GHOST9 Brings a Futuristic Debut
You may recognize the faces of GHOST9 and that’s no coincidence. The nine-member boy group is made up mostly of former members of project group TEEN TEEN and Maroo Entertainment trainees that participated in the Produce 101 series. The group made their official debut on September 23 with mini-album PRE EPISODE 1 : DOOR.
The Title: “Think of Dawn”
It’s hard to describe “Think of Dawn” at first, since the intensity of the track hits you like a train. But after a few listens, it becomes clear what exactly the angle here was for this song and to boil it down to the simplest terms, it’s made to catch your attention. The melody is a mix of what is popular in K-Pop right now, with a driving EDM beat and breaks of hip-hop influences in the bridges that help soften the stronger beat used throughout the majority of the song. The futuristic concept also lends itself to the melody in the dance breakdown, bringing us even more of a strong EDM feel. Writing all of that description out makes it seem like the dramatically different elements would clash, but whoever produced this song knew how to put it together smoothly, since most of the time the shifts are subtle enough to be noticed but not overpowering. It’s a very interesting song to analyze, and if that isn’t your jam, well the rhythm will be infectious enough to get you hooked.
Dark concept fans rejoice! The futuristic space concept has always teased a dark aura, but it’s nice to see that come to life and match the strength of the melody itself. The boys are dressed in black and white throughout, often with pleather used as accent or as the main garment focus. The main dance shot appears to take place in the cargo bay of a spaceship, with blue and red neon lights accenting the black atmosphere. Red neon accent lights are prevalent through all the scenes as well. The scenes are quite eye-catching and surprisingly well put together for a smaller company, and they fit the track very well, which makes the whole experience of viewing this video pleasant.
The Album
PRE EPISODE 1 : DOOR features six tracks, kicking off with intro “Vision.” The one-minute track is used to build anticipation for the title which follows, but the most intriguing part of the song is definitely the harmonization used between the members. It adds an airy tone that isn’t heard in the intense title, which gives the intro its own flavor despite being a buildup into the title.
Kicking off the B-sides is “Reborn,” a track with matching intensity to the title from the opening note. The composition is also fairly similar to the description of the title above, which gives it title potential while having a bit of its own differing charm. Listeners who prefer more subtle melodies probably won't be fond of this song, since the melody comes off even more fierce than “Think of Dawn.”
“It’s gonna be hot” shifts gears slightly to present a more rock sound mixed with traditional pop, which succeeds in making the listener stall for a moment. The opening melody sounds very much like popular early 2000s rock songs, but the quick shift to a lighter pop tone is unexpected, and this takes over the rock influences in the melody for the rest of the song. It’s an interesting compositional choice, which makes it particularly memorable.
“Lay back” slows down the album after all previous tracks had an affinity for going strong and fast. It has a lighter tone specifically in the vocals and sounds like a more upbeat EDM track from the beginning. It’s an interesting shift after the general motif used for the tracks before it. Finally we have “Flying at night,” which continues with the lighter melody, presenting a soft traditional pop track that almost directly contrasts the title and “Reborn.” It would be a good track for listeners who are exhausted by the higher energy fierce melodies at the beginning of the album.
All in all, GHOST9’s debut is an incredibly solid one and succeeds in capturing the attention of the listener amongst a huge pool of other rookies. If you have an affinity for darker concepts and more intense tracks, GHOST9 will definitely be your new favorite group.