Song Review::Jaehyun (NCT): Unconditional

- October 28, 2024

Release date: 2024 October 24
Album tracklist: Unconditional
Album runtime: 3 minutes

Ahead of his enlistment at the start of next month, Jaehyun did my favorite thing: he released a single. That's a wonderful farewell-for-now present for the fans, and with the various hits the NCTzens have taken the last little bit, a gift like this is even more special and precious.

Serve well, Jaehyun. We'll see you when you get back.

Those opening notes sound like a song. I can hum it but unfortunately I cannot place the thing. It feels like it's a Disney song, but that doesn't feel— It sounds like the Meow Mix jingle. That has been bothering me for three hours. Okay. It's not a huge thing, or a problem to anyone but me, but that was deep in the memory vaults I had to go digging for that. Moving on. The difference between the higher-pitched skittering and the deep thrums from the bass guitar provides a very interesting contrast that I wasn't sure about on the first couple of listens, but I've decided I really like it. There's also a sharp whistle that hangs out occasionally, popping in to say hi and then flitting away. The pre-chorus strips out the lower set of instrumentals, and adds a sax which is nice, while the post-chorus removes the upper set. That difference is also really cool.

Oh, to be sung about with these words. I jest. Partially. The lyrics speak of a deep, nearly spiritual devotion and dedication. It's very sweet. I'm deeply appreciative of the range Jaehyun is displaying in this song. He seems a lot more comfortable with the lower notes, and while I normally associate lower vocal ranges with rappers in K-Pop (it's actually an interesting phenomenon that the lower voices tend toward being rappers, when they should be used to round out the harmonic capabilities of the groups but that's not the point here), but he also doesn't have the rasp I also usually associate with rappers. If he truly isn't a rapper, then whichever NCT subunits he's in have got something not a lot of groups have, and that's an intriguing notion. I don't think it would actually work on me, but at least the seductive quality to the song actually reads as seductive, which could be due to the fact that the song isn't intending to seduce. It's likely just a natural byproduct of the devotion in the song and the beautiful low notes that he's got.

Well, if I wasn't sure about the song in general being seductive, that music video removed all trace of doubt. See, the interesting thing is that it's not necessarily overt. It's just completely present. I'm actually a little impressed. I also couldn't have predicted the chicken, but for some reason I'm also unsurprised by it. It's also a very strange music video in general, but that helps distract from the moves he's putting on. Some might consider it a downside. Me, I appreciate it. Also, knowing SM's reputation and with what happened recently, I really hope he actually does have a girl he loves like this, but I also worry about SM's response if they're ever exposed.