Album Review: Sumin & Slom - Miniseries 2

When I reviewed Sumin & Slom’s debut album Miniseries back in 2023, my verdict / score was ‘Gimme Season 2’. And bitch, by golly, they went and did just that — releasing Miniseries 2 a couple of years after what I guess is now Miniseries 1.

Chances are that if you’re reading this, you know who Sumin & Slom are and were a fan of their first album, just as I was. But over the past couple of years I have had several people reach out to me and tell me that they were introduced to Sumin & Slom through my album review. So, let’s rewind a lil’ bit for those who have somehow ended up here and have no idea who Sumin & Slom are.

Sumin is a Korean singer, songwriter (having penned songs for Jimin of BTS, Red Velvet and BoA) and producer. Slom is a Korean music producer. To use two Western artists as approximate comparisons, Sumin & Slom is like if Tinashe and Kaytranada did a side project together. Sumin’s sound is nothing like Tinashe’s. Slom’s sound is nothing like Kaytranada’s (even though he does have a song or two on Miniseries 1 which sound pretty Kaytranada-like). But Sumin has such proximity to ‘mainstream girly’ status, but never quite manages to make that jump — similar to Tinashe. And Slom’s sound is so incredibly eclectic and effortlessly cool, displaying such a clear talent as a producer, who has no interest in being in the spotlight — similar to Kaytranada. They are all acts who sit so close to ‘mainstream’ that they can reach out, touch in and put a toe in it — as they frequently do. But they sit outside of it, seemingly by choice.

Sumin & Slom are cool on their own, but there is a potency in their union. They are stronger as a unit of two than they ever have been on their own. Whilst Sumin and Slom do not have their own individual sounds and anything which could be deemed a signature for either of them — as Sumin & Slom, they actually do have a sound and a signature vibe. The cool thing about Miniseries, is that even with only two albums out, there is a clear musical language which Sumin & Slom have. Miniseries 2 is a different album to the first, yet still feels as though it is cut from the same cloth as Miniseries 1 — with the ‘Sumin & Slom’ sound and DNA is still very much present.

Sumin & Slom - Miniseries 2 | Standard Friends / Dreamus

Sumin and Slom’s chemistry on Miniseries 1 was very apparent. But that chemistry is on a different level on Miniseries 2. Miniseries 1 felt like a game of ping pong, with Slom sending Sumin some beats and Sumin sending back her vocals. Where-as Miniseries 2 feels like it was a collaborative process in a different way — as though they both sat down together and mapped out what the arc told across this album should be and how it should sound. Maybe I have it all wrong, and the way in which Sumin & Slom worked on Miniseries 2 was the same as how they worked on Miniseries 1. But when I listen to this album, there is just a sense that the process of putting it together was different this time around. If the process wasn’t different, then perhaps it’s the greater trust that Sumin & Slom have in one another now, with them having already recorded an album together.

There was somewhat of a mixtape, jukebox vibe to Miniseries 1. Comparatively, Miniseries 2 feels like a story written by Sumin, which is scored by Slom. There is a much clearer arc lyrically and musically. And yet, both albums share parallels. Both start with a slow song — Miniseries 1 with the slinky Jill Scott sounding “Mirage” and then Miniseries 2 with the Bossa Nova “Just a breakup”. And both end with a dance song — Miniseries 1 with the 2-step-ified “Cheers” and Miniseries 2 with the drum & bass laden “Stoplight”.

Miniseries 2 truly does feel like a sequel. It carries elements from what came before it, but also feels like its own thing, in addition to an awareness of ‘Oh. I guess we’re building something now’. The same way Star Wars: A New Hope was just a cool one off thing when it first dropped, with no clear vision at the time of it having a sequel. But then The Empire Strikes Back came along and had to deliver what A New Hope had, whilst also building something new off the back of it. Same shit with Miniseries. And I hope we get a Return of the Jedi.

Sumin & Slom - Miniseries 2 | Standard Friends / Dreamus

Sumin’s vocals are a much bigger focus on Miniseries 2 than they were on Miniseries 1. Every other song has a moment where Sumin hits a note a certain way, letting us you know ‘Oh, so she can actually sing?!’. Knowing Sumin’s music is to know that she does not hit you with the ‘Sumin suite’ on every song. Where-as some artists will treat every song as a chance to showcase their everything, Sumin is not that girl. Sumin is the type of artist who commits to a song and gives it what it requires and nothing more. Her focus seems to be giving the song the right energy and first and foremost, and I respect it. Miniseries 1 and 2 are only parts of the picture which make up who Sumin is musically. But I like that we get to hear something from Sumin on Miniseries 2 that we didn’t get to here on Miniseries 1. The same goes for Slom’s production too. He pulls tricks and sounds here that we didn’t get on Miniseries 1. Miniseries 2 features far more live sounding instrumentation and way more grooves than Miniseries 1 did, which gives it a very different energy.

With Miniseries 2 you get a sense that there was a concerted effort from Sumin & Slom to package this album and themselves a little differently. Miniseries 1 was a case of ‘Let’s just see what happens’. Where-as Miniseries 2 is a realisation of ‘OH. This thing we have is actually something. Let’s really double down and start to shape this thing.’

Sumin & Slom - Miniseries 2 | Standard Friends / Dreamus

Something I mentioned in my review of Miniseries 1 was that I felt Sumin’s partnership with Slom gave her a greater focus — selling her sound and vibe more than her solo material did. Miniseries 2 channels this to an even more absolute degree. I truly do feel that Sumin works best with a focus or a limitation. THIS is the theme. THIS is the sound. THIS is the story. Sumin is a chameleon musically, which works well for her as a songwriter and producer, because it means that she won’t get pigeonholed and locked out from working with certain artists and producers. But there is a specificity in her work with Slom on Miniseries which I think works in her favour. It shows that she isn’t averse to sticking to one thing and that she can follow through with that. Sumin’s discography is so varied, that her penchant and skill at doing so many styles and types of songs can be mistaken for her not knowing what she wants to do, and also an inability to focus. But Miniseries 2 shows that this is not the case. Being paired with a producer like Slom, who doesn’t have a signature sound per se and is talented enough to do any type of sound could have easily resulted in albums which felt all over the place. And yet that’s not how they turned out at all. And Miniseries 2 feels even more focused and concentrated than the first. The wide scope and excessiveness of Sumin & Slom as individuals cancel each other out when they come together, in the best possible way. Just because you can do every and anything, doesn’t mean that you always should. And Miniseries 2 feels like an exercise in that for them both.

One of the coolest things about Miniseries 2 is that it feels much more like a connected story than Miniseries 1. It really does feel like you are listening through a season of a show, told through song. And the Bossa Nova style sound adds a layer which paints very vivid pictures. A story set in the 60s. Maybe in a resort. Maybe on a boat. Maybe in some little suburban town. Sumin as a rich bitch with a large wide brimmed hat and Louis Vuitton luggage. Slom as a figure who says little, never smiles and is always suspiciously at the scene of a mess — a red herring as the person responsible for it, but in actuality has nothing to do with any of it. A visual companion to this album would have been really cute. But as Beyoncé tried to teach us with Renaissance — the music is enough. And if she did her job, you won’t need music videos, because your mind will create them based on the world she built musically. With Miniseries 2 it’s a similar thing. Although I must say — Sumin & Slom should be snapped up to provide the music for a K-drama. SBS needs to run them a bag.

Speaking of Beyoncé — if you like “Love on Top”, and like me, one of the reasons you like the song is because it sounds like something from one of the Mega Drive Sonic the Hedgehog games, then “Endless Night” is for you.

Sumin & Slom - Miniseries 2 | Standard Friends / Dreamus

As much as I have been singing the praises of Miniseries 2, it took me a few listens until I could categorically say that it was better than the first. Miniseries 1 was by no means loud and commanding. But the more dance-focused vibe of it gave it an energy which caught your attention with more immediacy and made you lean in quicker. You could also pick any song out at random and somebody would be intrigued and probably want to hear more. Miniseries 2 by comparison is a much slower burn. The sound of the album is underpinned by Bossa Nova style grooves and lounge pop, which are an acquired taste. Miniseries 2 is also an album that you have to listen to a few times until it fully clicks. And when it finally clicked for me, I was like ‘Oh, this is MUCH better than Miniseries 1’.

The crazy thing is that whilst I’m sure Sumin & Slom weren’t thinking about title tracks, singles or songs that would be huge successes. There are songs on this album which imply that perhaps they want that, and why wouldn’t they? Not every music act wants fame, but of course they want as many people to listen to their music as possible. If Sumin & Slom had wanted to go the singles and commercial airplay route with Miniseries 2, they really could have. “Why Why Why”, “None of Your Business” and “Endless Night” all would have made great singles and found their places in the world. “None of Your Business” was destined for Zara playlists. “Why Why Why” is a future Persona game song. And “Endless Night” is a viral TikTok trend in South Korea of youngsters doing 90s R&B choreo waiting to happen.

Sumin & Slom - Miniseries 2 | Standard Friends / Dreamus

The only negative thing I have to say about Miniseries 2 is that I think it’s too short. But I do go back and forth on the length of this album. Because I think the brevity of it works in favour of the story it’s telling. There is this sense as you listen to this album that the story is taking place within a short period of time — possibly even within 48 hours. But then there is a part of me that feels that the world being built musically and narratively in Miniseries 2 is so cool and vivid, that I could have done with being able to sit in it just a bit longer. And it’s kinda annoying that a year later Sumin & Slom released the songs “City View” and “Her” — both of which would have fit Miniseries 2. But if we’re taking Miniseries 2 as a story being told from start to finish, then perhaps from Sumin’s perspective as the writer, “City View” and “Her” weren’t part of that story.

There isn’t much more to say on Miniseries 2. It’s a great stand alone album. It’s a great follow up album. And I hope we get a Miniseries 3 in 2026.

Album Highlights:
▪ Just a Breakup
▪ Why, Why, Why
▪ Sorry
▪ Tic Toc Tic Toc
▪ Goodbye 🥇
▪ Endless Night
▪ None of Your Business
▪ …I Think
▪ Stoplight 🥈