Key Brings His Best Self in BAD LOVE
SHINee’s Key is a prolific figure in K-Pop—we all know him, we all love him, we’ve all been looking forward to his first mini-album, BAD LOVE. This release follows a lovingly detailed set of sequential teasers depicting Key wandering a desolate pink desert on what appears to be a set from the original Star Trek series, and it’s an excellent warmup for that which we are about to receive. Join me on a journey through Keyland.
Tracklist:
1. BAD LOVE*
2. Yellow Tape*
3. Hate that… (feat. Taeyeon)*
4. Helium*
5. Saturday Night*
6. Eighteen (End Of My World)*
*Author’s favorites
“BAD LOVE”: The Title
With the resurgence of retro pop in mainstream media, Key’s “BAD LOVE” answers that call to action tenfold. It feels almost like he’s just been waiting for this particular renaissance to release this album, to remind us what he's truly made of—and with full creative control of the production.
The music video follows actor Key as he laments a bad love that no longer serves him, to multiple different studio sets, his dressing room, and the cockpit of a reeling spacecraft. This last bit actually appears to be a very direct connection to his music video for “Hate that…,” but I’ll touch on that later.
“BAD LOVE” takes the elements of ‘80s synth-pop that have been increasing in popularity, most notably the electronic distortion that blends into a slinky synth groove. The power that comes through on this song is undeniable; it kicks off hard and maintains that momentum through to the very last beat, and we’re not even talking about the vocals yet.
When one thinks of Key—the trendsetter, the fashion icon, the quick-witted superstar who still manages to be overwhelmingly personable—his singing voice generally isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, and it makes “BAD LOVE” that much more exciting. Of course we know he’s impossibly skilled—he’s a member of SHINee, for God’s sake—but it’s not often we hear him belt it like this, the chorus just as hard as his ad-libs. “BAD LOVE” has a unique composition that allows for multiple highs, including its climactic ending, with little room left for anything to get stale; and that’s just good, nay, great songwriting.
BAD LOVE: The Mini-Album
First things first, you may have noticed each song on the list above is starred. Well, dear reader, the reason for that is because each one is a banger (yes, even the sad ones). Key has a strong sense of self, and the confidence and knowledge of who he is come through in a way that can only be described as staggeringly honest. His desire to portray his identity and what he loves is communicated so tactfully and with such clear intent, we can't help but appreciate every detail of what he’s chosen to share with us.
Those retro pop influences are present on all six tracks of the album, taking on an R&B flavor for “Helium” and his collab track “Hate that…” with Taeyeon. “Hate that…” meshes with the sci-fi themes in the teasers and concept designs for BAD LOVE, as its pre-release music video compares the feeling of longing to be with someone after a breakup to the isolation of space, like they’re so far away from you that you might not even be in the same world anymore.
It gets especially personal on the final track “Eighteen (End Of My World),” as a love letter to Key’s 18-year-old self, cheering him on around the time of his debut. The song winds down on the note of:
“I would love to watch the end of my world with you.”
This is to say Key is proud of himself then, and he’s proud of himself now—as he should be.
