We're going on a trip through time with TRADE L. 

Following his stunning debut on H1GHR MUSIC's 2020 mixtapes, the Korean rapper is back with his first-ever EP, Time Table - The Trip. A product of his entire heart and soul, the record is a recollection of the journey TRADE L has had so far and a representation of how far he's come. 

Time Table - The Trip comes as an entirely new record, made from the bottom up with each song well-thought-out. 

"It's actually an album I made from scratch after scrapping my initial album. A lot of trial and error went into this project and I wanted the final product to be perfect. I contemplated a lot about the theme of each song as well as the album as a whole. I did it over and over again until everything felt very cohesive and organic," TRADE L tells Bandwagon. 

Wanting to showcase his versatility as an artist from the get-go, the EP features a wide spectrum of sounds and styles, as well as a star-studded lineup of collaborators from hip-hop veterans like Gary to new-age pop stars like JAMIE to sought-out producers like TOIL.

"Working with all these talented artists and producers was a great experience. It was my first time with most of the people so each experience was new and different from any I’ve had before. It all started with me DMing these people and I’m so thankful they were gladly willing to collaborate with me. Thank you all," says TRADE L.

Following the release of Time Table - The Trip, Bandwagon caught up with TRADE L to share the stories behind each track off the EP. 

'Gotham (Prod. TOIL)'

This song has such a strong vibe and it is very meaningful and personal to me. This song was written to express my gratitude to everyone around me. From people in school, the music industry and my label, H1GHR MUSIC, it was a very personal and memorable experience.

All the lyrics in this song were meticulously and thoughtfully written out by me so I was very proud of how the song sounded when I put the text into lyrics. I wanted the song to focus on just vocals and the guitar rather than colour arrangements. The first person that came to mind when I needed guitar sounds with soft and smooth production was TOIL. And that’s how it happened; this song really gives me a rush of excitement, like running a race. It’s a song you can’t help but bop your head to. 

'Direction (Feat. GARY)'

This track is my introspection of where I am right now. As I’m about to turn 19, it’s when I am looking to find a direction, hence the title. It’s an ambiguous stage between youth and adulthood, and it’s a story of how I take all the emotions, worries, excitement and fear and find my place as an adult. 

The process of making this song started with an Instagram story post by me. I wanted to work but I had no beat so I uploaded a story asking if anyone had any beats. Yuwol responded with the beat to this song I instantly liked it. The pop elements were very prominent yet trendy. The song didn’t feel complete until GARY came with his feature. His veteran presence and lyrics really gave an ending to this story. 

The most memorable moment I had while putting this song together was the moment the word ‘Compass’ came into mind while recording because as you can see throughout the theme and concept of my project — it all goes back to the compass. It only made sense this became a title track to my EP.

'I Hate U (Feat. JAMIE)'

It's a sweet romantic song about pure unrequited love. I received these beats from SMUGGLERS. I always admired their trap beats so after listening to all the beats, I came upon the beat for ‘I HATE U’. I contacted Oh Boy from SMUGGLERS right away. 

I thought a strong female vocal would synergize well with me and the beat so I asked JAMIE. After creating the song, I liked it so much that this track became one of the three with an official live clip.

'Tango (Feat. CAMO, Ourealgoat) (Prod. Way Ched)'

This song is a love story between two people who keep going back and forth with their emotions. It’s an expression of the pushing and pulling motions of tango dancing. I wanted to create a very youthful synergy in this track so I approached CAMO and Ourealgoat with that in mind. From recording to the live clip, it was a fun experience.

Normally, I would find a beat I like before moving on to the next step but for 'Tango', I already decided on the theme and how I wanted the song to sound before making the beat. It is a very assertive song, yet catchy enough for people to listen repeatedly. 

'Linger On (Feat. Skinny Brown) (Prod. TOIL)'

This rock-influenced song is about a breakup and not being able to forget about the past lover. This is actually the first song I finished out of the entire album. It is a very sad and gloomy song. From the very start, I wanted to work with Skinny Brown and TOIL so I reached out to them and got to work as soon as they agreed.

This song is very special because it’s the only surviving track from my previous scrapped works. I went through a lot of trial and errors to finish this EP but this one stuck with me from start to finish.

'Light Out (Outro) (Prod. dress)'

This song is an overview of my last year. The storyline is very clear and listening to the song is almost like watching a movie. I wanted to recap all my emotions, experiences and lessons from my past year into a single song.

Everyone has their own specific memories associated with different songs and I wanted this song to be a memory of last year for me. The producer dress came to mind when I thought of all the arrangements and production I envisioned. I called him immediately and we got to work creating this 3-minute movie.

This song is very personal to me because of all the emotions and experiences I poured into it. It’s about everything that only I can relate to. Each time I listen to this song, it feels like I’m watching a movie of my life this past year.

Listen to TRADE L's Time Table - The Trip here.