Song Review:: A.C.E: The Late Regret

• Release date: 2024 December 22

• Album tracklist: The Late Regret, The Late Regret - Eng Version

• Album runtime: 9 minutes

 New A.C.E song! I swear, they put out a single at least once a month and sometimes more like every three weeks or so. I'm not currently complaining about it, although I am beginning to be worried for them a little. I hope they're taking care of themselves because this is an unsustainable pace, but at the same time, even with that worry, I'm so excited every time, because I know what kind of voices those lunatics (said with all the love in the world, please refer to their recent attendance on After School Club so you know what I mean if you're unfamiliar with their personalities) have. And this is almost four and a half minutes of their voices. Full group of potentially main vocalists. 

I'm melting over this song. Even if you normally listen to it at the end, go listen first because you absolutely should not be sleeping on this song and I want you to know what I'm talking about as I'm talking about it. 

Have you listened to it? If you haven't, I highly recommend you do so now. 

Finished yet?

And now that I'm assuming you've gone and listened to it, I'm going to stay with my normal pattern of instrumentals first because once I start talking about the voices, I'm going to be yapping about them for a while. I really enjoy a stripped down piano with uncomplicated harmonies that gently supports rather than attempting to steal attention, and that's how the song starts, before the orchestral additions join in. I think the guitar that is part of the instrumental is an electric guitar being played almost like an acoustic at times. The energy certainly kicks up at about the halfway mark of the song. But I'm not kidding. The combination of the piano and the orchestra, and the way everything swells majestically for the last quarter of the song makes me want to cry. And then, instead of carrying that through to the last note, the last twenty seconds soften into poignancy and resigned regret.

I'm glad there's an English version so I don't have to worry about hunting down a translation. Obviously they're not going to be the same, which is fine. Translations, especially between languages that are not closely related, are going to be a lot more subjective anyway. But wow, is this a sad song. It's such a sad song that I sent the English version to my cousin to join her collection of sad songs, since that's a lot of what she listens to. The Late Regret is such a fitting title for the song, and I imagine that the Korean is just sad or sadder. All five of them sing so beautifully, and honestly, I would have been satisfied with them switching off who is singing, as is normal, but the harmonizing is so unbelievably gorgeous. The ad libs enhance the cascade of notes already present and we get actual chords!

I just learned that this is a remake of a song by a member of VIXX (Ken), which then entertains me because I just did a Greatest Hits on one of their songs. The timing is impeccable.

I don't think they have a music video, but that's fine. I'm happy to just throw this song on repeat after Christmas. I've kind of fallen in love with their voices and I don't know them well enough yet to be able to differentiate them, but I legitimately do not care.