Meejah - Queen Min, Rise (Fire ☲)

Meejah is a Danish and Korean project homing in on experimental, noisy, and industrial beats. Their debut single just released and has an interesting bit of history behind it. Inspired by the assassination of Korean Empress Queen Min at the royal palace in Seoul, the band has stated that the single "represents the element of Fire in the band's album cycle and is an anthem to all Phoenix Souls who rise after injustice and abuse." Frontperson Mai Young Øvlisen has also explained that she uses the music of Meejah to reconnect herself to her Korean female lineage, comparing the experience to that of a shamanistic ritual. With themes and explanations out of the way, let's dive right into the music. 



A slow, pulsating beat forms as atmospheric ambiance fills the background at the start of the song. It's almost like the music crawls under my skin every time I listen to this song, and it's a fantastic feeling. Around the thirty-second mark does Øvlisen's vocals kick in. Purposefully paired with a bit of raw power, the chords are wonderful and hypnotic. Her piano chords hit around the one-minute and ten second mark which lends 'Queen Min, Rise (Fire ☲)' a bit of a spooky tone. I do think that some of the ambient noise found with the track was too abrasive, such as around the two-minute mark when a hodgepodge of sounds mix and mingle, including an all too high pitched note. While those sounds never made me throw my headphones off, I did cringe when I first heard it and noted to turn down the volume some during that segment. However, after that, I am sent out of the song with a lovable and slow diluting outro. 

If, like me, you found yourself to be a fan of 'Queen Min, Rise (Fire ☲)', then you will be happy to know that the full length album "Queen of Spring" will be out in just a couple of weeks. Each song on the album appeals to either an element or an earthly body or phenomenon, and 'Lysgænger (Wind ☴)' is currently available for streaming over there. In the meantime, however, this single does the trick thanks to atmospheric beats, well sung chords, and plenty of noisy oddities. Seven and a half out of ten! 

This review was commissioned through our Ko-fi page.
Jun 06 2021