One year following the release of their first full album, VICTON is back with something new in Chronograph—and while the style is trendy, it's unlike anything they've done before. The single album contains the title track of the same name, an English version, and new B-side "Want me," and it's just enough to remind us they're in it to win it.

CHRONOGRAPH

VICTON has a solid discography of downtempo music that errs on the side of moody (with the exception of their early releases that sound very much like classic boy band material, swoon), and the odd poppier song like last year's "What I Said" and "Flip A Coin" pepper in some hip-hop flair; but "Chronograph" came seemingly out of nowhere as a high-energy electro-funk song, which is almost always a guaranteed hit (with me, anyway).

The music video matches what we're hearing quite well, borrowing some visual elements from "What I Said," like the chess board flooring and different types of visual art, but with the addition of louder colors and clothing styles—a new move for VICTON, who are often dressed in dark neutrals and dressed a little formally in their music videos. 

"Chronograph" opens with a kicky guitar loop that ramps up into an explosive chorus befitting the energy of their vocals. The intensity of the overall production is a strong point and, once again, a very new style. Hanse's rap verse splits the song down the middle, taking it in a different direction for just a moment, but by the end the song feels a little too short overall. Their powerful vocals capped off by Seungsik's belted ad-libs drive the song to instant-serotonin-dosage, but it just doesn't quite feel like there's a true peak; and my only critique is there simply is not enough!

The song’s English version translates very well, so it gets the same review, while “Want me” blends the old and new. “Want me” brings the energy back down to an R&B level, and I’d nearly written it off as classic VICTON until the chorus came about with its sturdy slap bassline. While it’s still a slower song with some emotion like we know and love, the funk-influenced production carries on and it’s a direction I hope they explore further, because this is really working.