Audiopile Review: Probably best known outside of South Korea as one half of the hallucinatory-pop duo Salamanda, Yetsuby has become somewhat of a star in her home country, netting a Best Electronic Album award last year from the Korean Music Awards for here digital-only release My Star, My Planet Earth. Spinning off from the intricate and gooshy digital overload of her duo, Yetsuby takes sharpens her vision even further, leaning ever so close to the spastic density of hyper-pop while still retaining full control of the machines. While Salamanda has tended towards an orb-like softness, blending the organic feel of new age or Environmental music with their bubbling synths and cooing vocals, b_b’s six tracks burst with pointillist pressure. Skittering percussion, auto-tuned vocals smeared between speakers, the tight squeezing bleats of digitized instruments, and micro-clips of woozy keyboards are threaded together with laser-focused accuracy. It’s exhaustive in her attention to detail of each track’s many moving parts, but Yetsuby brings a warm Salamanda-esque touch to the avalanche, making for an inviting listen that tickles more than it overwhelms. For those who have already been enamoured with Salamanda, b_b will be a perfect way station while we await new music from them. Hell, it might even supplant the duo for some out there. It’s that good.

Yetsuby is the solo project of South Korean artist Yejin Jang. Since 2019 she has carved out a reputation as something of a prolific visionary, with 6 albums, 7 EPs and a flurry of singles between her two projects to date. Her recent album “My Star, My Planet Earth” received the “best electronic album of 2023” award at the Korean Music Awards.

Beyond her solo work Jang is also one half of the critically acclaimed electronic duo Salamanda, which has been featured in Pitchfork, Crack Magazine, and Dj Mag. The duo also host a residency called “shadow dance” on NTS radio.

Yetsuby’s debut release on Seb Wilblood’s all my thoughts label is a heartfelt and forward thinking mini LP. The 6 track release effortlessly chimes into the deeper, inner emotions whilst providing a window into her abundant breadth of skills through tantalising themes of sonic alchemy.

The bright, mesmeric opener **‘Who swallowed the chimes at the random place’** welcomes us into a mysterious world, lulling us into a calm that is intriguingly broken by metallic shards that respectfully slice through the mix. The bubbling and infectious rhythmic elements within ‘If I drink this potion’ welcome in more beautifully balanced vocal and synth harmonies. **‘1,2,3 Soleil’** show’s Yetsuby’s sophisticated ear for percussion even further, with growing poly-rhythms that develop in intensity, not too dissimilar to the seminal works of Craig Leon.

Maxilogue: potion, materials**’ cleanses the palette and allows for more lyrical work dancing off textures from earlier in the LP. With the warmth of carefully tucked brass sections and the grace of the melodics we are sat within a beautifully bespoke orchestra. **‘Poly Juice’** takes this further, the weight of a gentle sub propels the infectious twinkling of a delicate arp. Vocals circle the broken beats, swimming into bloom. The aptly named **‘The Sublime embrace – Losing our way is not wrong’** looks to heal the listener and free them from the blame. The elegant softness amongst the stylistically crushed percussion is breathtaking. This allows horn flutters to sing and blend into the comfort of the vocals letting our mind stretch out.

*“I want to put comfort into the music and give some message to people who blame themselves” – Yetsuby*

The resulting effect is a release that feels sincere and deeply personal but has a celestial magic about it that feels both kaleidoscopic and transcendent. It effectively creates a world for the listener to inhabit, whilst inviting them to connect with the album’s themes on a personal level.