Shy Wave – “I Hate Kids”

👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼

Los-Angeles-based artist Namq Kang is, first and foremost, a seasoned filmmaker. Plastered all throughout his website are snippets of the countless films that he’s shot. There’s an interesting mix here–a rare combination of Vimeo staff-picks, music videos, and even big name artist collaborations that Kang has taken part in, building up a portfolio that’s sure to impress. But as any artist will tell you, there’s always more to be done.

Shy Wave – “I Hate Kids” single artwork by Hae Jung Choi.

Perhaps that’s what led to the creation of Shy Wave, Kang’s first official project as a musician. Named after the “👋🏼” emoji and the creature in the album’s single artwork, Shy Wave is hard to categorize. Kang himself has played with different genres in the past, experimenting with jazz lounge (“morning coffee”), EDM (“this means goodbye”), rap remixes (“trophy”), and laid-back love songs (“Blueberry Dream”) on his SoundCloud page. And if his debut single “I Hate Kids” is of any indication, Shy Wave will be a project that could very well end up going in any direction.

Sporting hip-hop influences and old-fashioned turntablism, “I Hate Kids” is a throwback 80s track complete with record scratches and pitch shifting. Kang’s debut single samples a number of out-of-place vocals from “daily life” (as he puts it), creating chopped rhythms under a chugging beat. “I Hate Kids” is an amorphous creature, shifting from one form to the next with ease. Rightfully so, since Kang describes his own music as “chang[ing] its shape according to its feelings.” But strange name aside, “I Hate Kids” is an impressive feat, considering that Kang mixed and mastered everything himself.  There’s no telling what feeling he’s going to tackle next.

Kang’s debut album as Shy Wave, Mood Swings, will be out summer 2019.

Artist Pages: Bandcamp | SoundCloud | Spotify

Li-Wei Chu

Li-Wei Chu is the chief editor of From the Intercom. When he’s not editing drafts and searching for new artists to cover for the website, he loves watching cult films, cooking, and listening to his ever-growing collection of vinyl records. You can follow him on LetterBoxd and make fun of his taste in movies here!