“Kick Start” Your Day with AMPERS&ONE’s Newest EP WILD & FREE
Hot on the heels of a lightning world tour, FNC Entertainment’s newest boy group AMPERS&ONE takes the world by storm in their newest EP WILD & FREE. With an edgier look, some cat ears, and hip-hop pop-funk, WILD & FREE delivers a perfect six-song caffeine jolt to the young boy group’s sound.
TRACKLIST
“Kick Start (Title)”
“My Mistake”
“Who Are You”
“I Know You”
“Knock Knock”
“WYD”
Fresh out of their rookie year as idols, AMPERS&ONE plays with their yet-to-be-fixed sound throughout WILD & FREE, exploring new genres, all with their distinct playful pop edge and lighthearted spark. While still making a name for themselves, AMPERS&ONE is one to watch, with quality, catchy songs, sharp performances, and a contagious knack for fun: a recipe for a killer EP.
Title track “Kick Start” is metallic, fizzy, and distinctly feline – yes, feline, as is the group’s running tongue-in-cheek motif. The music video is a game of cat and mouse: the members pounce and claw their way through a bungeoppang factory, chasing bugs, dreams, and, of course, fish. The concept suits the song perfectly, with metallic punchy snares matching the factory’s cool chrome, a percussive chant of “Ki– Ki– Kick Start It!” and the melody delivers catchy, dance-filled fun that never lets up for a second. With members Kamden and Mackiah contributing to the lyrics, “Kick Start” kick starts itself, and the engine never stutters.
B-side “My Mistake” is a goofy, sheepish love song, with all the pop-rock bubblegum corners of a boy-band summer hit and all the misgivings of a sheepish, cheeky teenager, dumb in love. “Tell my stupid heart, stop!” the boys chide themselves, banging their heads into some proverbial wall. “It’s my mistake to love you.” The real mistake would be leaving this one off a summer playlist. “My Mistake” captures this fumbling, young crush with rolling bass lines and staccato guitar chords. “Who Are You” lays on the brakes, to continue the car metaphors, with its smooth, airy R&B timbre. It’s got a lazy wind to it: bubbles pop and vocals float. “Who Are You” seems best enjoyed with the windows down and the radio volume up – the type of song you coast along to, taking the scenic route.
“I Know You” is all dance-funk, sparkling retro synths, and disco leanings. Clean mixing and running vocals in the song bring the chase in a desperate edge to the album. When “My Mistake” encountered conflict, the response was simple: a cheeky slap on the forehead, as if to say “Duh! Silly Me!” But, “I Know You” plays no such games: it’s true angst, real pining, classic high-drama.
Stand-out track “Knock Knock” does just that: knocks on your heart. It’s a now iconic sound for AMPERS&ONE with its playful, catchy infatuation that pokes the listener with just enough pizzazz to be really, really catchy. The EP wraps with the acoustic track “WYD,” a gentle serenade with the same bright, young-love (if the titular text-slang acronym is any indicator) woven throughout WILD & FREE. If “Kick Start” sparks, “WYD” douses, gently steadying WILD & FREE back to a gradual, even-tempered halt.
To put WILD & FREE in one word, it’s ease. AMPERS&ONE brings a lighthearted, breathy ease to each track, be it disco-pop to R&B. The group, with a concept of connecting to listeners and bridging the members to the world, does just that with an EP that is easy listening for anyone. There’s nothing polarizing about WILD & FREE. Make no mistake, if you like K-Pop, you’ll find something to like in such a breezy, pleasant EP. With a world tour under their belt and now a comeback to follow, AMPERS&ONE gets the green light.