The hard-touring all-female punk rockers have released their second LP!
South Korean band Rumkicks: Jeong Yeawon, guitar and vocals; Heynam Sin, bass; and Wanseo on drums are back with a bang with new album ‘Hit A Nerve‘ (逆鱗). The group has become known for its high-energy performances, sharp-edged sound, and fearless social commentary. Their music blends pogo-punk and pop-punk influences with a distinctly Korean sensibility, a style they’ve dubbed “post-Joseon punk”. Joseon was a royal dynasty in Korea from 1392-1897.
The band’s lyrics confront issues such as gender discrimination, mental health, and online harassment. They played at the Rebellion Festivals in Blackpool, UK in 2022, 2023 and 2024. At Rebellion 2024, Jeong Yeawon frequently spoke with the audience: “The Korean government gives all money to rich people. Fuck the Korean government!” And: “My mother told me: you’re so clever. You should be a doctor. But I said: No, I want to be a punk rocker”. (Applause). “Sorry, mama, I cannot make your dream come true. But I did make my own dream come true.”
In fact, Jeong Yeawon was indeed a doctor of Korean medicine, treating stroke victims at a hospital in Seoul, and quit to try to concentrate full time on Rumkicks, but has to go back to do stints at the hospital to pay the bills. She has to wear a wig to do that job! She continued: “After my five years in a punk band, I have discovered what is the most important thing in punk. The most important thing in punk is Oi!” She said that with her Cockney Rejects T-shirt on. Even though the fast, melodious punk of Rumkicks sounds more like the Rezillos than like Oi! Another reminder that all kinds of punk in all their variations and individuality should stick together.
In South Korea, patriarchy causes lots of problems for women. In December 2024, the right-wing then-president, a member of a political party that is the heir to military autocratic rule, tried to become a dictator. Mass demonstrations prevented that, and parliament impeached the would-be dictator. The political right in South Korea thinks that all women should become submissive ‘trad’ wives, giving birth to lots of babies, to supply the army with soldiers and multinational corporations with obedient workers. Many Korean women resist that. Punk is one of the channels for this women’s resistance. Rumkicks challenge the drawbacks in the position of women in South Korean society.
‘Hit a Nerve‘ was first released on Steel Face Records in Korea in April 2025. Austria’s SBÄM Records released it on 25 July 2025. There are eleven songs on this LP. The first song, ‘We are Rumkicks‘ is the shortest, at just 48 seconds. The ten others are all between 2 and 3 minutes.
Above is the video of ‘Mosquito Fighter‘, the third track on the album.
Below is the video for ‘Birthday Rock‘, the final album track. A great album! Don’t miss Rumkicks if they play near you!
‘Hit A Nerve‘ is available NOW on CD / Digital Download from HERE
The cover of ‘Hit A Nerve‘, designed by Yeawon’s partner, who plays in the band Lazy Bone, shows that it is not easy for punks to ride dragons if they have their instruments with them!
- We Are Rumkicks
- Instant
- Mosquito Fighter
- Punk Rock Boy
- Live Slow Die Old
- Let’s Go
- I Can’t sleep
- Misery
- Do I
- Sick of Seoul
- Birthday Rock
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Album Review: South Korean punks Rumkicks ‘Hit A Nerve’
South Korean band Rumkicks: Jeong Yeawon, guitar and vocals; Heynam Sin, bass; and Wanseo on drums are back with a bang with new album ‘Hit
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In 1978 Herman co-founded Dutch Rock Against Racism and was a founder of Pin punkzine. He’s vocals/saxophone for Cheap ‘n’ Nasty and in 2021 co-founded the Punk Scholars Network, Netherlands.
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