Bias groups can hit you unexpectedly. By time 2012 rolled around, I was already flush with favorites-- TVXQ/JYJ, SHINee, U-KISS, Teen Top, B1A4, Infinite, etc, and out of the crop of newbies, I wasn't exactly expecting to pick up a brand new top group because the age issue was beginning to hit-- I was little by little becoming a noona fan to the upcoming groups. Even loving Teen Top felt a bit weird, since I'm a year older than the oldest member and four years older than the youngest, but with the even newer groups, it felt like even more of a stretch. I felt okay liking their music and supporting them, but I wasn't exactly fangirling on the same level I would for TVXQ, for example.
In spite of the fact that I'm a noona to all the members of NU'EST, they still managed to snag me with their debut single "FACE" back in 2012. There were plenty of tough competitors out that year, but watching them on their variety shows and following their mini-album releases warmed my heart with how exciting and refreshing they were. Every one of their singles stuck out to me, and it wasn't long before they crept to the top five of my bias list.
Of course, I was thrilled when they released a full-length album (in spite of the repeat song tactics, thanks Pledis), but did it wind up winning me over? Check out my take:
Judgement: It's not often that an intro slays as hard as a full-length song, but NU'EST has a history of making it happen, such as they did with "NU, Establish, Style, Tempo" on their debut single. Their trick? Bring the hard pulsing beats they are known for and unleash the rap line! This time around, Aron and JR throw down their raps with some background Latin chanting and alarm sounds, which makes the video concept for the track come across as even more epic. A promising start, and very evocative of their blow-up beginnings with "FACE".
Big Deal: From there, the boys move onto another a hard driving number with "Big Deal," which starts off pulling on the eerie chanting from "Judgement," keeping the flow of songs cohesive. This song was one of my favorites from the album: it's musically diverse, is powerful and dance-able without losing the vocals, and allows for plenty of time for JR to show off his unique rap delivery. The instrumentation on this one is also fantastic, particularly the piano line used at the end of the chorus. The "say my name" lines actually sounds a little bit like it belongs on a MYNAME album (as MYNAME fan, I would totally be down with them covering this), but it still manages to fit for NU'EST, who are clearly using this album as a launching pad for more musical maturity, which I'm all about!
Good Bye Bye: The title track from this album was unexpected, but in the best way possible. The teasers NU'EST released for this album were for "Judgement," so many people were expecting them to lead off with a dance single like "FACE" or "Action," but while "Good Bye Bye" has a fantastic dance routine, it is actually quite a softer and more sophisticated K-Pop single, and carries on NU'EST's tradition of imparting a greater message with their music. Baekho has been suffering from a throat condition, so this track actually gives an opening for Ren, Minhyun, and even Aron to try out greater vocal roles than on previous albums, and all three rise to the challenge brilliantly. The MV for this track also shows something I'm sure most fans were not anticipating: our beautiful baby Ren with ABS (and live fish consumption, but yeah, I think the abs shocked me more). The track may not be the most energetic track on the radio, but it's smart and polished and good new step for NU'EST.
사랑 없는 사랑 (Love Without Love): The group continues to keep things slower with "Love Without Love." Lyrically, it's one of my favorites from the album, and is a strong slower pace number for the vocal line, which quite honestly has never sounded better together than on this album. NU'EST deserves props for spacing the vocal parts out nicely on the album, which some of their sunbae groups could stand to learn, in my opinion. Some artists are guilty of straying into filler territory at this part of the album, but Re:Birth is still going strong.
Storybook: I feel like this track could have gone either way for me, as the subject matter is a bit more cheesy than the rest of the album with all of the fairy tale references, but the way the second half of the chorus is done instrumentally and vocally won me over. Not my favorite by far, but for fans of cute and sincere tracks, this one should do well.
CLIMAX: This one is more up my alley from the midway point, and is what I think of as a sneaky track-- it's somewhat buried in the album, and can get lost in the shuffle for people who focus in more on the singles and start off tracks, but has a lot of charm points that will make it your secret favorite. It's short and sweet and to the point, but the chorus is simply infectious and the sound is likable. A good track for this part of the album, and once again it keeps the album from feeling like the group is indulging in filler to round it out, which is a relief for fans since quite a bit of the album already contains singles from previous albums, so every new track should count.
어깨빌려줘 (Feat. 계범주) (Lend Me Your Shoulder feat. Kye Bumjoo): When I saw a feature vocalist song on the line-up, I was at first assuming it would be a ballad-y number with some female vocalist support, but this one is a swanky R&B number with some additional hip-hop vocal support from Superstar K4's Kye Bumjoo. This song is especially special to me because it talks about NU'EST's recent growth, with Aron's rap in particular discussing his journeys from LA to Seoul to become a K-Pop star. As an Aron bias (he's only two years younger than me, so it's okayyyy), I loved hearing that part of his story, and I really admire his strength. This a beautiful track, and a strong finish to NU'EST's fresh material (minus the bonus track we'll hit later)
FACE: This track, as well as the rest of the album other than the bonus track, has been out for awhile, so I'll touch on them briefly. This was the group's debut single, an electropop dance track tackling issues of school violence. An overall epic and positive start for NU'EST when compared to some of the more inane concepts groups get saddled with, and even tolerable for people who don't like the dubstep that was very in when NU'EST got their start.
Action: Like "FACE," "Action" was a strong starter single for NU'EST with plenty of drive and energy, and was a fun self-confidence anthem to boot. The dubstep break I could have done without, but I think this song did a great job of showcasing JR and Aron's unique rap deliveries, and I absolutely love Ren's part (just remember: HE HAS ABS NOW).
여보세요 (Hello): I'm a fan of groups who occasionally choose ballads for singles, because, you know, not everything in this world needs to be an electro dance number to be good. The vocals on this are glorious, though the cheating GF video can be a bit odd if you 1) don't want to see JR's kiss scene 2) are weirded out by the fact that Ren is supposed to be one of the guys the girl is cheating on considering his visuals at the time.
잠꼬대 (Sleep Talking): Though not as strong as "FACE" or "Action," "Sleep Talking" was a fun-spirited and catchy single, that was actually pretty easy to sing along to, which is an added bonus for international fans. The video on this one was also very clever, and is one of my favorite MVs from them.
Bonus Track- Hey, Love: Our very own fandom gift! This track is CD only, so if you are a L.O.Λ.E, stop fooling around and buy the damn album-- it's so good! Like most songs of this kind, it's a cuter love ode to their fans. It's a fairly standard fan number, but is a very sweet treat if you've stood by this group so far!
Overall? I'm not going to lie about the fact that I was a little bit ticked by the repeat tracks since I wanted a whole new album, but the new tracks were all good, so it made it easier to forgive them. "Big Deal" and "Good Bye Bye" were my two favorites, but I didn't get the "filler" feeling from any of their new tracks, which made me proud to be a fan. They've matured nicely (I REPEAT: REN HAS ABS), and their new sound is definitely something to get excited about. I'd bump them down to a B+ because I wanted more new tracks, but a great album all the same!
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