Sailor Honeymoon announce debut LP The Worst of Sailor Honeymoon and share new single

The thirteen-track record arrives on 14 August via Good Good 굿굿 Records / [PIAS], the DIY label co-founded by the band's vocalist and drummer Abi Raymaker, producer Luke Smith and manager Russ Crank. It was produced by Smith, whose credits include Foals, Shura, and Depeche Mode; mixed by Claudius Mittendorfer (Parquet Courts, Temples); and mastered by Katie Tavini.

The band, completed by guitarist and vocalist Zaeeun Shin and bassist Yelim Kim, emerged from informal jam sessions in Seoul's independent music scene. What began as a loose creative experiment without fixed intentions gradually took shape after an invitation to play a local festival.

"We don't need to be perfect," says Raymaker. "We just want to make something meaningful. A lot of cultural things exported from Korea to an international audience are held to an incredibly high standard. They look perfect, sound perfect and feel very carefully controlled. We wanted to make something that felt human."

Across the record, the trio construct what they describe as an "alternate world" where difficult situations are met with humour and people feel free to speak plainly. Songs draw directly from life in Korea, with "Extinction" reflecting on the pressures of modern Korean society, while "Red" takes its name from a Korean medicinal candy (홍삼) before expanding into broader themes. The band use distinctly local experiences as entry points for stories that feel universal.

While South Korean music has achieved global dominance through the polished production and choreographed precision of K-pop, Sailor Honeymoon represent a different strand of contemporary Korean culture, rooted in community, improvisation, and independence.

The band have a busy summer festival schedule ahead of the album's release, including appearances at Øya in Norway, Way Out West in Sweden, Flow in Helsinki and Green Man in Wales. They also play London's Windmill Brixton on 19 August.

The Worst of Sailor Honeymoon tracklist

“Bad Apple”
“Armchair”
“I Wanna Leave You”
“Pickle”
“Having Fun”
“Don't Do That”
“Money”
“My Band”
“Red”
“Click Click”
“Paperwork”
“Don't Wanna”
“Extinction”