E’LAST Return with Awake
Just five months after making their debut, E’LAST is back with their second mini-album. Titled Awake, this mini-album features an intro and four new songs from the boy group. Sadly, due to scheduling conflicts with his hosting role on the EBS show Tok! Tok! Boni Hani, member Wonjun is absent from this comeback, but the other seven members make up for it with this exciting new release.
“Tears of Chaos”
“Tears of Chaos” follows a similar footprint as previous title track “Swear”; both tracks are a bit on the softer side, with beautiful instrumentals throughout and synth beats joining the mix eventually, but it’s in the blending of the background music where the tracks differ. “Tears of Chaos” puts more focus on the synth beat, with the orchestra joining in at the chorus. This track also feels slightly more melancholic and foreboding than “Swear.”
The music video is an aesthetic masterpiece. It’s hard to believe this boy group has only been around for five months with the sheer quality of the video. The video opens with Wonhyuk in an all-white outfit, standing in a black room; behind him is a backdrop featuring white and gold, pulling your focus to him before transitioning to Seungyeop lying on a brown leather couch in the forest, Baekgyeul joining him soon after. We also get scenes of Romin singing in the forest and Choi In in all-white singing in the same opening scene backdrop.
The majority of the choreography scenes are in a soft blue room with white accent pillars, where the members are seen in navy blue outfits. There are also some dance shots where E’LAST are inside of a circle with blue transparent walls, the members in all-white and maknae Yejun in the center. It’s at the 2:40 mark where the best choreography is seen though, where two members stand on opposite sides of a doorway and perform facing each other. It’s an interesting scene in terms of outfits and composition, definitely helping with the darker vibe in the track.
The Album
Much like with previous mini-album Day Dream, “Intro.” sets the tone for the title track, starting out as a beautiful piano and orchestral track right up until the last 30 seconds, when synth beats replace the instrumental. Following “Tears of Chaos” is “Dangerous,” and it’s a complete shift for the group. If Day Dream was E’LAST’s soft side, then Awake is definitely them showing their edge and it’s evident in “Dangerous.” The track is fast-paced and synth-heavy with minor EDM elements involved as well. The touch of some orchestral instruments makes “Dangerous” a fun evil sibling to “Tears of Chaos.”
“Present” is the fourth track on the album and takes us right back to Day Dream. This ballad track is filled with stunning vocals, but it’s when rappers Rano and Wonhyuk take the stage that the track truly gets interesting. Their verses bring in guitar and drums, upping the pace right until the end, where the line, “My present, you are my everything,” ends the track. “Because of You” wraps up the album and follows the orchestral plus synth beat background music set by the title track. However, this track definitely has a brighter, more uplifting vibe to it than the title track, ending the album on a hopeful note.
Awake is an interesting listen and it grows on you the more you listen to it. E’LAST took what they excelled at in their debut album and blended it with what is currently trendy in K-Pop, and it works. The five tracks each bring something different to the album, branching into different styles, and it’ll be interesting to hear future releases from E’LAST.