Hello and welcome in! Today we’re taking a look at Boynextdoor’s debut album, Who!
This debut album was very bright and summery. Which is very hit or miss for me, personally. However, Boynextdoor managed to pull it off very well. And I think what does it for me is this nostalgic undercurrent that runs through it. I’m not sure if it’s the instrumentation or the way the vocals are layered into it, but the tracks manage to feel like both a flashback and fresh at the same time. Like the male counterpart to NewJeans, Boysnextdoor has a vibe that feels like they’re meant to bring people together regardless of age.
The choreography is very cute and catchy to match how fun and light the songs are. They feel very accessible as a group. But I do want to critique a bit. For me personally, One and Only is the only track I added to my playlist. While the other two tracks are cute and fun, they weren’t memorable for me outside of the music video. I felt like the music videos for Serenade and But I Like You held more weight than the songs. And while it’s lovely that their personality brings so much impact to the songs, I wanted a bit more from the songs themselves. And that could very well change in the future. I’ve been known to change my mind.
Additionally, there is a particular whine to a few of their vocals that isn’t quite my cup of tea. It almost feels like perhaps it is a key too high sometimes. It’s a specific vocal style that I am more on the fence with than the summer vibe style. So the fact that I actually really love One and Only is a testament to the strength of that song. And I commend them for what they have done here, not just with that track but with the whole mini album.
BOYNEXTDOOR is KOZ’s first boy group consisting of six members: Sungho, Riwoo, Jaehyun, TaeSan, LeeHan, and Woonhak. Just like their friendly name, they seek empathy by talking about everyday life and expressing various emotions through their easy listening yet original music. (source: KOZ)