ohhh Lily spoke to all the girls and the gays with Loud and i love her so much for that. whether shes speaking from experience or not (lol) it means a lot to me to see a song like that on a popular kpop groups EP. my girls did it again
they are NOT saying "im alive, im alive" in papillon's post chorus and i am TIRED of pretending they are
SERIOUSLY AM I CRAZY???? ALL IM HEARING IS "feel the rush, feel the rush" ???????
but EVERYONE AND THEIR MAMAS is referencing papillon with the "im alive" lyrics and its the official lyrcis everywhere you look but i just cant for the LIFE of me hear it. no matter how hard i try to hear "im alive" all i hear is "feel the rush"
the ONLY THING i dont like about adore ya is how unfinished it feelsss gahhh it cant just be me
listen ive made peace with the fact that songs are simply getting shorter and shorter and imma have to deal with it
and with nmixx in particular i never mind cause sure a song might be like 2:40 minutes but man they make that COUNT. it feels like i had a full course meal for the time it should take to eat a snack
but i looooveee adore ya its deffo my fav "love" song off the album but i wish they added just a liiiiitttle something more at the end idk
when lily goes BUUUUUUTTTT TJATS SOMETHING YOU'LL NEVER KNOW .....
and it just
ENDS
why would it do that noooo
idk my only complaint the song is so good pls give us a longer last chorus at least by 20 more seconds 😭😭😭😭
NMixx's new album is absolutely stunning and I have a lot to say about it.
I had a feeling, back when Blue Valentine was first announced, that we were bracing for something grand-- the Fe304 mini album trilogy had been such a well-planned and purposeful organization in introducing and evolving a music style, growing NMixx stylistically and sononically. And then the promotions for this era started off with a whole webtoon, I knew we were in for something good.
Let's start song by song:
Blue Valentine
I was caught off guard how gently this song starts off, but it does not leave you waiting or wanting. From the tempo shift in the prechorus, to the crashing of the chorus into longing and sweet toned high notes in a full sound of production, this song plays with a crescendo and keeps pulling you with it till the end of the song. The "hot and cold" of the lyrics is mirrored perfectly in the stark contrasts of it's mellow music-box-esque sections juxtaposed to a rushing runaway heartbeat of grand declarations.
The music video perfectly compliments these vocal and lyrical emotions, in strong shocking videography-- glass shattering, things breaking dramatically and coming back together, time itself being turned back and forth like the tempo of the prechoruses-- the rush into the ribcage and being swung out into space, the shocking whiplash between love and hate, while also capturing that end-of-summer nostalgia of the outro, all in three minutes. I need to also point out the first prechorus, because I wondered if they had filmed it backwards or simply spent ages editing it to look as such, and the people need to know: NMixx literally learned the choreography in reverse for that section. Yes, they filmed it and then reversed it to give it that effect and it looks absolutely stunning.
In a beautiful progression, Blue Valentine as the title of their full album, and the pinacle of the previous three minis of Fe304 is perfect-- it captures that longing and melodic quality of NMixx with their power, and does it absolutely beautifully. The beauty of this song is fully explored in their prettily translated english version (thank you Lily!) And acapella version, among many others (wow SQU4D did not hold back on capitalizing!) All their charting numbers are well deserved, and I hope they keep getting high acclaims for this, them and their team at SQU4D have outdone themselves.
Spinning On It
As a pre-release, this song captures the whole of what NMixx presents of themselves for consideration in this album. Top tier vocals, hard-hitting tracks, and unapologetically "NMixxed" tracks. Those high note reaches in the chorus catch me by the throat everytime, and knowing that NMixx devote themselves to singing it live without compromising complicated choreographies, makes it all the more excellent. This album is the turning point on a growth curve that had worked so carefully to mature their sononic image as a girl group with distinctly produced sounds and matured vocals coming into their own.
I'll be honest, I have zero idea what is going on at points of the mv, but in light of Blue Valentine, the introduction of love-hate, and the juxtaposition of perfect aesthetics with just enough discomfort to get under your skin, is a perfect thematic image-- and perfectly in tune with their image from debut of not holding back on details and creative imagery.
Phoenix
This song is the drums beating before the break of dawn, the cracking of the fire before it roars, and the rippling, quiet self-confidence before the storm. Lyrically and sononically, it captures that rise to greatness when it's still a deep, low beating thing right between your ribs. The layered vocals are skillful in bringing those chords down, and playing with what you can feel war drums collecting and organizing in a thruming right below your skin.
Reality Hurts
When I heard Lily had lyric writing credits, I was not expecting a cyberpunk-club track. This is a stomper-boots, power walk, tokyo drift bike track, that hits terminal velocity into the final chorus. It's clever, how the track mirrors the lyrics-- from being boxed in and stuck in the first verse, to bare-foot breaking out in the second verse, to running back to the top in the bridge. The change-up in tempo and intensity is like a gear shift, a lane switch to higher and more stable footing. A headbanger of a track, that builds it's spaceship and launches it.
RICO
Their collab with Pablo Vittar to make Mexe makes so much sense in light of some of these songs. NMixx have always had a strong Latam fanbase, and I love that they don't abandon that latin influence in each album, but decide to lean more and more into it. A tango put to futuristic punk beats, played down in an underwater secret club. And the piano interruption that melds and bends into the track effortlessly, and then that brass echoes and reverbs in the background!
Game Face
This song! This excellent chorus! THIS ONE!! An absolutely perfect blend of slightly silly and absolutely confident. The vocals stay in the childishly positive and cheering tone, and stays there as the track and key changes around them. The drags to those high notes in the chorus hit beautifully, and the rhythm bounces perfectly on the top line, and then the off-key melody note at the end of the chorus sets you brilliantly off-kilter, like a stark realization of reality. The bridge dips into those darker undertones, and those perfectly stacked harmonies answer back, so when you land in the final chorus it really feels like you're "leaving everything bad behind," and drifting above the clouds.
PODIUM
Oh ANOTHER ONE! This chorus was looping through my head at work-- what a heart-racing, sneakers training on the asphalt track! The clever rhymes got me everytime (Haewon writing credits? Was it you putting podium, sodium, pandemonium?), and the way they sing each chorus just a little different, whether it was the laying of the vocals into harmony, or the tone they sang in from whispered promises to lazy confidence looking down the nose, absolutely killed it. Played on a crazy heartbeat pacing beat, the post chorus being built vocally and the track building in each play through took you a step further to the top, pulling yourself up a cliff and above the grime. One of my absolute favorite songs here.
Crush On You
What an island track, mixed with the most shy, blushing teenage girl melody and lyrics. Haewon on the credits again totally fits. This is tropical ukulele, soft pastels of a setting or rising sun, a confession eaten up in embarressment, and a the gentle rolling of the waves onto the beach, and maybe a mix of the heat rising to the head and louder confessions into the wind. The "ocean blue" calls back to their Fe304 confessions in Passionfruit.
ADORE U
Introducing the most Day6 song on the album, the perfect acoustically influenced track. Even the lyricism of tearing yourself up over things coming out wrong, and the heavy band emotions built up in the chorus, and overpouring to a band kit, strong keyboard chords, and guitar layering, while yearning vocals pull through. YoungK's daughters tear through the fabrics of this song, the song on it's metaphorical knees to a figure walking away.
Shape of Love
Every kpop album needs it's ballad, but it's not an nmixx album if it's what you expect. The track opens hauntingly, in a halloween warning, which, mixed with the title, made me think of the movie The Shape of Water. But as soon as the intro finishes, the song tries to break through it's haunted curse, swimming upwards towards the light, lyrically and melodically pouring over in promises. The ending of Blue Valentine answers it's title track, to a doomed love, that promises solidarity and faithfulness. The rhythm of the melody in the chorus tumbles over itself so beautiful, waterfalling into a post chorus that is firm in understanding the uncontrollable nature of a love that they hold tightly in their arms.
O.O Pt 1 (Baila) and Pt 2 (Superhero)
Going to be real honest-- I know way back when when they debuted this at their fanmeeting, every Nswer was going "Release it! Release it now!" except for me XD I have loved the debut song and how they mixxed it, and I had a feeling releasing these as two songs would just be giving in to people saying it had poor production. Their debut song didn't have poor production, it was experimenting with something new and fun, and cemented their image as being unafraid to do things like that, because they had the skills to pull it off. Especially as they switched between the two, the vocal skills really drew me in and hit me hard in a way that isn't carried when the song is split. However! Putting it at the end of a full album, knowing that the only times they had been heard before had been at a fanmeeting makes the songs feel like a little gift to debut-era fans who've come with them so far, especially in light of their music doing well and their image now cemented in kpop. To the rest of the world, releasing these only solidifies every members absolute powerhouse strength as vocalists-- trading off lines that are now doubled choruses and verses, and proving they're not just a ground with one or two gifted singers, but a whole group of monster vocalists.
To the album as a whole, I think Nmixx and SQU4D have outdone themselves. I find myself comparing the Fe304 trilogy ending and this full album releasing similar to aespa-- let me explain. I watched a Mera video once in defense of Girls when it came out, explaining how each song released was like a singular dimension, and Girls being the pinacle of it in complete four dimension. Like a ship fully built and functional now blasting off. (NMixx lore aside), that is exactly what this album felt like to me. Like each of the three mini albums had brought out an aspect of of Nmixx and grown them, and Blue Valentine fit all those pieces together into something complete and overflowing. (To be abundantly clear, this is not a comparison of NMixx and Aespa. I agreed with Mera on Aespa, and absolutely love how they evolved their concept, but I can't think of any better way to explain my feeling on this NMixx evolution than how Mera put it for Aespa.)
This album, and all of it's bsides, is a carefully crafted presentation of NMixx's sound, style, and skill, and I am so proud of the art they've presented for our consideration! It also hits different knowing that this is the masterpiece that catches all of kpop fandoms attention and gives them laud and charting honors that they've deserved. The release of so much content this era makes me think that NMixx and their team also know how brilliantly their work showcases itself, and that the praise is not going unnoticed, which makes me all the more excited for what they'll continue to excellently curate and give us in the future!
I need the circus to arrive without warning I need mulled cider and magic and a cloud maze and I need a place that feels more like home than my home and I need simple charms to work and caramel in the air
