Love, Loss, and Colde’s Introspective New EP

If there’s one artist I can always count on to deliver a flawless release, it’s Colde. Since his first solo album, 2018’s Wave, the singer has consistently served some of K-R&B’s best. Despite a slew of singles and collabs, it’s been a moment since Colde’s last masterpiece idealism, and the wait has been even longer for the inevitable sequel to 2019’s Love, Pt. 1. After four long years, our patience has paid off: Love Part 2 is finally here, and it’s another stunning addition to Colde’s discography.

Welcome to the Heartbreak Club

Colde has tried his hand at many genres over the years, but one style he’s always been able to pull off is relaxed and groovy. “Heartbreak Club” is classic Colde in this respect, leaning into a slinky, bossa nova-ed R&B beat. The track features Lee Chanhyuk, famously known as one-half of the sibling duo Akdong Musician (or AKMU), who proves to be yet another perfect duet partner for Colde. In spite of the track’s funky beats and smooth synths, the song is actually quite sad and lives up to its title: it’s about leaving a relationship and the bitterness that can come along with the end of love. This theme of separation and the different emotional tolls it can take on a person serves as the concept of the album; in fact, “Heartbreak Club” is as upbeat as Love Part 2 gets, and I can’t complain because no one does sad like Colde.

The music video for “Heartbreak Club” shows Colde in a crowd of casually dressed people in a club-like setting, also shifting between shots of him surrounded by microphones. He starts off the night upright, moving through the crowd before loosening up and finding his groove amongst the club-goers. Lee Chanhyuk enters the scene as he’s seemingly drunkenly slumped in the arms of others before joining Colde to sing and commiserate over their broken hearts. The video dramatically ends with Colde alone again, holding a finger gun to the camera before signaling a loud “bang” and collapsing on a large heart backdrop.

Unique as it is, the club scene works quite well as a metaphor for the end of love. No matter how good a night out might start off, they more often than not end on a bad note, whether that be due to rash decisions, drinking too much, or even just the hangover the next day. What starts out as fun ends up as a slippery slope to regret, much like the fate of many relationships.

All in all, “Heartbreak Club” itself doesn’t bring anything new to Colde’s incredible catalog of work, and the video, while creative in concept, is rather understated, but I have no complaints nonetheless: the man never misses.

The Ups and Downs of Love

The album picks up right where Love, Pt. 1 left off with its final track, “Don’t Leave Me, My Love.” The same classical touches are found in Love Part 2’s opening song “Island” which starts with a soft piano and Colde’s crooning vocals before hitting listeners with a surprising hip-hop beat halfway through. The intro is followed by the highly anticipated track “Don’t ever say love me,” featuring RM of BTS. The track comes after Colde’s feature on RM’s song “Hectic” off of the BTS leader’s Indigo album last year, and could not sound more different from its predecessor. Much like Colde, RM is another master of melancholy, able to inject such humanity into his music that it’s almost painful. “Don’t ever say love me” is as bitter as it is sad—anyone that’s experienced the end of a relationship can relate to this one. And while these emotions are not something to celebrate, we can find joy in the fact that the collaboration with RM has launched Colde’s success to new heights: the song has peaked at No.1 on the iTunes charts of multiple countries, including the U.S.

“I’m Still Here” picks the pace up the slightest bit, adding a hopeful percussive beat to the sadness of the album that reaches its peak when followed by “Heartbreak Club.” “After Everything” brings pain right back to the forefront, though, and evokes sounds and feelings similar to those in Colde’s “A Song Nobody Knows” off idealism. The song easily serves as a highlight on the album: between his soft, lamenting vocals and relaxed instrumentation, Colde has a talent to make his music feel so incredibly personal. By God, you will certainly feel something after listening to “After Everything.”

Originally released in 2021, Colde’s magical duet with Baekhyun, “When Dawn Comes Again,” is next on the tracklist, and it’s as much a perfect addition to the album as it is to the K-R&B world. “Settle” brings in Colde’s usual jazzy influences, featuring a muted trumpet as the singer mourns his inability to come to terms with his emotions, envious of settling dust. It’s a beautiful song that yet again mirrors the vintage sounds of Love, Pt. 1, albeit in a much sadder way. The album ends on a brighter note with “Even Though You Said So Easily,” yet again bringing back a bossa nova-inspired syncopated beat. It’s a surprising finish for the sorrowful album, emulating the ebb and flow of emotions in life as we move between love and loss, much like the water found in the album’s artwork.

Colde admitted that the album, while serving as a continuation of Love, Pt. 1, is centered around the idea of loss, and that much is evident in even just one listen. For this reason, while the album may not leave you speechless or stunned at how good it is, Love Part 2 will stay with you. It will leave you thinking of the music Colde has created, and it will be there for you in those moments when maybe you have to come to terms with an ending too.

“Heartbreak Club” Title Score: 9/10

“Heartbreak Club” Music Video Score: 8/10

Love Part 2 Album Score: 10/10

Overall Score: 9/10

Edited by Vivian N.