Silica Gel release ‘Molecular Gastronomy’ ahead of third album ‘Ballad of You’

Silica Gel

Silica Gel - the band fresh off announcing their first-ever Asia Tour, launching with the largest headline concert of their career, and recently selected for YouTube Foundry, gaining the backing of the global platform - continues to build momentum toward their comeback. Today, the band release ‘Molecular Gastronomy’, the lead single from their third full-length album Ballad of You, due out in the second half of the year.

The new single extends a line of experimentation that has carried Silica Gel beyond the hard, metallic sound long associated with the band. Following ‘南宮FEFERE’ (released last July) and ‘BIG VOID’ (released at year's end), ‘Molecular Gastronomy’ rides a bouncing, continuous rhythm in which a playful chorus is picked up by a driving guitar riff, charting a development that keeps defying expectation. "If listening to the coming album is like opening a door, this single serves as the keyhole," notes vocalist and keyboardist Kim Hanjoo.

The title, which refers to the culinary practice of molecular gastronomy, grew from the band's belief that both music-making and cooking are creative processes with no single correct answer. "I felt that molecular gastronomy closely resembles the way we make music," said Kim Hanjoo. "The concept resonated with us so strongly that we decided to use the term itself as the title." Guitarist Kim Chunchu added, "With our third album, I wanted to create something that would leave a different impression from our previous two records. We were especially drawn to a more live-oriented approach that places greater emphasis on performance, and I think that quality comes through particularly well in this song."

Listen to ‘Molecular Gastronomy’ here

The accompanying music video was directed by rising Japanese filmmaker soni - notably the first non-Korean director Silica Gel has ever worked with on a music video. With interest in Japan steadily rising on the back of their 2025 Fuji Rock Festival set and an appearance on the popular music channel THE FIRST TAKE, the collaboration reflects an expanding creative dialogue between Silica Gel and the Japanese music scene. The video follows a fish-human living quietly among ordinary people, gradually unravelling under the weight of a repetitive daily existence, while the members of Silica Gel appear as enigmatic observers watching events unfold.

Following the release of ‘Molecular Gastronomy’, Silica Gel will take the stage at Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival on August 2 before launching their first-ever Asia tour with a two-night run at Seoul's KSPO DOME on the 26th of September and the 27th during Chuseok holiday. Titled Silica Gel Asia Tour Syn.THE.Size: Ballad of You in Seoul, the shows will be the largest headlining concerts of the band's career to date. With a new album on the horizon and a bold new sonic direction, Silica Gel is entering one of the most ambitious chapters of their career.

Watch the music video for ‘Molecular Gastronomy’ below.

Silica Gel are:
Kim Geonjay
Kim Chunchu
Kim Hanjoo
Choi Woonghee