Almost five years of their career, it’s a perfect time for EXO
making a breakthrough. On Monday 31st October 2016, three of EXO
members, Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin debuts the group first sub unit. It’s called EXO-CBX which stands for the acronym of
each member’s name, much like TTS from
SNSD (seriously, SM Entertainment?).
EXO-CBX releases their first mini album called Hey Mama! on the same day. This album
contains five songs with Hey Mama! becomes
their title track.
SM Entertainment has teased fans about EXO-CBX since end of last
year. Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin collaborated together in one stage for one of
EXO concerts at that time. This continued by starring in VCR together for EXO
newest tour and filled soundtrack for Scarlet
Heart: Moon Lovers drama; both happens this year.
So, how does EXO-CBX debut? How different is it from the whole EXO
concept? Check out my review for Hey Mama! mini album here…………………………………….
EXO-CBX kicked off their mini album with The One. This is the song that Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin sing for
EXO newest tour VCR.
The One basically sets up the whole them of EXO-CBX album, which are fun
and old school. The One is a dance
track with catchy beat. The beat consists of electronic sound that resembles
music from 90s era. It’s very easy to listen and to dance. The fun aspect will make you want to get closer with them just like its lyrics after listening to this
fun song.
EXO-CBX then offers several surprises in The One. From conversation in the opening, old school rap part
until major beat change, all happens in one song. Some of the surprise works
such as the conversation, but the rest like beat change disrupts the song flow.
After electronic dance, EXO-CBX tries funk genre with Hey
Mama!. The boys play out with groovy guitar and bass riff along with strong
drum sound. This three combination stands out and successfully gives uplifting
dynamic to the whole song. Although it’s fun, I still feel that the refrain
part of Hey Mama! lack of something
to grab people attention as title track.
Hey Mama! also comes with music video as fun as the song itelf. The music
video shows Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin attempt to erase their boring work by
partying, just like the song lyrics. The
boys do three types of activity in different location. They disturb news anchor
in the studio then dance in the club and gather in front of campfire with
friends.
The usage of these three locations made the music video
interesting and colorful. This also added by the gorgeous color palette such as
pink and blue along with great cinematography. I also like that EXO-CBX pays
attention to detail in relation of location and era. Hey Mama! is inspired by
70s funk music and the location represents what happened in that era such as Saturday Night Fever disco craze and Woodstock Festival through campfire
scene.
Rhythm After Summer makes me in love
since the first listen, just like how much EXO-CBX falls in love with the girl in its lyrics. This song is a mix between funk and electronic dance
music. There is a funky guitar riff while there is also heavy synthesizer and
old school strong beat. The combination works well in Rhythm After Summer, making it the strongest song in EXO-CBX mini
album.
Rhythm After Summer is also the first song in this mini album, which able to make great
use of Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin vocal. It complements the song, especially
Chen vocal who really fits funk genre. Beside, Rhythm After Summer doesn’t have a rap part that sounds hit or miss
in previous tracks.
EXO-CBX slows down a bit with Juliet.
It’s another electronic influenced track, but the tempo is more into medium
this time. Juliet is dominated by
keyboard and synthesizer sound. This creates dreamy effect to the song, which
actually fits the lyrics. Juliet tells
a story about how EXO-CBX falls in love with girl just like in a dream. They
describe the girl just like iconic character Juliet.
Juliet is a nice addition to the album. However, this song sounds like it
belong to SHINee, which clearly seen through its music and vocal distribution.
Cherish is the last song of EXO-CBX album. It’s another funk inspired
track with the heavy usage of bass and drum sound. The music once again creates
a strong dynamic in the song, especially with the addition of loud keyboard
sound at the end of verses. It’s an effective way to build up a song.
Different from previous songs, Cherish
offers something more pop in terms of vocal arrangement. This arrangement
also gives sweeter vibe throughout the song, which suited the lyrics about
meeting the perfect girl after a long time.
EXO-CBX shows a solid debut with Hey Mama! mini album. They offer
their own sound through fun and electronic dance genre in all five tracks. Each
song is a easy listening jam with well-polished production. You can enjoy
listening to it while driving in the car.
However, EXO-CBX doesn’t forget their roots. The boys still try to
give a glimpse of EXO sound in their new tracks. You will aware that Chen,
Baekhyun, and Xiumin belong to EXO either when listening from their vocal or
song arrangement.
It's a promising debut from EXO-CBX while still having more room to grow in the future. Just remember, they need to explore more in order to establish their own distinct sound among other debuts. Looking forward to their next endeavor!
Rating: 4/5
Favorite
Songs: The One, Rhythm After
Summer, Cherish
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