The one who has listened to Sion once will do it again. Returning with his brand new EP, where the sound has evolved but the essence stays as unique as he has us used to, the German-born Korean artist brings his very own genre into the spotlight once again, this time with lyrics that reflect more introspective ideas behind them, but that, paired with the intelligent mix of beats, sounds, and influences, makes listening a trip not only to the senses but also to the emotions. In a moment where the number of proposals available can be counted on millions and where the songs sound more and more similar to each other, Sion keeps waving, this time even higher, the flag of personality and a unique point of view above everything else.
Of Sion I first knew back in 2022, as a Korean music enthusiast who keeps up with the YouTube music channel Dingo Freestyle, which often features brand new talents we should keep an eye on. With his appearance on the format Rising Verse, when in just a few minutes the artist gets to showcase his talent and songs to the audience, millions of viewers, Korean and non-Korean, fell under the spell of his unique vocals and cadence, one probably never seen before in the scene. With years of experience behind his back, not only in Korea but also in Germany, his native country, where he reached the semi finalist position in The Voice Germany Season 10, Sion kept building his way up after this Risiing Verse boom, with multiple singles, two EPS, and collaborations out every now and then, all with his signature and recognisable je ne sais quoi.
Sociavoidance represents his third EP and, in his own words, is perhaps his most honest one. Opening with a sort of intro that features a conversation with a friend, he discusses the rawness and confusion of his current emotions, partially motivated by the suicide of someone close to him. How we live in “a world where dying is the better choice over living," and how his feelings of harshness and, why not, repulsiveness towards the world were something he needed to get out of his chest. From then on, it is understandable that the topics of discussion are dark and realistic, but the contrast created with the glitchy, complex, and intricate instrumental creates a narrative that sounds exactly like what you expect from Sion, yet different and more mature.
The lyrics are completely relatable not only for people in his age range—all the twenty-somethings that are as confused as him—but also for any inhabitant of this world. By just song titles like avoid!, expired! and karoshi! (a Japanese term that refers to deaths resulting from overwork and job-related stress), the general topic that establishes the name of the album makes sense, and diving into the lyrics gives depth to it. The voice control is one of Sion's biggest recognisable characteristics that gives an additional level of personality to the songs, as if it was another instrument, going melodic when needed and almost robotic when the beat requires it. In this way, the personal topics treated, like mental health, sadness, loneliness, connection, life, and death, feel even more poignant and intense; you can feel the emotions behind them.
incognito! is the track that perfectly sums up what Sion is: the difference yet cohesion on the melody, where orchestral elements are mixed with purely technological ones, his soft vocals turning into a sharp rap verse in which the tone of the lyrics change alongside the way they are delivered, and just the immense creativity and resources you must have to come up with a song like this all explode in what can be considered the climax of the album. On the last song of the album, moon!, Sion calmly reflects on the desire for attention, of an eye to see us, and by the end, again in conversation mode, just like at the beginning, he says, ”I always want to achieve something," and with this album, for sure he did.