Feel The “Passion, Pain & Pleasure” In JUNNY’s New Album null
Photo: mauve company
After a stellar American tour last year, multiple single releases, and two EPs, K-R&B artist JUNNY is back with a full-length album that gives us hit after hit. Each track is so unique; you are bound to find a track that is your favorite. There are 12 songs on the album, each as breathtaking as the next.
null Tracklist:
“No Morning”
“Passion, Pain & Pleasure”
“SOUR”
“Energy” (Title Track)
“Sweet Release”
“Provider”
“limbo (feat. Colde)”
“Dangerous”
“null (interlude)”
“residue”
“Weight of Time”
“Next To Me (feat. Seori)”
The album begins with the short but powerful “No Morning.” Starting off calm, this track showcases JUNNY's terrific vocals, accompanied by a soft piano, and heavenly backing vocals that harmonize with one another. It’s a great intro into the next track, “Passion, Pain & Pleasure,” which instantly became a favorite of mine. With a strong R&B, electro, and jazz influence, the song is packed with strong electric instruments. It’s reminiscent of The Weeknd's sound because of the keyboard, bass guitar, and drums, plus JUNNY’s sultry vocals. “SOUR” is the next song, and instantly, I was thinking, “This is so early 2000s.” This track is upbeat and has such a danceable beat. JUNNY’s voice is raspy, and he is hitting falsettos that will have you ready to rewind the song.
The next song is the title track, “Energy.” As the title suggests, this song is filled with energy. The instrumental is bright and upbeat, and you can’t help but move along to the beat. Although “Energy” is the title track, it’s the fourth song in the tracklist. It’s exciting to see more artists showing off more B-sides first by putting the title track a little further down the tracklist. It’s a cool way to structure the album. In the song, JUNNY talks about his partner and how he wants all their energy; he will give his too, and because of that, they might as well be in love. It’s a cute way to tell someone how much you care about them. JUNNY’s vocals complement the R&B sound of the song. It is raspy, but carries deep passion and soul as the song progresses. He is a fantastic singer, and in this song, he truly showcases his vocal range.
The music video is very artistic. With a white background, the video shows multiple models posing, lip-syncing, and dancing along to the track. With the striking colors of red, black, gray, and even little moments of pink, the music video is like a canvas, and everyone in the music video is the artwork. It’s an eye-catching video that is minimalistic but captivating.
@jnkmsc JUNNY 2ND FULL ALBUM [null] 'Energy' MV
♬ 오리지널 사운드 - JUNNY | 주니
The next song is “Sweet Release.” A jazzy pop track, “Sweet Release,” is lively with a cheerful aura and striking vocals. This track showcases the instruments in the background. The drums are prominent, and so are the various guitars. It’s a very light song, like a breath of fresh air. From there, we go to the next track, “Provider.” The knock in the beginning grasps your attention, and from that moment on, you are locked in. With a sultry R&B and jazz influence, “Provider” is a groovy slow-jam with smooth vocals. When I tell you, I instantly favorited this, I mean it. Next is the track, “limbo (feat. Colde).” In this downbeat R&B track with a striking beat drop and buttery vocals, JUNNY and Colde, who is another prominent artist in the K-R&B scene, both sound amazing.
With an eerie sound, the next song, “Dangerous,” has a hard-hitting beat drop, strong bass, and captivating vocals. JUNNY’s voice in this song will draw you in, and you will find yourself replaying it over and over again. We calm down with the next track, “null (interlude).” In this song, JUNNY’s vocals are on full display. Like the first song, “null (interlude)” is a track with two prominent things: JUNNY and a singular instrument. It’s a good change of pace, and gets us ready for the next track, “residue,” a chill track mixing R&B and hip-hop and ending with a surprise. “residue” is filled with intricate runs and strong electric guitar riffs. Reminiscent of a ballad, this song starts calmly, but once we get to the end, we are hit with strong vocals leaving us at a loss for words.
JUNNY ends this album with a bang for sure. The last two songs are both so enchanting and magnetic that you'll find yourself starting the album over to hear it all again. “Weight of Time” is a pop, electronic mixture featuring synth instrumentals and a beat that will have you moving your head along. Something so interesting about this song is the many beat changes. One moment you are listening to an electro song, the next you are listening to a club mixture, and then a ballad. JUNNY’s talent truly is showcased in this song: the many mixtures of beats and genres show that JUNNY can conquer any genre thrown his way and do it amazingly. The last song on the album is “Next To Me (feat. Seori).” A cute duet with another well-known K-R&B artist, this track is a beautiful mixture of pop and R&B, and JUNNY’s and Seori’s voices match so well.
I truly recommend that everyone listen to this album. I added every song to my playlist, and I can’t wait till he performs these songs live. JUNNY is a very talented artist, composer, and producer, and this album is a prime example. So, check out null for a great time.
“Energy” TITLE TRACK SCORE: 10/10
“Energy” MUSIC VIDEO SCORE: 10/10
null ALBUM SCORE: 10/10
Total Score: 10/10
Edited by Sandy Ou