Song Review:: Yeonjun (TxT): GGUM {Mixtape}

 

• Release date: 2024 September 19

• Album tracklist: GGUM

• Album runtime: 2 minutes

Well, I don't know about the rest of you all, but that is a short song. I know it rounds up to three minutes, but that's a technicality, and it doesn't feel right to add almost half a minute to the runtime. Despite not being able to identify his voice in the context of TxT, I have somewhat high expectations for this song. Correct me if I'm wrong, but mixtapes don't count as debuts, right? If they do, you'll need to let me know so I can adjust this and tag appropriately. 

Why does this sound exactly like battle music from a JRPG? I could swear I've heard the instrumentals somewhere, because my brain is trying to filter that out the way it does battle music. That's not a bad thing. It just makes this task slightly more difficult. The bass and the synth are two of the most present sounds . I just realized which video game the keyboard reminds me of! It reminds me of the game Shiver from the 90s. There's a specific section where it does that sort of pounding MIDI sounding keyboard, and now that I know why I can feel my blood pressure rising from stress every time the song does that, I can focus on other things. I like the shift at the pre-chorus the best.

Which is true for the vocals as well. This is kind of a weird track, kind of funky for the first couple of listens, but it quickly wears out its welcome after about five. I actually had to stop listening to it while I was finishing these two sections. If this is a debut, it says some very interesting things about where he wants to go and what kind of music he wants to do, especially with him being listed as a composer and lyricist, but without more to add to the data pool, I'm left with a high-pitched voice that I think might be him, and swagger that I don't believe. I want to believe it because I've seen stages for the group, and I've been impressed by him. But I don't think this was the best choice of song for him. Granted, I'm super picky about the rap I listen to, and this doesn't do it for me, but I just feel like he could have done more with it.

Ah, apparently this is a song I have to watch be performed rather than listen to it. I almost believe the swagger when I'm watching it. Unfortunately, he reminds me of some of the guys I went to high school with, the ones who tried to act tough but I knew that if I hit them, they'd cry and run away. All bluster. A stage might be the way to go if I have to do anything with this song because Yeonjun clearly has charisma to spare if he has me considering liking the song, which unfortunately requires the charisma rather than supplementing or supporting it. But I do have to say that some of the camera work in the music video is fascinating. The swoops, the turns, the zooms. The play with light is also something that stands out. The subway scene? So well done. But my favorite part has to be the absurdity of the end. Just makes me laugh.