Dead Buttons are a Seoul-based rock ‘n’ roll duo comprised of Korean guitarist/vocalist Jihyun Hong and Paraguayan/Korean drummer/vocalist Kanghee Lee.
A veteran of Korea’s indie scene, Hong previously played guitar for the Seoul hardcore band Combative Post as well as punk bands Sweet Guerillaz and Oi! Resolute, along with the psych- and pop-tinged garage rock act The Infamous Orchestra.
He met Lee after Lee had finished his mandatory military service and the two decided to make Dead Buttons.
The band was originally formed as a trio in the fall of 2013. Showing their ambitious nature early on, less than two months after making their live debut they traveled to Tokyo in December 2013 to perform at the Japan-Korea Punk Festival.
In the summer of 2014, Hong and Lee parted ways with their bassist. Wanting a fresh start for Dead Buttons, they threw away all of their older material and began crafting new tunes as a two-piece.
In May 2015, Dead Buttons will issue their first EP, Whoever You Are. The five-track effort was recorded over the course of five hours last December. Whereas the band’s early material had more of a garage punk feel, the fantastic Whoever You Are boasts a wider sonic palette mixing garage rock, blues, country, punk, and psychedelic music to create an infectious sampler that showcases this fast-rising pair’s potential. In May 2015, Dead Buttons are performing several gigs in the UK in support of Whoever You Are including a stop at the Liverpool Sound City music festival and Brixton Windmill
Press Quotes: “Dead Buttons is one of the most exciting and extraordinarily talented acts to come out of the new generation of underground bands in Hongdae (Seoul).” – Do Indie "Dead Buttons’ music is excellent. With the mixture of styles, the band goes in a lot of musical directions while keeping it interesting and fun to hear." – Korean Indie “…specialise in fast'n'furious garage punk with an itchy energy that is sure to get any crowd jumping.” – Listen with Monger “The indie two-piece were a bundle of raw energy and charm, and tracks such as I Want It All were instantly memorable. With guitar/drum duos, comparisons to the White Stripes are more often than not pretty lazy, but in this case could definitely be forgiven.” – Getintothis “Dead Buttons play an eclectic mix of strong, 60-70s rock, indie/garage rock, punk, country, hardcore, alternative and grunge with some strong/accented vocals. There's a lot of sass and I feel like this could easily show up in Kill Bill 3.” – OPENmind/SATURATEDbrain Talent “There are only two words to describe the guys: PURE AWESOMENESS!” – View of the Arts