LUCY Shares Their Inner Child on Childhood
LUCY is a group whose releases I anticipate as a sure dopamine release that I simply can't wait for. Naturally, their first full studio album, Childhood, feels like a treat I deserve for the day-to-day suffering I endure as a working adult. This statement sounds a little heavy-handed, but it does align with the album's concept and LUCY's commitment to the expression of not only longing for the carefree nature of childhood, but keeping that ability to find joy in simplicity and small moments.
Tracklist:
1. Knowhow*
2. MP3
3. PLAY
4. 10sec*
5. You & Me*
6. Domino (feat. D-Hack)*
7. Foul
8. My warm loneliness*
9. Prequel
10. Don't forget our night
11. Colorless*
12. Opening*
13. Ending
14. We will fly away (feat. Song Eunhye)
15. You are my light
*Author’s favorites
TITLE: "PLAY"
Title track "PLAY" pretty much sums up that first paragraph but like, better, because it's lyrically structured and a visual representation, so let's unpack that! To start off, "PLAY" has a sentimentality that’s made stronger by understanding its lyrics, so much so that in sound alone the song doesn’t stand out significantly among their title tracks. This, of course, isn’t a bad thing, just a thank you to whoever translated the song so this baby-level Korean speaker can feel something.
The video opens with a dejected-looking man on a playground in his business attire, and after entering the slide at the top, he exits into what appears to be his everyday life—but in a whimsical, pastel, make-believe setting. The lyrics go on to describe the adult experience of going through motions in your day-to-day life while still being the same person you were as a child.
"The first person to leave at work is the tagger / Please tell me to meet and play again."
The first chorus is followed by a short verse:
"I hope people talk with a bright smile / Even if they turn around and leave / But the beauty of it disappears like a comet that is passing by."
Children find joy in any and all places, and in adulthood that's shrouded by awareness that happiness is fleeting, but that's no reason to stop looking for it. With respect to how a song can be interpreted any number of ways, I consider "PLAY" to be a catch-all for LUCY's brand of nurturing one's inner child and keeping a sense of childlike wonder. Never stop playing, lads.
ALBUM: CHILDHOOD
Childhood is a 15-track feast, each one written, composed, and arranged by some combo of the members, largely producer and bassist Wonsang. LUCY's discography consists of all kinds of feel-good, warm songs that are fun to listen to, and this album encapsulates their energy as completely as I could've hoped. Unfortunately, at this time the lyrics for the other songs haven't yet been translated into English, so I'm only able to review them based on the sound; with that in mind, I'm going to dive into my personal favorites.
The album starts off with a bang with "Knowhow," whose explosive chorus is a mood-booster on its own. The presence of a violin in their music brings an extra delightful edge to their music that pushes it into greatness. This song has a lot in common with "You & Me" in make and build, both what I want to hear on a sunny day.
"10sec" is, in a word, delectable. It opens with a rumbling drum beat, swerves in with a hard, funky bassline accompanied by Yechan's violin before falling into its main groove with vocalist Sangyeop front and center. That guy's voice sounds like how the center of a cinnamon roll tastes, and the chorus has me clutching my chest as I write this. This song bangs!
"Domino (feat. D-Hack)" is pretty different from anything LUCY has made before. It’s got hip-hop elements, like synth bass and shuffling hi-hats, but to call it strictly hip-hop is an understatement. LUCY paired with rapper D-Hack even sounds like a fundamentally mismatched combo in concept, but their sound is present and they’ve made something very new together.
Things slow down with "Foul," but especially on "My warm loneliness." With quiet, gentle vocals by Gwangil, "My warm loneliness" starts out kind of solemn—which seems appropriate given the title. Written and composed by Yechan, that violin adds a soothing ambience that would earn this song a slot somewhere in Kiki's Delivery Service (if you know, you know).
"Colorless" was written, composed, and arranged by Sangyeop alone, and it's a slow, slow song, but it features his vocals as they're not often heard. In many of LUCY's songs, Sangyeop sticks to a higher range to match their quick, upbeat pace and light feel, usually belting out something fierce for the chorus, so this is the first time I've heard him do a whole ballad with this particular gravitas.
"Opening," ironically, sounds like an anime opening to me. Right after the comparative heaviness of "Colorless," "Opening" shocks you awake with an uptempo beat and powerful instrumentation. This song is a little less cutesy, a little more straight-up rock than the songs preceding it, and the drums, guitars, and violin are all getting pretty equal opportunities to shine.
"We will fly away (feat. Song Eunhye)" was so unexpected that I need to talk about it. With vocals by Gwangil and the featured Song Eunhye, I had to Google if this song was from a movie because it's a half-English, half-Korean duet that sounds like it's from a musical—and it's bizarre and beautiful.
Overall, Childhood is an excellent collection of songs that show each member’s individual skills as well as how well they work together as a group. Their unique combination of sounds make for a musical experience that’s nothing short of enjoyable, and a full album is more than deserved after the last two years of dropping bouncy bangers—for them and for fans.