Epik High is back! The kings of many a high school karaoke sing-along party have returned with LOVEDRUNK, the title track of their latest album, Sleepless In ____. (No, I didnāt forget to finish that sentence, thatās literally the album.)
Itās not an exaggeration to call this three-man group one of the biggest names in Korean hip-hop. Since their debut in 2003, Epik High has published nine full albums and numerous remixes, covers, soundtracks, and special fan-only albums that have all met with varying degrees of musical and economic success.
Theyāre also a mainstay of Korean karaoke noraebangs everywhere, with many of their best-known title tracks like One, Run, and (especially when itās drizzly) Umbrella holding fast to the regular karaoke rotation, a decade after their releases.
That doesnāt mean that Epik High has stopped releasing new music; in fact, in the past few years, theyāve been as active as ever. Sleepless In ____ is their first album since their breakup with YG Entertainment, and it shows; compare LOVEDRUNK with a more upbeat, mass-produced YG album title track like, say, Up and the difference is immediate and overwhelming.
The music video for LOVEDRUNK stars Jin Sae Yeon and IU, the latter whose career weāve chronologically charted every so often (weāll return to the next part of her discography very soon, and itās gonna be a good one). Incidentally, this isnāt IUās first appearance in an Epik High release. She previously featured in the title track for their ninth album, Love Story (albeit not in the music video):
