KPOP 3rd generation · Magic Strawberry Sound / CAM
Silica Gel
シリカゲル / 실리카겔
Silica Gel is a four-piece Korean indie rock band whose reach into Japan grew through THE FIRST TAKE and NO PAIN.
- 2015DebutAug 21, 2015
- 4Members
- 3thGeneration
Last updated:
01
In 30 seconds: Silica Gel
Psychedelic rock, synthesizers, live playing and a lot of onstage heat all sit in the same catalogue, which puts the band outside the idol shelf entirely.
Come here if you are looking for Korean guitar music rather than choreography, and want a band that plays with real force.
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Key facts
- Group name
- Silica Gel
- Reading / Hangul
- シリカゲル / 실리카겔
- Company
- Magic Strawberry Sound / CAM
- Debut date
- August 21, 2015
- Days active
- 4,089 days (11 years, 2 months)
- Debut song
- Pure Sun
- Generation
- 3rd generation
- Fandom name
- (未公表)
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Member guide
Profile comparison
| Members | Birth date | Blood type | MBTI | Nationality | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| キム・ハンジュ | 1994-04-21 | 32 | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | South Korea | |
| チュンチュ | 1992-02-05 | 34 | Not disclosed | INTP | South Korea | |
| キム・ゴンジェ | 1992-04-01 | 34 | B | ENTJ | South Korea | |
| チェ・ウンヒ | 1994-04-30 | 32 | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | South Korea |
Ages are as of 2026-10-31.
Selected releases
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Start here
Follow a few songs from the starting point to the group's current sound.
Ballad of You
NO PAIN MVNO PAIN has an official video, live footage and a THE FIRST TAKE session, so the song and the playing can be compared in one sitting.
Tik Tak Tok (feat. So!YoON!) MVTik Tak Tok (feat. So!YoON!) runs long and festival-loud, and shows where the band stands right now.
APEX MVAPEX carries the scale of the album POWER ANDRE 99 both on video and on stage.MVView in JapanesePerformanceView in JapaneseLiveView in JapaneseStageView in JapaneseAudioView in Japanese
View all official videos →05
From debut to now
- 2015An early EP put an experimental band sound forward and laid the ground for the Silica Gel that came later.
- 2016The self-titled release raised their standing as newcomers in Korean indie and rock and set them on the way to becoming a lasting name.
- 2022NO PAIN turned into the signature song that is easiest to catch up on, through the music video, THE FIRST TAKE and live footage.
- 2023Realize, Tik Tak Tok, APEX and POWER ANDRE 99 widened the density of both the recordings and the visuals.
- 2024Releases such as S G T A P E - 02, with long and fragmentary structures, showed an editing sense apart from the live band.
- 2025A track with Japanese Breakfast, BIG VOID and another THE FIRST TAKE appearance added more ways in for listeners abroad.
- 2026A single piece running past 18 minutes marked the experimental position they held as of 2026.
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Achievements
Key milestones
10
Official links
Official site
Official social accounts and platforms
Shopping guide
Verified English shopping links are not yet available.
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KPOP DISCOVER's Silica Gel note
Silica Gel is a four-piece Korean band that debuted in August 2015 with the EP Pure Sun. The self-titled Silica Gel the following year in 2016 fixed their standing in indie and rock, and they have built a career steadily on an axis apart from the K-pop idol scene. Releasing through Magic Strawberry Sound / CAM and turning up in the reckoning at the Korean Music Awards, they count among the bands at the centre of the Korean indie scene.
NO PAIN from 2022 is the clearest choice for a first listen. A music video, a THE FIRST TAKE appearance and live footage give several routes at once, so the heat of the playing and the strength of the melody land together. Move on to Tik Tak Tok, which features So!YoON!, and then APEX from the 2023 album POWER ANDRE 99, and the width of a band where experiment and broad appeal sit together comes into view. Layer upon layer of sound, with a different visual design for each song, is part of what marks them out.
In 2025 the release of BIG VOID and a return to THE FIRST TAKE drew more listeners from abroad, and a track featuring Japanese Breakfast drew attention as well. S G T A P E - 02 from 2024, with its long and fragmentary structures, and S G T A P E - 03 from 2026, running past 18 minutes, mark an editing-led position separate from the live band. NO PAIN, then APEX, then BIG VOID runs from the melody through the density of the sound to the newest shape.
Editors' take NO PAIN / APEX / BIG VOID — experiment on one side and melody on the other, covered in three songs by a Korean four-piece indie rock band.
Trivia worth knowing
Entry point
NO PAIN works as the way in from any direction: the music video, THE FIRST TAKE or streaming.
Live
APEX and BIG VOID hit hardest in live and performance footage rather than on the recording alone.
Membership
Keyboard and vocals, guitar and vocals, drums and bass: four players stacking the sound in thick layers.
Series
S G T A P E runs more experimental than the singles, with long structures and a deliberately fragmentary feel.
Collaboration
Tik Tak Tok brings in So!YoON! and NamgungFEFERE brings in Japanese Breakfast, opening doors from outside K-indie.
Catching up
The catalogue is large, so using POWER ANDRE 99 as the anchor before stepping back to the standalone singles keeps the shape clear.
Frequently asked questions
What defines Silica Gel?
Psychedelic rock, synthesizers, live playing and a lot of onstage heat all sit in the same catalogue, which puts the band outside the idol shelf entirely.
Why should a new listener start with Silica Gel?
Come here if you are looking for Korean guitar music rather than choreography, and want a band that plays with real force.
Which songs should a new listener try first?
Start with NO PAIN, Tik Tak Tok (feat. So!YoON!), APEX, then continue to the official video index.