MRCH has released a new EP today entitled ‘Mutualism’. And it again show this singer songwriter from her best side. MRCH is well established in the K-pop scene as a songwriter, having written songs for Twice, ITZY, fromis_9, NMIXX, NiziU, Hearts2Hearts, Yena and many more, showing her incredible versatility. Here she is at her true self, with five beautiful songs expressing happiness, wonder, sadness and a lot more. And we also have her signature guitar solos again, like on ‘O’.

The title song seesaw (시소인간 in Korean which would be ‘human seesaw’) sounds bright and soft, full of light but has lyrics filled with sadness. 

Let’s check out the beginning:

안녕 슬픔 그대

역시나 오셨네요

오늘은 조금 일찍 찾아오셔서

살짝 놀랐잖아요

annyeong seulpeum geudae

yeoksina osyeonneyo

oneureun jogeum iljjik chajaosyeoseo

saljjak nollatjanayo

안녕 슬픔 그대

Hello, sadness, my dear.

• 안녕 – hello
• 슬픔 – sadness
• 그대 – this is used to address the listener in a polite way

We will see more of that politeness throughout this verse.

역시나 오셨네요

You’ve come again, as expected.

• 역시 – as expected
• -나 – emphasizes the 역시
• 오셨네요
  • 오 – from 오다: to come
  • 셨 – compound of 시 which honors the subject, here the sadness and 었 for past tense
  • -네요 – sentence ending showing that the speaker is impressed

오늘은 조금 일찍 찾아오셔서

You arrived a little early today, so

• 오늘은 – Today + topic marker
• 조금 – a little
• 일찍 – early
• 찾아오셔서 
  • 찾아오다 – to come visiting (찾다 is find, look for; 오다 is to come)
  • and again a 시 to honor the sadness
  • 서 – a connective indicating cause

살짝 놀랐잖아요

you caught me slightly off guard.

• 살짝 – here ‘slightly’
• 놀랐잖아요
  • 놀라다 – be surprised
  • -ㅆ – past tense
  • -잖아요 – again honoring the sadness, and expressing a ‘told you so’ vibe

Just these four lines show that MRCH, like Hanroro as well, is not only a great composer of songs, but has a deep-ingrained feeling for poetry, for stating profound emotions in seemingly simple sentences.

If you haven’t added her to your playlist yet, maybe look through the credits for the K-pop songs you love most and, if you happen upon her there, consider again: you are missing out.