Go Up, BLANK2Y!

Keystone Entertainment has debuted their first group: BLANK2Y. With nine members—DK, Louis, Donghyuk, U, Siwoo, Mikey, Youngbin, Sungjun, and So Dam—some hailing from survival shows Produce 101, I-Land, and Wild Idol as well as disbanded groups 1THE9 and ENOi, there's major potential here given their origins. Their name refers to “a key to open a blank space,” meaning the blank hearts of people living in modern times. BLANK2Y is on a mission to cure your depression, and their debut album Thumbs Up, along with the title track of the same name, provides a decent sampling of what lies ahead. 

TITLE: "THUMBS UP"

Right off the bat, "Thumbs Up" is a culmination of all the most popular trends among boy groups, and it's solid in its structure. Powered by a buzzy synth line, each verse stands strong through the melodic pre-chorus that grounds it before losing some steam in the chorus (warning: may actually gain steam if this is your preferred sound!). While there are many songs like it as of recent, "Thumbs Up" is well-crafted even if it doesn't stand out too strongly—it's a good starting point for wherever they decide to go with their sound moving forward.

Their debut music video does much the same in terms of trendy visuals; we’ve got some polished all-black performance looks, glitchy VFX, and flashing lights on contrasting backgrounds. But even if it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, production value is still high. The editing works well, nothing feels too out of place, and its overall composition is good (but perhaps not great). That being said, this too makes for an excellent jumping off point, and I look forward to seeing how their individuality might shine through in the future.

ALBUM: THUMBS UP

The rest of the mini-album is where we can get a better idea of what BLANK2Y might be about. Consisting of five tracks total, the intro is followed by "Thumbs Up," which is followed by its English version. The fourth track, "Touch," is an upbeat pop song that’s a little bit more of a showcase of their individual skills without risk of being drowned out by the song’s production (and is my favorite). The fifth and final track, "별자리 - Fan Song,” is a ballad, allowing for full emphasis on the group's vocalists. These few songs touch on some very different genres, and it’s a good assortment for a debut where they have to make the most of a new, minimal discography. Having seen many of these guys in action previously, there may be expectations; but the lot of them together with some new blood makes room for them to grow into something unique, and we can’t wait to see it.