DRIPPIN are the “Villain”s in Dark Return
Marking their return with their third mini-album Villain and the title track of the same name, DRIPPIN are here, and this time, they’re darker than ever.
The “Villain” music video opens with Junho standing atop a tall building, looking down upon a ruined city; there are two helicopters circling, smoke billowing from nearby buildings, and sirens wailing from the streets below. In the distant background, lightning strikes can be seen (possibly created by Minseo). Just before the song officially begins, an airplane flies overhead, exploding just as it passes above Junho. It then cuts to Yunseong as he goes hand-to-hand against a faceless criminal. Even though Yunseong is the leader of DRIPPIN, it appears that maybe Junho is the leader of their villain organization, as he is more often than not at the center of the group shots.
Cinematic action shots are interlaced with shots of choreography (which are, by the way, equally as stunning as the action shots) to create a fun movie where we see DRIPPIN navigate the criminal underworld, going against other organizations and using special powers to do so. And maybe it’s just me, but there are several moments during the music video and specifically Junho’s prologue video that remind me of My Hero Academia. Nevermind the fact that superhero movies are crazy popular right now (as evidenced by SM Entertainment’s ongoing partnership with Marvel), but it’s also no big secret that My Hero Academia is one of the most popular anime right now. With Season 5 ending recently with the villains arc, it’s not a stretch to think that maybe the powers that DRIPPIN showcase are more like the quirks found in My Hero Academia and maybe, just maybe, Junho took inspiration from the villain Dabi, known for his blue flames quirk, even though Junho is only seen with blue flames during his prologue video and just once in the music video (then again, Dabi’s flames weren’t blue when his quirk first appeared, but this isn’t exactly about Dabi’s backstory, is it?).
During their comeback showcase, the members each revealed their quirks/abilities. To go along with Junho’s fire powers, Alex is able to turn paintings into reality, Changuk controls time, Dongyun is a hacker to such an extent that he’s able to turn video game actions into real life results, Yunseong can control gravity (seen mostly in his prologue video), Minseo can manipulate weather (in the form of lightning during the music video), and Hyeop can control birds.
The track itself is dark and addicting, opening with a funky bassline that’ll have you moving in no time. And it’s not just the title track that is darker; the album features five B-sides, each with their own dark twist that will leave you wanting more. “7Villaz” is an intro reminiscent of A.C.E’s THE MAD SQUAD era, while “Switch” gives off “Superhuman” by NCT 127 vibes. That’s not to say these tracks are ripoffs of other songs, just that the influence can be heard, and it’s good. They’re not carbon copies, they’re still very much DRIPPIN, but it’s interesting to hear the difference between this album, A Better Tomorrow, and Boyager. The final three tracks are “SHY,” “Delusion,” and “Remember,” which see the group somewhat return to their roots but with some finetuning and tweaks here and there.
It’s a definite change for the rookie boy group, but Villain is interesting in a way that has me wanting more. With their first release of 2022 already under their belts, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for DRIPPIN.