EXO’s Guide to an Amazing 2018
Happy New Year! The beginning of the year is a perfect time to make New Year’s resolutions and to set up goals to accomplish during the year. If you’re still stuck without a resolution, what better way to get one by stealing it from a K-Pop song? For the past four years, EXO’s winter albums have been jam-packed with fun, inspirational songs to prepare listeners for how to dominate the New Year. So, using only the group’s winter-inspired tracks, here are a few EXO-related resolutions you can apply to your life for a successful 2018!
Don’t Carry Any Regrets Into the New Year Like “First Snow”
Behind its cutesy main guitar riff, “First Snow” is a song full of sadness and regret. One by one, the members recall a nasty break-up from the past year. They’re still single come the following Christmas and regretful for their actions the year prior, to the point where they imagine running into their exes to tell them what they wish they could say. It drives the members crazy with guilt, singing: “I’m sorry I didn’t treat you right / That Christmas, I was only filled with regrets.” That lack of closure held by each of the members still haunts them in the song. It’s important to remember that it’s a new year, and thus a new leaf to turn in your life. Don’t let the past make life harder; instead, learn from past mistakes and continue to be stronger in the upcoming year.
Take A Chance Like “Girl x Friend”
If you’ve secretly been in love with someone but too shy to say, or if you’ve been considering a big change in your life, there’s no better time than a new year to take a chance! Be brave just like the members in “Girl x Friend,” who take a chance to confess to their crush and childhood friend. Even if your experience doesn’t work out quite as perfectly as it does in the song, it’s still a learning moment. And you still have EXO, so that’s all that really matters.
Try Something New Like “Twenty Four”
A trap song… on a winter album? Shockingly, yes. “Twenty Four” is about falling so far in love with a person that they become your entire day. However, the song’s idea of letting something completely encompass you can easily apply to much more than just relationships. Instead, a “twenty four” could be trying a new recipe, sport, hobby, or instrument that you’ve been apprehensive or too busy to try last year!
Be Nice to Yourself Like “Lights Out”
One of the most powerful tracks on their latest album, “Lights Out,” is a powerful ballad all about self-care and love. This song accepts the sadness the listener is feeling and assures them that it’s okay to take time aside to be alone to feel better. The vocal line’s voices are like a loving embrace and promise that a new morning will come to wash away any troubles that the listener is facing. This song is the perfect gentle reminder that when times get difficult, instead of just trying to power through, it’s okay to accept weakness and disconnect for a moment to properly process your emotions.
...And Party Like “Drop That”!
Though it sounds so unlike anything heard before, “Drop That” is a Christmas single and a total party anthem with a simple, yet exciting, message: make sure to take time in between busy schedules to have fun! Whether that’s taking a quiet moment for yourself or dancing like a crazy person for the entirety of the song, there is no better feeling in the world than belting out Chen’s killer high note. Just make sure to apologize about the noise to your neighbors later!