Thirty seconds of "na na na" to spread the shade first: Fromm's 'Ether Under the Parasol'

Today's NONOL PICK is 'Ether Under the Parasol' ('파라솔 밑 에테르'), released on October 6 by singer-songwriter Fromm. It's the ninth single in the 'pool' series from THE VAULT, a creative group that finds musicians itself and introduces them. The notes say Fromm, the "singer-songwriter who sings of the moon," steps out this time into midday sunlight instead of moonlight, capturing the slow air that flows only in the small shade under a parasol. Fromm wrote the lyrics and music alone and produced the track; Lil FISH handled the arrangement, guitars, bass and synth, and Kim Kyung-in played drums. Times follow the official audio video (4:01).

0:02 · A "na na na" that comes before the song

The song opens straight away with the band and a "na na na" hum. The first lyric, '아무렇지 않은 듯이 그림자를 전부 포갠다' ("as if it were nothing, we fold all our shadows together"), doesn't arrive until 0:33. For 30 seconds, a wordless hum spreads out the shade first. The credits note that Fromm sang the backing chorus as well.

0:49 · '파라솔 밑 에테르 아아아아'

The chorus sings the title twice, stretching its end into a long "ah-ah-ah-ah." After it comes twice, at 0:49 and 0:54, it closes at 0:58 with '천천히 걸으면 파란 저녁이 될 거야' ("if we walk slowly, it'll become a blue evening"). A song that set out at midday looks ahead to evening in this one line.

1:58 · A pause becomes a hush, the evening becomes our world

The second chorus changes words over the same melody. The first chorus's '우리는 쉼표가 되고' ("we become a pause") becomes '우리는 고요가 되고' ("we become a hush") at 1:58, and "it'll become a blue evening" turns into '우리 세상이 올 거야' ("our world will come") at 2:13. In the lyrics, phrases like '일렁이는 열기' ("the shimmering heat") and '번져 가는 햇빛' ("the spreading sunlight") are tucked inside parentheses.

2:42 · Ten seconds without bass

For 10 seconds, from 2:42 to 2:52, the bass drops out, leaving drums, guitar and voice. Split the sound by instrument, and the bass gets more than 30dB quieter here. Decibels (dB) measure loudness, and 30dB is a difference big enough to call it practically switched off. The bass returns at 2:54, and the last chorus begins at 2:56. This time, the first line is '우리 서로 아무렇지 않은 듯이' ("as if it were nothing, to each other"), with "to each other" added at the front.

3:46 · The voice settles first

After singing "if we walk slowly, it'll become a blue evening" once more at 3:24, the voice stops first at 3:46. The drums drop out at 3:52, and in the last few seconds the bass is left alone to trail off. After listening, you may want to see Fromm on stage, too: in the '2024 Fromm Forest LIVE' video on Fromm's official channel, Fromm sings with a red guitar. The lead photo is that scene. Apple Music · Fromm Forest LIVE