Following the dissolution of NU’EST after Aron, JR, and Ren left Pledis Entertainment when their contracts ended, member Baekho has made his solo debut! On October 12, Baekho released his first mini-album, Absolute Zero, along with the music video for title track “No Rules.”

Looking at the album artwork and concept photos, one might expect a sensual, dark, and mature album right out of the gates–but that’s not the case. In fact, the first two tracks, “Festival in my car” and “LOVE BURN,” lean more heavily into the pop genre than anything else. That’s not to say they’re bad songs, they’re just not the songs you’re expecting to introduce you to Baekho’s solo debut.

Title track “No Rules” opens with a groovy bass line and sultry whispering before transitioning to a keys-led beat. Honestly, my only complaint is that I wish the bass line was more prominent throughout the track, because it sets the tone only to then make brief appearances throughout the rest of the song. However, “No Rules” starts the transition from straight pop into more mixed genre tracks, and I couldn’t think of a more fitting track to do that.

The music video for “No Rules” is interesting, and honestly took me a few watches to understand exactly what story Baekho was trying to tell. There’s a pointed emphasis on the watches that Baekho and the leading lady wear, but it’s hard to tell what exactly they’re for. At first I thought it was to show their heart rates when they’re near each other, but then Baekho’s watch went wild while he was alone. My next theory was that they’re counting down to when the two can be together again, but it’s hard to tell whether it’s counting seconds or a distance. Plus, Baekho’s watch is shown at 36 while holding her hand and while sitting next to her in a car, so it can’t be heart rates or distances.

So then I went to Google and looked up the meaning of the number 36. According to some sources, 36 signifies equilibrium. In other sources, 36 symbolizes humanitarianism, a time of transition, creativity, enthusiasm, and bringing about the fruition of your own ambitions. While the significance of 36 may be left up to interpretation, in the context of the “No Rules” music video, it seems that Baekho is at equilibrium when she is near.

“We don’t care no more” features June One of Glen Check and is the only track on Absolute Zero to not feature writing credits from Baekho. It’s very much got an ‘80s synth pop sound, something I adore, and I love the way that Baekho’s voice sounds alongside June One’s. “BAD 4 U” follows and introduces a synthy-R&B sound to the album. Baekho’s vocals really get a chance to shine here, and this genre blend fits his voice perfectly.

“Wanna go back (Feat. Sik-K)” is probably my favorite song on the entire mini-album. The track starts with an interesting electric guitar before introducing a heavy beat. The only way to describe the sound is gritty. When I listened to Absolute Zero through for the first time, this was the first track where I could really feel and relate to the emotion in Baekho’s voice. There’s a rawness in the delivery that transports you to the situation he and Sik-K are singing about, and I’d love to hear more releases like this in the future. The ending guitar solo is a gorgeous finishing touch to an already incredible track.

All in all, Absolute Zero is a good debut, but it’s not groundbreaking. While there’s something to be said about how not every release has to be experimental or up-to-date on current trends (so glad there’s no noise music here!), you almost expect more from an idol who has been in the game for 10 years. I will say, after having Absolute Zero on repeat for a few hours, I was finding myself jamming to songs I initially wasn’t impressed with, so definitely give this release a few listens before making any rash decisions.

Will I be looking forward to more solo releases from Baekho? Absolute-ly.

Edited by Cara Musashi