Music in Focus: Home in the Desert by Precocious Neophyte

Precocious Neophyte is the shoegaze/dream pop project of South Korean singer-songwriter Jeehye Ham. After gaining recognition both in the Korean indie scene and abroad as vocalist/guitarist of Vidulgi OoyoO (shoegaze/post-rock) and guitarist of JuckJuck Grunzie (noise/psychedelic), Ham relocated to Chicago where she began experimenting with home recording. In 2019, she released an EP comprised of intimate acoustic compositions under the name Sophysoon. With Home in the Desert, Ham embraces the solitary action and lo-fi aesthetics of home recording to create a fuzzier, more expansive sound, inspired by the organized noise of bands she grew up with in Korea’s indie scene.

Home in the Desert, written and recorded in her apartment between 2021-2022, developed out of Ham’s attempts to envision how skeletal guitar lines might sound when performed live at ear-splitting volumes by a full band. “I never expected that I would make loud music again, but one day I took my guitar out and started jamming on my own.“ As its title suggests, Precocious Neophyte’s debut release negotiates the impossible longings for perpetual spaces and times of home. In doing so, Ham fills unstable distances with what KEXP calls “ethereal vocals and soaring melodies,” and cradles the insecurities of isolation in overdrive warmth and many layers of distorted guitars. In the summer of 2022, Ham began rehearsals with drummer Daniel Lyons, guitarist Brenden Romanowski, and bassist Ethan Waddell. The band has been performing in Chicago since November ever since.

For further information on the artists, visit the following social feeds

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Source/images provided by Noisy Ghost

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