Following his first mini-album under AOMG, Point Of View: U, YUGYEOM has come back on March 31, 2022 to drop his new project Take You Down. This project serves as a double single release, adding two new songs to his growing discography.

Tracklist:

1. “Take You Down (feat. 쿠기(Coogie))”

2. “불빛 (Lights)”

The music video for “Take You Down” dropped at the same time as both of the tracks, providing fans with a visual. 

A notable part of “Take You Down” to catch onto is that YUGYEOM uses his lower register a lot more when singing in this song, which he doesn’t do too often. Knowing that fans would notice this, YUGYEOM said on Jukjae's Late Night Studio radio show that his lower tones were something he really wanted to work on for this project, but also for future ones. Between the two tracks, “Take You Down” with its twangy guitar and YUGYEOM’s tone changes, came to be my favorite.

The lyrics talk about liking a girl whose feelings have changed but there’s nothing else you can do to stop this one-sided love. With the title “Take You Down,” people’s expectations and interpretations could differ. YUGYEOM guested on Jeong Hyeongdon’s YouTube show where he jokingly interpreted the song title as YUGYEOM wanting to “take down” his previous company. 

Coogie's voice matches well with YUGYEOM’s, which many might not have expected; however, if you're not familiar with Coogie then this is a great song to start. The power of collaboration helps bring separate audiences together, where people who enjoy YUGYEOM’s music get to find musicians like Coogie through this project and vice versa, each gaining that exchange in exposure. 

Days leading up to the release, fans were reminded that YUGYEOM's mom had told fans that YUGYEOM was preparing for a March comeback, although they didn’t expect it to be released on the last day of the month. The quality of YUGYEOM's solo music feels expensive, making you feel almost grateful for the wait. The melodies, whether he is paired up with Coogie, Woogie, GRAY, or Cha Cha Malone, make you want to pour a glass of wine so you can fully indulge in the track.

“불빛 (Lights)” starts with a little snare drum before the rest of the beat joins it with his voice. Something about the tinny sound of the drumbeat reminds me of older songs YUGYEOM had produced for GOT7: “내게 (To Me)” and “우리 Us.” While “내게 (To Me)” and “우리 Us” have the elements of a sweet prosecco—an upbeat, tropical house feel to them—“불빛 (Lights)” feels more relaxed and mature, a red wine in comparison.

As the members of GOT7 say, each person represents a different color, but when combined, it creates what everyone knows today as GOT7. With Take You Down, YUGYEOM’s individual color shows so prominently, and it shines the most through his solo projects released under AOMG.

Take You Down is available now on all streaming platforms.

Edited by Rashelle B.