Following their tenth anniversary last year, Apink has made their first comeback in nearly two years with “Dilemma,” the sophisticated dance-pop title track off their latest special album HORN.

“Dilemma,” a song fittingly titled about the dilemma of overcoming feelings in a failing relationship, is a catchy dance track penned by producer duo Black Eyed Pilseung. Despite its house beat and moving synths, the song retains a certain elegance that the girls of Apink harness to the fullest. The vocals and melody balance each other out, with one never outdoing the other; this is particularly impressive in the way that both remain rather muted throughout the entire song. While the surprise guitar in the pre-chorus leads the listener to expect an explosive chorus, Namjoo and Bomi keep things understated, but never dull. Eunji then pairs with Bomi in the second half of the chorus to deliver what is probably the best part of the song. After slinky verses from Chorong and Naeun and a (regrettably) short bridge, courtesy of Hayoung and Eunji, the song ends on a quick final chorus that leaves the listener with the air of a mystery left unsolved.

The music video for “Dilemma” amps up the sensuality tenfold, with the ladies of Apink dripping in glitz and glamor from head to toe. Though there’s no outright plot, the video features scenes of the members in mental anguish as they debate over their dilemmas of love. The choreography of “Dilemma” is said to be based on “vogueing,” a style born out of Harlem in the 1980s and popularized by Madonna’s song of the same name. The style focuses on utilizing poses as choreography, and as a result, the cut scenes focusing on the dance are downright stunning, with the members silhouetted under flashing lights.

Apink hoped to express their gratitude for their fans over the last decade by contributing more to this album than they ever have before. As a result, nearly every song on HORN was written by the members. “HOLY MOLY” is a pop track with an ‘80s edge to it that was written in part by Naeun. Chorong helped write “Free & Love,” a song with a similar feel to “Dilemma” but with a brighter beat and a retro touch. Namjoo partook in the writing of “Just Like This,” a feel-good pop track befitting a K-Drama OST. “Trip” is the song that features lyrics from Hayoung, and it’s another track with soft acoustics and the closest HORN ever comes to a ballad. The atmospheric pop track “Dream” comes from the creative mind of Eunji, while the final song on the album, “Thank you,” which was previously released in 2021 to commemorate the group’s tenth anniversary, was written by Bomi.

HORN also includes two unit tracks: “Nothing” by Eunji, Chorong, and Namjoo and “Red Carpet” by Bomi, Hayoung, and Naeun in addition to the songs “My oh My” and “Single Rider.”

While Naeun will unfortunately be unable to participate in promotions due to scheduling conflicts following her departure from IST Entertainment, we at The Kraze wish the group success with their latest comeback.