BTOB is Back With THIS IS US
After a couple of long months, BTOB made their comeback with their 11th mini-album titled This Is Us, contributing to the summer releases this year.
A week before the album came out, they released a song as a teaser to the album called “The Feeling.” The pre-released song is a soft ballad with a nice, steady melody that feels very calming. It has that recognizable BTOB sound to it, but despite “The Feeling” being the pre-release song, the title song on the album is actually “Only One For Me.”
“Only One For Me” is a love song with chill summer vibes that has a refreshing sound, and it really fits in for summer. The song is slightly different from other releases by BTOB but anyone listening to it who is familiar with BTOB can immediately tell it’s a BTOB song. The drums in the instrumental give the song those summer vibes right away. It starts off slow and can seem like a ballad, but it builds up and turns into a feel-good song with a comfortable beat. BTOB never disappoints in singing or rapping, and this song (and album) is no exception.
The music video can be split into two parts. The first part being filmed in a one-shot way, following the members around the room. It shows the members dressed in suits, hanging out in what looks like a hotel room. The lighting is dim and the atmosphere feels sad. While the start gives a serious, dark feeling, the second part of the music video is fun and bright. With more cuts and what feels like a completely different concept, the music video switches to Minhyuk falling back into the bathtub behind him and the members outside by the sea. With the sun setting, the vibe as a whole feels laidback as the members are chilling and having fun together. This change in the video fits the song and the melody well, as the speed picks up a bit and lifts the mood.
This Is Us kicks off with the song “Call Me” which has a feel-good melody—as soon as the chorus starts, the listener will feel instantly blissful (at least I do) and it makes you want to get up and dance. Once again the members of BTOB show their unique vocals and raps that go so well together. The second track on the album is the title song “Only One For Me.” The third song is called “Yeah” and follows the chill theme but with interesting elements in the instrumental. The fourth track is “Blue Moon” and it’s a song with a jazzy vibe with calm drums blending together with piano and brass instruments. The instrumentals fit perfectly with the lyrics of the song “more jazzy and more deep harmony on the piano melody.” In my opinion, this might be the song where the vocals of BTOB really have their time to shine with high notes, showcasing their deep and powerful voices. “IceBreaker” is the fifth song on the album and it’s dominated by the rap line. The trio Minhyuk, Ilhoon, and Peniel deliver well and the melody is catchy (fun fact, the song was actually composed by Peniel’s brother-in-law, Kairos). Minhyuk and Ilhoon sing a little bit in the chorus which shows the broad talent of the rappers. Peniel really stands out in this song, and he even makes the ending humorous. After the rappers’ song we go to “1, 2, 3,” which highlights the vocal line, also known as BTOB Blue. The song is slow and ballad-like. The last and final song on the album is the pre-released song “The Feeling.”
The whole album is a perfect addition to your summer playlist with a diverse sound throughout all the songs.