putting together their new album.

"It’s always surprising when an idea comes up that I hadn’t thought of. Since the process of writing a song and finishing it is quite different, those surprises often happen during arrangement or recording. Sometimes unexpected ideas turn out to be amazing, while other times they might not quite fit. But I think that's part of the fun of creating music together." - Sani

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Earlier this year with the release of their first instrumental track "The Young Wave," Catch The Young focus on their skills as musicians. The track explores the moment of rushing to someone you adore, the first encounter and all the overwhelming emotions that come along with that encounter. Kihoon reflected on their choice to create a song without vocals.

"Since we're a band, a lot of the focus goes to the vocals. We thought some people might be curious about our actual playing skills[...] I think it helped show that from vocals to instruments, we're a band whose skills you don’t need to second-guess, stamping our identity with that track." - Kihoon

While their image as a group captures essence of youth, the members hope to resonate with listeners of all ages. With their newest single, that can be described as breezy synth-rock and pop, Junyong touched on the sound of the track and their desire to connect to listeners of any age.

"Our motto as a band is to create music that can resonate with all generations. We're blending rock elements that older generations can enjoy with pop elements that appeal to younger listeners to ultimately make music that brings different age groups together through sound that everyone can connect with." - Junyong

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In the music video for “Ideal Type” the members can be seen playing live in a football field, emulating school boys, further capturing their youthful image. While hitting the drums Jungmo can be seen wearing a beaded bracelet that says “I Love You.” With beaded bracelets being a popular item for fans attending live performances - many creating them in batches to pass out as "freebies" to fans - we asked the group what would be something they would like to see CATCHER wear on their bracelets at upcoming events?

 "There are so many great phrases out there, but since we're a band that sings about youth, I think it'd be meaningful to use a keyword related to that. Whether it's for beaded bracelets, slogans, or other merch, I'd love it to be something that reflects our motto with the spirit of youth." - Jungmo

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With an instrumental track, new single and upcoming album it has been a busy year for Catch The Young. The group is also set to hit the festival stage this summer at Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival and Jeonju Ultimate Music Festival, performing at the festivals for a second year in a row. Kihoon touched on the group's preparations and shared they were putting together an even more polished and powerful performance following their 2024 festival performances. "Out of all the people here, no one can do it better than you," Sani reminds himself to calm his nerves, building his confidence up before any big performance.

Continuing to expand their sound and explore their talents as vocalists and musicians, there is still so much to see from the band. Though aiming to maintain the vibrancy of youth, we look forward to hearing how their sound will continue to grow and mature as a group as they continue to solidify their place within the Korean rock scene.

"I'd say we're a team that grows together, creating music that feels like youth. We want to make songs that, when you look back one day, feel like cherished memories. At the same time, we want to be a group that does music that moves forward into the future and can grow and journey with." - Kihoon

Catch The Young

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