VICTON Give VOICE to 2021
ALICE, fret not! After initially being pushed back from December 1, 2020 to January 11, 2021 due to the group coming into contact with a staff member who later tested positive for COVID, VICTON are back. VOICE : The future is now is the group’s first full-length album featuring 13 new tracks, including solo songs for Seungsik, Chan, Sejun, and Hanse.
Title: “What I Said”
“What I Said” is an interesting title track and a far cry from previous title tracks “Mayday,” which was sexy and slinky, and “Howling,” which was a more soft spoken pop track. There’s a definite Latin influence heard throughout “What I Said,” giving it a sound similar to popular ‘60s styles boogaloo (like Pete Rodríguez’s song “I Like It Like That”) and cha-cha-chá (like “Oye Como Va” by Tito Puente), both of which have a mambo influence. There’s even a nod to “I Like It Like That” in the lyrics sung by members Seungsik, Subin, and Seungwoo after the first chorus. Of course, like with many K-Pop releases nowadays, layered over the Latin influence is also an EDM element heard throughout the track. Hanse’s aggressive, spitfire verses pair up nicely with the vocals of the rest of the group to give the track a little extra something. You’ll find yourself grooving to “What I Said” pretty quickly, but don’t be surprised when the track just stops. There’s no outro, no lingering music notes, just the boys saying, “What I said,” one final time.
The music video for “What I Said” is an aesthetic masterpiece. The members of VICTON look absolutely stunning and everything from their outfits to set choices to the colors used is pretty perfect—especially Seungwoo’s teal hair matching slightly to the walls and curtains of the room where most of the choreography is performed. Speaking of choreography, there is a nice focus on their performance as well as individual scenes featuring the members. It’s also nice to see a music video that’s not part of an extended alternate universe and doesn’t rely on in-depth plot that you have to watch over and over again to fully digest. Rather than some large world-building music video, “What I Said” exists in itself, with the music video supporting the lyrics and not an album-wide concept.
The Album
While there is no intro track to the album, the opening song “Into The Mirror'' feels like it could be. It starts out with twinkling keys and a beautiful piano before shifting gears into a more EDM-based verse. It’s a great way to grab the listener’s attention, with the background music shifting between the two styles throughout the track. Following title track “What I Said” is “Circle.” “Circle” has a funky rhythm, with soft vocals and a pop-rock quality to it, and it’s Hanse’s rap layered over the other members singing that gives the track some extra umph at the very end.
Track four is “Chess,” a bit of a playful track with some serious groove to it. The layered vocals in the chorus are really nice and the ominous air that comes in during Hanse’s first verse elevates the track even more. “Up To You” is a fun track, though similar to “Chess,” and we finally get a slower track with “All Day,” setting the tone for the four solo tracks that come next: “Carry on” by Seungsik, “Eyes on you” by Chan, “Utopia” by Sejun, and “Where is Love?” by Hanse.
Interestingly, while Chan, Sejun, and Hanse wrote and composed their solo tracks, Seungsik had no role in “Carry on.” Instead, the other six members wrote the lyrics, giving Seungsik the perfect track for his incredible vocals, especially when paired with the acoustic guitar. “Eyes on you” opens with an eerie instrumental before going into a track similar to some of Jonghyun’s solo work, especially with the twist at the chorus. “Utopia” is another more upbeat track, following a similar vein as “Up To You.” To me, the shining star of the solo tracks is “Where is Love?” While “Carry on” is a slower track when compared to Chan and Sejun’s solo tracks, they all carry a lightness to them. “Where is Love?” has a very different vibe, slightly darker and a little haunting at times, and stands out due to Hanse’s delivery and the really interesting instrumental breaks throughout.
Following the solo tracks is “Unpredictable,” bringing us back to the more formulaic softer verse paired with an upbeat, funky chorus and feels very similar to “Chess.” The penultimate track is “Flip A Coin,” an edgier song similar to title track “What I Said,” though not as aggressive. The final track on the album is “We Stay,” an upbeat and energetic track that hooks you from the very beginning. The track has a similar vibe to pop-rock anthems and was definitely made for fans to sing along and chant with the group whenever in-person concerts can happen again.
I think the shining point of VOICE : The future is now is the fact every member contributed to lyrics in at least one song. If you check the credits, Seungsik and Byungchan each contributed to one track while Sejun, Subin, and Chan contributed to two tracks each. Seungwoo helped with the lyrics for five tracks and even helped compose “All Day.” But with credits on 11 out of 13 tracks, Hanse’s influence is truly heard the most throughout the album.
Even though the tracks seem to follow the same formula and have very similar vibes, VOICE : The future is now isn’t a bad album. It’s actually quite enjoyable and after a few listens, hearing the different patterns used in different ways is interesting, and the tracks that stand out do a great job at grabbing your attention and keeping you interested, waiting for the next track to suck you in.