ENHYPEN’s Public Manifesto as the Future of K-Pop
ENHYPEN made a public declaration in their newest mini-album MANIFESTO : DAY 1 which dropped July 4, 2022. The group are back and declaring that they are no longer conforming to the norms or to what people expect from them as they explore different sounds within this album.
Tracklist:
“WALK THE LINE”
“Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)” (title)
“ParadoXXX Invasion”
“TFW (That Feeling When)”
“SHOUT OUT”
“Foreshadow”
MANIFESTO : DAY 1 begins with a monologue switching from Korean, Japanese, then to English in “WALK THE LINE.” Their place as a multicultural, multilingual group takes full effect as their manifesto is translated and spread within each language. The heavy beat creates an almost cyber sound, using the new-age of technology to spread their message to the world, just as they did from their debut to now. Gone are the days of the familiar hyphenated title tracks and the sound you would expect from ENHYPEN, this is their manifesto:
“Erase the lines that cage me / Throw away the rules
Draw a new line, my own path / We draw the new line”
The members wasted no time with starting their ventures exploring a different sound. The title track of MANIFESTO : DAY 1, “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC),” is the perfect blend of U.K. drill and U.S trap with classic K-Pop transitions, creating the exact hype that they need for their manifesto to reach different avenues. With the members using their lower registers when rapping, they emulate the ‘상남자’ vibes of the tracks, however, Sunoo mellows out the track in the pre-chorus, which lets him shine.
This genre may be new to K-Pop listeners, however the influence of Black British and Black American cultures within “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)” are heavily present. The hype that the genres of drill and trap bring to the music is unmatchable, and it’s interesting hearing it slowly make its way into K-Pop. Many different aspects of Black culture have been in K-Pop, from the styling, beats, and samples. Hearing how ENHYPEN executes “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)” and how they succeed in creating their own hype song makes me excited for the impending mosh pits to occur during their upcoming world tour.
Choreography has always been an important part of ENHYPEN’s presence in the K-Pop industry, and the music video for “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)” highlights that. The chorus, which talks about the members standing up against and being ready to take on everything coming their way, paired with the, “Come on, come on / Bring it, bring it,” lyrics tie together really well. The darker theme of the music video shows them truly being menaces to society–lighting things on fire, pure intimidation, all to go along with the strong beat.
“ParadoXXX Invasion” and “TFW (That Feeling When)” explore ‘90s and ‘00s themes respectively. “ParadoXXX Invasion” feels like the ‘90s through and through from the, “We back,” in the intro to the record scratches in the beat. Their, “Come on, come on,” in the chorus is reminiscent to the “Hello, hello” portion of their senior group BTS’s “War of Hormone,” which also had ‘90s American Hip-Hop influences in the beat. It makes you want to wave your hands from side-to-side in the air. It was hard trying to decipher whether “TFW (That Feeling When)” was a bright song as the drum beat had me moving, but the lyrics succumbed me to feelings of a one-sided love and the feeling of wanting to be seen. The drums stood out to me the most as they helped distinguish ENHYPEN’s identity, as this easily could've been a regular, acoustic track on the album.
“SHOUT OUT” by far is my favorite track on MANIFESTO : DAY 1. The pure pop-rock influences within the track remind me of when that was all I listened to in 2015. The track has an Avril Lavigne vibe that a few fellow K-Pop acts explored this year, but far heavier on the rock influences. Jake participated in the making of this song, earning his first KOMCA (Korea Music Copyright Association) credit as a lyricist and composer under the song. Jake explained that this was his favorite track on the album because it would allow them to interact with fans during concerts and that’s what he thought about when creating the track. Despite this, I would love to hear this song live with a band or with the members partaking in playing the instruments i.e. Jay on the electric guitar.
The final track of the album, “Foreshadow” serves as the end of their manifesto. It ties in all the themes of MANIFESTO : DAY 1, from the heavy beat to the pop-rock melody line, with the ending messages. The final monologue of MANIFESTO : DAY 1 speaks:
“Until then, the world in the shadows
Freezingly
Painfully
Even if I'm all alone
I'll run ahead
Because the one true ending
That splendid future
Waits for us”
ENHYPEN reminds us time and time again that they are constantly exploring different concepts. Although the hyphenated title tracks have come to a halt, this manifesto shows they’re not slowing down anytime soon and that more awaits for them and us in the future. MANIFESTO : DAY 1 is available now on all streaming platforms.
“Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)” Title Score: 8/10
“Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)” Music Video Score: 8/10
MANIFESTO : DAY 1 Album Score: 9/10
Total Score: 8.3/10
Edited by Meighan Peters