Fe3O4: Forward rambling under the cut. Warning, long:
First of all, I LOVE how this album takes some effort to digest. I do enjoy easy listening as well of course, but a big part of what makes kpop fun is songs that take a while to figure out and have lots of layers to delve into.
A big shoutout to SQU4D's A&R Team. I love a lot of NMIXX's earlier stuff too (yes I am an O.O shooter fight me), but I feel they've really been picking excellent songs for the girls for the Fe3O4 trilogy. I and many others feel that Fe3O4 is where the creative team really started to hit their stride, and it's reflected the group's rise in popularity. Dash and Fe3O4: Break made me an NSWER, and I'm so glad to see the quality continued throughout the trilogy.
Thoughts on individual songs-
High Horse I loved her on first listen. I loved how the drums coming in after that melancholy piano intro threw me for a loop. I loved how the distortion in the final chorus shocked and confused me. I loved that it's something so new and fresh for the girls. I love that they incorporated contemporary dance into the choreo. I have never heard the girls' voices better utilised on a song. Every member gets a standout part. I also love how they played with their delivery. Jiwoo's raspy voice in her chorus is so addictive. Bae's lower register suited the song so well. Sullyoon's "go on, go on" was so powerful and she finished the song beautifully. Kyujin got her big vocal moment and it was stunning. I am obsessed with Lily's delivery in the chorus and she was angelic in the bridge. Let's talk about the goddamn bridge for a minute. THE HAELY DUO DANCE ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? And I am so overjoyed to see Haewon get her big climactic vocal moment in a song. She's had the vocal chops since debut but being in the same group as THE Lily as well as so many other great vocalists mean she isn't always treated as a main vocal in the line distribution. I'm so happy for her, she sounds amazing. I am in love with High Horse, it's easily my number 1 on the album and I'm so glad it's the promoted bside.
Know About Me I really like it! The production is really lush, I'm obsessed with everyone's mm-mms in the chorus, and Jiwoo's rap is really addictive. Even though it's more of a chill song it has some bigger moments that release tension, namely the dance break and Lily's excellent vocal moment leading up to the 2nd chorus. Haely's adlibs and harmonies are on point as always, I will never get tired of them. Haewon's "show you that, show you that, mm-mm" in the final chorus scratches an itch in my brain just right. A gripe I do have is that the second verse is really short. I see this in a lot of songs and I'm not a fan, it always feel like they're rushing to the next chorus. I'm one of those people who hates 2 minute songs. I wouldn't say Know About Me feels incomplete necessarily, but it could certainly be longer without overstaying its welcome. SQU4D definitely went for something more GP friendly for the TT. I know this bothers some fans, but for me I don't really care as long as the song is good. It feels fresh for NMIXX in terms of vibe and choreo. Though sadly as of now the song hasn't caught on in Korea. This could certainly change as they promote further. I hope to see this comeback bring great results for them. But if in the end they simply continue their steady rise, that's a good direction to go in.
Slingshot YOU CAN'T STOP ME, I'M GOING SO FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAST This song is a fucking rollercoaster. It feels longer than it is because of how it's constantly changing up. Though I would certainly not complain if it was longer. My favourite parts are Lily and Haewon's lines before the choruses and the change up. It's so goddamn bouncy and funky and I would kill to have a longer section of it. And Sullyoon's deep voice lines at the end? They did it for the girls and gays.
Golden Recipe Dem Jointz songs are either song of the year or they make you want to saw off your ears. I had high hopes for this one since I think Tank is a masterpiece and I really like Sickuhh. Sadly this one isn't hitting the same for me. I like it more after a few listens than I did at first (oh dear have i become one of those stockholm syndromed kpop fans lol). There are things I genuinely like about it. I really like how the harmonies build across every chorus. It adds depth to an otherwise very repetitive song. Personally I vibe with the brrrrrah sample and the weird strings. But my biggest problem with the song is the constant "give me that, give me that yum yum" and "it's so yummy". I don't know if it's Justin Bieber Yummy trauma or the word just gives me the ick, but I don't like it there and I can't take it seriously. I will say though, "prep it, cook it, serve it" is iconic. Honestly with some lyrical tweaks I would really fuck with this, but as it stands I find it just fine. Pspspspssps Dem Jointz if you ever wanna just like make Tank pt 2 for the mixxies I would eat that shit up.
Papillon I think of all the songs Papillon took the longest for me to digest. It is such an interesting song and I find now it really hits for me. The opening is so atmospheric and I'm glad they just let it marinate a bit before the vocals start. Bae was the perfect choice to open this song. Lily and Haewon once again devouring with the pre-choruses. The frantic pace of the chorus is such a cool contrast to hip and more chill pre-chorus. But why is this song 2:38? I hate when songs just end after the 2nd chorus. There are so many interesting instrumental elements to this song that I'm sure they could have made an engaging bridge easily.
Ocean This song is so damn beautiful. The piano feels like the gentle rise and fall of waves and I love that they used actual wave sounds in the track, it's so calming. The Big Damn Vocal Chorus is so satisfying. The change up is so cute and fits in well. The harmonised "aahs" after the chorus are simply gorgeous and I can't wait to hear them perform this. But again, and I'm gonna sound like a broken record, where is the rest of the song?? If any track on this album deserved a bridge and BIG DAMN FINAL CHORUS it's Ocean. The outro could easily have been a bridge if they had the music building up instead of winding down. I've been listening to some of Mamamoo and Red Velvet's ballads lately and god I miss good ol 4-5 minute kpop ballads.
Overall thoughts: My biggest gripe with the album is the song lengths on some songs. I don't find NMIXX's songs as egregiously short as some other artists but I'm still gonna call out when I think song quality and the song as a piece of art is compromised in the name of more streams. In terms of the quality of the music though I adore Forward, I love how fucking weird it is. It is easily NMIXX's weirdest album to date, and I hope they keep making weird music.
My current song ranking High Horse > Slingshot > Know About Me = Papillon = Ocean > Golden Recipe
If you've read this far- wow, thank you. I hope you enjoyed my ramblings to some extent at least. I assume if you've read this far you're a pretty big NSWER, so feel free to drop into my inbox to discuss the album and the girls if you want. I'm interested to hear what other NSWERs think of Forward; where you agree with me, where you disagree, and what songs were your favourite.
Happy comeback season everyone!