Dragon Pony Starts a New Chapter After Member's Departure: "To Be an Iconic Band" [Interview]

"It wasn't easy for us either," An Tae Gyu said. "But what worried us the most was our fans."

He was referring to a major change the band had gone through. Dragon Pony became a three-member band in August after bassist Pyun Sung Hyun left the group. The remaining members, An, Kwon Se Hyuk and Ko Gang Hun, are now releasing their first single as a trio.

Dragon Pony sat down with K-POPIT for an interview at their office in Seoul's Jungnim-dong on Nov. 3 to discuss its new single, "Calling back." Scheduled for release on Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. KST, the single features two tracks: the title track of the same name and the B-side "Back when we were young."

"We thought all we could do was put more effort into what we were capable of and show fans a better side of ourselves," An said.

For about a month, the three members followed a strict work schedule, starting at 1 p.m. and finishing at 7 p.m.

"If we needed more time, we kept working. Then we'd come back at 1 the next day," Ko said. "We worked really hard. I thought this was a time when we needed to stick together more than ever."

Kwon said the members also worked on combining their different musical styles into a cohesive sound.

"Each of us writes songs, so I thought we needed to bring our individual styles together to find Dragon Pony's sound," he explained.

That approach also extended to the songwriting credits. Since its debut, Dragon Pony has credited songs under the band's name rather than listing individual members. The three decided to maintain that practice with the new single.

"We've kept the credits under one name because we believe we're telling our stories as Dragon Pony, not as individual members," Kwon said. "We felt the same way about this album."

Asked whether they planned to recruit a new member, the band said, "Nothing specific has been decided."

The title track, "Calling back," tells the story of someone struggling with a breakup, longing for a past they can never return to while finding comfort in shared memories. The song follows a conventional pop structure, with emotional shifts that reflect the changing feelings. Flowing guitar melodies, lively drums and emotional vocals build toward a powerful rock section in the bridge near the end.

The song began with a guitar part An wrote in July.

"We didn't start writing it with a breakup in mind," he said. "As I followed the emotional flow and melody, the lyrics naturally developed in that direction. I especially focused on bringing out the emotion in the vocals."

An also decided to re-record his vocals. He lowered the key to focus more on conveying the song's emotions and returned to his usual workspace to record the vocals on his own.

"Being in a familiar place where I normally work made it easier to sing comfortably and put more emotion into the song," he said.

Ko, the band's drummer, also tried recording on his own.

"I tried home recording this time," he said. "I still can't get the same quality as a professional studio, but I thought a rougher, rawer sound would suit the B-side, so I wanted to give it a try."

"Back when we were young" grew out of the members writing music while jamming together. Ko and Kwon were classmates and part of the same band practice group during their first year of high school.

"I wrote it while imagining our high school days," Ko said. "We started with the excitement of the first band practice of a new school year and developed the song from there."

Yoo Hee-yeol, who contributed to the lyrics, also shared a story from his own first band practice. The members drew inspiration from that experience while writing the song.

Although Dragon Pony has mainly released bright, upbeat music, the members do not intend to limit themselves to one style.

"To be honest, I don't think we've found our own distinct sound and identity yet," Ko said. "The three of us became more involved in this project, learned more about each other's strengths and built trust."

Kwon said the band's energetic music often comes from imagining how the songs would sound on stage.

"I love performing with a lot of energy, so I often picture us on stage when I'm writing songs," he said. "I think that's why we've naturally made so many hopeful, energetic songs. The emotions we experience and the music we want to make will become more varied. I don't think we'll stick only to bright, refreshing songs."

Whatever direction their music takes, the members want to keep enjoying the experience of playing together.

"What makes me happiest, and why I make music, is finding and creating sounds that are enjoyable to hear and exciting to play," Ko said. "I really want to satisfy the people who have been waiting for us. But I think they need to see us enjoying ourselves first. That's how they can enjoy the music with us."

Their fans have also given them reasons to keep making music.

"One fan told us they had started pursuing a dream they'd given up on after watching us perform and make music," Kwon said. "I always read fan letters before going to bed. They give me strength, and then I fall asleep."

For An, the message Dragon Pony wants to share through its music is one of comfort.

"Our slogan is 'Passionate Music from Imperfect Boys,'" he said. "Everyone is imperfect, including us. I think we've been offering people the comfort of knowing it's OK not to be perfect."

"I don't think people can ever become perfect," he continued. "As we grow, I believe we can connect with people and offer comfort by sharing what we feel and telling our own stories."

Ultimately, Dragon Pony hopes to make music that people will remember for years to come.

"I hope we become a band that comes to mind when people look back on a certain era," An said. "I want us to become an iconic band that represents its time, like Seo Taiji."

Ko shared a similar hope.

"More than anything, I want our music to stay in people's hearts for a long time," he said.

Kwon described his ambition in a different way.

"I hope we become a band that represents a chapter in someone's life," he said. "You know those books that feature 100 guitarists? I'd love for Dragon Pony to be included in a thick book like that, featuring 100 bands."