LUCY’s Comeback EP FROM. Has The Energy to Shake up Your Summer
LUCY’s unique flavor is here to shake up our summer: the Surprise Of The Week to look out for in this torrid mid-August is none other than the band’s fifth mini-album FROM., released on August 14.
As soon as it came out, the EP took the charts by storm: the two title songs “Villain” (빌런) and “Complex” (못난이) ranked first and third on Melon’s chart and no. 2 and no. 10 on HOT100, and made their way on other Korean music charts in the first couple of days since the release.
In addition to the two title tracks, the EP also features the songs “Doggaebi Dance” (도깨비춤), “Burn it” (남김없이), and “Falling Flower” (낙화). There’s also a music video that caught the audience’s attention: the one for “Villain”, featuring Korean comedian and actor Kim Kyungwook, who surprised viewers with his soulful performance, so distant from the cheerful and humorous persona he usually shows. On his personal Instagram, the comedian said he agreed to star in the video as soon as he heard the song, and is extremely happy with the result.
LUCY (루시) band, which is composed of four members Shin Yechan (신예찬), Choi Sangyeop (최상엽), Cho Wonsang (조원상), and Shin Gwangil (신광일), has always managed to impress listeners with their powerful sense of rhythm and layered arrangements, infusing a distinctive taste in their rock-pop discography and their latest mini-album won’t disappoint fans.
The signature style of a contagious rock core perked up by refreshing pop vibes in “Villain” perfectly conveys the chaotic emotions of the song: the structure of the tune is solid from the introduction, through the development, to the twist and conclusion. And so is the video, depicting how exhausting the everyday struggle to meet expectations can be. That’s how the chorus goes: “This shining world makes me feel small/ The dazzling people insist that I should shine too/ I know, they say if you open your heart, it's like a flower field/ But even though I know, it feels distant for me, who is a mess.”
The second title track, “Complex” also elaborates a similar narrative: the speaker feels like a fool (that’s roughly the meaning of the original title) and is caught up in a rollercoaster of moods, that the music can paint vividly with guitar riffs that go up and down. As the hardened heart of the speaker melts, jazz sounds seep in to mirror the change.
Next, we find “Doggaebi Dance”: maybe it’s because anything related to dokkaebi (도깨비), the mythical figure of the Korean folklore that we came to know as “goblin” always makes our ears prick up, but this track could be our favorite. The rhythm is compelling and mimics the syncopated dance steps of the creature, and some instrumental bits are just so cool!
The fourth track, “Burn it”, features a softer sound. The delicate piano notes in the intro are quickly supported by a symphonic arrangement, but the overall mood remains gentle as the lyrics encourage us to burn away burdens and wounds to begin anew.
The EP closes with “Falling Flower”, an emotional nod to LUCY’s career so far with a look into the future.
The album production was led by member Cho Wonsang, who was in charge of all the previous works as well, and Shin Gwangil participated in the lyrics, composition, and arrangement of the second title track. Recently, LUCY participated in the OST for the K-drama High School Return of a Gangster (in May) and published a single titled “The Knight Who Can't Die and The Silk Cradle” in March. The band was also busy with a world tour, LUCY 1st WORLD TOUR written by FLOWER, coming back to Seoul with two additional dates on August 23 and 25.
Edited by Rachael Lovette