Dearest N.Flying, We Like You Too
On October 17, rap-rock K-Band N.Flying returned with their eighth mini-album, Dearest. This release comes ahead of their upcoming (alleged) hiatus, being their final comeback as a five-member band as guitarist Cha Hun and drummer Kim Jaehyun are due to enlist in the military. But don’t worry N.Fia, because N.Flying will be back and better than ever once Hun and Jaehyun return. The boys plan to continue making music together for many years to come, or as Jaehyun hopes, until they are 80 years old, with them leaving a promise to not let their fans feel their absence while they take a break from their music activities.
The release of Dearest comes just over a year after TURBULENCE, the repackaged version of their Man on the Moon album, that gave us title tracks “Sober” and “Moonshot.” With Dearest, we now embark on a different musical journey with six new songs: title track “I Like You,” pre-release single “The Night,” “Firefly,” “1,” “Monster,” and closing track “Shooting Star.”
Title track “I Like You” opens the mini-album with a refreshing, feel-good sound that instantly has you grooving along to the beat. The song follows a similar, light, vibe to N.Flying’s highly successful 2019 track “Rooftop,” with its reggae-infused rock instrumentation that you can’t get enough of listening to. Like with all of N.Flying’s upbeat discography, the vibes coming from the instrumentation and both Seunghyub and Hweseung’s vocals instantly fill you with warmth and make you feel happy, so much that “I Like You” would have also worked great, if not better, as a summer release.
“I Like You” is a love song, but instead of expressing the usual, romantic, lovey-dovey tropes of romance, N.Flying takes on a different approach to love, highlighting the anxiety and nervousness of falling in love and not knowing how to handle it. “I Like You” opens with, “I’m screwed,” or, “I’m in trouble” (depending on which translation you read), words that many people can relate to when it comes to being in your feelings and liking someone, while the Korean title of the song “폭망” can be translated to mean “damned.” Seunghyub (who also acts as the band’s rapper, singer, keyboardist, producer (under the name J.DON), and lyricist) calls “I Like You” N.Flying’s “proposal song” and says it conveys the message of “being in big trouble due to liking someone,” a message expressed through the meaning of the Korean title. Later on in the song, the hilarious but, again, extremely relatable line, “I’m doomed! I’m in love with you,” stands out, adding to the fun and light-hearted nature of this unconventional love song.
As expected from the N.Flying boys, the music video for “I Like You” is unique. There’s so many fun and creative details in each scene, such as a text that Seunghyub receives flying out of his phone, in a paper airplane form, and flying into Cha Hun’s bedroom window, breaking a heart-shaped hole in the glass. This is just one of the many cute and comical moments in the music video, with each member having their main character moment, including bassist Dongsung, showing off their great acting skills. Despite the members suffering over their feelings for someone, the music video is cheerful and radiant, and you can’t help but smile while watching it.
Track number two on the mini-album, “The Night,” was released as a pre-release single that plays like a sweet, heartwarming serenade from Hweseung. When combined with the music video’s visuals, showing the N.Flying members together in a house and making the song, it creates this bittersweet emotion that is both sad and comforting at the same time.
Following “The Night,” third track “Firefly” provides newness but also nostalgia, with a rock-pop sound that is somewhat reminiscent of N.Flying's 2018 “How R U Today?” era. Hun’s guitar skills are greatly highlighted through this track, as the sound of guitar riffs can be heard piercing through the instrumentation, competing with the vocals for the song's spotlight. Fourth track “1” continues the nostalgic vibe, throwing us into an upbeat, energetic rap-rock sound reminiscent of early 2000s rap-rock, emo, punk tracks, with vocals provided predominantly by Seunghyub.
The intensity and energy of fifth track “Monster” will more than likely be a favorite among both N.Fias and those outside of the N.Fia fandom. “Monster” is definitely a great head banging tune with a strong delivery from all the instruments combined. The raspiness behind Seunghyub’s voice carries similarities to Chae Bohun (also known as The VANE) and is an unexpected yet welcoming vocal style that isn’t often heard in N.Flying’s songs. Seunghyub also delivers an occasional growl in his verse, but is this Seunghyub or is this J.DON poking through the recording?
Sixth track “Shooting Star” closes the album perfectly with its powerful rock-ballad sound. The way Seunghyub sings in this song, especially with the way he enunciates on the words “shooting star,” sounds great and adds something unique to the delivery of the song. We also get to hear Hweseung showcase his incredible octave vocal range. All five members of N.Flying contributed toward the production and writing of “Shooting Star,” and you can feel this through not only the vocal execution but also the instrument performances, especially that of Cha Hun’s guitar skills. The song has that perfect end concert feel, watching a sea of phone flashlights light up the crowd as N.Flying finish their set.
With Dearest, N.Flying touches on a variety of different music styles that showcase their versatility as a rap-rock K-Band. It’s a great album with songs for everyone to enjoy while we wait for their return as a full five-member band, ready to enter the next new and exciting N.Flying era.
Listen to Dearest here and on all other streaming platforms.
Edited by Rashelle B.