Replaying NONOL VOL. 89: HAINA MAIKA PUANA's Three Stages

Wednesday, 5 p.m., and the replay button again

Around five on a Wednesday afternoon, I'll be catching up on the new stuff and somehow end up cueing an old stage instead. Today the one my hand reached for was the three stages HAINA MAIKA PUANA (다시한번말하자면) posted to NONOL's playground. I'd already watched them once, yet strangely I found myself pressing play all over again.

All three songs are on 'NONOL VOL. 89', the EP released on June 3. At NONOL, "VOL." is the series that keeps the songs sung on stage as recordings. Songs that traveled between NONOL STAGE and NONOL LIVE pile up here with a number attached, and just seeing "89" gives you a sense of how many voices have passed through. Flipping through this 89th volume, I kept thinking how one team could show such a different face on every single song — so I played it through one more time.

One team, three temperatures

The title track, 'Coconut Juice' (코코넛 주스), opens on a single ukulele. The instant that first strum rings out in the video, the whole tone is settled; with no elaborate arrangement at all, I felt like I was sitting right in the middle of some resort. It was lovely to leave playing on an afternoon when you want to set down, just for a moment, whatever you've been holding onto.

The same team's 'Talking to Myself 2' (혼잣말2) sits at the opposite end. It carries the subtitle "a quiet confession settling over an acoustic sound," and you can hear it was sung without ever raising the volume. On a night when there's something you wanted to say but never quite managed to, this song feels like it might say it for you.

'Find Me' (나를 찾아줘) is a folk song that comforts you back toward yourself. It isn't comfort handed to someone else but words said to yourself first, and before you know it you're humming along. Listen to the three in order and the temperature drops slowly — from a giddy afternoon to a quiet night, and on to the point of steadying yourself. The three feel so different you'll wonder whether the same team really made all of them.

There's no ranking at the playground

I think the reason one team can leave stages this different in temperature side by side is that there's no such thing as ranking at NONOL. There's no judging here, no placements, no elimination. Instead of lining people up by who did better, only the songs sung with a full heart remain. So there's nothing to weigh as good or bad, and we listeners can simply, comfortably love whichever song our heart drifts toward.

Re-listen notes

• For an afternoon when you want to open the window → 'Coconut Juice'
• For a night when you want to turn the lights down a little → 'Talking to Myself 2'
• For when you want to quietly steady yourself → 'Find Me'

When you play the three back to back, it's better not to rush. Follow them in order and the day's temperature sorts itself out on its own. A new song has arrived at the playground today. This Wednesday at five in the afternoon, from a comfortable seat, take your time meeting HAINA MAIKA PUANA's three stages all over again.