KIDS FROM THE NEO HARDCORE: MEET BAND ETIC

Tokyo meets the neo-hardcore band ETIC born in Seoul: a collective whose presence hits before any of them speak. When we arrived, an older Japanese man slowed down, scanned them, and said: “Uwa, minna kakkoii, sugoi.” (you all look so cool, amazing). Unexpected, but an accurate read of their sharp image.

Monday, November 3rd. We met ETIC outside FORESTLIMIT; a basement space that feels half-club, half-signal from another dimension. The perfect setting to enter their world: how they got here, what drives them, and the lane they’re carving inside hardcore.

BIOHAZARDGIRL (20), GASGIRL (21), BARDOSAGE (20), and XI (25), form ETIC; four Seoul-based artists pushing their scene into new ground.

GATA sat down with them to talk about how this band is breaking free from Seoul’s suffocating societal pressure. Their world unfolded; a blend of sharp instinct, experimentation, and a sound evolving alongside their visual identity.

GATA: Hi ETIC! Can you briefly introduce yourselves to the GATA crowd to give a short overview of who you are and what you do in the team?

BIOHAZARDGIRL: Hi, I’m Biohazard Girl. I travel the world as a tattoo artist, and recently I began to explore the world of music as well - I’m one of the singers for ETIC.

BARDOSAGE: My name is Bardosage. I produce music, and I am also the producer of ETIC.

GASGIRL: Hi, I’m Gasgirl. I make music, and I sing for ETIC.

XI: I’m Xi. I direct the events and DJ - also today, for ETIC’s performance.

GATA: Can you tell me the story of how you guys met? How did you start producing music together? What’s the backstory?

BARDOSAGE: One of my close friends got a tattoo from Biohazard Girl, and he introduced me to her. So that’s how we linked up, and after that, we made a music album together.

GATA: Wait, that’s how it started?

BIOHAZARDGIRL: Yeah, because we were really struggling to get a beat that we really wanted. There was no other artist who actually did the kind of music we wanted. And at that time, he showed up.

GATA: Oh my god, cool. But you two (Biohazard Girl and Gasgirl), you met before?

GASGIRL: Yeah, we met before, through my friends’ friends, some years ago.

GATA: And when did you guys originally start making music together?

BIOHAZARDGIRL: Four months ago.

GATA: Wow! That’s crazy. SHOOTER is my favorite song, and actually it sounds like you’ve been making music together for years. The whole album sounds so aligned.

GASGIRL: Yeah, Bardosage has been making music for so long now. He just knows how to do it.

GATA: And where does your love for hardstyle come from?

BIOHAZARDGIRL: When I started going to parties, other music didn’t feel enough for me. So I kept searching for something harder. That’s how I found hardcore. At my first hardcore event, I felt this wave of pure dopamine. Since then, I love all genres that come from “hard,” like hardcore. Everything started with “hard.”

GASGIRL: I think it’s a kind of love born from pain. When life gets old, people crave similarity. And I think hard techno represents the peak of that. It holds both love and pain. And I was drawn to that confrontation.

XI: It’s just from the noise. Yeah, just noise. Seoul is full of noise.

BARDOSAGE: The reason why I make hardcore music is that I want to make people feel what I feel. That’s why.

GATA: When I was listening to the album, I wondered: what’s your favorite track of your own?

Everyone shouts: ONLY WHEN I’M GONE!

GATA: Yeah, I love that too. When I first saw you guys, I was obsessed; you’re so fashionable. What’s the role of fashion for you in music?

BIOHAZARDGIRL: I think fashion is very, very important for me because before you even start a conversation, what people see first is your visual presence, your aesthetic. I believe fashion reflects your personality.

XI: For me, it’s lifestyle. It’s just there and you do it. Fashion and music are just my lifestyle.

GATA: I get that. Where are you guys currently based?

GASGIRL: We are all based in Seoul. Or… we are stuck in Seoul, haha.

GATA: You’re stuck in Seoul? Why is that? How is the music scene there?

BARDOSAGE: For me, personally, it sucks. Because it’s all about K-pop. In South Korea, there’s no subculture music scene. That’s why we didn’t even post our music on Korean music services. Only on Spotify and Apple Music.

BIOHAZARDGIRL: We’re trying to get out of Korea.

GATA: So you’re not interested in maybe creating a new subculture in South Korea?

GASGIRL: We can try, but I feel like it would be so new to them. And Koreans are really critical about new things.

GATA: I remember when I was living in Seoul, I was always going to hardcore parties; and it was always only around five people in the club.

BARDOSAGE: Yeah, many people have really good subculture taste. But usually people can’t accept it.

GATA: And is this your debut – is it your first time playing a show in Tokyo today?

BIOHAZARDGIRL: Yes, but we had our first show in Seoul in July, at Cakeshop.

GATA: How do you feel about performing in Tokyo today?

XI: We are so excited!

GATA: Topic switch: if you guys could be one movie character, who would you be?

BARDOSAGE: Brad Pitt from Fight Club.

BIOHAZARDGIRL: I really love Effy from Skins. I fucking love her. I think I’m literally her.

GASGIRL: I want to be the mom of Paul from Dune, Lady Jessica. Because she’s a fucking witch.

XI: My favorite movie is Memento.

GATA: I know inspiration is a big topic, but what keeps you going? What’s your motivation and inspiration for music?

BARDOSAGE: When I make music, I was really influenced by Crystal Castles, and then I got to know the music of Snow Strippers. I really loved the vibe their music gives off. So while consuming music like that, I met these people and ended up making this album.

BIOHAZARDGIRL: I feel like the motivation was my first party. The more, you know? I did a show, and I really liked how people scream and go crazy and hype us. I feel like that one party made me want to make music more and more.

GASGIRL: I agree.

GATA: You want to give us a bit of a spoiler? Tease something? What’s the next move?

BIOHAZARDGIRL: Definitely more music. A new album. But I hope our music reaches an audience that truly understands. We will also start DJing more together and play at parties.

GATA: Cool! Yeah guys, book them!

GASGIRL: Yeeees, book us!

BARDOSAGE: I’m making my own hardcore techno music album right now.

GATA: I know you’re all super young, so you know a lot about the current scene. What’s your advice for people our age?

BIOHAZARDGIRL: I have a really big one for this. You should definitely see the world, because you can see so many things and you will feel so many different things.

GASGIRL: I want them to have fun when they’re young. The future is very important, but I think every day is important right now, so they can make the most of their youth and have fun forever.

BARDOSAGE: I just want people to be themselves. In Korea, they think too much about how other people think about them, and that makes their mind close and their world smaller.

XI: Just do it.

GATA: Yes! That’s a perfect last sentence. Thank you guys so much!

INTERVIEW AND WORDS BY LUNA ROHME

PHOTOS BY JAMES ELLIOTT