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With their uptick in popularity thanks to member Yook Sung Jae’s standout acting in hit drama Who Are You: School 2015 and presence on We Got Married, BtoB attempts to make a splash with their seventh mini-album, I Mean. The album consists of six tracks that present both the sentimental and energetic sides of BtoB. Though the songs on I Mean are pleasant enough, they’re also the vanilla among a sea of kpop flavors — standard stuff.
Track 1 – Last Day
Lonely guitar riffs and light drum beats set the tone for this mellow yet sentimental mid-tempo hip hop ballad. As the title suggests, Last Day conveys the regrettable feelings of spending the last day with your love. My favorite part is the half-rapped half-sung second verse that adds interest to the otherwise expected progression of the track.
Track 2 – 집으로 가는 길 (Way Back Home)
The title song of the album, Way Back Home, is a 90’s styled slow tempo ballad song expressing the sweetness of walking towards one’s dream despite the pain and failures along the way. The heartfelt melody coupled with BtoB’s soft vocals make it a perfect healing song for when you feel discouraged.
Track 3 – 심장어택 (Heart Attack)
Heart Attack is an uptempo hip hop rhythm based dance pop song and yet another throwback track that’s nostalgic of the 90’s era. It’s a high-energy number with pounding lo-fi beats and synths meant to make you bounce along, though the melody itself is fairly simple and plain.
Track 4 – Neverland
Neverland is a mid-tempo hip hop ballad track featuring entirely rapped verses and sung chorus by female vocalist and labelmate G.NA. The rhythmic drum beats pair well with the slightly angry rap verses by BtoB while the melodic piano instrumentals complement G.NA’s sultry voice nicely.
Track 5 – 나 빼고 다 늑대 (All Wolves Except Me)
Here we have another upbeat dance pop song with a great sense of humor in the lyrics. All Wolves Except Me certainly showcases BtoB’s fun and charming personalities, but the composition of the song itself is too repetitive for my taste.
Track 6 – 여기 있을게 (I’ll Be Here)
Back to the calmer side of things, I’ll Be Here wraps up I Mean with another slow tempo R&B ballad that focuses on BtoB’s voices. The boys deliver a nicely harmonized vocal performance, yet the melody of the song is a bit too flat to bring out their full potential.
- 1.6KShares
- 1.6KShares