SM Entertainment’s Chinese boy band WayV have come out with weapons blazing on their sophomore album, “On My Youth.” It’s no small feat for the six-piece group to face out, notably as a result of they’re the the fourth sub-unit (a smaller group made up from members of a bigger one) from the Okay-pop mega boyband NCT.
But WayV handle to forge their very own type and path within the dizzying world of Okay-pop divisions and subdivisions. They are in spirit, musically and aesthetically, the brand new era’s EXO-M — SM Entertainment’s earlier Chinese subgroup of their tremendous act EXO — loaded with related charisma.
WayV, whose title is an acronym for We Are Your Vision, expertly combine hip-hop, pop and electronica on their new 10-track album in a method uniquely their very own. From the neo-soulful “No One But You” and the brilliant pop “Be Alright,” this album is a journey that at all times appears to revert again to a way of hopefulness, uplifting the listener even when detouring with a bizarre lure stanza. (In that approach, transferring from a type of softness to an edge feels just like the sonic equal of watching Bambi faux to be the hunter.)
The title monitor and single “On My Youth,” which additionally will get an all English-language model on the album, strikes from digital music to lure to rap in a mid-tempo melody, an an surprising however welcomed combo. “Poppin’ Love” is ripe for dancing, with its Y2K boy band-style manufacturing taste with a dizzying beat. “Lighthouse” is a pleasing stripped down piano ballad, and “Moonlight” goes full pop with an imposing string association.
If there may be an outlier on the album, it is discovered on “RODEO,” with its deep bass EDM beats and stunning reference to Lil Jon’s “From the Window to the Wall.” But its uniqueness does not make for a disjointed listening expertise — as a substitute, it really works as a terrific break on the album, arriving halfway by way of. Think of it like an animated intermission.
Lyrically, the whole lot of the document is an ode to youth, younger love, immature errors and hope for the longer term. With beats like these, it’s a secure wager the sextet will probably be a long-lasting a part of the C-pop pantheon.
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