Interviewer and Editor: Pooja Vishwanathan (Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh)

Blending raw emotion with soaring melodies, K-Indie Rock band Men and Them carve out a sound that’s both intimate and electrifying.

Meet Men And Them, an emerging K-indie rock band from Seoul steadily carving out a space in the global music scene. The quartet of singer-songwriters Marcus Way and Juho, bassist Choi Mill, and drummer Kwang call their sound “new nostalgia”: music that evokes eras they never lived through, yet deeply long for. Drawing on the classic rock spirit of the ’60s and ’90s, they fuse vintage tones with modern energy, creating music that feels both refreshing and comfortingly familiar. Their lyrics explore themes of longing, self-discovery, and timeless human emotions, offering listeners a bridge between past and present.  

Recently named one of The Korea Times’ “Top 10 Indie Bands to Watch in 2025,” Men And  Them are on a mission to reinvigorate indie rock while expanding the world’s perception of  Korean music beyond K-pop. Their songs act as a bridge between generations and a window into  Korea’s rich sonic diversity. With each release, they balance nostalgia with innovation, crafting music that is both authentic and adventurous.  

In this interview, the band shares insights into their journey, inspirations, and creative process,  offering a rare glimpse into the vision, passion, and ambition driving one of Korea’s most promising indie acts today.  

To begin with, please introduce yourselves to our readers and share a bit about your background and journey into music.

Marcus Way: Hi, we are Men And Them from Seoul, Korea. I’m  Marcus, the engine of Men And Them. I used to rap, produce, and sing as a solo artist, and this is my new chapter as a band. I’m glad to be with these boys. 

Juho: Hi, I’m Juho from Seoul. Co-singer-songwriter of the band. 

Choi Mill: Hello everyone, I’m Choi Mill, the bassist of the band Men and Them.

The name Men And Them really catches the ear. How did it come about, and what do you feel it says about you as a band and as people?  

Juho: Marcus and I were hanging out with one of our nonbinary friends, and we were joking about how we’d name our band if we started one. The name came up like that, and now it’s stuck. It’s funny to think that something that was just meant for a joke became something significant to our lives. I guess the joke landed.  

Marcus: For us, the ‘Them’ in Men And Them stands for those who are often seen as outsiders,  and we want our music to be a place where no listener feels left out.  

Choi Mill: In addition to the previous meanings, I personally defined ‘Men’ as us, the members  of the band, and ‘Them’ as “everyone living on Earth.” 

So how did you guys first come together? Was it more of a coincidence, or something that was planned out? And what made you lean into rock as the main way you wanted to express yourselves in today’s music scene? 

Juho: Marcus and I go way back to high school, and he was doing his bits in music after graduation while I was just bartending and stuff. One day, he texted me for something, and my first response was, “I want to do music.” He invited me to the studio, and a few months later, I asked him if he wanted to start a band with me. As for rock music, that’s all I knew, and that’s still all I know about music. I know nothing about any other genres, though I wish I did. So it was the only thing that made sense to me: to pick up a guitar and strum a couple of chords till something came out of it.  

Marcus: And Mill contacted us after I posted a recruiting post in the  band community saying, “Who wants to go get a Grammy together?”  My love for music kept growing, gradually lifting me up, and eventually, I reached rock. 

Your debut single, Desire, came out in 2024. What sparked that title, and what was the creative process like putting it all together? 

Juho: Marcus wrote the song, and we don’t really think too deeply about naming songs, or naming the band for that matter. The process was basically both of us sticking our heads in the sand to find gold. It was the first time for me to do it, and I learned what it took to make a song studio-quality. It is work, if not anything else.  

Marcus: If we go deeper, I think people start to die inside when they lose the desire for everything. The song follows someone who feels nothing, trapped in emptiness, until they meet someone who changes that. That’s why I named it desire. Juho and I started working on this song before we met the other members, so we recorded drums and bass after we had already finished guitar and vocal parts. Some people say nobody usually does it that way, but I don’t care if it sounds good; it sounds good.  

You’ve talked about the ’60s and the ’90s being big influences. In what ways do you hear those eras coming through in your own songs? And are there any particular bands or tracks from back then that really stuck with you personally?  

Juho: To me, again, that’s all I know. It’s like speaking a language and asking myself how I came to speak it. I remember as a kid there were records at home—The Beatles, Queen, Simon and Garfunkel, and so on. I still go back to those records, but if I had to choose one record that speaks to me and for me, it would be The Smiths’ debut album. And I think ‘All My Friends’ by the LCD Soundsystem is a perfect song, though it’s not from that era.  

Marcus: We always love to add the feeling of the ’60s and ’90s into our songs. It’s like our special sauce that makes the music sound good. I love quiet songs of the Velvet Underground like ‘Candy Says.’ And I love The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds too.  Rest in peace, Brian Wilson. You were one of the greatest artists ever in human music history. 

Since your debut, you’ve delivered six singles, with the latest, Hey Now, released on August 19th. How does each track stand out, and what motivated you all to put those out there in front of the world altogether?  

Juho: It’s a no-brainer. If we all like a song, then that’s pretty much it. “Motivation” is a good word, but I personally find it difficult to explain. If you write songs, naturally, you’d have to record them, and if you like them enough, you release them. Lucky for us, we have Marcus, who has the experience to make the sounds work.  

Marcus: For every release, there was a reason at the time or some kind of strategy behind it, but simply, we just liked the songs and wanted to share them.  

The K-indie rock scene doesn’t always get the same kind of global spotlight that K-pop does. For you, what’s it like building your own space in that world? And how would you describe what makes your music different within the Korean music industry?

Juho: I think there is a huge gap between K-pop and the indie scenes. K-pop is like the Statue of Liberty or the Taj Mahal. And indie music is that one restaurant that only the locals know about. But it can be a good antithesis to K-pop, as the reason we’re getting some light from the world, like this interview, is that people already know about K-pop, and they want to know what’s beyond the hype.  

Marcus: I think we’re doing K-pop in our own way, but as an alternative. The biggest difference is that usually K-pop is made by companies with hundreds of professionals to make it go viral.  But we’re doing everything with just the three of us and some friends helping out. It’s like David vs. Goliath, but we can proudly say that this is what we want to do, from A to Z. And what we’re trying to do without any resources.  

Choi Mill: It feels like I’ve gone on a spiritual retreat. 

The music scene feels really different now compared to just a few years back. From your perspective, how does the industry look these days? And what kind of challenges do you think indie bands like yours are dealing with right now?  

Juho: Everything is moving so fast. There is no sustainability. But I think there was never a period where musicians were happy with how the industry was going. My biggest challenge is just hitting the right notes in live shows. I try not to think too much about other stuff; I don’t need people in my head. I already have me in my head, and that’s bad enough.  

Marcus: Back in the old days, musicians could be silent, cool, and mysterious. But these days,  it’s hard to focus only on music and maintain that mystery. There are 100,000 new songs released every single day, and if you don’t promote yourself and your music, nobody will listen, and nobody will know you exist. If Thom Yorke were born in this era, he’d probably have to say, “Hey, I just wrote the song of the summer” on TikTok. That’s why I’m always thinking about how to get more people to listen to our songs, to show the world that we’re here.  

Choi Mill: Too much music, media consumed too quickly. And a pearl in the mud, Men And  Them. 

Your songs feel cohesive, but at the same time, each of you gets a moment to shine.  How do you all manage to bring out that individuality when you’re writing or recording as a group?  

Juho: I think band music is all about waiting for your moment. We all have to matter while serving the song. But there’s no hard thinking behind it; we just play it over and over till it makes sense.  

Marcus: Each of us brings our own ideas and style, but the song always comes first. We try different things, see what works, and keep playing until we believe it’s the best version.  

Your songs… they kinda have vibes from The Beatles, The Smiths, that whole  Britpop era. What is it about them you connect with? And do you think it ends up in your music somehow?  

Juho: I couldn’t really say. To me personally, it’s all symptomatic of how a band becomes something relevant to your life. If you have a cold, you’d get a cough as well. Whatever I  was dealing with in life in a certain period, they’re the ones who knew better about what I  was going through and put it into words. There is so much consolation in knowing you’re not the only one who went through it, and there’s nothing wrong with feeling the way you feel,  and you can even turn that into something beautiful.  

Marcus: They are just our idols, Classics. 

Performing at the first Debaser Festival in Busan must have been pretty exciting for you all. What was the experience like? And are there other festivals, in Korea or abroad, that you’d love to play at? 

Juho: Yeah, it was fun, really. Mill and I were drunk most of the time. We want to play at the Pentaport festival in Korea, and Pa’l Norte would be really nice as well. We saw the clips of that festival, and it left a huge impression.  

Marcus: Yeah, we want to perform in Mexico and also in India. 

Choi Mill: It was a fun experience, especially the sunrise I watched with Juho.

Being an indie rock band, there are probably some ups and downs, right? What do you think have been the biggest challenges so far and the parts you enjoy the most?  And if you could change anything in the music industry to make it easier for everyone, what would that be?  

Juho: The biggest challenge for me is that there is no fixed schedule in music. Sometimes you’d have to get up at 6, and other times it doesn’t matter if you went away for a couple of days for no reason. It is difficult to have something tangible. The industry is tough, cause nobody is satisfied financially. Artists starve, the venues starve, and the fans rightfully have complaints about ticket prices. Why is it so expensive when nobody is making any money?  I don’t know. But I hope it gets to the point where it’s easily accessible to all, so that we have a better chance to meet larger audiences.  

Marcus: Since nothing is guaranteed, it’s hard to keep the boys thinking of this as a job, because we don’t get enough money, and there’s no fixed schedule. But if we want to make it, I think we should meet or work every day like average people do, even if we don’t see immediate results.  (though Juho says average people who can do that don’t make music.) Communication is also challenging because everyone has a different point of view. But we’re getting closer, learning to know and understand each other. The best part is that making songs together is always fun and makes me feel alive. Also, to help musicians, distribution companies should take less money than they do now.

Choi Mill: The lack of a fixed schedule and income is tough, but performing makes me happy. 

Do you have any plans for a full EP? What kind of songs or vibe are you hoping for with it? 

Juho: Yes, we hope it’s going to come out in November. It’s going to be one handful of niche wits and a touch of melancholy- but I leave that judgment to the audience. Anyway, I  hope the audience finds it about themselves, cause it is, and I believe I do what I do for people.  

What’s your vision as a band? And what do you want people to take away from your music and the way you approach things? 

Marcus: Hopefully, more and more people who can relate will join in, and someday, people like us—those who feel alone or different, like outsiders—will gather at a big festival and sing our songs together.  

Juho: It is paramount that we reach a bigger audience, and that’s the reality. And well, I  think if I wrote the songs, and wrote words to go with them, then my work is done. I think everything has to mean something different to everyone. So I suggest you listen to the songs, and maybe go over the words and take them however you like. Unless you think you found some hidden satanic messages in the songs, you’re all good.  

Choi Mill: Peace to the world!

Is there any message you would like to share with fans who have been following you from the start, as well as those discovering your music for the first time?  

Juho: Our fans are the best in the world. I’d never have that kind of dedication for any band, like if the Beatles were playing nearby, I still wouldn’t be able to go see them every week without missing one time. So thank you. And love you. As for the new listeners, well, stick around a bit more. It’ll be fun, I’m sure.  

Marcus: All I can say is thank you. And I really love you!  Maybe we’re doing this because of you. 

Choi Mill: To the fans who come to our shows in  Korea, and to those cheering for us from far away overseas, we are always filled with gratitude.  We hope that only good things will come your way, always. With Men And Them!

Once again, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your precious time and for sharing insights about your journey. Thank you so much. On behalf of the entire team at  Hallyuism, we wish you all the best for your future and lots of love from India! 

We hope you all loved reading this interview as much as we loved conducting it. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.