K-Bops in K-Pop

This was something that I was crazy excited about. It has been on the horizon for a little while, but I had no real idea about what to expect (my own fault) until the teasers for the MV came out. When I finally watched the MV this morning, I understood that TXT is definitively not BTS. You honestly wouldn’t even know they’re from the same company, but their talent is just as important and just as impressive.

Blue Orangeade

I love this song so much. It’s so upbeat and bright. I also love how it has vague acapella vibes and how it’s kind of a nod to Opposites Attract. The whole notion of Blue Orangeade is so bizarre without context but they turned it into a totally unique metaphor for being two very different people. Also, may I just say, their vocals? Phenomenal.

CROWN

This is the single of the album and it’s well suited to the role. I’ll admit: I don’t like BigHit’s choices for singles. The choices were fine up until Blood, Sweat, & Tears, and they’ve been consistently downhill since then (I wasn’t impressed with Fake Love…or Idol). CROWN is really good, though, and it sets them up in a youthful, bright light that is suited to the stage they’re at in their career.

Our Summer

There is a very distinctive sound for this album. This song, in particular, reminds me of Energetic by Wanna One in the general vibe. That said, I think I might’ve mentioned it before but I don’t care for songs that can’t decide if they’re hype or chill and this is one of those. So, it’s not my favorite, but I like that it’s consistent with the rest of the album.

Cat & Dog

This is kind of like if Cypher 4 was performed by kindergarteners. That is, it’s cute and it’s lit, but you’re not gonna play it at the club. This one, I think, shows how much of an influence BTS have on them because they don’t really need a rap song that makes you wanna bump the bass in your car. But BTS does it, so they have to. It’s good, but if you didn’t know they were following the footsteps of BTS, you wouldn’t get why the track was there.

Nap of a Star

Nap of a Star is a slower ending to the album. I can’t say that I like it because (if you’ve been following me for a while then you already knew this) I don’t really like ballads. I like that it’s not a straight slow song and there is a little bit of a beat to it. It kind of reminds me of those playlists by lo-fi channels on Youtube that have those really sad titles like “I love you but you don’t notice me” and “Lonely vibes.”

Final Thoughts

All in all, this is a solid start! I didn’t expect every track to be perfect because no one comes out the gate with a Dark & Wild-level Perfect Album. That said, I hope they do more writing and producing as their career progresses because I would love to get a feel for who they are as musicians and see how they develop. That was one of the most beautiful things about watching BTS’s career grow from their debut to now. You see what BigHit wanted them to be and watch them develop who they are and shed that notion that hip hop has to be a certain way. I hope BigHit chooses to do the same with TXT and I can’t wait to see more from them!