On keys, Lee Yohan. On guitar, Bang Injae. On bass, Sung Soyong. On drums, Lee Yunhyeok. And on vocals, Kwon Jeongyeol. It seems better to introduce the band first, and then dive into the album. That’s right—for their fifth studio album, 10CM has gone full on rock band. Kwon Jeongyeol’s known to be a metalhead, and it’s famously said that he developed his inimitable singing style after listening to metal vocalists. Still, the songs he’s released under the name 10CM up to now have had a decidedly different vibe. “There’s no acoustic tracks,” he told host Younha when he appeared on her music-centric YouTube talk show “WOULD YOU RECORD” to promote the new album. “This album’s got way more of a band vibe and rocking sound. … It turned out to be an album that truly satisfies my enjoyment. The way I see and feel about this album is somewhat different.”
10CM has undergone a significant transformation over the past 15 years. Memories of the indie folk duo, formed by two students at a school club in Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk Province, busking on the streets of Hongdae are now part of a distant past. The band produced a string of hit songs in the 2010s like “Americano,” “Love in the Milky Way Cafe,” and “Stalker,” thanks to their witty lyrics and catchy tunes, becoming one of Korea’s most beloved bands purely on the strength of their music. They even became the very first indie act to hold a concert at KSPO DOME in Seoul. The catalog of tongue-in-cheek innuendo and cynical looks at the underpaid slacker could only carry them as far as their third studio album. Starting with 10CM’s fourth album, when the band transitioned into a solo vehicle for Jeongyeol, they focused on balancing out the jumble of silly ditties with more relatable experiences.
Beyond the lyrics, the sound of their music began to change, too. Jeongyeol maintained a consistent rhythm from the 2017 fourth studio album, “4.0,” through the single “4.5” and the third EP. But not only did that last one see an altered numbering scheme, 10CM altered their sound starting with the Youth Trilogy that followed as well. He took up a distorted electric guitar in “Winter Breath” and really leaned into the rock band sound with more distortion with songs like “Gradation,” “My Ultimate First Love,” and the surprise “To Reach You.” Folk was always at the core of 10CM’s sound, and it remained largely in place even as they incorporated plenty of pop in their music and vocals. The instrument Jeongyeol turned to for “Gradation” and “My Ultimate First Love” was the acoustic guitar. This made the dip into history for “To Reach You” very significant. The unexpected popularity of the song—a Korean cover, 14 years after the fact, of the opening theme of the anime “From Me to You”—owed more to the growing love of J-pop-inspired music than to simple nostalgia. “This album honestly wasn’t even born of my intentions,” Jeongyeol said in an interview on the YouTube channel Choi Sung-woon’s Thought Experiment. “It’s what the fans wanted.” In other words, the decision was far from a calculated move to jump on the latest trend. You would generally expect something described as rock to carry a lot of weight with it, but the singer sounds convincing when he describes the music as being as accessible as a corner store. You could call it a flexible new approach by a singer-songwriter who’s been around the block.
From the aggressive guitar intro to “Nothing’s Going On” that opens “5.0,” it’s clear this is a different kind of album. Jeongyeol’s sharp, bright voice is as it ever was, grumbling about everyday frustrations as always over the refreshing new sound. And directing his frustration at his favorite soccer team? That’s classic 10CM. The way the whole track unfolds is exciting, as rough in tone as it is smooth and natural. It starts out as folk rock reminiscent of “Friendship, About That Bitterness” off their debut album, then opens up to the listener in a rousing punk rock chorus before shifting into pure rock ’n’ roll with a ska rhythm in the second verse. The best way to describe it is as a combination of the kind of youthful bands that are particularly popular in Korea lately, the pop punk revival from earlier in the decade, and 10CM’s unique lyrical approach. Jeongyeol’s foray into pop punk is an unexpected delight—all the more so because he pulls it off so adroitly.
The non-acoustic tracks on “5.0” go all in on the band fun. Take “Monday Is Coming,” a collaboration with BIG Naughty, who also worked with the band on “CDEFG” and “Just 10 centimeters.” The track exudes a retro new wave vibe reminiscent of 1980s Cars, combined with the loser charm of 1990s Weezer, to whom the former passed their baton on to. “CDEFG” is a particular standout off the album. The music puts a fresh spin on the all-too-familiar story of practicing how to serenade an unrequited love, that most common of sparks that set musical inspiration ablaze. Like the track “day off,” the tale is rife with clever lines that break the fourth wall, inheriting what made the everyday stories in their previous singles work so well. It sounds even better in this new band arrangement—the song was previously previewed at the 2025 Weverse Con Festival this past May 31 as a simpler acoustic guitar piece. Thoughtful arrangements like “CDEFG” shine throughout the entire album. “No. 1,” for example, with its disco-like bassline at the forefront and vibrant guitar, reaches a level of excitement that wouldn’t have been possible with just an acoustic setup. Thanks to the pure intensity of its volume, the 6/8-time rock ballad “Follow Your Steps,” featuring BIBI, becomes more than simply a duet, making itself into something akin to a theatrical musical number. Even tracks like “How Could You Darling” or “Your Playlist,” where the band trades in the amp for a familiar acoustic guitar, offer the listener their own kind of charm. By switching things up from the typical formula to really make their songs pop, 10CM has altered their trajectory in a good way.
It’s delightful. By today’s standards, 12 tracks is an absolutely stacked album. They even made music videos for every single one of them. 10CM, meanwhile, has been out promoting the new material alongside old favorites through a series of concerts and videos. Recalling how Jeongyeol would stick to his beliefs and express his frequent creative struggles, and question the relevance of studio albums, the shift seen in “5.0” is inspiring. As he’s shared in a number of interviews, Jeongyeol’s never been overly attached to the idea of releasing full studio albums. After the commercial success of his fourth album, he spent a long time wrestling with the idea of putting out another. But ahead of releasing “5.0,” he held an intimate show titled “4.99999999” in a small theater, unveiling the entire album to the audience there, emphasizing that this project was wholeheartedly made for the fans. There’s no hint of stress or pressure, and as a result, “5.0” often feels like a live album—a concert experience captured on record. Rather than aim to please critics or take things in bold new directions, it humbly captures what it’s like to simply have a good time with all the fans who support the music. That’s why tracks like “Slave For You” or “Into Your Summer,” much like the earlier “Gradation,” slot nicely into 10CM’s set lists.
At this point, the 2025 Weverse Con Festival set comes back to mind. In the span of just over 40 minutes, Kwon Jeongyeol performed his songs that have been hits on streaming charts. The result was a scene where indie aficionados who remember the 10CM of old came together with the K-pop fans filling the venue to sing along in excited unison. The “To Reach You” challenge videos share a similar vibe. Rather than sing the song himself, Jeongyeol graciously let his guests take the spotlight, accompanying them on guitar with all the easy harmony of a singer-songwriter with a storied history. It was his way of sharing 10CM’s broad appeal and impact with everyone. The new album brings out a certain sound that was always there beneath the surface. Even with all the changes, he’s still the incomparable voice of 10CM—writing the words, singing the songs, filling our lives with popular tracks that transcend trends.