Aural Aggravation

Korean-American singer-songwriter NoSo has today revealed details of their highly anticipated second album When Are You Leaving? (out 10 October via Partisan Records) along with its lead single ‘Sugar’. Listen to ‘Sugar’ here:

When Are You Leaving? is a record for anyone still figuring themselves out, and one that proves NoSo to be one of this generation’s most compelling songwriters. The album follows NoSo’s 2022 debut Stay Proud Of Me which earned rave reviews and praise from NPR’s All Songs Considered, Paste, The Guardian, The Times and Metro, and a stunning performance atTiny Desk. NoSo (real name: Baek Hwong, he/they) says: “My first album mostly comprised of daydreaming about what my life cobuld be like if I embraced my identity. This record is firmly rooted in reality and details my enlightening and tumultuous experiences head on.”

Largely self-produced, When Are You Leaving? sharpens NoSo’s artistry into something at once more expansive and more intimate. It’s an album about the subtle, slow-burning victories that come after walking away from what no longer serves you. Hwong’s music is rich with contrast: thorny lyrics nestled in shimmering arrangements, quiet moments of self-recognition delivered with the confidence of a born storyteller. Across disco grooves, jagged guitars, and spacious ballads, they reflect on fractured relationships, platonic heartbreak, and the complexity of perception.

‘Sugar’, (co-produced by Wild Nothing’s Jack Tatum), glides along a sleek, nostalgic disco groove, light on its feet but emotionally loaded. Beneath the gleaming surface, Hwong explores the quiet exhaustion of navigating interpersonal dynamics with volatile people, choosing compassion over conflict. Hwong elaborates: "‘Sugar’ is about the delicate dance of interacting with volatile, unwell individuals. It’s a reflection on those experiences, aiming to approach them with sympathy instead of anger. I’ve learned that this is the only way I can move forward—by not feeding those memories and giving them power.”

Credit: Driely Carter

NoSo 2025/2026 tour dates:

15 August – Gunnersbury Park – London, UK (w/ Khruangbin, TV on the Radio)

23 October – The Atlantis – Washington, DC

24 October – Baby’s All Right – Brooklyn, NY

25 October – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA

27 October – L’Escogriffe – Montréal, QC

28 October – The Drake Underground – Toronto, ON

30 October – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL

1 November – 7th St Entry – Minneapolis, MN

3 November – Globe Hall – Denver, CO

4 November – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT

6 November – Fox Cabaret – Vancouver, BC

7 November – Madame Lou’s – Seattle, WA

8 November – Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR

10 November – Cafe Du Nord – San Francisco, CA

12 November – Masonic Lodge, Hollywood Forever – Los Angeles, CA

4 February – EKKO – Utrecht, Netherlands

5 February – Rotown – Rotterdam, Netherlands

6 February – Turmzimmer – Hamburg, Germany

7 February – Ideal Bar – Copenhagen, Denmark

9 February – Silent Green – Berlin, Germany

10 February – YUCA – Cologne, Germany

11 February – Rotonde – Brussels, Belgium

12 February – La Bellevilloise – Paris, France

14 February – L’Aéronef – Lille, France

17 February – Islington Assembly Hall – London, UK

18 February – Strange Brew – Bristol, UK

19 February – Band on the Wall – Manchester, UK

20 February – King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut – Glasgow, UK