ENHYPEN Shows A Warmer Side in ORANGE BLOOD
ENHYPEN is back with their fifth EP ORANGE BLOOD. The seven-member boy group continue the storyline of their ‘blood’ series, as their latest title track “Sweet Venom” follows “Bite Me.”
ORANGE BLOOD homes seven new tracks for the group, with three versions of their title track available for fans to enjoy!
Tracklist:
“Mortal”
“Sweet Venom”
“Still Monster”
“멀어 (Blind)”
“Orange Flower (You Complete Me)”
“Sweet Venom (English Ver.)”
“Sweet Venom (feat. Bella Poarch)”
The EP opens up with “Mortal,” which features a breathing underlying synth as the members speak their narration. ENHYPEN’s stance as a global boy group is unshaken as they switch from Korean, to Japanese, to English.
As each member speaks their line, the buildup of intensity increases, leading to the moment to be broken as they officially start singing. “Mortal” unveils an ambient track with pretty vocals to match it. This is the beginning of a new sound for the group.
ORANGE BLOOD then moves on to “Sweet Venom” which begins with a hard-hitting bass. There is a subtle sexiness about the track evident in the members’ voices on this song, which could also be attributed to member Jay as he participates as a lyricist on this track.
The world appears to have stopped in time in their music video as the members appear to be the only ones active at a house party. Each instrument is introduced at different times, from the distorted bass, to the drum and their voices coming at the same time, to the rhythmic guitar in the chorus. “Sweet Venom” is ENHYPEN embracing a more pop-leaning sound.
The BE:LIFT group is currently experiencing its own musical renaissance as the members continue their tradition of excluding a fuller bridge in non-hyphenated title tracks. “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)” and “Bite Me” started this musical trend of theirs. One noticeable difference about these prior tracks is that they explore a variety of genres which makes the lack of vocal bridge less noticeable; however, on a summer-y pop track like “Sweet Venom,” the same formula may not translate the same, leaving some expecting more when the two minute mark passed.
However, “Sweet Venom” provides a warm essence for listeners which can be heard through its light tonality. Both the English version and its collaborative counterpart featuring Bella Poarch gives fans a head start in curating their summer 2024 playlists.
“Still Monster” and “Orange Flower (You Complete Me)” impress as ENHYPEN show their growth through their vocal abilities. Both tracks have infectious choruses that listeners can sing along to. Listeners can almost envision the sight of confetti falling at an ENHYPEN concert when “Orange Flower (You Complete Me)” plays. The staccato feeling of the bridge feels like the members are slowing down time on this track to appreciate its sentiments.
Amongst the newest tracks, “멀어 (Blind)” stands out the most, grabbing your full attention in its first 23 seconds. Its ‘80s synthwave sound is addictive and is one that has been adopted by many, from pop princess Dua Lipa’s 2020 Future Nostalgia album and girl group TWICE’s 2020 Eyes Wide Open title track “I Can’t Stop Me.” What adds to the track is the sparkling sounds that feature throughout. “멀어 (Blind)” and the album opener “Mortal” are two of the most interesting songs on the album and add a twang to ENHYPEN’s discography, showing that the group can try out different genres and succeed in making them fit their sound.
The boys of ENHYPEN are continuing to find their own sound, and for the second installment of their ‘blood’ series, ORANGE BLOOD mellows out their intensity and gifts fans with a warmer sound for the colder months approaching.
ORANGE BLOOD is out now on Spotify and all streaming platforms.
Edited by Lacey Diluvio