It's Less Dangerous

It’s Less Dangerous is the first of several singles coming out in promotion for my full length album, Everyday Mania.

It was November 2023. I had a seismic shift in my mental state that began a few months prior. I was feeling the most grateful I had ever been in my life (I wrote a song about that experience called Weltanschauung. Coming soon!). It lead me to appreciate what I have and made me ponder what could have been.

My father escaped North Korea during Japanese rule and before Kim Il Sung came into power. Had he stayed, there is a strong chance that I could have been born and raised in North Korea. I’ve had this realization come in and out of my life, but it hit different in 2023 because of how immensely grateful I was feeling. It sparked my curiosity to learn more about the country, and so I picked up a book called Nothing to Envy - Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick. In it she weaves history with the true life stories of several North Koreans who defected.

“It’s Less Dangerous.” If the title makes you think of Smells Like Teen Spirit, it is intentional. While Kurt Cobain was singing the chorus to Nirvana’s smash hit, on the other side of the world, in North Korea, people lived “With the lights out / It’s Less Dangerous” … but for very different reasons.


In the 90’s, when the Berlin Wall fell, it was the symbolic end of communism. At that time Russia and China supported North Korea with energy, but when the wall came down, they recognized that the world was changing and decided to pull the plug so to speak. Despite their lack of support, The North Korean government, as they always do, doubled down with their efforts in trying to become a superpower. The people however, as a result, ended up paying for this delusional attitude and this made it so that all of North Korea was without electricity in the evenings.  

This explains the opening line of the song. It sets the stage for the time period: “Tear the wall down / hit the stomp box. Pull the power/ but the rabbit’s head still wants to rule the world.” Stomp box as being a symbol of grunge music and the rabbit’s head being a symbol of North Korea much like a boot is symbolic of Italy.

Final lyric sheet…sort of. SEE BELOW

This earlier version of the lyrics dated 11/16/23 includes lyrics that are in the final recording ("starting with the line: No matter what they do") but I didn't write down with the above lyrics dated 11/21/23.  Why?  Because they were 1 of 2 choruses written for this song.  On 11/21/23 I decided to use the second one I had written, but eventually, ended up deciding to use both and alternate them.  That decision was made in the car in my head.  Thus they were never written down.  The lyrics starting with “We got no choice” and after were discarded and replaced.   

Jun Sang and Mi Ran (not their real names btw. Demick does a great job of protecting everyone’s anonymity) were two people who fell in love, but because of the tyranny of being ruled under a caste system, we’re not allowed to publicly be together.  At night, however, when the electricity stalled, was when they had their chance.  So, it was indeed “Less Dangerous” for them.   Still they were afraid. Took them years to simply hold hands and then even more years to kiss for the first time.  



The song also touches upon many of the common experiences that North Koreans faced and still face today. Malnutrition conditions like Typhoid and Pellagra, the known risks and survivor’s guilt that accompany any attempt at escape or freedom.

It’s Less Dangerous is a love letter to the people of North Korea and a testament to the human spirit.   Some terms that may be unfamiliar to the listener are: Vinalon, and Songbun. Vinalon is a heat and chemical resistant textile developed and distributed exclusively in North Korea and can be a source of pride for some North Koreans. You’ll hear “Vinalon is what we’re made of.” Songbun is the term used to classify North Korean citizens. It is based on the political, social, and economic background of one’s direct ancestors as well as the behavior (from loyal to hostile) of their relatives. It is referenced twice in the song.

It’s Less Dangerous is now available on all streaming services. Download the song at my bandcamp. where I am donating a portion of the proceeds to Flash Drives for Freedom. Price is set to $1 but you can pay more if you wish.

Flash Drives for Freedom is a non profit organization that smuggles usb drives loaded with information about the outside world into North Korea to North Koreans. It is their belief that revolutions happen from the inside out. Learn more at Flash Drives for Freedom

Why an All Asian Rock Show is Important

In 2023, after a year of constantly releasing singles, I found myself in a place of complete burnout. I was mentally unwell, dissatisfied and unsure of what I wanted. I turned to daily journaling and eventually discovered Gratitude in that process.  What I experienced was nothing short of a psychedelic transformation from the inside out. The key was understanding that I was focusing too much on what I wanted and not enough on what I have (I wrote a blog on it here and here).  The TLDR here is that too much ambition blinds gratitude. They are opposites in fact. Ambition says “not satisfied,” while gratitude says “satisfied.”

This brought me to realizing how blessed I am to be born in The U.S.  My father escaped North Korea when he was a young boy. Were it not for his bravery I might be living under a true communist regime.  This inspired me to start reading about North Korea. “Nothing to Envy, Ordinary Lives in North Korea” by Barbara Demick is a retelling of what it was like in 1990’s North Korea via a collection of interviews from people who escaped from a town called Chongjin. I wrote a song about two of the people (Jun Sang and MiRan) called “It’s Less Dangerous.” The Nirvana reference is a way to time stamp the lyrics, and to call attention to the fact that Jun Sang and Mi Ran had to carry out their romance under a literal cover of darkness as the country lost power at night due to a lack of energy support by former communist allies Russia and China.  Romantic relationships and public displays of affection are forbidden in North Korea, so with the lights out it was indeed less dangerous.  Check out a live version and a further in depth explanation here:  

 https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5Q1phyLxos/?igsh=b3VnNG12dWV5ZWdp

Additionally, South Korea has been on my mind lately.  My mom is from Seoul. The country boasts one of the largest economies in the world and its culture is becoming more and more influential around the world. That said, it has one of the highest suicide rates globally. As of 2024, 70% of those deaths are carried out by people 10-49 years old. Researchers have found that it is mainly due to the academic pressures and societal pressures surrounding career. Also, there is still a big stigma with regards to mental health and limited resources available. 

Koreans, like most Asians, have adopted Confucian values that demand an impossible work ethic, impossible standards and deep shame if you can’t conform. This is what makes Koreans great - all Asian people in fact. 

We know this too and we embrace the laughter when how we are is used as fodder for comedy…but it’s also literally killing us. 

The arts run deep in my family. My father’s father was a musician. My mother’s father was a movie producer. My siblings and their children are all artistic and musically inclined in some way.  Music and Art is my family’s identity. We can’t be special in this way, but throughout my life, I’ve rarely met an Asian musician outside of the classical world. On the world stage, Asian people are not thought of as songwriters, singers, rockstars.  

Me on stage with all of my brothers

It’s true that what plays a part in this is that Music is a challenging pursuit altogether, but we can also take a look at how Asian people are. It makes me wonder how much talent has been cast aside…how much it nags at Asian Americans who made choices more in line with how they “should” be because of a ghost of centuries old Confucian values that haunt us all to be perfect…and how these decisions might be affecting their mental health. This journey circles back to my initial discovery of my own overambitious ways.  I’m working on acting out Gratitude. For me that means starting the day with the question, “With my own gifts, how can I best serve my fellow man?”

An all Asian fronted bill proves that another way of being Asian American is possible.  I know there are more of us out there, so this is a rallying cry to create a bigger community and to inspire future generations that they can be anything they want to be. That the old ways are obsoloete. That our ancestors came to America so that we can DREAM.

From left to right: Joe Kim (Beau Frères), John Faye, Judah Kim, Alyssa Garcia, Dave Kim (Moonroof)

RADIATE HAS ARRIVED

Hello lovely people!

Radiate is now available everywhere.

https://go.judahkimmusic.com/radiate1

So pleased with all the positive feedback! It’s been really amazing and I’m so grateful for you all. Lets keep this going! The more plays the better. Spin the track for your mom this weekend :) More to come.

Stay Marvelous!

• Judah

Wow man...I'm never on here lol

Hello friends

The time has come, once again, for another blog post. A lot has been happening in my world. It goes without saying that a lot has been happening in THE world lately. Publicly, I’ve been pretty quite but it’s only because I’ve been spending countless hours writing and recording new material. The bulk of it has come from the latter. With gigs shut down, COVID gave me the opportunity to get back into the art / science of recording music. I invested in some really good equipment and some proper sound treatment in my second bedroom.

Take a look. My sanctuary:

I’m calling it SOak Sound. It’s an homage to the street I grew up on. Been getting a lot done in this humble space. I’ve got a ton of new material! I wish I were writing this on the heels of an album release - but no - i’ve got a single coming out instead. That’s the game these days. I’ll be releasing a new one every few months from here on out (does that mean more obligatory blog posts??? oh damn…probably hahah)

Anyway. I’m pretty excited about what’s coming out soon. It’s a song that came about during the JKATA (Judah Kim & The Assassination) days. “Radiate” is a summery pop / rock snack ala Weezer / Spacehog / The Knack. It celebrates a woman’s character and not her appearance. Out May 7 2021 - just in time for Mother’s Day Weekend. It was recorded at SOak Sound by yours truly, mixed by Ron DiSilvestro at Forge Recording and……..Mastered….by…..Simon Gibson…AT………….ABBEY ROAD!!!!!

I can’t believe it. I’m tickled! I can’t wait for you to hear it.

Also, I’ve restarted my podcast, “The Process with Judah Kim.” It’s me interviewing songwriters about songwriting…not in a “how to,” or “what you should be doing” kind of way…it’s more from an appreciation of the psychology and philosophy surrounding the creative process that we all face….the joy…the struggle.

It’s a way for me to connect and hopefully a way for other songwriters out there to realize that they’re not alone. Check it out here (don’t forget to smash the subscribe button!).

That’s it for now. I hope you are well

-Judah