RIIZE’s new album has a very strong visual element, with music videos or shortened “track videos” for each song. Because of this (and because the album is so strong), I’ll be working through the entire track list over the next few days. Make sure to check back often!
1. Odyssey // 2. Bag Bad Back // 3. Ember To Solar // 4. Fly Up // 5. Show Me Love // 6. Passage // 7. Midnight Mirage // 8. The End Of The Day // 9. Inside My Love // 10. Another Life
BAG BAD BACK
Yes, I already reviewed this song on the day it came out, but my thoughts have evolved so much since then that I thought it was worth posting a follow-up.
I love few things more than a classic SM Entertainment boy group sound. Think SHINee, TVXQ, EXO. And while I appreciated the different approach NCT brought when they first debuted, I eventually grew tired of how every new SM male act seemed to follow their same template. Because of this, whenever I hear anything remotely NCT-esque from a group like RIIZE, I have a visceral reaction. I so want them to mark a return to the classic sound that SM delivers better than anyone else.
At first, this reaction (along with the monotonous hook) colored my thoughts on Bag Bad Back. But as the days went on, I realized that this kind of is a classic SM banger. The instrumental forgoes trendy trap percussion (thank goodness) for something more robust and electronic. And when dramatic vocal flourishes begin to punctuate the verses, the song becomes delightfully weird and unabashedly huge. This builds toward a knockout bridge where Bag Bad Back grows and grows in intensity until it sounds like it might burst wide open. I’ve even come around to the weird, silly one-note chorus.
Hooks
8
Production
9
Longevity
9
Bias
8
RATING
8.5