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■ Too Bad - The awkward yet adorable moment of first love by WEi

WEi's 4th mini-album "Love Pt.1 : First Love" title track "Too Bad" captures the flutter of first love—wanting to confess your feelings to someone you like, but struggling to find the words. Through cute excuses like "The sky is just so pretty" or "The flowers happen to look like you," it portrays the clumsy moment of confession with a bright and upbeat pop sound.

At the center of the track are an engaging bassline and funky guitar riffs. Rather than a heavy push, a light-footed groove drives the entire song, and the repetitive chorus of "Too Bad" and "Na na na" is intuitive enough to easily sing along to upon a first listen.

The vocals are also structured to highlight a refreshing and youthful tone rather than showing off power. The members' voices trade short phrases before overlapping in the chorus to amplify the energy. Daehyeon's rap making naturally melts into the rhythms, keeping the song's buoyant flow going.

Ultimately, the charm of "Too Bad" lies in not portraying first love in a grandiose way. The awkwardness of not being able to say "I like you" directly and instead using pretty things in the surroundings as excuses makes the song all the more endearing.

■ EENIE MEENIE (Feat. Hongjoong (ATEEZ)) - A dance pop track that enjoys moments of choice lightly and confidently by Chungha

Chungha's "EENIE MEENIE" carries the message of making choices guided by your own heart rather than swaying to the gaze of others or preset standards. Chungha's sharp vocals laid over heavy, repetitive low-end frequencies and tight beats complete a sophisticated performance-style sound.

Chungha's vocals stand out particularly for their sense of rhythm in this track. She rides lightly over the beat using short, clipped phrases, clear articulation, and dynamic contrasts. In the chorus, a strong attack is added to drive the song forward.

Hongjoong's feature adds another layer of color to the track. While Chungha leads the melody with smooth pop vocals, Hongjoong creates a rough texture between the beats with rap and spoken-style vocals. The contrast in their tones is an element that heightens the song's tension.

With synths, electronic percussion, and a heavy low end arranged around the vocals, the sound comes across as clear rather than complex. Ultimately, the charm of this track is how it transforms the heavy moment of a difficult choice into an enjoyable rhythm itself.

■ Tonight - The moment when distinct voices overlap into a single energy by BLACKSWAN

BLACKSWAN's "Tonight," the title track of their 2020 release "Goodbye RANIA," is an electronic-driven dance pop track infused with a dreamy atmosphere. Based on a strong beat, it utilizes the dark textures of synths and electronic sounds to create a unique sense of space.

Electronic sounds set the mood right from the intro, and as the drums and bass kick in, the song's movement truly begins. Rather than a bright and light dance pop, a slightly darker and more mystical texture strongly resonates.

The vocals unfold in a way where multiple members share short phrases. Their individual tones intersect before multiple voices overlap in the chorus, scaling up the track's magnitude. Instead of dwelling on a single person's vocals, the defining feature is the rapid showcase of diverse tones.

Synth bass, electronic percussion, and pad-style sounds support the vocals while maintaining a steady kinetic momentum. The charm of "Tonight" lies in how it doesn't unify different voices into a single color, but rather keeps their individual tones alive while binding them together to create a unique group energy.

■ McNasty - Jay Park's flow bouncing freely over the beat by Jay Park

Jay Park's "McNasty" showcases the most direct hip-hop and club music sensibilities among the five tracks. Centered around a strong kick, heavy bass, and electronic percussion, it creates a groove that is both simple and impactful.

The standout element of this track is Jay Park's rap. He maintains a low, laid-back tone before hitting certain words or syllables hard, then relaxing his energy as he transitions into the next beat. The flow shifting between Korean and English, alongside naturally inserted ad-libs, adds to the fun of the song.

In particular, Jay Park's voice goes beyond simply delivering lyrics. It fills the empty spaces of the beat, pushing and pulling the tempo to move like a rhythmic instrument itself. The repetitive "McNasty" hook also combines with this flow to create a strong lingering impression.

The production, which focuses on the kick, bass, and rap bounce rather than complex instrumentation, is also impressive. Combined with direct lyrics and a playful vibe, the song's greatest charm is that it makes your body move before you even have a chance to analyze the music.

■ Doogeundae - Turning even heartbeats into music, the flutter of a spring day by Cha Dong-hyeop

Cha Dong-hyeop's first single title track "Doogeundae" is a song by a three-member unit formed by DRIPPIN's Cha Jun-ho, Kim Dong-yun, and Lee Hyeop. Based on nu-disco, it combines an uptempo rhythm, sparkling synths, and funky guitars to brightly express the fluttering excitement of thinking about someone you like.

The most entertaining element is the sound reminiscent of an actual heartbeat, just like the title. As heartbeat effects are added in time with the rhythm, the emotion of "fluttering" is conveyed not just through the lyrics, but through the sound itself.

Funky guitars and disco bass anchor the song, while synths and uptempo drums add a bright atmosphere. The bouncing guitars and continuously moving bass create a buoyant groove that feels like taking steps on a spring day.

The three members' vocals keep their individual tones alive while binding together in the chorus. In particular, Lee Hyeop stated that he focused on dialing back his usual husky feel to bring out a more youthful and kitschy vibe, making a light and bright vocal color prominent throughout the track.

The melody is also crafted to be easily hummable rather than complex. With guitars, bass, synths, heartbeats, and the vocals of the three members blending in turn, it is a song that turns the literal moment of "fluttering hearts" into music.

■ Conclusion: Five different tracks, a rhythm flowing as one

While these five tracks differ in genre and mood, they share the common trait of utilizing vocals as a crucial element of the music.

"Too Bad" expresses the freshness of first love through refreshing group vocals, while "EENIE MEENIE" contrasts Chungha's sharp vocals with Hongjoong's rap. "Tonight" overlaps the voices of multiple members to create the group's signature energy, and "McNasty" uses Jay Park's rap like a rhythm instrument. "Doogeundae" harmoniously blends the distinct tones of three members to express excitement.

The instrumentation also shows a clear color for each track. "Too Bad" and "Doogeundae" are anchored by guitar and bass grooves, while "EENIE MEENIE" and "Tonight" create a modern sound with synths and electronic percussion. "McNasty" puts the bounce of the kick, bass, and rap at the forefront to display a simple yet powerful sense of rhythm.

From the flutter of first love to uninhibited confidence and heart-pounding excitement, the five tracks capture various emotions into rhythm in their own unique ways. And at the center of it all are voices that go beyond delivering melodies to shape the mood and energy of the songs.