Here are my credentials: I’ve been a fan of Rolling Quartz for a while now, after being recommended their excellent cover of Dreamcatcher’s Good Night, and though I know they’re not that popular, I still wanted to give them a much-needed spotlight and, of course, have some fun. This is one of the reviews I wrote at the very beginning of the blog, so I’ve been meaning to re-do it for a long time now. I’m going to be seeing them live in April of 2025, so I figured that now was a good time. Of course, it wouldn’t be me without roping in one of my friends or family members, so Junie—-who was featured in my NiZiU review and is now my roommate and coming to the concert with me—will be coming along for the ride. Let’s get into it!

(Part One)

Single #5: I’m A Loner

I’m A Loner isn’t a usual Rolling Quartz song in a few ways, not the least of which a frankly wild music video that we’ll get into in a second. Something I didn’t know until this deep dive is that it’s a cover of a 2010 song by Korean rock band CNBlue, who’s been on my list to cover for a while. Though it’s a bit less in-your-face than their typical sound, it still retains their staples of driving beats and Jayoung’s strong voice, with those sharp guitars that propel it forward. Its chorus has this interesting laid-back brand of catchiness that makes me think of a rock version of iKon’s Love Scenario. I wish it had more of a cathartic end to its great build-up in the pre-choruses, but otherwise it’s pretty good, especially that bridge.

And as for the music video, “Thoughts?” I asked. “It gives AMV,” Junie said after a moment of deep contemplation. “Like, full on, classic cartoon AMV to the most wild song.” Really, it was three minutes of the two of us constantly rewinding a non-existent tape to figure out what on Earth we’d just seen. “Bro is in military uniform, there’s a kid, there’s a bomb, what show is this even from?” I asked. “Wait—-did he just jump off a building?” “The amount of crimes or near-death situations that have happened in the last minute is a bit concerning,” Junie admitted. “But the song in the background, once again great. Ignore the craziness and that’s a great song.”

Single #6: Fearless

Fearless takes a more EDM-based approach to its rock, for another head-banger, this time choosing something I normally dislike: an “I’m-so-cooler-than-you” song. If you’ve read any post on this blog, you’ll have undoubtedly seen my eye-rolling over songs whose sole purpose is to dunk on the haters, and yet here, they pull it off! I think part of why it works here is that the song is directed at a specific person, with lyrics like “Hey dirty guy, don’t flatter yourself”. That guitar solo was perfection and I couldn’t resist the urge to dance along with them as they played their instruments in the rain (which I hope they didn’t have to film more than once). “I feel so bad for their socks,” I winced. “I know that’s not the point but—-“

The MV too is very them, lots of great transitions, reds and blues, and of course, the translations return. “Lindsey!” Junie called when the translation credit came up, to which I teased, “Lindsey’s your favorite member now?” Thus began another several minutes long digression into what we, in our infinite college-students-at-7-pm-on-a-Wednesday wisdom, deemed “The Mystery Of Lindsey.” I won’t trouble you with the details, but to summarize, she’s a friend of theirs who’s from Canada studying abroad in Korea, their usual translator, and also their English teacher! In case anyone was curious.

Single #7: Reminiscence

Though Reminiscence—-a cover of classic Korean rock band Sanulrim—-starts with a sharp snare drum, its first verses are actually a quite straightforward ballad, a surprise to us both. “Damn, talk about duality,” I remarked; I know it’s an overused term in k-pop circles often, but I really do mean it here; the softer parts show a different side to all of their skills. But of course, since this is Rolling Quartz, it soon becomes a power ballad worthy of single status, blossoming into this really gorgeous song. It never stops being captivating either, despite its music video only being them playing their instruments in their studio, and it actually became one of my favorites of theirs. Also, I had no idea that Jayoung plays piano, so that was a fun surprise when it transitioned to her. When I mentioned this, Junie replied, “At this point, I expect the unexpected. They could be over here doing anything and I’d be like, ‘yeah, seems like something they’d do.’”

Another fun fact, Junie and I were confused about who the older man in the music video was, so we decided to look it up. It turns out he’s actually Kim Changhoon, one of the two surviving members of Sanulrim, who came to watch them do their cover, which is lovely. It seems like he really enjoyed it.

EP #2: Victory

To say I was pumped from the beginning of Victory is an understatement. “The headbanging returns!” Junie announced. Leaning further into brash metal than any of their work has thus far, it’s sharp and cutting at all the right moments. I admit I’m not the biggest fan of its structure, with the more sing-talk heavy verses and the less fleshed-out chorus, but even I got swept up by its energy. The best part is probably that fantastic bridge’s build up into the final chorus’ breakdown; it’s such a satisfying photo finish. “I don’t think the track is as strong as their past works, but I still liked it. We both agreed that it wasn’t one of our favorites, but we were both excited to see it in concert.

From the (long awaited) second EP, Victory, I couldn’t pick a hidden gem between the ultra-confident Stand Up with its distorted guitar and the more relaxed, emotional delivery of Red Wine.

Single #8: RE.BOLD

I would never say that boldness was what was lacking in Rolling Quartz’s previous singles, but RE.BOLD really goes all in. Its delivery is simpler than their past ones, for sure, channeling a similar message to Blaze and Fearless, but with a sleeker sound. “Regardless of the song, they never disappoint on the energy,” Junie noted, and I couldn’t help but agree. Where the song excels is in the way it pulls back and then races forward again, managing to keep you on your toes but not disoriented. I especially loved hearing all of the girls sing during the chorus; they sound so powerful together. It’s one of their best songs in a while.

The MV too is a lot of fun. “Are they doing evil plans in a teenage girl’s bedroom?” I asked. Junie was more focused on the cacophony of delightful transitions and lighting, as per usual, “Their cameraman was just like, ‘I’m gonna go crazy.’ You want a moment of a steady, stable frame? No, no, that’s not what you hired me for.” And the switching guitar solos as Yeongeun walks out of the flames? Just perfect.

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this! I knew I would have a good time from the outset, but I was honestly really surprised by how much fun we both had. I learned a lot more about them as people too, as always, watching some interviews and random behind the scenes content while I was editing. Though I didn’t cover a lot of them here, we also watched a bunch more covers; Bad Romance and Helena remain my favorites while Junie is partial to Pink Venom / Mic Drop. And of course, speaking of Junie, I can’t write this part without thanking them for coming along on this little journey with me once again. Love you bestie <3, and I hope the you from the future likes the concert!

My Top 5 songs are Azalea, Holler, Blaze, Reminiscence, and Re.Bold, with the Helena cover and Stand Up as honorable mentions. Junie’s were Nazababara, One, the Pink Venom cover, I’m A Loner, and Holler., with Re.Bold as an honorable mention. Rolling Quartz gets a 9.5 out of 10 from me, which isn’t surprising at all. They bring so much energy for every single, like Junie said, and they make every cover feel like their own while still giving them the respect they deserve. I forgot when just listening casually how little music they actually have out, especially compared to someone like Taeyeon, but when every one of them is so high in quality, I can’t really complain. I don’t think that there’s a single song of theirs I don’t like, and very few that I don’t love. They’re remarkably consistent and incredibly talented, and I can’t wait to see what they do next. And of course I can’t wait to see them in concert! Believe me, I’m counting down the days.

Stay tuned for my concert review, and here are the others in the meantime!

Next time, we’re onto the next part of the Taeyeon deep dive and one more soloist ranking. Tschüss!