by Isobel Foxon
A female punk-rock trio have sprung from Korea’s independent music scene, debuting their first single “Cockroach” in 2023 under the band name Sailor Honeymoon. Emerging into a musical ecosystem centered around commercial K-pop, perfect idols, and an obsession with plastic surgery, Sailor Honeymoon strive to make heartfelt music that they describe as feeling human and being self-expressive. Drummer Abi Raymaker and guitarist Zaeeun Shin somewhat accidentally created the band via informal jamming sessions, were then signed, and later gained the addition of bassist Yelim Kim. Now in 2026 comes their debut album, cheekily titled The Worst of Sailor Honeymoon, a nod to their “imperfect” and humorous songs.
From the get go the album is full of high energy and playful quips. Sailor Honeymoon particularly enjoy simple rhyming patterns, and excel at transforming these into punchy verses or earworm choruses. The album opens with the band’s second single “Bad Apple,” the lines “don’t let one spoil the bunch, you’re a bad apple, I’ve got a hunch” setting the tone for the rest of the songs. The band blends punk themes of rebellion, political concerns, and a rejection of convention with upbeat, unconvoluted melodies and silly lyricism: a particular favorite being “I’m in a pickle, think I crossed the line. Won’t you help me? Get me out of this brine” (from the song, “Pickle”). Sailor Honeymoon tackle social issues of shitty relationships, internet culture ruining friendships (“Click Click”), financial struggle, and expectations of adulthood. They sing mainly in English, but now and again dip into Korean, with the song “Red” honoring Korean traditions, named after the famous red ginseng candy.
The highlights of The Worst of Sailor Honeymoon include “Bad Apple,” with its infectious beat and chugging bass as well as “Don’t Do That,” a song that captivates the listener with its dark and grungy guitar riffs, the low vocals switching satisfyingly between Korean and English in the post-chorus in a way that tickles the brain. “Money” is another glorious success, with its simple yet catchy chorus, while “My Band” is arguably unmissable for how it summarizes the overall vibe of Sailor Honeymoon, the jubilated repeated phrase of “I don’t need that, I’ve got my band” sung in retaliation to the boring expectations of adult life (insurance, office work, mortgages, weddings and children), a rhetoric repeated on “Paperwork”.
Some of the song’s choruses could be argued to be on the more basic side, with repeated monotonous lyrics, yet the simplicity of The Worst of Sailor Honeymoon is often its charm. Sailor Honeymoon appear light-hearted and don’t take themselves too seriously, with Raymaker singing “I am a mediocre drummer, I should be making trashy beats” on the aforementioned “Paperwork”. They get enjoyment from the sheer absurdity of their songs, singing repeatedly “I’m having fun, we’re having fun” for the majority of the aptly titled “Having Fun,” or threatening to leave their partner for rhyming too much in “I Wanna Leave You,” despite the band’s addiction to rhyming pairs.
This summer the band took their new album outside of Korea and performed in festivals across Europe, as well as arriving in London for a concert with mischievous merch t-shirts stamped with the words “Korean girls invented punk rock not England”. They took to the stage at The Windmil in Brixton, and despite the venue being half way across the world from Sailor Honeymoon’s country of origin, when they started to play “Bad Apple” the crowd sang along, knowing all of the words. Sailor Honeymoon may have very successfully kickstarted their global punk rock stardom.