VICTON have returned with their seventh mini-album, Chaos, following their 2022 single album Chronograph and OST “You Are Mine” for the global hit K-Drama Business Proposal, in which vocalist Byungchan starred as the comedic younger brother of lead character, Shin Hari. Now, let’s jump into the album. 

Chaos consists of six tracks: “Stupid O’clock,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” “INK,” “Stay,” “In Love,” and “Dear. young.” With Chaos, “Stupid O’clock” is both the album’s title and opening track that pulls listeners in from the get go. Like Byungchan sings, “You can’t run away,” from this song. It’s a great downbeat, sultry, funk-pop track that carries a heavy bass arrangement behind the boys’ incredible vocals. I personally love the way Chan sings with a drawn out, wobbly, vocal effect on the last words of the first two lines of his verse; it’s a really cool effect that adds a little uniqueness to the song, as does the, “woah-oh-oh-oh,'' sound that plays in the background throughout different parts. To me, the song is powerful and impactful in a way that isn’t aggressive and loud, instead creating this emotion through subtlety and groove, and of course, Hanse’s standout rap section.  

Moving away from the song itself, I’ve seen quite a few comments disliking the song’s title, but as someone from the UK who uses “Stupid O’clock” as a phrase a lot (although I’m not entirely sure it is a UK thing), I like it! It’s different, it’s fun, and it seems to be drawing conversation to the song, which will hopefully give it more exposure and the success that it deserves. 

Opposed to the funness of the title, the music video for “Stupid O’clock” is quite dark and serious, with a story full of mystery and thrills with visuals of the members around fire, guns, and a derelict outside location. It’s an interesting storytelling music video that will have you guessing what’s going on, while the end scene seems to leave the story open for continuation into their next video.

Following “Stupid O’clock”on the album is the pop track “Bonnie and Clyde” that, like “Stupid O’clock,” is quite funky and groovy with a downbeat instrumentation. I like this song, but I’m not sure I like the build-up to an energetic chorus for it to then not continue, with the chorus not being as upbeat and energetic as the instrumentation proposes. However, the more I listen to “Bonnie and Clyde,” the more I find this to be an interesting instrumentation choice and one that I kind of like the more I listen to it.  

The album continues with third track “INK,” an R&B dance track that, like most VICTON songs I have heard, carries a really cool vibe with great rap verses and vocals. Fourth track “Stay” is a song that is perfect for summer with its tropical and uplifting vibes, while fifth track “In Love” takes us down the ballad route, being the first of two ballads on Chaos. “In Love” has a slow rock-pop instrumentation that I could also imagine N.Flying singing or potentially covering one day. Closing the album is the sixth and final track “Dear. young,” the second slow ballad, which was written by leader Seungsik. This song goes down a more traditional pop-ballad route in comparison to “In Love” and is a song that completes the album beautifully.

Overall, Chaos is a great mini-album and a great introduction for those, like me, who aren’t so familiar with VICTON just yet. Unlike the album’s name, there is nothing chaotic about Chaos, and I really enjoyed the journey that the album takes the listener, from sultry, funk vibes to slow, emotional ballads. Although I have heard tracks from VICTON’s previous albums (thanks to TikTok and videos of Hanse that appear on my “for you page”), I’m still fairly new to VICTON and their music. However, from this album and title track alone, I really enjoy their sound, and I can’t wait to check out more of their discography!

Listen to Chaos here and on other streaming platforms today.