TEN’s STUNNER is Scorching
Ten, soloist and member of NCT sub-unit WayV and SM Entertainment supergroup SuperM, is back with the scorching second mini album STUNNER. A year after his eponymous debut, STUNNER takes an edgier, sweatier approach to the Thai soloist’s dance-pop-laden yet versatile discography. Ten, ever the dancer, strides his way through STUNNER. From the crooning, seductive whispers of “Sweet as Sin” to the hypnotic whirr of experimental “BAMBOLA,” there’s something for everyone when Ten steps into the spotlight. The result? A true stunner of a mini-album that’s as scalding as it is catchy.
TRACKLIST
“STUNNER”
“Enough For Me”
“BAMBOLA”
“Sweet As Sin”
“Waves”
“Butterfly”
“STUNNER - English Version”
“STUNNER”
“STUNNER” is that smooth, dancer-turned-popstar kind of track that is a frequent resident of Ten’s catalog, taking after its predecessors “Birthday” and “Dangerous.” In short, it’s the definition of cool. Despite leading with blazing concept images of sunburns, relentless sunshine, and a visceral, angry orange, “Stunner” starts all chrome. There’s a coolness to the music video, as if Ten is killing time under the air conditioning. Then, a beat-driven minimal chorus hits. “Stunner, Stunner, Stunner, you” Ten places this refrain into a perfectly controlled, contained choreography. The flattened, sepia, and chrome color palette continues, and the pace quickens as the song layers. As “STUNNER” grows, it offsets minimal instrumentals with layered ad-libs and a whispered, near mesmerizing refrain, as if falling in on itself over and over: “Stunner, stunner, stunner.” The dancers frenzy in the background, but Ten continues with his graceful, unhurried ease. Perhaps, in such heat, was this all a mirage after all?
“Enough for Me”
B-side “Enough for Me” is the perfect successor to “STUNNER,” with similar minimized instrumentals, R&B meeting pop, and a dark edginess that repeats in and off of itself. It’s the rebel young sibling of “STUNNER,” lazing too much to be the title track, but so catchy that it must follow. The song flies under the radar compared to the rest of the album, but it’s the perfect link, shoving the harmonic edginess of “STUNNER” right up against its rowdy successor: “BAMBOLA.”
“BAMBOLA”
Love it or hate it, pre-release single “BAMBOLA” grabs you by the eardrums. With that experimental edge often found in NCT’s discography, affectionately dubbed “neo” by fans, the quirky, warped instrumentals of “BAMBOLA” are as jarring as they are expected of one of NCT’s most innovative performers. In “BAMBOLA,” which directly translates to “doll” in Italian, Ten plays the twisted, colorful puppeteer. “Use you like a bambola ‘cause you do what I want to you” he taunts. “BAMBOLA,” with its bird chirping sound effects and Flintstone’s reference, delivers drunken mischief and is undeniably a bit goofy. Yet, at the same time, it exposes the frenzy that simmers underneath the rest of the album. It’s as dark as it is baffling, in a good way. Ten dances through it all like an avatar, or a jointed mannequin, or perhaps, a doll.
“Sweet As Sin”
Staccato pop/hip-hop song “Sweet As Sin” is pure catwalk. With a bass-forward, snare-driven beat, “Sweet As Sin” crafts itself to turn every head at the club with the most pop-star flair of the entire mini album. Ten brings that six-inch high heels type of confidence. “Scandalous / Talk of the Town [...] Sweet as sin / I walk in:” it’s a song that knows its worth.
“Waves”
Ten’s personal favorite track on the album, “Waves”, with afrobeats and reggaeton influence, slows the album down with quiet ease. It’s a needed breather after the edginess of its predecessors, as Ten lets the ocean wash over and upon him: “What if I stay for days? Let all the troubles wash away.” Admittedly, the lyrics are cliche. But, combined with the mellow-yet-echoing instrumentals, the ocean’s ebb and flow a beat away.
“Butterfly”
Unlike its predominantly English-language counterparts, “Butterfly” is almost entirely in Korean. While a ballad, “Butterfly,” throws the doors open wide for a grand finale. The song starts as only a piano exoskeleton, with breathy phrases mimicking the pattering of wings. As it continues, Ten’s vocals soar alongside the added richness of strings and snares, all while the piano carves out a fluttering, high refrain. One does not need to comprehend the lyrics on first listen to hear the lonely, delicate butterfly caught in the breeze. It’s a sad bookend but a beautiful one. Ten’s vocal performance is smooth and emotive, gliding from high notes to airy, pursed reminders of springtime.
STUNNER contorts, twisting its way in and under itself musically, as Ten does the same in his trademark performances. It’s the kind of album where one is never really quite sure where they’re headed while they’re in it, but by the destination, the fog clears.
Edited by Rae Lovette