appetiteapple is a Seoul-based solo artist who has spent the past year building a musical world entirely on their own terms, taking on every stage of the process personally, songwriting, arrangement, mixing, mastering, and even the cover artwork, without outsourcing a single piece of it. That uncompromising DIY approach first surfaced with last year’s debut album, Winter Joy, and appetiteapple hasn’t slowed down since, returning this year with a trio of new full-length records. The latest of those, Gratitudes, turns its attention to something deceptively simple: learning how to actually say thank you.
Gratitudes
The album traces that theme back to childhood, specifically the difficulty of expressing gratitude as a kid and a teacher who gently encouraged the habit of saying those two words out loud. Decades later, that small lesson has grown into something much bigger, a mature, ongoing practice of acknowledging the people and experiences that helped shape who appetiteapple has become, and music becomes the vehicle for working through that. Sonically, the record leans into the spirit of 90s Britpop while still carving out its own identity, striking a balance that keeps the songs accessible without losing their reflective, personal core, letting individual tracks feel like distinct snapshots of specific emotional states.
Opener “Dark Before Dawn” sets that tone immediately, airy synth tones and swelling textures building an inviting space while steady percussion and warm bass keep things moving forward, and choral vocal textures alongside rustling drums give the track a dreamy, cinematic quality from the first note. “Hello To Strangers” follows with a vivid, almost visual image, standing on a green hill looking out over a distant village, sensing someone waiting below, wrapped in a buoyant art rock arrangement full of energizing rhythms and bright instrumentation. “Nightshift” jumps into a livelier scene, pattering percussion and intricate orchestration meeting hazy guitar textures for one of the record’s clearest showcases of appetiteapple’s creative range. “Matter Of Decision” shifts the mood toward willpower and resolve, its commanding tone adding real dimension to the album and proving Gratitudes can move fluidly between quiet contemplation and real determination while staying tied to its central theme of growth.
The back half keeps that variety going. “Tension” blends lilting bass with jangly guitar and shuffling drums into a genuinely buoyant instrumental groove, while “Landscapes” moves with elegant piano work, snapping percussion, and smoky guitar textures for a track that’s bouncy without losing its atmosphere. “The River” glides along on intricate melodic leads and soft instrumental textures, its steady beat keeping a consistent groove running underneath an upbeat overall tone. “The World Turn Around” leans into strummed guitar, piano chords, and laid-back shaker rhythms, letting gentle vocals drift above for one of the record’s most engaging pop-rock moments. The album closes on “Afternoon,” woozy, playful key tones and a marching stutter of drums combining for a charming, jaunty finale that shows off real musicianship right up to the last note.
Final Thoughts
From start to finish, Gratitudes plays like another chapter in a genuinely personal, self-contained experiment, one where independence isn’t just a production choice but part of the creative language itself, turning gratitude, memory, and growth into a fully realized musical world. It’s available now on Spotify and via appetiteapple.hearnow.com/gratitudes.
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