No Model first burst onto the scene in 2023 with a 4-song demo released on vocalist Sehun’s own Kill Yellow Fever Records. With members spanning Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Maryland, the band was put together as a group of friends bonded together by hardcore and a shared background as Asian Americans.
From the first wave of feedback and vocals on opening demo track “Kill Harry Holt” (a reference to the founder of Holt Children’s Services, an adoption agency widely viewed as having started international adoption in Korea) it was clear that this was a band that was angry and had something to say.
Drawing from his personal experience as a Korean adoptee raised in the United States, Sehun blurs the line between the personal and political expertly on the demo, attacking Western imperialism and its devastating effects on Asia and subsequently his own life.
Now, a year later, No Model expands on these ideas while also refining their musical palette on their new tape, Weaponized Asian American Diaspora.
The EP, which isn’t short on speed and aggression, also adds a lot more mid-tempo mosh in the vein of 2000s Boston hardcore. Guitarist Chang-hwan was kind enough to send me the lyric sheet (side note: more bands should do this when asking for coverage) and it’s clear immediately that the rage and frustration that fueled the demo is still present.
“Your Life in America” about the encroaching reality of American fascism, “W.A.A.D” with its calls for Asian American unity, and a scathing critique of cultural appropriation in “Fox Eyed Fucks” all scratch an itch for fast yet moshable hardcore with a charged message. However, two songs with the titles in Korean, opening track “Han," and track 4, “Gyopo,” intrigued me with how emotionally brutal they were.
Furthermore, not having a background in the Korean language, I reached out to Sehun for clarification for both myself and the general audience. He was kind enough to provide a brief explainer of the two terms as well as the songs’ lyrical content, shown below:
“Han:
Han refers to Korea’s history of being colonized by foreign powers and the resulting loss of identity and culture.
My understanding is that it’s a shared Korean emotion that involves feelings of resentment, grief, and bitterness.
I do think it’s something that’s been passed down by generations, but it also hits me in a different way. Chang-hwan and I are both Korean Adoptees (they do vocals with me on this song, too). We were both wronged by the Korean government, as well as the American government. International adoption is legalized human trafficking, goddammit.
We’re both gonna have Han in our blood until the day we die. It’s just something we’ve inherited as Koreans and Korean American Adoptees.
Gyopo:
Gyopo is a (mainly derogatory) term amongst native Koreans to describe Korean immigrants. I’ve never felt a sense of belonging in America and definitely not in my birth country, either. I face racial imposter syndrome every day, a lot of Asian Americans do.
Any ignorant piece of shit telling me “to go back to my country” can fuck off. This is technically “my country," but I don’t belong here and neither do you.
This song is also about suicidal ideation because I don’t ever feel like I’ll have a place in this world.”
So there you have it, straight from the man himself. No Model will be opening for GEL on May 19th at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City. Since the band members are so spread out, consider this a rare performance and get there early for their set.
Members of No Model also play in Doubt, Beauty, Have a Good Season, Labrys (demo coming soon), and If It Rains (best demo of 2024 so far, maybe more on that later).
W.A.A.D is available now on Kill Yellow Fever Records.
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