penomeco Grooves in New Single

The FANXY CHILD crew has grown increasingly busy as of late; after the release of DEAN’s “instagram” single in late December (for which the music video just came out), it is now penomeco’s turn, with the release of a brand new single and possibly an upcoming mini-album on the way.

Titled “L.I.E” and out since January 30, the single has ZICO’s composing and production written all over it—from the prominent bass carrying the song to the structure of the beat and its mellow rhythm. In an Instagram live stream held on the release date, penomeco highlighted ZICO’s participation in the track, saying it was special as it was the first song the Block B leader wrote for him.

Overall, “L.I.E” is an amazing single. While the melody and beat are generally simple, it’s in the little things you can pick up here and there in the track that render it unique and all the more enjoyable to listen to. Though the rhythm stays steady throughout, it is often layered with various beats, producing a nice, textured result. To top it all off, penomeco’s delivery is nothing short of amazing—whether it is through singing, in the chorus, or through his undeniably impressive rapping skills in the verses.

“L.I.E” is already catchy and enjoyable enough on its own, but the music video, with its pastel palette and nice aesthetic, very much adds to the song as well. It’s definitely worth a look, what with its gorgeous cinematography and even its feature of… a pig Animoji. If the look of the music video rings a bell, it’s possibly because it was directed by VM Project Architecture, a Seoul-based creative video creation group who also worked on SEVENTEEN’s hip-hop team’s “Check In,” EXO’s “Monster,” BLACKPINK’s “Whistle,” and NCT U’s “The 7th Sense,” amongst others. ZICO also makes a brief appearance in the music video, in between two frames near the beginning and again at the end of the short film. You can find the music video on SMTOWN’s channel, though no clear relationship has been explained between penomeco and SM Entertainment (aside from the rapper’s release of the single “HUNNIT” through SM Station, back in August).