PENTAGON Welcomes You to the Black Hall
Four years into their career, PENTAGON has finally graced fans with their first full album, Universe : The Black Hall. Aptly named after their fans Universe, the album was released on February 12 with a total of 11 new tracks and may be a new musical turning point for the group.
A Heart-Stopping Comeback
Any casual K-Pop fan probably knows PENTAGON is an unbelievably fun group; the members are masters of the comedic concept and have never shied away from poking fun at themselves. But more than anything, they are artists out to prove they can conquer any sound and image. Enter “Dr. BeBe,” the group’s first truly dark concept filled with unexpected elements of gospel, arena rock, and EDM.
The track opens with a striking war-like choral line which is more than appropriate for this song that sounds like a declaration of war from PENTAGON. The song is about an all-consuming love that, while toxic, is inescapable. PENTAGON knows this unhealthy relationship is an endless cycle, as shown in the repetitive “Love, fall, hurt, and crazy” line of the chorus. Instrumentally, the song is much more striking than your average PENTAGON title track: the beats are heavier and the vocals have a bit more bite to them, especially in the chorus. More than a song, “Dr. BeBe” is a statement by PENTAGON that they are here and you had better be ready for it.
The video for “Dr. BeBe” is just as striking as the song itself. Filled with graphic imagery of the members feeling trapped amidst vivid shades of red, black, and white, the video for “Dr. BeBe” will certainly leave an impression on any viewer.
The Album
Following “Dr. BeBe” is “Asteroid,” a dreamy pop track filled with enough vocal builds to fill the galaxy. The next song is “Shower Of Rain,” a deceitfully tongue-in-cheek song about fading love that’s actually much sadder than it sounds. More fitting to its title is “Die For You,” a sad love song overflowing with sorrowful guitars and heavy R&B vibes.
“Talk” brings the energy back with its singer-songwriter feel and light acoustic guitar line, though it’s the whimsical synth bridge that injects some much needed flavor into the song. Taking another one-eighty is “The Black Hall,” a song with a classic PENTAGON touch to it that’s similar to “SHA-LA-LA” until the break down in the chorus. Although the industry is currently dominated by builds and beat drops, the drop in the chorus of “The Black Hall” still feels unexpected—a testament to Hui’s compositional prowess.
“Worship U” is a traditional EDM-pop track that sounds like the feeling of being in love and lets the vocalists of the group take front and center. However, the following track, “Zoom Up,” is jarring in its unexpectedness. With oriental strings set against a deep electric beat to give the song a dangerous vibe, it’s the kind of track that will make you do a double-take. Though it could be due in part to outside production work, “Zoom Up” sounds like nothing that PENTAGON has released before, and wow, is it memorable.
“Camellia” is a heartbreaking song about lost love that takes the album back to the vocal side of things with its traditional pop ballad feel reminiscent of BIGBANG. “Someday,” the duet between Jinho and Hui, takes the ballad vibe from “Camellia” and runs with it; complete with soaring vocals, building strings, and dramatic piano, “Someday” is everything a classic ballad should be. The album rounds out with the Korean version of “Happiness,” PENTAGON’s previously released 90’s influenced Japanese single.
Like the majority of their releases, all but two of the tracks on this album—“Zoom Up” and “Someday”—have creative input from the members, whether it be in lyrics or composition. While the album explores different sounds and genres, each song still has that same PENTAGON touch to it, which is a musical accomplishment in itself. It’s quite hard to both grow as an artist while maintaining a signature sound, but it seems PENTAGON may have found the key to success. The group has yet to nab a win on a music show, but perhaps “Dr. BeBe” may finally be the track to turn the tide.