Seoul’s Post Inner Circle discusses their debut EP ‘Artificial Sun,’ visuals, and the concept of finding hope in a dystopian world.

Last Updated on 2025-11-02 by a-indie

Meanings Embedded in Songs and Production Background

– Tomohiro Yabe: The lyrics of “Mountain Dew” have the phrase “Look at that mountain dew / I’ll drink it up,” which is very striking. Also, the term “Mountain Dew” means “mountain droplets,” and in Japan it’s familiar as “a soft drink brand name.” On the other hand, there’s also an explanation that its original meaning is slang for “moonshine whiskey used for mixing.” It’s a very interesting term. What does this “Mountain Dew” signify?

Yoon Eunbin: Moonshine whiskey…! This is unexpected. Originally it was the beverage Mountain Dew, but maybe I’ll use that explanation from now on. (Thank you)

Jeong Heecheol: At first, we simply thought of the beverage brand “Mountain Dew.” While working, the literal translation image of “mountain dew” also came to mind, and I think the two combined to embed a fresh green image.

– Tomohiro Yabe: Most of the track titles on this work are written in both English and Korean. However, only two tracks—”Mountain Dew” and “Flashback”—have English-only titles. What criteria do you use to choose the language when deciding track titles?

Yoon Eunbin: There isn’t a fixed standard, usually I just decide based on the atmosphere of the song or the feeling from the word. Especially in the case of “Flashback,” the strong light impression that Flash gives from the word, or the feeling that scenes pass very quickly as if a camera flash is bursting, resonated strongly. The emotions from tracks 1 to 6—frustration, loss, hope—felt like they were passing by in an instant as they rewound at the end, and I felt that the word “Flashback” fit more accurately than simply the Korean word for “recollection.” So this time, it was specially left as an English-only title.

Doo Geunhyun: I don’t really have particular standards. I think English titles exist while using words or sentences that can best express the song!

About “Eternity (영원)”

– Tomohiro Yabe: Yoon Eunbin, who wrote all the lyrics, creates lyrics that feel grand and evoke the flow of eternal time. However, I felt that the lyrics of “Eternity (영원)” mention father and mother and are very personal and introspective. What feelings did you put into writing this song? Also, where do you get inspiration for your lyrics?

Yoon Eunbin: Sometimes, just words or sentences that linger in the mouth become lyrics. It seems coincidental, but I think words that have been circulating for a long time become music naturally. But some songs are born from clearer scenes and deeper emotions, and ‘Eternity’ is a song written in that way. When I returned home after a long time, I newly felt that my father’s back as he takes me somewhere was becoming smaller. I thought about how my mother’s coat is becoming simpler day by day, and that in the pockets of that coat are contained years and loneliness that I don’t fully know. All of that was sad, yet still so beautiful, and it’s too sad because it’s beautiful but not eternal. How ironic, right? That beauty, impermanence, and sadness exist together like a tripod supporting life. Sometimes, even such irony can feel beautiful.

– Tomohiro Yabe: In the EP, “Mumbling Dreamlike Shimmers (꿈결 반짝이게 멈블)” and “Artificial Sun (인공태양)” are instrumentals. Why did you finish these two tracks without adding lyrics?

Yoon Eunbin: I think some songs don’t need explanation. Should I say that being unexplained because it’s incomplete becomes explanation? In this album, those two tracks were like that, and especially because they play the role of connecting and explaining the worlds of other tracks throughout the album, lyrics were even more unnecessary.

Doo Geunhyun: These two songs were actually made by Eunbin for this EP! We wanted to make songs that would work with just performance from the beginning, and I think they also serve as a foundation that foreshadows us extending not just into band sound but into various genres in the future.

– Tomohiro Yabe: This work felt like one connected piece from the first track to the final track, like a novel. Indeed, I believe instrumental tracks are intentionally placed and the connections between tracks are calculated. I think one concept runs through the entire work—why did you decide to create a work like this?

Yoon Eunbin: Connecting from “Tender (애틋)” to “Mumbling Dreamlike Shimmers (꿈결, 반짝이게, 멈블),” then from “Eternity (영원)” to “Artificial Sun (인공태양),” and finally to “Flashback,” I structured it so that when you experience various sadnesses and reach the last track, all the previous songs become part of a recollection. I think there are emotions that can only be expressed within this structure. To add one more thing… I simply thought such a structure was “cool.” Music is ultimately a time art. Not just arranging songs, but the feeling of collecting scenes one by one in flowing time, the fact that there’s a world where emotions from previous songs expand or connect even when tracks change—that itself is romantic, and it’s one of my favorite points about making music.

About the EP Jacket Design

– Tomohiro Yabe: The EP jacket features a collage-style design with four members looking up at the sky. Was this design done by Kim Hyun Soo, who handles visuals as mentioned earlier? Also, if there was an intention behind this design, please share it.

Kim Hyun Soo: We debated whether to commission it externally, but before I knew it, I was making it. For this jacket, I set three intentions and proceeded. The first was that since it’s the first EP, I wanted to clearly show the band’s identity, and the second contained the intention that people looking at the jacket would search for, discover, and gaze at their own artificial sun like the people in the jacket. An artificial sun that can’t be confirmed with eyes but is preciously kept in the heart. Finally, when people hear the term artificial sun, I think they often approach it with a mechanical image. And I recognize that even when they know there’s another meaning, it’s difficult to understand it at once. So from the production stage, I wanted it to serve as a guideline that helps them infer the meaning to some extent.