EPEX’s material has been pretty hit or miss for me, but digging deeper into their song credits the group has worked frequently with (most of) the team that’s crafted The Wind’s discography. I’ve got my eyes on these producers, and for new single Youth2Youth (청춘에게) they seem to have brought a bit of that soaring, melodic Wind energy to EPEX.
This is a roundabout way of saying new single Youth2Youth is a pleasant surprise. On its face, the song is a standard angsty slow burn, but a few surprises help it stand out. First is a beautiful pre-chorus, which dispenses with any unnecessary noise in favor of sparse, theatrical piano and vocal. It’s a smart way to reinvent a song segment that can often feel very predictable. Then, Youth2Youth transforms into a bombastic shout-along during its second half. When it comes to boy group chanting, there’s a very thin line between “anthemic” and “obnoxious,” but Youth2Youth manages to embrace the former thanks to its natural build and melodic through line. And at a hearty three minutes and twenty seconds, it’s given plenty of time to develop.
Ultimately, this is still a rather generic sound and it’s hard to tease out any specific vocals with unique character, but that’s as much a K-pop industry problem as an EPEX problem. Overall, this may be my favorite single from them yet and I imagine it will only grow more addictive with time. It’s a great way to mark the release of their first full album.
Hooks
8
Production
9
Longevity
9
Bias
8
RATING
8.5