Australian punk legends The Hard-Ons are celebrating bassist Ray Ahn’s Korean heritage with a Korean-language mini-album featuring re-recorded versions of some of the band’s best-loved songs.
Arriving on June 26th via Cheersquad Records & Tapes, Korean Language Mini-Album sees Ahn stepping into the spotlight on lead vocals, revisiting four Hard-Ons classics entirely in his mother tongue.
The release includes Korean-language versions of “Where Did She Come From?”, “Raining”, “Just Being With You”, and “Suck and Swallow”, with Ahn joined by longtime bandmates Blackie on guitar and Murray Ruse on drums.
Ahn’s brother Stephen praised the project in a statement. “Korean-born bass player Ray handles the lead vocal duties to four re-recorded Hard-Ons classics, digging deep to reacquaint himself with his mother tongue. 100% guaranteed to be free from Google Translate intervention!
“This absolutely unique and unusual recording is sure to intrigue and delight Hard-Ons fans and armchair linguists alike.”
The release will be available as a 12-inch EP, with the songs appearing on the A-side and original artwork by Ahn etched onto the B-side. Fans will be able to pick up one of four vinyl variants inspired by the colours of the Korean flag: blue, red, white, and black.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of metal, rock, indie, pop, and everything else in between.
The mini-album arrives ahead of a significant trip to South Korea later this year. In September, The Hard-Ons will travel to the country alongside filmmaker Jonathan Sequeira for a series of live performances and screenings of the band’s documentaries, Hard-Ons: The Most Australian Band Ever! and Harder and Harder.
The visit is being supported through a grant from the Australia-Korea Foundation, which promotes cultural and artistic exchange between Australia and Korea.
The announcement comes as the veteran punk outfit continues a busy 2026. The band recently embarked on a European tour with Jerry A of Poison Idea, following last year’s collaborative single “Won’t Shut Up”/”Dead End Turnaround”. A full album from the partnership is expected to be announced soon.
Korean Language Mini-Album is available to preorder now here.
