PENTAGON’s New Album Got Your Thumbs Up!
All Photo Credits: CUBE Entertainment
With the group’s temporary reorganization leaving inevitable feelings of emptiness, PENTAGON returned after five months with a playful concept. Succeeding “Shine (빛나리),” one of 2018’s most viral songs, “Naughty Boy” challenges the former to its title as PENTAGON’s catchiest track.
“Naughty Boy (청개구리)”
With a simplistic combination of beats and whistles, the title song “Naughty Boy” gives off a cheerful vibe. PENTAGON’s unique music style clearly reflects onto the lyrics, written by members E’Dawn, Hui, Yuto, and Wooseok.
The title “청개구리” itself derives from a word used frequently to young children by elders; since a long way back, adults addressed mischievous kids who tend to not listen as “청개구리” (with “개구리” having the meaning of a frog). As a word used even in the present, PENTAGON takes the listener back to their own childhood to recollect memories of their innocent selves. The lyrics express a diverse range of ideas; focusing on everyday phrases such as, “Just eat your chicken” or including a line from the “올챙이송” (a well-known Korean nursery song) to talk about becoming a frog, the group entertain listeners with their iconic impression. Finding a point to connect this distinct idea with romance, PENTAGON sings about a love story in which one turns over a new page in life with the influence of his loved one and abandons his childlike qualities. In a sense, the song carries out this theme throughout the whole three minutes, and the group perfectly portrays this concept through their music video.
The film contains a spectrum of colors; a variety of locations brightens up the overall atmosphere and highlights the mischievous theme of the song.The choreography is also extremely eye-catching with its fast-paced moves and incorporation of popular dances. Frogs, obviously, are an excellent figure of symbolism that constantly appear. Literally explaining the title to its fullest, the scene switch brings color contrast thus easing the audience’s eyes from over-intense shades. The application of the soft filter overlaying the video adds an additional hint of toned down colors onto the screen. Moments in the film, such as the boys taking a great leap into the air after the bold statement, “The reason I kneeled down was to get ready for a leap,” leave an impactful thought to the viewer and emphasizes PENTAGON’s particular manner that completes their identity.
Seventh Mini-album: Thumbs Up!
Other than the title “Naughty Boy,” PENTAGON’s seventh mini-album lists four other tracks. With the whole album made with members’ participation in writing lyrics and composing, the group surely claimed their titles as a musically talented group.
The first B-side, “저두요! (Just do it yo!!),” implements a series of guitar sounds that later develop into stable and rhythmical refreshing beats. This track indicates a sense of freedom, the wish to escape to a society free from conflicts and troubles. Don’t worry, just do it!
“Skateboard” sets the listener aside from the cheerful atmosphere and directs them to the idea of love. A track perfect to describe the bliss and joy when in love, PENTAGON sings with a pure, passionate heart.
Another possible addition to your “rain” playlist is here! “밤에 비가 내리면” is a slight twist from the music style of title songs the group initially pursued. Basing this B-side on the popularly-covered topic of rain, PENTAGON undoubtedly brings the listeners to a point of unity, drawing them into the depth of the lyrics as it paints the bittersweet memories of a past lover.
“Thumbs up!” concludes the mini-album with a bang. Even the title itself is an extremely encouraging phrase, and it is a really major factor in the building up of the song. The main electric guitar sounds soon overlap with the other band sounds, intermixing until both serve a great harmony.
PENTAGON is truly one of a kind. Growing figures of attention, the group’s comebacks continue to hype up the K-Pop community, and the boys succeeded in returning with a song to act as steps towards building PENTAGON’s completely distinct identity. If you wish to witness the future endeavors of PENTAGON, let’s step up our game and support these boys with our Thumbs Up!