ENHYPEN ‘Romance : Untold’ Review: All 8 Songs Ranked

With a mixture of breakbeat and punk-rock influences, “Paranormal” is certainly not a nasty music on an album the place each monitor sounds prefer it might have competed as a lead single. As a substitute, this minimize doesn’t ship the identical quantity of growth and evolution as the opposite Romance : Untold tracks when ENHYPEN has spent years taking part in round with rock and punk influences — although the extra digital and drum-break parts refresh the style for them.

A right away takeaway from Romance : Untold is simply how cool the ENHYPEN guys sound on this report. Whereas the band shared that on this LP they “wished to disclose extra of our ‘boyfriend’ sides,” they appear just like the form of accomplice with a each day shock or sudden delight. From Jungwon main off with the primary “Let’s sugar discuss!” line to Heeseung’s breathy “You possibly can chunk me, you full me” lyric, after which all seven guys coming collectively on the laid-back refrain reminds us that thesearen’t the youngsters we watched compete for his or her desires on I-Land in 2020 and so they’ve matured into top-class gentleman.

A beautiful fan music devoted to ENHYPEN’s adoring ENGENEs, “Freeway 1009” not solely has all seven members co-writing the monitor but additionally sees eldest member Heeseung appearing as a most important producer. ENHA’s “boyfriend sides” are cranked as much as 11 on this monitor — repeating strains like “Are you able to stick with me a bit of bit extra?” and “I informed you want 1,000,000 instances/ With you the whole lot will likely be all proper” — with the tender, acoustic instrumentation solely including to the heartfeltness.

However the monitor can also be a personalised love letter particularly for ENGENEs with some intelligent wordplay (“Trigger I’ll be there be your engine now”) and a theme of happening the street of “Freeway 1009” (with 1009 being an angel quantity), making it a really particular addition to ENHYPEN’s most beautiful tracks like “Orange Flower (You Full Me),” which the septet carried out with “Freeway 1009” at a showcase for the brand new album.

By the point “Hundred Damaged Hearts” performs at Monitor No. 4 on Romance : Untold, the “boyfriend aspect” vibes are established, and this minimize delivers one of many report’s most romantic moods. Over icy, ’80s-inspired synthesizers, ENHYPEN promise “100 damaged hearts, 100 damaged hearts/ It’s not our destiny.” With lyrics co-penned by chief Jungwon, “Hundred Damaged Hearts” delivers a declaration that this love is completely different, a promise of safety, and a dedication to forgo clichés of affection songs and novels. Swoon.

Regardless of a considerably brief tracklist for a full-length album, Romance : Untold continues to be tremendous satisfying for the way recent it feels in comparison with previous ENHYPEN data. The laidback funk and surf-pop sounds in “Royalty” are excellent for a mid-July launch and mark a summery new soundscape for the group to shine inside. One more monitor that sounds prefer it might simply be heard throughout High 40 radios this summer season, “Royalty,” reminds the listener of the true global-pop promise of ENHYPEN.

Whereas Cirkut has produced Billboard Scorching 100 chart-topping hits for the likes of The Weeknd, Maroon 5, Pitbull, Sam Smith and Kim Petras, the super-pop producer additionally teamed up with ENHYPEN final 12 months on “Chew Me,” the lead single off the group’s first High 5 album on the Billboard 200 Darkish Blood. Whereas the dizzying dance-pop of “Introduced the Warmth Again” isn’t the consultant single for Romance : Untold (though, it was possible a contender), this newest Cirkut-ENHYPEN team-up is much more inventive and experimental than “Chew Me” and sounds as if it could possibly be an sudden High 40 radio hit for the summer season if ENHYPEN (or one other band with rock-pop leanings like Jonas Brothers and even Joe Jonas’ DNCE undertaking) wished to go that route.

A really satisfying experimental pop expertise, we hope “Introduced the Warmth Again” will result in extra Cirkut work for ENHYPEN as a result of each this and “Chew Me” present the hitmaker clearly having a number of enjoyable with the liberty Ok-pop productions can ship.

Throughout a go to to Billboard Information, Jungwon famous how “beforehand our songs showcased highly effective and darkish sides” and that Romance : Untold permits a extra tender and romantic aspect. But when ENHYPEN wished to squeeze out one final single with a darker idea, “Moonstuck” would have been a wonderful selection. Mixing eerie synthesizers, attractive harp pluckings and an emphasis on the members’ falsettos, the music additionally seems like a matured tackle ENHYPEN’s very wonderful debut single “Given-Taken” from 2020, marking a full-circle musical second for the group.

Whereas it won’t be as refreshing as a number of the different Romance : Untold songs when in comparison with the boy band’s general discography, “Moonstruck” opens the LP as a reminder of what ENHYPEN does greatest with the remainder of the LP open for brand spanking new sonic adventures and experimentation.

A big theme surrounding the triumphs all through Romance: Untold is how a lot ENHYPEN pushes themselves as artists all through the LP. From a fan music penned by all seven members to a number of the most revolutionary tracks of their discography, the album’s lead single, “XO (Solely If You Say Sure),” not solely pushes the group in new and thrilling musical instructions but additionally has a possibility to make a optimistic push in society at giant.

Whereas the album showcases a extra romantic aspect of ENHYPEN, additionally they accomplish that in probably the most respectful methods. Because the title hints, “XO (Solely If You Say Sure)” is a consent anthem the place ENHYPEN wish to present like to their accomplice however will solely give X’s and O’s (kisses and hugs) with permission. At the same time as the blokes beg to get the OK over the glitchy, electro-pop manufacturing, ENHYPEN are positive to verify their accomplice is snug: Sunghoon opens the second verse asking, “Can I kiss you? Can I hug you?” and Jake follows up with “Would you kiss me? Would you hug me?”

South Korea and America characterize two of ENHYPEN’s largest markets and a majority of the members’ residence nations. Each nations are additionally battling heated political and social environments the place poisonous masculinity too generally runs unchecked as respect for girls is downplayed. ENHYPEN not solely set an instance of respect for his or her fellow males to comply with on the futuristic “XO,” but additionally for what different men and women can and will count on of their relationships.

“XO” additionally will get bonus factors to push it to No. 1 on this rating for additionally together with an extra English model on the album with one of many music’s precise producers JVKE — well-known for his Billboard Scorching 100 High 10 hits “Golden Hour” — as a featured vocalist. The selection offers the brand new model a pure match and sound (particularly for JVKE, who’s so clearly centered on changing into ENHYPEN’s eighth member) as an alternative of tacking on an extra artist who would possibly really feel random or go towards the band’s unique beliefs.