Seoul electro-rock group Love X Stereo are halfway through their first North American tour. The jaunt was originally set to start in late September with a pair of performances at Cincinnati, Ohio’s Midpoint Music Festival, but delays with the act’s US touring visa forced them to sadly cancel those dates along with two shows in New York.
Finally receiving the necessary stamps in their passports on October 7, the group caught the next US-bound flight and arrived in time for their October 9 gig at Fontana’s in New York. They’ve since done a few other shows in New York (including a set last Friday as part of the renowned CMJ Music Marathon), traveled to Toronto for an appearance at Indie Week Canada, and did a club concert in Vienna, Virginia as well. Their remaining shows will take place in New York, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, and Massachusetts.
- Love X Stereo performing in New York at the CMJ Music Marathon on October 18
Gigging internationally is not an easy task, but Love X Stereo’s vocalist and synth player Annie Ko felt that she learned a lot from all the work that went into booking, promoting, and finding funding for the act’s initial foray overseas.
“The planning was a good experience, but it was exhausting as hell,” she shared before the band began their tour. “You get to know all these people who are willing to support you, do business with you, and try to communicate with you. That’s all the good stuff. However, you still need to reach out to everyone more and more to let them know who you are and what you are capable of. It’s like a never-ending rabbit hole.”
In September, Love X Stereo released their third EP, “Glow.” The offering boasts four new tracks and three remixes (the digital version of the album contains five remixes) of cuts from last year’s “Off the Grid” EP. The tunes on “Glow” are well-crafted and infectious. Possessing a distinct pop edge, the material has a lot of crossover potential and should equally appeal to fans of indie music and mainstream alternative rock/pop music.
The songs on “Glow” were written and recorded in August. Completing everything in such a short time frame was challenging, but the group are happy with the finished release.
“We were worn out by the tight schedule and we felt stressed,” says Ko. “But we love the new songs. We think they’re very well made, catchy, and easy to listen to.
“Both (2011’s) ‘Buzzin’’ and ‘Off the Grid’ were very experimental. We did whatever we wanted to do when making them. But ‘Glow’ is more strict and direct and has a stronger synth-pop influence. Our sound, style, and overall vibe hasn’t changed at all, but the songs are tighter and better produced. We have high expectations for this album.”
With three EPs now under their belts, can we expect a proper full-length effort from Love X Stereo anytime soon?
“We’ll make a full-length album when we’re ready,” says Ko. “As an unsigned band making our own way, it’s very difficult to produce a well-made full-length album without any sort of support. If we’re going to make a full-length album, we believe that we should be in a position where we can say, ‘We deserve this.’ Now isn’t the best timing for us, but when we know we’re ready, we’re definitely going to make a full-length album.”
Here are the remaining live dates on Love X Stereo’s 2013 North American tour. The band already have plans to return stateside again next spring as they were among the first wave of artists announced last week for the 2014 edition of Austin, Texas’ mammoth South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival.
October 25 New York, NY @ Left Field Bar
October 27 New York, NY @ The Delancey
October 29 Hamtramck, MI @ Small’s
November 3 Chicago, IL @ Elbo Room
November 4 Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR
November 9 Cambridge, MA @ The Loft at Tommy Doyle’s
November 10 Boston, MA @ McGann’s Irish Pub
November 13 New York, NY @ The Shillelagh Tavern
