Park Jihoon's Blank Or Black
Five months and a show later, soloist Park Jihoon is back with his seventh mini-album, Blank of Black. The former WANNA ONE member spiked in popularity this past year with his role as Sieun in the K-Drama, Weak Hero Class 1. Now he's back and doing what he does so well, releasing an album and mixing in all kinds of sounds to create something for every listener to enjoy. The album consists of six songs, including the jaw-dropping title track and music video, “Blank Effect.”
Track List:
“Gemini”
“Blank Effect”
“Black Hour”
“MATADOR”
“Gambit (feat. Bang Yongguk)”
“Crashing For”
Title Track: “Blank Effect”
Like the classic Jihoon style, “Blank Effect” expresses every aspect of who he is as an artist. The track has a heavy dance-pop influence, which is a constant in all of his title tracks. The song speaks of the feeling of being fully immersed in your deep thoughts and finding someone to be entangled in them with you. Lyrics that express a desire to show someone the true you while also holding a seductive style helped keep me listening: “Come a little closer, act more rude / If you want, I'll show you a look I’ve never shown.”* As good and unique as this song is, I definitely don't think it's one of Jihoon’s strongest tracks on the album.
The music video is dark and shows how much Jihoon has grown as an artist since the beginning of his solo career. The seductive acting between him and the women in the video immerses the viewers in what the lyrics are trying to express, as Jihoon wakes up in a kind of crazy trance. As the video continues on, he experiences things that cause him to continue acting in a manic manner.
The Album: Blank or Black
The first song on the album is actually my favorite Jihoon release, “Gemini.” The one-minute song has a sulky sound to it and perfectly encapsulates his unique voice. The song starts off the album perfectly, and in a way sets the album with its abrupt ending perfectly. The reasoning behind it being my favorite is definitely because you can hear how well his voice fits slower pop songs.
The mini-album also includes a song that features Bang Yongguk, who took part in the writing process. “Gambit” perfectly mends well with the rest of the album by bringing in a second voice to tie in Jihoon’s singing and Bang Yongguk’s deep rap. Starting off the song with a powerful trumpet wraps the listener in, but the beat makes it a dance-pop and hip-hop easy listen.
To end the mini-album, Jihoon introduces a classic high-tempo ballad with “Crashing For.” He starts off the album with a way to draw in listeners in with his beautiful singing and ends the album saying goodbye in the same way. This album was one I was highly anticipating, and I can now say the year-long wait was worth it.
*Translation from music video’s subtitles.
Edited by Deshalia Murray