SS301 – ‘Eternal 5’ Album Review

Having had one of the longest hiatuses in the recent history of Kpop idol groups, the once internationally popular boyband SS501 is finally back seven years later. Due to military enlistments, solo careers, acting gigs, and agency changes, the boys have spent more time apart than together in recent years. Though not a complete full team return, the three talented members of SS501 dubbed themselves as SS301 to flaunt the true bond between all of the members as seen with the title of their latest album, Eternal 5. Eternal 5 is not only a declaration of friendship, it’s also a well-produced album showing the boys charms through a variety of music genres.

Track 1 – Dirty Love

Dirty Love is a shorter album intro and opening track that features a slow tempo R&B groove. It’s got a very faint instrumental during the verse to help SS301’s voices stand out. But during the chorus, it amps up the electric guitars and rhythmic beats to add more emotional oomph as the boys belt out their vocals. Though quite pleasantly sounding, Dirty Love did not wow me.

Track 2 – Pain

Dramatic and crisp piano strings coupled with melancholic acoustic guitar plucking sounds immediately give Pain a beautifully wistful vibe. Interestingly enough, the track layers on more electro dance elements during the chorus and even shows hints of a trot beat. There are odd parts of the song that I thought didn’t jive with overall mood, such as the half-chanted half-sung pre-chorus. The chorus itself is also repetitive, though the song tried to mitigate the issue via a key change. Pain would have been even better had the initial vibe during the verse been maintained throughout the rest of the song.

Track 3 – 21Gram

21Gram is a heart-warming ballad performance. The track is also short, barely two minutes. But in this short amount of time, you can hear the sincerity, longing, and dreaminess in SS301’s vocals. In short, 21Gram has a pretty melody with pretty voices.

Track 4 – Saxophone

Saxophone takes a sharp turn from the previous track and pumps up the mood with its bright and infectious punk pop elements. This catchy tune uses a mix of loud brass instrumentals, heavy beats, and funky trumpets to bring out the fun. I particularly like the unexpected change of tempo during the chorus that adds a new layer to the song.

Track 5 – 바빠서 미안해 (Sorry I’m Busy)

Eternal 5 wraps up with a groovy mid-tempo urban R&B number that smoothly marries the boys suave vocals to the stylish beat in the background. An interesting twist of the song that gives it even more depth is that while the whole verse is fluid like smooth silk, the chorus transitions to a much choppier style of singing.

Track 6 – Pain (Inst.)

Not reviewed.

Track 7 – 21Gram (Inst.)

Not reviewed.

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