Balming Tiger has officially released their ambitious new album Gongbu alongside a visually surreal new music video for “Keep On,” further expanding the group’s singular position within the global alternative and K-pop landscape.
Comprised of 14 tracks, Gongbu includes the previously released singles “Home” and “Gojingamrae” while continuing the collective’s signature fusion of psychedelic production, experimental hip-hop, alternative pop, and deeply rooted Korean and broader East Asian sonic influences. Across the album, layered textures and unconventional arrangements create a dreamlike atmosphere that feels both deeply personal and conceptually expansive.
Directed by Pennacky, the music video for “Keep On” centers around Omega Sapien as he wanders through a surreal dreamscape exploring the limitless nature of the subconscious mind. The visual continues Balming Tiger’s long-running emphasis on immersive world-building, blending cinematic imagery with abstract storytelling and psychological symbolism.
Far more than a traditional album rollout, Gongbu has been conceived as a fully interconnected multimedia project. From the music and sound design to the visual identity, video direction, and upcoming live performances, every element exists within a unified creative universe developed collaboratively by the collective’s members.
The group itself consists of 11 multidisciplinary members, including Omega Sapien, sogumm, Mudd the student, bj wnjn, Leesuho, Unsinkable, and San Yawn, each contributing distinct artistic perspectives that collectively shape Balming Tiger’s genre-defying identity.
Set within a fictional research facility known as “Gongbu Korea,” the album unfolds through a conceptual narrative centered around experimental technology used to observe and document human dreams and subconscious experiences. Inspired by the real-life stories and emotional experiences of the members themselves, the project explores themes of human connection, coexistence, vulnerability, and self-understanding through the ongoing process of “study” — or “gongbu” in Korean.
The album artwork further reinforces the project’s immersive identity, featuring the faces of six core members — Omega Sapien, sogumm, Mudd the student, bj wnjn, Leesuho, and Unsinkable — photographed and interpreted through artwork contributed by artist Keem Dohyeong.
To celebrate the release, Balming Tiger will bring the project to life with two special performances titled Gongbu 工夫 on June 6 and 7 at Blue Square SOL Travel Hall. The performances are set to serve as a live culmination of the album’s narrative universe, translating the project’s surreal visual language and emotional storytelling into an immersive concert experience.
With Gongbu, Balming Tiger continues pushing beyond the boundaries of conventional K-pop, building an experimental multimedia world where music, visual art, storytelling, and identity collide in increasingly unpredictable ways.
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