EXO is back with REVERXE, their eighth studio album - and their first group release since 2023’s EXIST. With nine new tracks, a bold concept, and a six-member lineup, fans have been waiting to see if this marks a true new era or just a brief return.
In this episode, Chris and Chantel Nicole go track by track through REVERXE, breaking down the vocals, production, lyrics, and overall direction. From high-energy lead single CROWN to experimental cuts like Moonlight Shadows and Flatline, we’re digging into what works, what surprised us, and what might leave some listeners divided.
Was REVERXE worth the wait? Does EXO still set the standard for K-pop albums? Let’s get into it.
- 0:00 - Intro
- 0:47 - "REVERXE" Album Info
- 2:24 - Album Cover
- 3:53 - "Crown"
- 25:51 - "Back It Up"
- 37:02 - "Crazy"
- 42:01 - "Suffocate"
- 48:48 - "Moonlight Shadows"
- 54:14 - "Back Pocket"
- 59:38 - "Touch & Go"
- 1:04:11 - "Flatline"
- 1:08:54 - "I'm Home"
- 1:17:24 - Cut or Keep
- 1:20:50 - Overall Thoughts & Final Rating
References:
- “Crown” MV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWfKkqo1Mk8&pp=ygUMZXhvIGNyb3duIG120gcJCXwKAYcqIYzv
- “Crown” Choreography at Music Bank https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEUR2TRM9XQ&pp=ygUWZXhvIGNyb3duIGNob3Jlb2dyYXBoeQ%3D%3D
- #MMA2025 Performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1oeUV45EsA&pp=ygUJZXhvIG1lbG9u
- “I’m Home” MV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hTbNeHqGD8&pp=ygUNZXhvICdpJ20gaG9tZQ%3D%3D
- “I’m Home” Live at REVERXE Showcase https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4NHHKRWptg&pp=ygUNZXhvICdpJ20gaG9tZQ%3D%3D
00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 Back it up, back it up, stack it up, back it, back it, back it up.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:34 This is CCTV, the nonstop pop show where we provide our unfiltered, honest opinions on global pop music. And EXO is finally back! Yay! Yeah. Question mark! Are they really? Not in full. Right, right, right. Because they said. We'll talk about that. So yeah, we've talked through EXO's whole career before in our Pop 101 series. And we also reviewed their last album.
00:00:35 --> 00:00:47 So you have to go check those out if you haven't. But let's get into the brand new 8th studio album, Reverse or Reverx? Reverx. Sure. Sure.
00:00:47 --> 00:01:17 All right, so release this January 2026. Reverse is EXO's first release in many years due to the military service that the members had to participate in. And just you wait. One day your fave will have to serve too. Just wait. The album comes at a transitional moment for the group due to ongoing contract issues. Chen, Baekhyun, and Shumin are not a part of this release, making Reverse a six-member EXO album instead of the nine. At least Lay is back.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:46 In real life, physically, in the music videos. Not great screen. Yeah. Yeah. So the title Reverse plays on the idea of Reverse, which positions the album as both a reset and a reintroduction, looking back at EXO's legacy, while also signaling a new chapter in this new era. So even with the reduced lineup and the backlash from some fans, with the idea that they are coming back not...
00:01:46 --> 00:02:12 completely as a full lineup. The album did debut very strongly on digital charts across multiple regions, showing that EXO's audience is very much still locked in. So let's see if this music is any good. Let's dive into the production, vocals, visuals, performances, if they exist, of each song, and we will drop our individual ratings. But be warned, viewer discretion is advised. Your fave will be criticized.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:38 That's right. No glazing here. So let's get on to the album. We're going to start with the album cover, of course. I mean, hello. Here we are with EXO's iconic iconography. The logo taking up the shape of the album's overall vibe. I'm getting EXO Planet because otherwise there's no way we get a rock after all this time. There's no way we're getting a rock. It's getting EXO Planet.
00:02:38 --> 00:03:03 It's definitely giving Exoplanet... It also kind of looks like it could be a painting, like a watercolor situation. Okay, okay. I feel that. I feel that. So yeah, you get that and you also get the etched engraving in the rock situation. I'm going to be honest, Exo's album covers... I mean, I do think their logo is quite iconic and recognizable. Yes.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:29 But it's a booty. It's not the most eye-catching. This one, no. I would say, like, even with the last one exists, it was a firework. It was colorful. It was vibrant. This is very muted. And no one can say, like, oh, it was on purpose. We get that it was on purpose. You know, months go into conceptualizing things. But for this to be like the, hey, we're getting back together. This is our moment. The title track being what it is.
00:03:30 --> 00:03:47 This isn't giving like, we're back. It's just giving, we're back. Hey, what's up? How you doing? Y'all know us. Yeah. My favorite is still the war with the flower. Yeah. Very cool. Talking to the hands. Yeah. Right now it's giving, hello, Rocco.
00:03:48 --> 00:04:04 Yeah. This one's giving a whole amount of time. Yeah. Okay, so let's get into the first song. Yeah. The title track, which is Crown. This was done by Kang Eun Jung, Yoon, Adrian McKinnon, Ninos Hana, Fabian Zeke, and Pink Slip.
00:04:10 --> 00:04:26 Yeah, you know, that was me singing the song, if you guys couldn't tell. And now you have a crown on your head. Yes, I do. Okay, so this song, Crown, much like the one on my head.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:48 Okay, what I will say about the lyrics is that they are romantic. I mean, what is a bold title check from EXO if it's not romantic and a little obsessive, okay? I swoon, I sigh, but also my heart races. Lyrics like, even if it breaks me, I'll give it all, protect the crown for you. You ding, right you will.
00:04:48 --> 00:05:09 Give me Prince and Demian. Give me Sailor Moon. Give it to me. Adrian McKinnon is such an awesome producer. Like I said, he's done a lot of Exos production and NCT's Collective's production as well. SM, if they ever need someone to really craft that sound for the group...
00:05:09 --> 00:05:24 He's the guy. The song bounces, but it has this heavy, really tense sounding bass that I appreciate. And it makes the stakes feel really high. I think that's so important in this song. I think we can say, oh my god, this song is so good, and they sing so well, and blah blah blah blah blah blah.
00:05:24 --> 00:05:45 And like completely glaze the whole album. But I think it's important to really just focus on the parts of the music that make it feel strong. Because I remember seeing some people that I know be like, I don't know if this EXO project is for me. And I get it. Like, I think after so many years of having the NCT hip hop and even with Rise kind of having a hip hop-y sound.
00:05:45 --> 00:06:02 And then not hearing EXO, you might think this could have been one of their songs. And I don't think that is the case with this song. I do feel like there is no Yoo Young Jin trademark SMP situation. Like it's absent. And don't get me wrong, that random, yeah!
00:06:02 --> 00:06:24 And a song throws people off. I get it. But like, that's what would have taken this song to another level. Right? It would have felt like a battle would have been waged. We would have gotten maybe like, hopefully not like an awkward key change. Like we got in like vampire favorite, you know, NCT. I can't say I love the key changes, but the years. Yeah. The years. I mean.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:47 Listen, you can never say that this group can't sing. I will say that now and probably later. But I really do miss Chen, Baekhyun, and Shumin on this song. I will not take it back. I will never not say it. But I could totally hear where they could be like that, you know, coming for that is Shumin or even the the the woes, the woes. Shumin could do it. Certain notes like
00:06:47 --> 00:07:06 I could hear Chen singing. Like, Suho, I appreciate him stepping up and doing what he has to do vocally. Yeah. But Sehun and Chan-yul are not the typical vocalists. I'm not saying that they sound bad, but when you're sitting there trying to fill in all these gaps, it's like, oh, I can hear where this would have been kind of
00:07:06 --> 00:07:32 Or I could hear this one member, like maybe so-and-so should have been here. Like a D.O., Chen, and Baekhyun vocal moment at the end of the bridge and at the end of the song. No one can tell me that that wouldn't have been like, oh my God, yes. I mean, think Wolf. Think Overdose. Like these guys would be either riffing off and having a VH1 Divas battle or at least some crazy harmonies would have been happening. You know what I'm saying? Because they're all like in this like...
00:07:32 --> 00:07:57 amazing part of their lives and their vocals where they just like, we can do anything at this point. And the song would have been made better for it, I think. But there's a lot of things missing from like the SMP right now, aside from like the obvious three members missing. Yeah. Shout out to Leigh for his four lines. The sheep. The sheep came back to go, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba. Stop. Ba, ba, ba, ba. The sheep came back. You know he's known as the sheep, right? Sure. Sure.
00:07:58 --> 00:08:14 I am the sheep. He's my bias. I love Leigh. So yes, I'm very excited he's back. Yeah. You're right. Let's just talk about, let's get the CBX discussion out of the way. Oh, yeah. Because I think we could say across the entire album, they are sorely missed. Yeah.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:43 For sure. Chen is actually my favorite vocalist in EXO. I think he's just absolutely insane. And of course, Baekhyun, his tone is just so recognizable. And there's a reason he had the status that he had, right, in the group. Yeah. And it is sorely missed here. He has that thick, it's just very, it just makes an impact whenever he sings.
00:08:43 --> 00:09:07 It does. It does. Because Kim Soo is a little bit more of a crooner. I mean, if you listen to his solo stuff, he is just gliding on the record. This is why Beckham was in, was it Super M? Super M. Like, come on. Even with his solo stuff. Like, oh, okay. Sorry. Yeah. That little mink is saying, y'all. Hello, little mink. So, yeah. It is really sad that we've been waiting all these years for an EXO comeback and...
00:09:07 --> 00:09:31 They couldn't get it together to include them all. Yeah. But I'll take the win that Lei is back. Yay! And yes, he was in, you know, Don't Fight the Feeling, that album as well. Yeah, he was. But yeah, I'll take it. I'll take what I can get at this point. But definitely, I hope this is the only project we get without Baekhyun.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:45 Oh, me too. I hope they can get the whole money thing situated, but I think it was a lot more complicated. Unfortunately, I think there's a lot of pride involved as well. Right. I think everyone... Yeah. Exactly. Yes, which is what's wrong. Yeah, going back to Crown...
00:09:46 --> 00:10:05 Well, it's good. It's good. It has grown on me. I'm going to admit the first time I heard it, I was kind of like, and I think you were with me, actually. I think we watched the music video together. I was at least kind of like, it's okay. I've never listened to that yet. It does feel like a very clear...
00:10:06 --> 00:10:36 progression maybe progression is not the right word it feels like it's in the same family as monster as overdose okay that's valid you know so i can see why they wanted something like this but it's not as head turning as like love shot or tempo or yeah you know yeah um that's valid
00:10:36 --> 00:10:49 it's missing that it's missing the uniqueness. Like you, you mentioned like someone listening to this now could be like, Oh, this could be an NCT song. Like this could be, and I hate that for them.
00:10:50 --> 00:11:16 I hate that for them because they're so much more than that. Yeah. But in terms of the actual track, though, I think the backing track is awesome. It's super intense. I love the metal elements in it. The electric guitars are so harsh and the drums are super heavy. But then you get these like EDM synths and there's like trap drums in there too. So then it kind of mixes dance pop in there. I think the whole dynamic of the backing track is awesome. And...
00:11:17 --> 00:11:32 the harmonies, you know, SM, even with all the creative people leaving SM, they've kept the foundation of the R&B vocals. So the harmonies are still super, super full. And
00:11:32 --> 00:11:53 And the whole vocal execution is great. Like some amazing textures done throughout by all the members. You mentioned Chanyeol earlier. I actually love when Chanyeol sings, you know, because he brings something so different from everyone else in the group. His voice was like, things? Yeah. Yeah. Every time he sings, it like perks my ears a little bit, I would say. And he sounds really good here. Yes. Yeah.
00:11:54 --> 00:12:07 Yeah, I will say, like, yeah, Suho did sound good, you know, doing that big note in the bridge. But you know that wasn't supposed to be him. You know? That would have been Baekhyun or Chan.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:32 Yeah, it would have been, I think it would have been Chen and Tibetan taking it at the end. Yeah, we're fans, y'all. First of all, before we, you know what you're talking about. First of all, first of all, can I just say when we did our first Pop 101 deep dive of XO, I said I think that the next album might be their freaking last. People got mad at me. Now, look, you need to watch the show if you want to know what's happening. We are fans. And I only said it from a place of love.
00:12:32 --> 00:12:58 Okay. But now look at this. No one to listen to me. And I was being called all types of names. Well, one name, but like, not a true fan. Sure. I'm making up haters. I know. But we did get some comments. We're like, you don't know what you're talking about. We did. We did. Yeah. Yeah. But like, yeah, I don't know. Like this song, like lyrically, I agree with you. The whole idea of them coming back to take the crown. Yeah. That would have been so much more powerful with all nine.
00:12:59 --> 00:13:25 Oh my god, yes. Nine princes vying for your heart. Oh my god! Can we talk about the video really quickly? Speaking of the princess? Yes. Okay, okay, okay. Have you ever heard of Love in Deep Space? No. Okay, so Love in Deep Space is a game, right? You play like an RPG, you have to fight in what night, earn points or whatever. But the whole point is that as I'm sitting here, right here. So this is one of the characters from it. This is Raphael. I have the other ones on my... Hey Raphael. Raphael is a mermaid.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:49 um anyway yes okay so here's my reason i bring them up right so there are there are cards that you can win not these cards but cards in the game that you can win it's a gotcha game so basically you get enough points or something like that you buy the set of cards and the set of cards depending on the class s class or something like that or five star car is like the biggest one you can get right so here's the thing right they get dressed up like princes sometimes like all i could see when i was watching this video was rafael
00:13:49 --> 00:14:13 savior, Zayn, Caleb, and Silas singing this. I was like, oh my God, coming for the crown, fighting for your heart and your love and stuff like that. Chris, you don't understand. The lads. I don't. The lads game is so delicious. If you guys play Love in Deep Space, you watch or make an edit. So I make an edit of Love in Deep Space with Crown with XO. I just want to say it's just...
00:14:13 --> 00:14:32 Yeah, but yes, anyway, point is getting past that. I was just watching it thinking, oh my god, I would love to see one of the lads boys in this these uniforms. I love the Prince thing. I will say that I hate the first bit of that video with all the AI in it. I'm not saying that you can't use AI. Whatever, not my business, whatever. But it just looked so crappy.
00:14:33 --> 00:15:01 Like, it just looks so, like, crappy in the beginning. Like, you know when it's, like, the camera's, like, rushing to this almost Mount Olympus-esque, like, cloud castle thing? It just looks so crappy and, like, slop. And I was just like, come on. Y'all can afford to actually get people to make the CGI, like, look nice. It just looked really bad. But then when you finally do get to the guys, you're like, okay, there we go. I don't mind CGI in it. There was a lot of it. A lot of it. Yeah.
00:15:01 --> 00:15:29 But I think in the beginning, I was getting kind of turned off from that. But I think throughout the video, there were really good moments displaying their powers and all these other things. I was like, wow, this is really cool. The crown, inside the crown dancing. That was pretty cool. My eyes couldn't take all of it at once. But I appreciate the concept of them dancing inside the crown. I think my favorite part, I know this probably sounds so strange, but my favorite part is probably in the beginning. Because...
00:15:30 --> 00:15:55 No, no. I know how this sounds. Hang on. Hang on. Let me cook, y'all. So, if you guys watch, at 13 seconds, Kyungsoo is leaning on what I think is a tombstone. I don't like that it was tombstone-shaped, but the point is, he's leaning on a stone that has the Roman numerals for the group's debut, April 8th, 2012! Literally, it says...
00:15:55 --> 00:16:18 V-I-I-X-M-M, whatever point is, I was like, I know those numbers. I can read Roman numeral. And I did. I was right. I was like, that's cute. I will say, like, the power references throughout the video. Do you remember the powers, Chris? I was super excited about the powers, I will say. Yeah. You know, because I loved that concept in the beginning of EXO. And you can hear us talk about this in our 101 episode. Yeah.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:37 But I was very excited that the powers were back. However, I agree with you that some of the visual effects, this was way too much. What do you mean? There is so much going on in this video. Yeah. And it didn't need to be this chaotic.
00:16:38 --> 00:16:55 Like, it felt like they just put every single concept possible they could think of and put it all in there. Because, honestly, all they really needed was some cool moments for all six of them to use their powers in various ways. Yeah. Yeah.
00:16:55 --> 00:17:21 And then give us a really cool dance scene. That's kind of all I needed from this. Right. And instead, we got like all this stuff, like Kai being shot with the arrows. And then you had D.O. turning into the marble statue, then immediately breaking out of the marble. Because Leigh healed him. Like at this point, their powers are all together. It's the Avengers thing. Like even though Lee Suman's not there, the spirit is still there. I know, but I feel like the story didn't fully, like at all. It was a lot.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:41 It was just a lot. Like, I almost... Like, I feel like if they were going to go that route, like, it should have been, like, all of them were, like, when the videos started, were, like, in danger or something. Yeah. And then, like, they all used their powers to get out of it. And then, like, they're battling... I mean, this is now going back to the whole Kuang-ya thing. Like, S-ma does with their battling. But...
00:17:41 --> 00:18:09 I don't know, like, they needed, like, an enemy. Like, who is shooting at Kai? Do you know what I mean? You know, I get it. Because when they did the teaser trailer that was, like, three minutes long, they were in contemporary clothing. They were contemporary people. Like, human, like, regular people. There was no, like, okay, these are the princes, and they're fighting for their lives. And then the video's a continuation. The video was the movie all by itself. And because the movie needed hours, three hours and not three minutes to be fleshed out, I get what you're saying.
00:18:09 --> 00:18:27 It was just a lot. It was. Yeah. Can I just say what confused me the most was in the beginning, right? You have Suho. He's surrounded by water. Tanyo has the fire. He's engulfed in the flames. Dio is crushing the top of that weird tombstone shaped thing. I don't like that as a tombstone. And then Lei is giving the tree life. Like he's like, you know. Yeah. Yeah.
00:18:27 --> 00:18:55 healing yeah healing there you go and then say whom confusingly enough has the power of lightning like the song starts right for the whole back i hated that part i'm like give it to do hello hello hello anyway point is point is i get that he's wind and finally they brought it back with the was it the wind what's that thing called the wind the wind thing that catches the wind and the winds are blowing oh yeah yeah yeah i like his room who had the i'm trying to figure out
00:18:55 --> 00:19:10 I don't mind all the craziness. So D.O. is Earth. So it makes sense that he was doing the whole thing. But isn't Lightning Chen's power? Exactly. Hello. Sorry. Hello. It's giving... So...
00:19:11 --> 00:19:31 confusing. Don't confuse me. Yes, wind is not the same as lightning. Yeah, but they're like, he's just questioning it. I think I can appreciate it. They had a little bit more of a build-up, but there was no build-up. It was just... Intense! There were some cool shots, but it was just like, it just felt like too much
00:19:31 --> 00:19:56 I agree. I understand. I could have taken more shots of just cool shots of Kai teleporting places. Do you know what I mean? No, I could have used more of that, I'm saying. I didn't need all the stuff. They each just needed one or two really cool moments. Yes. Not the whole video. Right.
00:19:57 --> 00:20:20 yeah but yeah i think that was i think it's the part of the story right even though the song is about love which i think is so interesting they've made it like the antagonists were like these shadowy figures so again i think i can appreciate it but i really do wish they wouldn't have just shoved three hours worth into it yeah the worst cgi for me was i think it's during one of the dance scenes and the building like starts collapsing around them and it just looked so bad
00:20:21 --> 00:20:46 oh hang on have you guys seen sailor moon i know you have of course yeah promise of the rose when the planet is falling away like that's what it could have been giving but it didn't i get it i totally get it i i get it guys you've got to believe in the power of love you've got to believe oh my um okay let's talk about the choreography oh i sang the song wrong but yes the choreography yes
00:20:47 --> 00:21:04 Yeah, the crown. Okay, so the point dance is the crown with the body roll back. The body roll, yeah. I'm not mad at that. No, not at all. As the point dance. Yes. I will say, I want to see them do this in less stiff clothing.
00:21:04 --> 00:21:28 Oh. Because those Prince outfits that they've been doing it in. Very rigid. Very, very rigid. Yeah. And it makes it feel very stiff, this choreography. It makes the silhouette fun. Because it's quite tense. The choreography is very tense, and it's a lot of arms. Yeah. And a lot of, like, stiff arms. Yeah. Like, they're not groovy arms. It's a lot of, like, punching and, like, very, very sharp. Yeah.
00:21:28 --> 00:21:48 Yeah. So the whole thing just feels super tense. And I'm going to be honest, other than that crown moment, the rest of it, I don't really remember much of it. You don't remember the tree? The animal with the tree? Okay, yes. The tree. Okay, yes. I do have a note about the little wolf tree. I'll take that.
00:21:50 --> 00:22:05 Yeah. I think I like some of the shapes in the choreography. I do appreciate what they're doing. I love the Sehun Kai moment. Like, yes, they dance together, but because of the member lossage, if you want to call it that, a member shortage...
00:22:05 --> 00:22:20 They're having to dance together and sing together. Cause I mean, who else could be sitting singing those parts or, you know what I'm saying? Maybe it would have been Schumann or I think now that there are little gaps here and they can get to see different pairings, vocal pairings. I do appreciate those moments like that. Um,
00:22:20 --> 00:22:46 Yeah, I can't remember too much about the choreography. I'm so sorry, guys. I know. I think being XOL is not just saying, oh, my God, oh, my God, this is amazing, but also saying, I don't think this was amazing, and that's okay. It wasn't bad, but it's missing a little something, missing an ingredient. Yeah. I watched it a few times, and honestly, it just feels like a lot of arms. Yeah.
00:22:47 --> 00:23:11 Like the whole time. You know that part in the middle when they're all in levels and doing like... Yeah. The whole thing just feels like a lot of arms. And I think part of it, though, is potentially the costuming as well. I don't know. I need to think about it more. But I then rewatched stuff like Monster and Overdose and stuff. And I was like, no, those really had more...
00:23:12 --> 00:23:25 there was more going on in those more memorable moments. I think for... Than this. I'm not the choreographer. I agree. I'm not the choreographer. But I think based off what we were listening to with all the heavy rock and things like that, a lot of...
00:23:25 --> 00:23:52 If it's a male choreographer, maybe they were thinking like chest, broad chest, sharp elbows. You know what I'm saying? Like there's not a lot of moments to kind of groove, really. You know what I'm saying? And it is a siren. Yeah. Yeah, that's true. It has a bounce, but it's not bouncy. It's a boing kind of sound. Like there's a siren in it. It's very, I can't hear a female artist singing to this, really. Like maybe like, yeah, I could.
00:23:52 --> 00:24:21 anyone could cover it for sure. But because it is so strong and masculine presenting, I think the whole silhouette of it is going to be very angular. And like you said, because of all the the stiff prince-ness, it doesn't look like, like it's not their best, it's not terrible. But I think what really makes it stand out is when we watch like a Suho. If you guys are trying to figure out what we're thinking of, like when I watch Suho, he's like either like a second behind or a second too fast. And because the dance is so sharp,
00:24:21 --> 00:24:49 If you've seen Call Me Baby, he does not roll his shoulders like everyone. We all make the joke. I've seen the GIFs on like, you know, throughout the years. He's not the most smoothest dancer. And to have something that's this sharp, he almost goes too fast sometimes. And it doesn't look super fluid. Where you have Kai dancing, it's like, wow. You know, which is not fair comparison whatsoever. Whatsoever. But I'm just giving you guys an example of like how stiff it could look. And even with someone who's a good dancer and not really impressing us.
00:24:49 --> 00:25:12 Yes. I would like to see, and I hope they release the full performance video with Lei, because I will say I'm sad Lei didn't participate in any of the live performances. I'm back. Yeah, I mean, look, the fact he even got to do, take part in any of this, I'll take. Which is crazy. But he has not performed live with the group since...
00:25:12 --> 00:25:40 what like 2018 or something like that yeah literally anyway okay well what do you rate crown i mean for all the stuff that we're saying guys it's not a bad song and i do enjoy it i think i'll give it an 8.5 because i actually do like it i do like it i just miss certain moments yeah maybe i'll donate eight yeah oh yeah yeah no well
00:25:44 --> 00:26:07 moving right along to Back It Up! Back It Up! Back It Up! Stack It Up! Rack It Up! And this was done by Don Mills, Kang Eun-Jong, Ned Houston, Chelsea Warner, and Judith Wick, Ronnie Svedson, and Heffy Beluga. That is a fun name. Like a whale? Mm-hmm. I can take off my crown now, I guess. Or should I leave it on? Leave it on.
00:26:07 --> 00:26:17 Let's leave it on, see how long it stays on. All right, so we got Back It Up. This must premiere during the group's live performance at the 2025 Melon Music Awards.
00:26:22 --> 00:26:40 I remember this song. Yes. I wasn't expecting this, though. I would say that. I was like... I loved this. Oh, you did. I remember. Yeah, when the performance came on, I was like, okay, yes, this is extremely fun, and they killed it. And then, honestly, let's talk about the choreography first, because obviously our first impression of the song was the performance.
00:26:40 --> 00:26:54 He's like, so this choreography, no, the reason I want to talk about it is because I know I kind of said I wasn't that into what they ended up doing with Crown. This has what I want. Yeah.
00:26:55 --> 00:27:20 Yeah, it does still have some super intricate and sharp moments throughout, but there are those softer moments that allow the whole thing to breathe a bit. Yes. And there's just a bit more of a pocket that they can sit into with some of these moves because they're not rushing the whole time to try and hit every single beat. Like this one, they have time to actually like, actually like bend their knees and kind of get into it a bit.
00:27:20 --> 00:27:49 Yeah. And the whole thing just felt very powerful, very confident. Like, you know, even if I just tuned in to the Mellon Music Awards, not knowing who anyone was, and then they were introduced as like this legendary boy group. Like, I could watch this and be like, yes. Yeah. Exactly. Totally. So this was, this I think leads to why I was then kind of disappointed even more so with Crown. Okay, yeah, that's valid. Because this really set the bar high. That's why I wanted to, yeah, start. That's so valid, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:27:49 --> 00:28:10 Yeah. What did you think of the song? Oh, I'm not going to lie. I wasn't like, what is this? Because I was thinking, like, why is all this rapping? And then I wasn't paying attention. Like, when I finally did hear the track, I was like, oh, wait, hang on. It's actually, what's the thing? I'll come back. Wait, wait, hang on. But, yeah, no, going back to what you were saying about the choreography, like, there's a bounce. Like you said, bending the knees is so important.
00:28:10 --> 00:28:30 like if anyone's ever danced and being able to kind of like do like a little little boxer thing you know the box would be bouncing on their feet the balls of their feet like that there's a lot of that there's a lot of bouncing um there's a lot of moments to let other people dance like i don't know they have a dance crew so it helps so they're not just sitting there killing themselves
00:28:31 --> 00:28:53 But yeah, like you said, there are some moments that are pretty like, slam it here, sharp. But it's not the whole dance. I do appreciate it. But the guys, they're actually having a good time doing it too. Even Kyungsoo and all his like, dead eyeness. The way the camera moved just now to match my face was amazing. But yeah, even with Kyungsoo, he's always like this, you know?
00:28:53 --> 00:29:08 You know, he was getting into it a little bit. Sehun, he starts to furrow his eyebrows a little bit. It wasn't just him being kind of hot and sexy. It was just him like really trying to lock in and get it. You guys know. XOLs know. He's always like this. Unbothered, unaffected.
00:29:09 --> 00:29:37 But when he was dancing with this one, yeah, it is part of the charm, but this one, he's kind of giving a little stank. We all know Kai's going to give it, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. But yeah, I think there is a fun confidence to this. I'm not going to lie. Suho is probably the weakest dancer at this point. He is. It sucks for him, because Chen wasn't like, oh my God, wow. Correct. He improved for a lot, though, Chen. He did. No tea, no shade, y'all. I think with Suho, I think he just doesn't do swag well.
00:29:37 --> 00:29:54 No, he's not a swag master, guys. What was that one concert we were watching? He took his shirt off and we're both like, I don't know. Well, I think he almost goes too far sometimes. Okay. Yeah. I think I've said this before. There's like a sexiness to subtlety. Yeah. Yeah.
00:29:54 --> 00:30:23 Like, if you're not trying too hard, I think, you know, there's like a sexiness to that. And Kai does that very well. Oh, my God. Yes. A little smile. I can go on. In this essay, I will. Suho, on the other hand, kind of just goes to 110 every time. Yeah. He goes just a bit too far where suddenly it's just like, you're trying too hard. No, he has really like, like, respectable, polite man vibes. And like, I don't know if I want to.
00:30:25 --> 00:30:50 Okay, guys, hear me out. Hear me out. Hear me out. Hear me out. Right? Like, think about it. Like, I'm trying to think of someone from, like, maybe NCT, for example, who's, like, super proper. Who's super proper? Oh. Doe Young. Doe Young. Yes. Doe Young. When he's, like, thrusting and stuff and, you know, trying to open your eyes, he looks scared. Like, what?
00:30:50 --> 00:31:19 And I love him. Like, I love Do Jung Jae. Do Jae Jung, whatever the DJ. I love his subunit. I enjoy his voice. He's great vocalist because Tae Il is trash. Anyway. Tae Il. Tae Il. I know. I'm just saying we don't remember him anymore. Right. I'm sorry. I don't know. I don't know her. My bad. I was so angry. Sorry. Anyway. Do Young is still like, you know. So when he's like, but Jae Hyun.
00:31:20 --> 00:31:40 you know when he's singing about roses and roses you're like oh my god there's a different doesn't mean they're not hot it's just a different kind of hot like maybe you like milky cookies with your hot that's do young that's suho and maybe you like a nightcap whatever that is for you that's jay hyun that's that's that's kai
00:31:40 --> 00:32:00 Sure. Maybe Jeno if you're like young enough but like the whole point is there's a different type of like hot. But yeah I think the song itself is hot. It's confident. It is what I thought Crown was going to be. Like I thought Crown was going to be like we're coming for the crown. You can't take us down. We're the number one. Which it kind of was.
00:32:00 --> 00:32:16 No, the lyrics were not that at all, though. I mean, that's what the intro is. This is true. This is true. But I mean, like, in terms of, like, lyricism, this is the most braggadocious, if you will. Correct. True. And I love that Chang Yeol is starting the verse.
00:32:16 --> 00:32:43 He has a sexy, a little sexy tone. Because he has a deep voice. I mean, having a deep voice in a group is nice to have. But, like, being able to sing with that voice as well, huge asset. It's not enough to be like, oh, yeah, I'm a deep voice guy. Yeah. Like, okay, what else? You know? So he's gotten better. He's singing. And I appreciate it as well. But I do appreciate when he gets in his little rapper bag. Like, do what it is that we signed you for. Thank you.
00:32:43 --> 00:33:01 Yeah, I enjoy the cockiness. And the guys, the way that they're vocally produced, whoever, I wish I could hear like the demo, but they're singing with an attitude that makes the words feel believable, regardless of whether or not you speak English or Korean. And I think the song definitely feels like a hip hop.
00:33:01 --> 00:33:21 track through and through, which I do appreciate. Because, I mean, if you're going to have a song like Back It Up, you've got to be able to back it up with not just your voices, but your attitude. So I think the whole concept is definitely enveloped in the group. I think the first post-chorus in the production, they have like these little lasers going in the back. The second verse gets a little different
00:33:21 --> 00:33:49 kind of production. So the song isn't just like this boring compilation of beats. It's a lot happening. There's, there's textures throughout. I love the Kai Sehun moment again. I like seeing them go back and forth. You don't really get to see that a lot. So I appreciate that. And this song has the ad libs and the bigger notes all over. I mean, SM is that company that you want to get right. You don't have to worry ever about anyone in their group.
00:33:50 --> 00:34:12 having useless members i have to be real here like i don't think there's a useless member in any group it just may be an underutilized member yes but like i mean leigh suho dio they do a good job of hitting the notes and keeping the ending powerful so the cbx absence like yeah cool i we've said it already but the three they do have different tones um
00:34:12 --> 00:34:36 different textures maybe not what we're used to but still effective it's like it's like the avatar cora compared to your avatar ang they're still the avatar but which one do you think is like you know giving you that giving you that awesome ending and cbx entity would be like sure you know i'm trying i'm trying to be nice here i'm trying y'all i'm trying um yeah so i'm
00:34:36 --> 00:35:03 But listening through this whole album so much over the last week, this should have been the title track. I agree. This would have made such a better statement, a more impactful statement, I think. And it fits the current lineup. Like, yes, you just mentioned CBX. I'm going to be honest. This is one of those songs where I didn't miss them as much. Exactly. That's what I'm saying. We don't need it. I'm happy with what we got. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But in Crown, I was very clearly like, oh.
00:35:03 --> 00:35:20 Baekhyun and Ched should have sung that you know what I mean yeah so yeah I really like this one I think the backing vocals and stuff here again are so good I love the in the back I think it's during the chorus where that is yeah
00:35:20 --> 00:35:45 I think the chorus, just the way it was written, it just feels fully formed. It's a very satisfying chorus just in the way it was written. And then you do have the R&B influence in the vocal execution. Again, you know, they're not just singing super cockily, cockily, is that even a word, the whole time. It's not like there's some emotion still there. There's that R&B kind of, you know, kind of sentiment. Yeah.
00:35:45 --> 00:36:14 Yeah, there. So it does still kind of give you the full range of everything. And then, yes, I do have a shout out to Lay in the bridge here. I thought he sounded really, really good. And then that little breakdown with the rap line coming back and then all the synths leading into the final chorus with all the ad-libs that you mentioned with the layering and stuff. It's such a satisfying build and end to the song. So, yeah, this is probably, spoiler alert, my favorite from this album. Yeah.
00:36:14 --> 00:36:42 Yeah. Yeah. It made the most impact for sure. That's valid. Like I said, Avatar Korra, Avatar Aang. I like Avatar Korra. Yeah. So effective. Oh, I like her. Not her fault. She got dealt a bad hand in the series. But yes, what do you rate this song? There's a music video. Give it a nine. Oh, yeah. Okay. You know what? I see your point. I will match you.
00:36:43 --> 00:37:11 Because I thought I liked crowd a little bit more, but considering how I was breaking my back to sing this song earlier, I think this is the better song. I hope we get another performance soon. Oh, yeah. Me too. Yeah. Okay. Let's move on to track three. We have Crazy. Done by Yoon, Magnus Lee, Skistad, M.L. and Leo Wee. Crazy, crazy, crazy. Matter of duty.
00:37:12 --> 00:37:32 I love these names. Oh, Leo. All right. Crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy. Now we're getting a normal track. A normal track. I know it sounds so strange, but like, I think there's a certain sound that comes with K-pop that I have been missing. But this influx of like...
00:37:33 --> 00:38:01 hip-hop R&B influences. I know it sounds so strange, but I think there's a lot of discords about K-pop and their influences and stuff like that. And I feel like Crown with the heavy metal and the electro-pop and R&B, it's all those fusions of K-pop that we like. It wasn't just like, here's a rejected demo from someone, enjoy. Same thing with Back It Up. I can't imagine a single artist here in the West doing that. And that's really important. With Crazy, this one's interesting.
00:38:01 --> 00:38:21 This is interesting. The boingy, wiry synth is the standout in the production. And I like how broody it sounds. It's not boingy, boingy, boingy like a spring in a mattress. It's just something about it just recoils in an interesting way. And the percussion drives the song and makes me think of like...
00:38:21 --> 00:38:44 Like hand boning. Or. So hand boning is a style of dancing. Where you're slapping your hands on your legs or something y'all. Or better. I was thinking of something else. Oh my goodness. This is not. Y'all. Yes. There's that. There's a tippity tappityness to the beat. Which is fun. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Or step dancing. I just think of you know. Like there's like something about it. That just keeps a very steady. I wouldn't say militant.
00:38:44 --> 00:39:09 rhythm but there's something here that just you know it's marching it's marching forward i'll just say it like that um the rim tap in the chorus takes this quasi afro beat vibe and it's cool but then at the end the tempo picks up at the end um and i do appreciate that because it creates some excitement where the vocals do not produce that like big moment at least the production is going somewhere yes um
00:39:09 --> 00:39:31 The lyrics are about a toxic lover. There's a game being played. Maybe some cat and mouse. Maybe some miltan going on. Miltan is pushing, pulling Korean. But with the rhythm of everything, I don't know if they hate it that much. The rhythm is making it seem like they're like, you're driving me crazy, girl. Crazy. You know? Yeah.
00:39:33 --> 00:40:02 And it's not the melody, obviously, but it's giving like, crazy. You know, so I like that. Nice. Yeah, I think this one is super fun. Yeah, it has a great drive to it, kind of what you were saying. I think the pre-chorus is probably my favorite part of this song. It's just a fun kind of tension building melody. It fits their voice as well there. Yeah. I think the bridge is also a highlight where the keyboard comes in. And again, you get kind of some lighter, kind of more soulful R&B vocals there just to kind of
00:40:02 --> 00:40:22 round the song out a bit. I will be honest, the chorus, the mmm, mmm, craze it, craze it, craze it. It's fine for me as a hook. Yeah. Once you get to that last chorus where, you know, you kind of get that kind of extra energy there and it kind of picks up a bit.
00:40:22 --> 00:40:43 I'm like, okay, this is fun. And I can see them performing the crap out of this. Yeah. And that being a really cool moment live. I do wish we got some extra ad libs and stuff there just to amp that part up. Like imagine Baekhyun just doing a big whale on top of that or something. Crazy, crazy. Yeah, yeah. Crazy something.
00:40:43 --> 00:41:11 Yeah. I picked a random key. And yeah, there is a frustration in the lyrics. Yeah. Different kind. You can interpret what kind of frustration that is. Oh, Christopher, what kind of time are you on today? But I think the way they, you can feel it, like in the execution, which is cool. That's valid, that's valid. So yeah, I think this one has grown on me. I think once you hear the whole thing, I think it does. It is memorable, I would say. You know what?
00:41:12 --> 00:41:41 I don't know if I feel that strongly about it. I don't know if I feel like it's memorable. I don't dislike it. It's okay for me. So what do you give it? I'll give it a 7.5. It's okay for me. Okay, I'll give it an 8. How generous. And you get me mad about my score. I don't care. Oh, yeah. Give us your scores, people. Yeah, because, you know, music is subjective. It's fun to kind of do it. But, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
00:41:41 --> 00:42:02 I can't remember this song. I think that's my biggest issue, too. Interesting. I have that issue with other songs on this album, less so this one. Okay. Okay, that's valid. That's super valid. Yeah. So let's move right along to the next couple of songs. And the next one is Suffocate. And it's done by Mola, Tim Tan, Cyrus, and Charlotte Wilson. Suffocate me, Tim.
00:42:06 --> 00:42:34 Charlotte Wilson is a name that we like here on the show. Charlotte, Miss Charlotte Wilson, please come. Come talk to us. We want to interview you. But yes, if you guys do not recognize the name, I was singing Roses earlier, but Charlotte wrote Roses by Jaehyun. I love. She did Blessed Curse by N-Hyphen, and she also did Anteem's Rush, which we both liked, and we talked about during our album review. So definitely go check out our album review of Anteem. Mm-hmm.
00:42:34 --> 00:42:59 Yes. So here we are. We're in full kind of electro pop territory now, which is good. Very much up my alley. So my favorite EXO songs are kind of, you know, this vibe. But it is still keeping the intensity that's been there these past few songs as well. Because there are these really bassy, like, whomping synths and stuff. So I think the track, again, is very cool. I kind of like how intense this kind of first half of the project is. Yeah.
00:42:59 --> 00:43:25 And yeah, Charlotte Wilson always has great melodies in her writing. So there are many here. There are also some fun kind of ethereal moments in this production as well, which makes it fun and different from what we've heard so far. Of course, this has that chorus that kind of pulls back a bit. Yeah. Yeah. Which I think is effective here. And then the vocal distribution.
00:43:26 --> 00:43:49 You mentioned kind of the back and forth in some of the previous songs. This one does a great job with kind of the call and response as well. Yes. Like you have Lei and Kai and that first verse. You got some really good harmonies throughout as well. And yeah, honestly, just listening to this, I was like, they're going to kill the performance of this. Yes. It's so delicious, this song. Yeah. Yeah.
00:43:49 --> 00:44:01 You know, guys, listen, if you're new to the show, I've been saying this for the past couple of episodes now, a man who yearns is a man who earns. And this song has a lot of yearning. And I enjoy it.
00:44:02 --> 00:44:32 I enjoy it. Listen, y'all, all you're earning I get is from fictional men and the books that I read and from love and deep space. This is not a plug for them. And heated rivalry. And heated rivalry. Yes. Oh my God. And he will write it. I can't even speak English. That. Yes. So I do enjoy a good song when it's executed well. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a sucker for suckers. And this is not a sucker song. Okay. This is a good song. I would say it kind of feels almost like an exact extract of,
00:44:32 --> 00:44:59 a residual vibe from that album. I mean, think about Artificial Love on there. I just, you know, that weird kind of cold vibe, electro pop, the call and response, like you said, love that so much. Like the whole, I'm not going to say it, I'm not going to say it the way Leigh is saying it, but the whole, hold me, don't leave me, broke me. You know, like when he's responding in his parts, love that. I'm not going to sing it the way you sing it because I'm not doing that for free.
00:44:59 --> 00:45:16 Okay? But yes, I love how desperate the lyrics are. I enjoy it. They're not like desperate, like pathetic. It's just more like, you got me hanging here, girl. Like, you know, without the air. I love that. And where, where? I'm excited, if you could not tell.
00:45:16 --> 00:45:39 But yes, Lay's parts are probably my favorite because he has a sweet voice. It's not like this strong R&B inspired voice, but it doesn't mean he can't sing. So his tone is a little bit more pop leaning. It's a little brighter. And I think he's developed it well. So when he is, you know, singing, it doesn't sound like he's reaching for notes. It just sounds like a really developed kind of voice.
00:45:40 --> 00:46:08 like a yearn, if you will. Shuman, Shuman could have taken some of those parts. Like Shuman was like one of my favorites. I'm not gonna lie. I love my Bausi, I did. But he would have taken some of those notes. I can hear it, but hearing Leia as well, I'm fine with it, I enjoyed it. The chorus, like you said, because it has like a little bit of an anti-drop, if you will, or like it kind of just falls away. Those low bassy synths, or is it 808s? I think they're synths, but I love them for that air.
00:46:10 --> 00:46:36 part yeah um yeah the production throughout the chorus is probably my favorite and then the last post-chorus with kai and lei has a different rhythm um i did at one point i'm not gonna lie wish you would have gotten something like a little a little note a bigger ish no nothing crazy loud but something and before everyone goes why would they do that i mean if you think about like
00:46:36 --> 00:46:57 I'm not saying that Beckham has to do it. Anyone could do it. But just give you guys an example of like exo vibe. If you listen to Bambi at a minute and 23 seconds, he does the same soft smexy thing. But he's like, he's like, you know, listen to Bambi. He's yearning at the end of that song. And then there's like this one big note and the music is still really quiet. You don't need to go, yeah.
00:46:57 --> 00:47:27 moment but something to make the bridge feel a little bit more like girl girl please girl because i think growing up with a lot of r&b singers like that and then also growing up listening to exo i'm expecting it and i'm not gonna say sorry for expecting it okay um but yes at the end where suho is with the bridge that's something that gets a little bit like the note peaks a little bit you
00:47:27 --> 00:47:56 like break that breaking point. Chen could have taken it home. Suho took it home, but he could have gone a little further. But again, that's how the song was written. So that's the way it is. I just do wonder what would have happened if the members who are typically the Belters or the take you home, take you to church members would have been there. Not saying I missed them. Just saying, I wonder what could have been. Yeah. No. Yeah. So I think this one's good, but I will say they have other songs like this that are better.
00:47:58 --> 00:48:20 Yeah. But I think on this album, though, I do enjoy it. Yes, this is one of the stronger ones on the album. Yeah. So I'll give it an 8.5. Ooh. You know, I was going to match you, but I think it's probably my favorite song on the album. So I will. One of my favorites. I'll say that. So I will give it. I'll match you.
00:48:21 --> 00:48:47 no i thought about it because i so guys the way we do our ratings is usually like chris does like okay i'm thinking about their whole discography etc etc i try to keep it isolated in compartment to the album yeah but now that i'm thinking about it you got me like dang it but okay if i wasn't doing that i would have given this i guess this a nine because i think this is like probably one of the better more fleshed out well usage of the members yeah
00:48:47 --> 00:49:10 not fighting to figure out why Chen, Baekhyun, and Zhumin is in Bay. Like, I think it's probably the most solid in that sense for me. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Let's move on to Moonlight Shadows, done by Kim Wyn-D, Ian Jeffrey Thomas, Mike Robbins, Wyatt Sanders, Caitlin Dorff, and Crass. Moonlight Shadows got me hypnotized.
00:49:12 --> 00:49:24 This is something a little laid back. It's giving exist from two years ago a little bit. Or even like a B-side from an earlier project. Definitely. But it's something that they do well. No question here. So before anyone says anything...
00:49:26 --> 00:49:55 compliments to the chef I liked exist. Sehun and Tanya going back and forth in that second verse is a highlight in this song for me, okay? I really do wish that they would have mixed it where it would have been panned right and left, but that's just me being nitpicky only because it just creates sonic magic. I mean, imagine this. Like, how does it feel to be a little sin sandwich between the two rappers of XO? Hello? Hello? Right here, they turn to talk to me, and you're like, oh, stop, I don't know what you want to go home with. Both of you, you know?
00:49:55 --> 00:50:02 I will say though, this isn't the Eve
00:50:03 --> 00:50:33 is not Playboy. Right. Or even Moonlight. And I am digging deep, y'all, here. But it does do a satisfying job of being steamy-ish, I would say. Like, it's giving more like... Ish. Yes, tea kettle, not shower. You feel me? Like, it's not... It's a little like... And I think for this song, the title is more interesting than the melody of the chorus that delivered it.
00:50:33 --> 00:51:00 Mm-hmm. No one can convince me otherwise. This is not saying that the songwriters cannot write a good song, but I think the title itself is more interesting. I mean, Moonlight Shadow? Moonlit Shadow? What is that? What is a Moonlit Shadow? It's a silhouette. It's a shadow, whatever. Whatever you want to call it. It just sounds more interesting than how the chorus was delivered. The verses were stronger. And also another highlight is Kai doing the worthy singing that he does. You know?
00:51:00 --> 00:51:13 Oh boy, I wish I had seen him live. Every time I watch these performances, I hear him saying, I'm like, dang, I missed out. How was the show, Chris? He'll be back, I'm sure. No, I know. I was totally joking. But yes, shout out to them. Yeah.
00:51:14 --> 00:51:44 Yeah. I mean, look, we love an R&B sexy mid-tempo moment from EXO. All those songs you listed are among my faves for sure. So it's definitely one of their many strengths, like just in terms of sound. The backing track has some fun elements in it. Like there's like a bubbly synth in there. Again, there's like this whomping synth in there too. And then you got to kind of get a bit more laid back percussion. So again, I think the track itself is actually really nice. Yeah. I have the same note as you about the chorus.
00:51:44 --> 00:52:08 it feels like there's supposed to be a second part to it or something yeah like the whole song almost feels like it's too short yes the runtime is really short on this album too yeah but this song in particular um it feels shorter than it's supposed to be um right and yeah a lot of it comes down to that chorus being i don't know it doesn't feel full to me um
00:52:09 --> 00:52:38 One thing that I do think this could have used just to amp up the sexiness, which I think some of those songs that you mentioned do have some sort of sexy spoken. Oh, yeah. Yeah. The little rap moment. Yeah. A little breathy rap moment. Yeah. Yeah. Without shoddy, because we know that SM loves to use shoddy. Right. And ironically. Shoddy. But again, this one has great vocal distribution, great backing vocals and harmonies. Yeah.
00:52:39 --> 00:52:47 This is one of those songs, there's so many across EXO's discography where I'm like, ugh, if they did what? You know, NSYNC,
00:52:47 --> 00:53:17 voice to it like all the greats in the western boy bands if they did vocal live vocal harmonies and arrangements the way that they did like exo could pull that off oh my god yes and that's like imagine them singing this live with like an amazing harmony vocal arrangement yeah you know yeah k-pop's not good for that we know yeah but yeah i think for me i have generally the same
00:53:17 --> 00:53:31 they have better songs like this than this. Yeah. So this is only okay for me. Yeah, same. So my score is a seven. Okay, I'll go slightly higher than 7.5. Oh, that's valid.
00:53:31 --> 00:53:57 Yeah. Sorry, y'all. I have not been very generous with my .5s these past couple albums. But, guys, listen, if I haven't pissed you off yet and you are enjoying the episode so far, you can follow us everywhere at CCTV Pops. And if you want to hang out with us unfiltered, even more than right now, you can join us and the CCTV crew for exclusive live sessions and the ability to help pick future episode topics. And guess what?
00:53:57 --> 00:54:26 You have a free tier. So don't forget that you can come join us regardless at patreon.com slash cctvpops. And we're going to give a shout out to our patrons at the end of this episode. We got a lot of these songwriters on these songs. Yay! But yes, back to the episode. Up next is Back Pocket. Back Pocket? And it was done by Kang Eun-yu, Deep Flow, Hugo Anderson, Jonathan Bellini, and SB90. Thank you.
00:54:32 --> 00:54:46 so here we are with a kind of funkier moment a groovier moment yeah um they do also have songs like this their discography as well i'm so sorry um
00:54:47 --> 00:55:14 This one, it's fun. I think the pre-chorus harmonies, again, are my favorite part. It's so full. You get these octaves in there. You get all these awesome layers there. The chorus is quite simple with the back bucket, back bucket, right? Repeat. Back bucket, back bucket. Then you get those spoken chanty moments. I go insane, yeah, I lose control. Oh, wow. I don't know if I love...
00:55:14 --> 00:55:42 the way they chose to execute that. And I wish we could hear some options there. Like, I was hoping that the members would do it differently from each other. Because I think Kai does it first, then Chonyol does it. And I forget if someone else ends up getting to do it. But they all do it the same way. And I was kind of hoping we'd, like, get to hear some different ways of doing it. Like, maybe we have Chonyol do it.
00:55:42 --> 00:56:04 Very low and sexy. Or we have Sehun come and do it a bit more conversational. You know? I'll be right there if you need someone. Instead of, I'll be right there if you need someone. Like, it's just like... I mean, bro, I'm not like mad at it. But I feel like I just need to hear some of the other options to see if they would have worked better.
00:56:05 --> 00:56:12 You know, I need to hear some other. You know what I mean? No, because I don't know if I like it or not.
00:56:13 --> 00:56:42 Okay, I totally get it. And I think it's only because, like, you're hearing that back pocket, back pocket. It's very forward. Back pocket, back pocket. And it's still kind of going as opposed to kind of pulling back where you're singing as a group. And to have a solo vocalist come out in the forward, like, come forward as the lead. And to have them also be yelling the chant vibe thing, it doesn't feel like there's a break in between. Like, yes, the melody changed. But I think sonically, for me, I get what you're saying. Where it's like, like, um...
00:56:42 --> 00:57:00 Like, yeah, sorry. Back pocket, back pocket. I'll be right there. The girl, stop, stop, back up. As opposed to like, you know, I got you, girl. Like, imagine a group of guys coming over to you and then, or girls, whatever. They're like, oh my God, go talk to them. Go talk to them. Go talk to that person. And the guy comes over by themselves. They're not gonna be like, can I talk to you? That's the vibe.
00:57:00 --> 00:57:19 Or maybe it needed a melody instead of being a chant. And that's what's in my notes. I put that in my notes. Because my thing is like, yeah, there's a bounce and a swing to it. So it makes the song sound super easygoing and playful. The harmonies are the star of this song. Yes. Like fully. This...
00:57:19 --> 00:57:46 I would say, like, I take back what I said about the previous song. This is the Exist album's vibe. You know? You know, let me in, hear me out. Like, that whole, like, especially hear me out. Right? But, like, this chorus is meant for sing-backability. But I would say it's nothing to run home and tell mom about. And it's only because I would have preferred the back pocket chant as a post-chorus moment. Because something melodic in the main chorus probably would have made it feel a little bit more like
00:57:46 --> 00:58:15 less uncharming. I think it loses its charm when you... Yeah. Sorry, y'all. But I think for me, it loses its charm. Like, I wouldn't have written the song. This way, I would have done the back pocket as the chant and had something melodic going on or done what you said, just to kind of hear options. Because I think what happens is it stops being bouncy for me. It just feels like, okay, we're just trying to get through the chorus. And I can imagine a cute performance for this with some very cheeky...
00:58:15 --> 00:58:40 choreography pun intended you know black pocket maybe yeah i mean i could see this being one of those songs there's no dance routine for that they're kind of just like running around the stage for as well i know me too trying to avoid that it's even worse yeah i will say there is a spoken bridge in this one yeah um and say hun that's the execution where it feels a bit lighter a bit more conversational chun y'all unfortunately kept the bro yelling
00:58:41 --> 00:58:58 the whole time. I think this is where his low sexy thing that really worked here. Yeah. And that last chorus is screaming for ad libs. It needed one more, it needed one more thing just to kind of climax the song, I think. Yes. Oh God, speaking of climax, what happened to the end of the song?
00:58:58 --> 00:59:25 what happened what happened that ending was just like it just ends and no i didn't like that ending i was like where is my give me like you know that cliffhanger like oh my god give me more or at least fade it out with the bat bucket bat bucket or something just give it something a little bit more than that weird horn section fade i don't know what the hell that was i hated it yeah sorry guys i'm so sorry i didn't like it i didn't like it at all yeah so i'll give this one a 7.5 it's okay
00:59:26 --> 00:59:45 I will give this one a 7. I think I like, I will give the Moonlight Shadows a 0.5 at this point. But yeah, this is a 7 for sure, too. Sorry, guys. I don't know. All right. Let's move on to Touch and Go. Just done by Jiggy, Wyatt Sanders, Olivia Webb, and Barry Cohen. Here we go!
00:59:51 --> 01:00:16 Okay. This reminds me of R&B from 10 years ago until it doesn't. Which is good. 10 years ago or even further back? Maybe even further back. I think I'm still stuck in this whole like 2016 thing. Yeah. But yeah, I like that. The first verse feels like Usher for a bit. But then you get this pre-hook with the 808s that are very SMP. You know, it sounds like that typical pre-hook where it's like...
01:00:16 --> 01:00:31 I sound crazy but the point is like you guys know a pre-hook from SM when you hear it totally and if it's from another artist you're like did you get this from a song camp you know but then you have this trap inspired chorus instrumental in the uh
01:00:31 --> 01:00:50 like right in the middle. So it's just nice. Then the bridge. Wow, a bridge. Haven't heard that in K-pop in solo, like a really good one in such a long time. Sanghoon sounds good there. His gentle voices, sorry, his gentle vocals fit the delicate atmosphere made by the bridge, which I appreciate.
01:00:50 --> 01:01:15 there's like this softly whispered chorus that I appreciate as well that makes the whole like push and pull like something a little bit more like fun I appreciate this song's like playfulness I would say being in a precarious position with someone's affections and their body I think is interesting kind of concept they like to tell the line of like yes we are active and
01:01:15 --> 01:01:40 No, never us, because we're K-pop idols, you know? So they do a good job, I think, lyrically, of doing that without sounding sleazy. You know? Yeah. But yeah, I think the song is not bad. Yeah, this is one of the ones I tend to forget about, I'm going to be honest, on this album. I think, again, there's some cool elements in the backing track. Mm-hmm.
01:01:41 --> 01:02:00 But the actual song itself, I don't know, it just doesn't really do much for me. That chorus, the touch and go, baby, touch and go. I almost have the same comment as the last song where I'm like, I feel like it could be less dry than this.
01:02:00 --> 01:02:30 Yeah. Like, I feel like maybe it needed more vocal fry in it. Touch and go. I don't know. Oh, yeah. Some sort of texture in it or just some sort of variance because it's literally four lines all executed the same way. Touch and go, baby, touch and go. And again, all the members who do it all do it the exact same way. Yeah. There is no deviation from what was given. I just want to hear some, again, just give me some options. Yeah.
01:02:30 --> 01:02:47 Yeah, guys, this is a tough one because, again, if you have two songs doing the same thing, it just comes across as a little bit cheap, for lack of a better word. Because, I mean, after a while, like, we said back pocket, back pocket, touch and go, baby, touch and go. No.
01:02:48 --> 01:03:17 No. You can't have one song do it better than the other. I mean, I would say this song does it better in terms of like how it hands off the post chorus or how it handles the chorus. I prefer this chorus more to back pocket, but I prefer the swing of back pocket a little bit more to the touch and go. Yeah, I would say I prefer back pocket as a whole to this. Ooh, interesting. Yeah, like this melodically, it just really doesn't do anything for me.
01:03:19 --> 01:03:46 You know what? I'm not going to lie to you. I think I like the verses a little bit more for sure. And I think I like the production a little bit more than I actually like the song. So, oh, this is a tough one. Yeah, I don't have much else to say. I don't want to sit there and just rip the song apart just for no reason. So seven, maybe less, but seven for now. You're not going to rate it higher than you rated Backpocket? So you don't like it that much more is what you're saying.
01:03:46 --> 01:04:05 The song is not strong. It's just a different version of Backpocket for me. It's just a, you know, American art. It's an even more chill version of Backpocket. Yeah, because, yeah, it's like a sequel. Maybe a .25. If it existed in our system. I'm giving it a 7. Flat.
01:04:07 --> 01:04:21 Okay. Okay. I don't blame you. Up next is Flatline. This was done by Zhang Yunji, Amanda Tsai, Noek Helsing, and Rasmus Budney.
01:04:25 --> 01:04:49 Okay, so we're slowing it down as we get towards the end of this album. We're now here at this little mid-tempo soft rock situation. Definitely giving Suho D.O. solo material a little bit. Not a bad way. This is just kind of the vibe that they've been going for. So yeah, it is actually refreshing to get something a little bit more organic with the guitars and the drums and stuff here.
01:04:49 --> 01:05:13 I do think the chorus has a beautiful melody. I think it's so pretty. And this is going to be a great moment live. You can totally just see it was written for the waving light sticks. Yeah. And then reading the lyric translation, I love all the ocean metaphors in there. It's all very deep. Yeah.
01:05:14 --> 01:05:32 And it feels like the vocal execution does feel very emotional and internal. Yeah. So yeah, I actually really like this one, I would say, compared to the rest of this album so far. Because I think it at least...
01:05:32 --> 01:06:00 matches kind of where they are as a group now and it doesn't feel as derivative as some of the other ones are with the rest of their catalog but i will say what brings it down unfortunately is it needed a proper climax yeah it needed one more chorus because it feels like it just kind of ends and need more ad libs and stuff i don't know it didn't feel like it fully got to where i wanted it to at the end
01:06:01 --> 01:06:21 Yeah, that's valid. I would say that this album has certainly lost its bite as it has progressed. And I don't know if I am displeased or disappointed or dissatisfied. I think that displeased and dissatisfied is the same thing. But the point is, it has lost its bite.
01:06:21 --> 01:06:41 Now, a rock sonic is welcome, but this really, this song really felt like it was meant to be at the end of an album. Like, don't get me wrong, like every album should follow a course of action just to kind of have an emotional arc, if you will, a sonic arc. I get that.
01:06:41 --> 01:07:00 But something about this just feels like they were shopping through some songs and said, you know what, this sounds like a really sentimental track that the XOLs would like or sounds like something we can turn into an emotional moment on the album. Because it is by the numbers a soft rock song. It is okay.
01:07:01 --> 01:07:18 It is okay. And I think it is very annoying for me to listen to because like, it's okay. Like it's not unpleasing. The guys can sing. I can understand that. Like I still liked, I'm not going to dislike them, but I don't know if this is like,
01:07:19 --> 01:07:39 Yeah, I kind of just lost my interest at this point because I was listening to the album and I'm just like, nothing's keeping me here. Even with like, Exist, Hear Me Out and Let Me In are slower tracks. But there was something there. And it's not because I'm missing members. There was something there that just felt a little bit more, I don't know.
01:07:39 --> 01:08:02 good about the album ending it felt resolute about the album ending you know um but yeah i would say i have noticed on this album the rappers and the cell vocalists of the group have had to step up a lot more which is good no group that has to split profits 50 11 different ways should have members that don't do anything aside from saying oh yeah
01:08:02 --> 01:08:29 And then just hit eight counts. So I do appreciate that every single member in this group has sung on this album. So I will say that is something that I was happy to hear. I think because you are missing members, Sehun and Tanya were singing a lot more. So hearing their voices in the song came as nice, pleasant surprises or nice, pleasant, like, oh, that's a change. Because Kyungsoo shouldn't have to sing the whole song by himself.
01:08:29 --> 01:08:52 You know, so I'm serious because that's what it turned into. Kyungsoo taking verses longer than what he usually does. You know, you know, so, yeah, I appreciate it. Like, thanks for the sonic changeup. Give us a little rock moment. It was OK. OK, I like it more than you do. I'll give it an eight. Oh, OK. Well, seven point five for me.
01:08:52 --> 01:09:14 Okay. So we're at the last track of the album. We have I'm Home done by Lee Hyung-sook, Bang Kye Hyun, Georgia Murray, Alexandra Somalias, Daniel Michael Victor, and Raltz. And this was actually released in December 2025 as a pre-release single. And it was performed at the group's fan meeting as well. Yeah.
01:09:18 --> 01:09:40 yeah and it has a music video this one does yes one does i can't say i remember this coming out i'm so sorry guys i don't remember uh i only know it came out because i did watch the clips from the fan meeting and they did perform this i believe oh okay or it like it came out right after or something like that like the timing with the fan meeting was like
01:09:40 --> 01:10:02 there. Right. Yeah, and it was very much, you know, Exos winter songs are quite famous, I would say. So this was supposed to be an addition to that, right? Yeah. And, you know, clearly written for the fans here. Yes, this one is sick. Yeah. I've never actually...
01:10:03 --> 01:10:15 loved Exo's winter discography. It's just not for me. Like, the super cheesy slow ballad thing is just, like, not really for me. I like it. They don't do it in a...
01:10:16 --> 01:10:38 Again, I go back to my thought on harmonies and stuff. Like, if they did some amazing vocal arrangement and stuff, I think it would make a difference for me. But they don't really do that. He means live, y'all, before you go, they do harmonize live. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Live, live. And even compared to the winter songs, you know, that they have, this is only okay.
01:10:38 --> 01:11:03 Oh, that's valid. That's valid. I think the vocal execution is very warm. There's definitely a sing-along quality to the melody. Yeah. The final chorus does have a lot of ad-libs. And the way they built the song with the drums coming in and stuff, I thought was well done. But yeah, this song does nothing for me. That's valid. Yeah. The reason I didn't hear this song was because December was crazy for us. It was.
01:11:03 --> 01:11:29 We interviewed a K-pop group. If you guys should check out that interview with Card. We went to a couple of shows together. Yeah. I was doing a bunch of running around and I was doing a lot myself too. He was doing a lot. I was not listening to anyone's music that wasn't assigned to me basically. But aside from that. I gave XO my time. I respect that. I respect that. And this song did not deserve it. I'm kidding.
01:11:30 --> 01:11:49 goodness y'all i'm kidding i thoroughly enjoyed watching the fan meeting okay he's joking guys he's absolutely joking um but yeah we are definitely exo fans i don't know how many times i can say it before someone because i'm waiting for someone to leave a comment you're not real fans or you don't know what you're talking about and i'm gonna be like oh really
01:11:49 --> 01:12:00 Did you not listen to the episode and the random obscure tracks of that reference? I love it. Please someone do that. So I can just read. But yeah, I think...
01:12:01 --> 01:12:28 This song's arrangement is probably one of my favorites as well. If you think about Suffocate, I like a good call and response. Again, you cannot have 50, 11 members in a group, or at this point, just the 50. There's like five there now. You can't have all these members in a group and not utilize line distribution. It does not make sense to me. But this song and the lines of it, it makes everything feel controversial. Wow.
01:12:29 --> 01:12:54 The lines of the song and the accompanying ad-libs slash background vocals coming from the other members make the song feel conversational. It makes it feel like there are some inner thoughts versus the words you've already said. So I appreciate that. And in the second verse, it delivers a similar structure, but with harmonies and other little ad-libs here. And they're like, instead of repeating the phrases, you might get a little bit of some melisma back there, some little ad-libs.
01:12:54 --> 01:13:13 With some runs and some whoa, whoa, whoa, and yay, yay, yes, and some harmonies here and there, which I appreciate. The song is very sweet and it's comforting, lyrically speaking. And I don't think that emoting is the issue with this group. They've been performing for 14 years. They know how to make something sound good. However...
01:13:13 --> 01:13:41 I don't know if I feel anything aside from sweet warmth with this song. I appreciate the concept of them returning to their loves, the XOLs, after a long time. I appreciate them being able to come back together, regardless of all the crap that has happened. I do appreciate it. You know, after a long time and after some mistakes here and there and some, oh no, this person and this person's doing that, blah, blah, blah. They still managed to come back and work together. Winter ballads, though, are XO's sweet spot.
01:13:41 --> 01:13:46 And although they aren't aiming for, you know, a Miracles in December here...
01:13:46 --> 01:14:15 There is going to be a moment where I think, dang, this is not that. And it happened a little more often than I wanted it to. And I think because they are trying to push this as a Christmas song and to have it sound so simple and not really go anywhere. It's okay. I do enjoy the song, though, a lot more than Flatline and the other songs I've heard already on this album. Okay. Yeah. I disagree. That's fine. I'm so not into this song. What did you think of the music video?
01:14:15 --> 01:14:39 Oh, it looks so lonely. I don't know how I, I don't. Yeah. Okay. So this was my question. Please. Okay. So I actually tried to look up some analysis afterwards because I was like, did I interpret this incorrectly? Okay. Because it felt very sad. Yeah. I don't know if I liked it that much. And it didn't match the lyrics. Mm-hmm. Because the lyrics are like, oh, like.
01:14:40 --> 01:14:50 I think it's about the fans. I think it's also about them as a group being their home. And you always feel very comfortable in your home. And you can always come back to your home or whatever. We are one.
01:14:51 --> 01:15:17 But then in the music video, it feels like, you know, it felt like they were all very lonely in their lives. Yeah. And they were just reminiscing about happier times. You know. Like all those moments of them together and them going through this, like, this house that was abandoned and stuff like that. It flashes back. Yes, it's flashing weird. So I was just like, wait, what are you saying here? Like...
01:15:17 --> 01:15:30 You know what I'm saying? It just didn't match. And then the song itself is so warm. So then I was just like, wait. And then the lighting was actually quite warm as well. Yeah, yeah. You know? But then they all just look so depressed.
01:15:31 --> 01:15:56 Yeah, I think it's the order in which it was edited. I think there's a lot of interstellar vibes going on. You know, they have the planets and you have the floating house. Which is very cool. Yes, and members sitting alone and things like that. But I think throughout, it was very just heartbreaking to kind of see them reminiscing about what life was like all together. Like, they're all looking out the window. There is no...
01:15:56 --> 01:16:19 current time current day reconciliation yeah it was so weird um and even when they were playing on i think what i can only call saturn it was like i guess they ended up together at the end but then kai's but it was grayscale so that's why i was like that's in an alternate life like yes like it was weird i don't care for it because kai kind of was looking at the camera and then ran away and i'm like
01:16:19 --> 01:16:44 are y'all dead? What's happening? Where are you going? So I think that's kind of an editing thing. Like the video was beautiful. Like I think in terms of effects, it was properly used. The color grading was very like Netflix movie for them. Like just everyone's skin was super smooth, beautiful. But I think there was a little bit of a heartbreak to that.
01:16:44 --> 01:17:08 um but yeah and i do like the song luckily the song is i liked it enough to kind of watch with with like it's not even realizing that the bad things were happening but when i sat there and was like oh wait we have to review this this is not right i'm just wondering why it felt so sad like yeah yeah anyway um so yeah i'll give this one a six this is just for me
01:17:10 --> 01:17:37 Sorry. I was tempted to flatline that, but at least I was nice to her. Okay. I like this one a little bit more, but still a seven. It's not super high on my list right now. Yeah. I'm sorry, guys. Okay. So, cut or keep section now. I feel so bad because some people, like, this is, like, your first time actually, like, seeing our video. And I do apologize that you're like, oh, wow, they're really mean. We're not mean. If you watch our videos, you'll be like, oh, wow.
01:17:37 --> 01:18:06 I don't feel kind of bad Like this is our last I mean they're from the first impression of us And again like we love EXO like I don't know if you Realize how much time I've spent Watching everything Related to EXO And learning the dance routines Yeah yeah no same I watched every single concert multiple times Both the Japanese Concerts and the Korean Concerts because Lei was only in Some of them
01:18:07 --> 01:18:22 You know what I mean? I'm in it. You know? So it makes me sad that this album is only okay. I agree. I agree. I've seen them as OT12. I've seen them... So jealous.
01:18:22 --> 01:18:43 I've seen them as just XOM because I loved XOM first, but I loved XOM because I was like, I want to go see them. But I've seen them as 12. I've seen them as XOM. I've seen them when they kind of got... I've seen them as eight, you know. Yeah. And solo. Seen a bunch of them solo. Yeah, you have. He's seen most... Oh, yeah. No, you've seen most of them solo. But yeah, I was always like a XOM stan.
01:18:43 --> 01:19:11 I don't know what it was. Maybe it was Lujan. I don't know. But I followed all of them, including that terrible man who will not be named who was in the clinker under the jail. But the point is, we were in it. We were in it deep. Okay? Did I ever write a fanfic? No, I wasn't writing fanfics with EXO. Okay. All right. So if we had to cut a song off this album, what would be cut? Chris said whatever song that has fanfiction in it. Absolutely not. Okay.
01:19:14 --> 01:19:22 Chris, you never wrote fan fiction? No. You know what I did? The most I got into was all creative. Like, I would make up tours.
01:19:22 --> 01:19:48 Oh, you know what? That makes so much sense. Yeah, I would make up set lists and come up with like, yeah. Yeah. I'd do that. Oh, you're so like that now still. Oh, you're so consistent. I know, I know. And me, writing is still consistent. I still write songs. I don't write about fanfics. I don't do that. But I write in general music. So if you're wondering where our expertise comes from, welcome to the show. But yeah, if I were to cut a song...
01:19:49 --> 01:20:16 it would probably be back pocket i would get rid of back pocket because i already heard it on um exist yeah and also it is just not a great chorus i would prefer touch and go a little bit more yeah um yeah yeah okay i would say i'm in the same uh like situation as you but i would cut touch and go those two are redundant for each other
01:20:16 --> 01:20:25 They are. Yeah. Two sides of the same coin. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's go in my back pocket. And then in terms of a keep...
01:20:26 --> 01:20:52 I would keep back it up out of these. Back it up. Yeah. Stack it up. Oh, it should have been the single. He says, I'm going to keep suffocate. Cause I think back it up and then having suffocate as the B side, the way the Eve was the B side. Connie. Think about it. Give me, give me arrogant and then give me like lay down. Yeah. I mean, that makes sense together. Okay. So yes, we've kind of already said our overall thoughts. Um,
01:20:54 --> 01:21:18 But yeah, I think for me, it just doesn't feel that... Like, I get that the whole concept was we want to remind you kind of how good we are. So I think maybe that's why they ended up going with songs that felt kind of just derivative of stuff they've done in the past. Lazy. But...
01:21:19 --> 01:21:45 I do feel like they could have taken a little bit more risk. Like if you look at shiny. Yes. I agree. Like when they came back, it was like, don't call me. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. It was like, Oh, okay. Yeah. No. And we did not get that amazing. Like, Oh my God. No, no hard. Wasn't amazing either, but it was something about the trying and they're not even like together. Yeah.
01:21:46 --> 01:21:59 They weren't even like together with hard, really. They're all in different stretches of life at one point. So, yeah. Yeah, I agree. I feel like it's lazy. The whole like we want to remind people we're good at. Sing. That's how you remind us.
01:22:00 --> 01:22:26 Sing. And I'm not talking to the guys. I'm talking about the whole SM entertainment system. I would say like vocally SM, sonically SM, I enjoy. There are other companies I also enjoy. But I remember being attracted to the SMP, so it is what it is. You can remind people of how good you are by being good, not by repeating what you've done already. No one can change my mind about that.
01:22:26 --> 01:22:51 Yeah, I just look, I think that whole kind of moment from was it tempo through to love shot through to obsession. That was literally it was just like, wow, you guys are really trying to do something interesting here. You know, not just with the title tracks, like some of those album tracks are really weird. Yeah, you know, across those projects. But that's what made it so fun to listen to.
01:22:52 --> 01:23:07 And so it just feels like they just lost that. Because then we had, like, after that, like, don't fight the feeling and exist. It was just all kind of like, okay. Yeah, it was okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I missed the innovation. Yeah.
01:23:08 --> 01:23:28 Yeah, you know what? I noticed some names that we haven't seen before. Like, Adrian McKinnon we've seen, but there was no Dim Joints on here. There was no Kenzie. There was no usual suspects for SM tracks. You know what I'm saying? I'm not saying these newer songwriters aren't good songwriters. This is not us being disrespectful. It's one of those things where it's like...
01:23:29 --> 01:23:54 think i just noticed that without certain names that aren't like dem dranks we you can hear him on an eye track on an itzy track on a s but track on on anybody's track oh lord the crowd unfell off you can you can hear it on anybody's there we go i should have had it here the whole time chris let's run it back oh my but yeah the whole point is there's a there's a lack of experimentation
01:23:55 --> 01:24:25 And I think that's what we remember them for. Forget the sounds. We remember the experimentation of Excel, the weird freaky deaky aliens, the weird freaky deaky wolf boys, the weird freaky deaky obsessive crazy scientists, the crazy boxes, you know what I'm saying?
01:24:25 --> 01:24:51 The fans are going to be there. Let's try. But I think this is a testament to the rush that I think SM is in right now. You have every member of that group has their own life going on. Life is happening fast. They're getting married. Even when Chen was in the group, he got married and people were mad. Tanyol was in a dating thing. Da-da-da-da. Kai just got married from the army. And it's a lot going on.
01:24:51 --> 01:25:15 Baekhyun and Shumin and Chen are all doing all their own solo things. Baekhyun's killing it. He's touring. It's a lot going on. So regardless of all the contractual stuff, I think there is a bit of pali pali gotta go fast that happened with this album where it's like, I guarantee you when we get NCT.taeong is back, it's going to sound like really fleshed out and really good.
01:25:17 --> 01:25:46 Which stinks, because I think Jaehyun's almost done too. Or will be done soon-ish. Yeah, can they wait just a few more months? I'm crying, but that's what it's giving. We're trying to push you guys out so when they're ready to come back, we can... And it happens. For me, that's what it feels like. I could be wrong, and that's fine. I have no problem being wrong. But for me, it just feels like what they did with SNSD. Forever One, it sounded like their older stuff. I totally get it. But they came, they went. Okay, S has a new track out, guys.
01:25:47 --> 01:26:10 You know? So, and it's no shade to the newer groups. We enjoy those newer groups. We like them. We've seen them in concert. It's the same thing. But I just think in terms of timing and putting songs together, there is a little bit of, meh, let's see what happens. And because XOLs are XOLs, a lot of us are like, oh my God, I loved it. When we might not actually love this. We just love them.
01:26:11 --> 01:26:37 the concept of xo so still love them for sure but it's not this album okay so what do you give it as a final rating i think with my scores it's sitting pretty low so i'll give it a 7.5 out of 10 um not the strongest album ever no i will match the 7.5 yes yes okay xol and other listeners what do you all think of reverks xo's eighth studio album
01:26:37 --> 01:27:06 Let us know in the comments below. Tell us what other artists or albums you want us to review next as well. And of course, a huge shout out to our CCTV crew on Patreon. We have Lily, Emily, George, Julianne, Jonathan, Janelle, Jasmine, Darius, Ren, Jesse, Hillary, Ellie, Luke, and Phoenix. Thank you so much. We could not do this without you. And for everyone else, you can also follow us at CCTV Pops on all socials. And if you're watching on YouTube, don't forget to like, subscribe, turn notifications. And if you're on a podcast app...
01:27:06 --> 01:27:18 a follow or rating really helps us out. Or you can share the episode as well. That also helps us out. Okay. Until next time, that's Chantel. That's Chris. Signing off from CCTV, the nonstop hop show.