Epik High is in Their Villain Arc With New Album, PUMP.
Epik High has returned and is back and better than ever with their latest album, PUMP. The veteran group has offered up another album that is witty, charismatic, high-energy, and dark. It doesn’t hesitate to call out the haters, nay-sayers, and non-believers of Epik High. There is absolutely nothing that can truly bring them down and they’re showing that they are not going to let anything else get to them.
As in the wise words from their first track and Tablo himself of the album, “PRETTY MUCH (INTRO)”: “It’s really hard to crush us. People have tried but we’re pretty much unbreakable.”
Tracklist:
“PRETTY MUCH (INTRO)”
Title Track: “ANTIHERO”
“LATE CHECKOUT”
“K-DRAMA”
“GOOD RIDDANCE”
“GROUP CHAT FREESTYLE”
“OK GOOD”
“OFF DAY”
“I WAS HAPPY (Feat. Kim Jongwan of NELL)”
I’m an ANTIHERO
Razor-sharp, full of attitude, swag, and confidence is their title track, “ANTIHERO.” Right out of the gate, you know that Epik High is not here to mince their words or play any games. They are ready to call out that no matter what is thrown out at them, they can take it. They’re not going to fit a mold or standard, whether it be public opinion, the industry, or simply any stranger—they’re going to keep doing themselves. They recognize that once you fall into what society expects from you, you lose yourself. So, in their eyes, Epik High chooses to be different, and challenge what people think of them and expect them to be, just like an antihero. Once they have broken the mold, they are not going to conform and that is what makes Epik High just so refreshing to have within the industry. They are artists that truly love the work that they put out, that are unafraid and unapologetic of the music they do release, and, most of all, are artists that stay true to their art.
It’s when the key changes towards the end of “ANTIHERO” where Tablo screams, “You don’t know anything about me! Shut up!” that the tone and the vibe shifts from something cheeky and playful to more sinister and dark that fully addresses their haters specifically that they aren’t going to back down. Nothing can take them down, because they’re going to keep doing what Epik High does best. And that is to keep stating that they are untouchable, they are the best at what they do, and no one can deny the power they have. If challenged, be ready for the words they will not hesitate to unleash. They know what it feels like to be at the bottom and to have been trampled on, and they have grown and they’re not going to let it happen again.
The rest of the album follows suit of being a great hip-hop album, primarily filled with upbeat tracks that are also nostalgic in sound and vibe. The only exception is “I WAS HAPPY,” featuring Kim Jongwan of NELL, as the only track to have a feature. The song is a slower, much somber track that is reflective and sad. Regardless, High Skool are going to have a great time listening to this album and with their upcoming world tour set to begin later this summer, Epik High is well on the way to having a great 2024.
Edited by Cara Musashi