62. Album Review of Under the Same Sky by Seoul Metro

Originally Published, November 11th, 2024

About the Artist

Before I started the Fifteen Minutes of Fame Blog, I had been trying to do different things to discover and elevate independent artists, while hoping to cultivate a community of musicians. At this time last year, I went onto Threads and I came up with the idea of liking, following, and creating a playlist on Spotify for independent artists. Then, this spring, I did my first “Fifteen Minutes of Fame Challenge,” where I would select a musician from a group of artists who submitted their music. Unfortunately, these ideas didn’t really stick but the silver linings of it all was I got exposed to a number of different independent artists.

One of those artists is Seoul Metro, who had submitted their song Just Love. I remember how much the production value stuck out to me and it just sounded like the perfect pop rock song that would fit right in with so much of the mainstream music that is out there today. I remember thinking about how similar the sound was to the recently Grammy album of the year winner , Harry Styles. 

Seoul Metro is the project name of Manchester-based artist, Chris Gibson. Gibson began 2024 with a New Year’s Resolution: starting in February, he would release a new song. As the year went on, he realized that the collection of work had a cohesive element that needed to be an album. That is where the idea of Under the Same Sky first came to be.

Inspired by the neon lights of South Korea’s capital epicenter, Seoul Metro came to be. “I love pop music and bold imagery, but I’d always thought of it as a guilty pleasure. Korea showed me how to let go of that.” (Spotify bio) 

About the Album

Under the Same Sky is a 13-song pop rock album with a run time of more than 42 minutes. It released on November 8th, 2024. It features Seoul Metro on vocals, as well as both acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar, piano, keyboard and synths, and percussion. In addition to streaming on every and all major platform, you can purchase Under the Same Sky on bandcamp and you can buy the physical 12” vinyl here at his Linktree.

About the Music

From the first (Title) track, this album exudes the energy that inspired the name of the artist, Seoul Metro. Under the Same Sky walks us out into a vibrant metropolis of melody with approximately a minute of harmonizing vocals, a pulsing bass synth, guitars saturated in reverb, and a synth string part, marking passing tones; both creating suspension and dissonance. 

It also serves as an introduction that leads right into Dreamer which is performed in the same key and tempo. Dreamer is so pleasing with its driving percussion and dynamic transitions from verse to chorus. It is so emotionally fed, it makes me wonder if Gibson may be more comfortable performing than just interacting socially in every day life. He is 100% into his groove here.

One of my favorite songs on the album is SAD! It has a sort of Ghost Stories vibe (in my opinion, this was the last great effort by Coldplay). I love the walk the guitar takes with the vocal part on the chorus. Rhythmically, the vocal part is simply sublime; introducing syncopated elements and resolving beautifully in and out of the lines of the song. This song is expertly produced. It would fit right in with mainstream music. 

My absolute favorite song on the album is still Just Love. There’s nothing I could say that would give this song any kind of justice. I have no notes. Just go hit play right now. 

The album closes with the song Felix Felicis, which made my inner-nerd leap with joy at the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince reference (please don’t judge me for tagging the movie and not the book. It was easier. I beg your forgiveness) For you people who have the audacity of having a life and not reading the book, to quickly explain the reference, Felix Felicis is a potion that gives its consumer good luck. The song opens with Seoul Metro singing and playing an acoustic guitar and melodically is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard in a long time. It feels like a genuine lullaby. It so eloquently closes the album.

About the lyrics

Lyrically, Seoul Metro carries just as phenomenally as he does musically. I’m going to pick my favorite song, Just Love, to analyze:

“I want to be better. ‘Cause it’s dark outside and the rain’s been here since November. And the cold sleeps into my bones. Will it be like this forever? Yeah the world’s on fire and I just can’t seem to remember when the weather was better.” 

This first verse is so invested in the analogy, the author could actually be talking about the weather. But I think this is a metaphor for headache. And I can’t think of a better analogy for it. I can feel the cold creeping over me, wondering how long I’ll feel this way. The feeling in the pit of my stomach wondering when I will see the sunlight again.

The chorus is “Give me Love, don’t hide it. Let me in so deep that I don’t know how to deny it. ‘Cause there’s too much hate and I can’t escape it, I hate it. Give me love, just love.”

The author is pleading with their subject. They speak of love as something that is as vital as food or water. 

My favorite lines of the entire song are the first two bars of the second verse: “It’s so hard to fight it. But the way we define ourselves by the negative just makes me so tired.”

Here’s what I love about the lyric. It has to do with the musicality as well. It is almost too wordy. But the author has determined it’s so important to say, he has to say it. So, Seoul Metro prodigiously spits the line out, as if he were rapping, delivering a perfect rhythmic performance and saying something so beautiful, life pauses as the song goes on. It’s painfully true, painfully real, and relatable. 

Final Thoughts

Seoul Metro has put forth such a strong effort with this record. His music is so catchy and uplifting, I find myself often looking for his music when I need something upbeat. It has been a warm welcome since first discovering his music in the spring. I hope any new listeners discovering his music from this review have similar experiences listening to it as I have. 

If you don’t already, make sure you follow Seoul Metro on Spotify, Instagram, Threads, and check out his link tree which has directions to a merch store and where you can buy the vinyl of Under the Same Sky!