CORTIS Shows Limitless Creativity in First EP, COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES
Photo: Big Hit Music Official X
After debuting with the single “What You Want” on August 18, CORTIS released their self-titled EP on September 8. COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES shows Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, and Keonho’s hands-on approach as a “young creator crew.” The group contributes to many aspects of their work, including music production, lyric writing, concept creation, and choreography making. While some of the members have prior experience working on songs by fellow HYBE artists TXT (Tomorrow x Together) and ILLIT, COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES captures CORTIS’s own authentic teenage energy.
TRACKLIST:
“GO!”
“What You Want”
“FaSHioN”
“JoYRide”
“Lullaby”
“What You Want (feat. Teezo Touchdown)” (digital only)
CORTIS previously released three tracks off of COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES throughout August. The title track “What You Want”; its English version, “What You Want (feat. Teezo Touchdown)”; and “Go!” gave early looks at the group’s vision. “Go!” and “What You Want” offered distinct takes on hip-hop. “Go!” used autotuned vocals and mumble rap to give a sound much unlike K-Pop, and “What You Want” fused hip-hop with 1960s psychedelic rock for a nostalgic feeling.
“FaSHioN,” which received a music video to coincide with the EP’s launch, goes aggressive with CORTIS’s dedication to carve out their own style. “I mean I’m on a plane / Finished the album in LA / Came back looking fly,” one rap verse says. Even if they wear thrifted clothes, their passion for music feels priceless. Despite the song’s lyrics also mentioning Dongmyo, Hongdae, and Cheongdamdong, the “FaSHioN” music video was set in New Zealand.
The laid-back song “JoyRide” gives off the impression of an indie song, another sound not expected by K-Pop groups (and one from Big Hit Music, no less). It conveys an ethereal feeling. The psychedelic soul track “Lullaby” also soothes with its light guitar strums. Though CORTIS is a young group, their first EP comes with a genuine feeling of their experiences. For those looking for more insight on CORTIS’s creative process, I highly recommend checking out their four-episode documentary on producing this EP.
Edited by Bryn Claybourne