B-Side Guys

Stanley Cho’s Korean Boyfriend project turns the fluorescent-lit tedium of corporate existence into a pulsing art-pop fever dream with “Middle Management.” The track carves out its own distinct territory where Brian Eno meets boardroom politics, transforming workplace alienation into something strangely danceable.

The song opens with a claustrophobic scene: “In a crowd nowhere to turn.” Cho’s deadpan delivery perfectly captures the quiet desperation of performance reviews and water cooler small talk, while analog synths buzz overhead like malfunctioning office lights. The production creates a perfect sonic metaphor for corporate suffocation – every element feels simultaneously precise and slightly wrong.

The mantra-like repetition of “Leave it alone/It’ll die on its own” serves dual purposes – both as commentary on workplace strategy and as a hypnotic hook that burrows into your consciousness like a passive-aggressive email. Cho’s production expertise shines in how he layers these elements, creating something that feels both meticulously engineered and deliberately unstable.

The instrumental arrangement perfectly mirrors the modern workplace’s controlled chaos. Distorted electronics crash against new wave melodic sensibilities, while weird production tricks pop up like unwanted calendar notifications. It’s clever how the song’s structure itself seems to mimic the way corporate communication breaks down – moments of clarity interrupted by bursts of noise and confusion.

“Middle Management” stands out for its ability to make systemic dysfunction sound infectiously catchy. The track’s “confident and clever” refrain feels like a sardonic comment on corporate buzzwords, while the production maintains the perfect balance between accessibility and artistic ambition. It’s as if Korean Boyfriend has discovered exactly how far you can push pop conventions before HR gets involved.

What’s particularly striking is how Cho manages to make institutional critique dance. The song’s propulsive rhythm section keeps things moving while layers of electronics create an atmosphere of controlled panic – like trying to maintain composure during a particularly tense Zoom call. Every sonic decision serves the theme, from the claustrophobic mix to the strategic use of space.

The track’s ability to remain “compulsively listenable” while experimenting with form and structure speaks to Cho’s skills as both songwriter and producer. He’s created something that works both as social commentary and as pure sonic pleasure, much like how the best office satire can make you laugh while recognizing uncomfortable truths.

By filtering corporate culture through a DFA Records lens, Korean Boyfriend has created something that feels both familiar and destabilizing. “Middle Management” suggests that maybe the best way to survive the modern workplace is to dance through its absurdity, even as the walls of your cubicle close in.

Amidst a musical landscape that often treats art-pop as an exercise in pure aesthetics, Korean Boyfriend reminds us that experimental sound can still carry pointed social commentary. “Middle Management” isn’t just a song about workplace dynamics – it’s the sound of the office printer gaining consciousness and deciding to stage a revolution.