Song Review:: Nomad: Call Me Back- Call Me Back

- October 10, 2024

Release date: 2024 October 09
Album tracklist: Call Me Back, Compare
Album runtime: 6 minutes

This is one of my rookie groups I've picked up over the last year, and I couldn't be prouder of them. They had a steep learning curve for themselves, and I've been watching with their struggle and the fact that they've been working to overcome things they hadn't known to prepare for. They've done well, adjusting to everything. I wasn't overly fond of their debut song, but others on the album I really liked, and still do, so I could be relatively confident of future enjoyment. And best news of all, their maknae turned twenty-two this year, and they all were all trainees for at least three years and up to nine.

And here we are with their first single.

I deeply love the fact that a song called Call Me Back actually includes the "the person you called didn't answer for whatever reason. After we beep at you, leave a message" recorded message you hear nowadays when you call and don't get an answer. Singularly appropriate. The guitar being so constant is a joy for me, and I'm almost positive it's an acoustic, which makes me even happier, but even the drums are quiet and relaxed. The song would function incredibly well as a fully acoustic song, but my word, that would make this such a sad song. I don't care if the lyrics I'm not understanding are fully sunshine and happy, those are not happy guitar sounds.

So in one of the highest compliments I could possibly give, this song reminds me of Hello by NU'EST. It's not quite as haunting and mournful, nor does it have the trappings of the early 10s, but there's a similar thread of desperation to both, as well as both using phone sound effects in the instrumentals. I appreciate the fact that this song fully displays their vocal abilities in a way that their debut song did not. There are both harmonies happening and vocal layering where there are multiple members doing different things at once, which reminds me of how instrumentals are treated. I'm thoroughly impressed with what they've done this time around.

Did I twitch a little at the cassette tape in the water? Yes. Do I really like the fact that it's actually a callback? Even more so. On the other hand, I'm kind of glad I wrote the previous two sections without knowing the actual meaning, because wow, is this a sad song. I know who I'm sending the music video to because I have a cousin who listens pretty much exclusively to sad songs like this. I know that it's fiction, but wow, I just want to give them all hugs. They did such a good job with it. This is an achingly sad drama of a music video. Story? Check. Emotions? Check. Hints of the choreography that looks incredibly intriguing? Check.