Song Review:: NND: Wonder, I- First {Debut}

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  • Release date: 2024 March 16
  • Album tracklist: First, Overdrive, Night Off, Love is a Myth, Kind of Love, First - Instrumental
  • Album runtime: 3 minutes

 In the quiet times of December, I found a debut from March. They're a band duo, consisting of a guitarist and a keyboardist, and fun fact about the keyboardist maknae, he was the keyboardist for a cover of IU's Love Wins All performed by Brown-Eyed Girls' member JeA. How cool is that? They both wrote and composed all five songs on this, their debut album. They're both full-fledged adults, which is again something I am completely supportive of. Also, I've apparently had the first four songs of the album in my take-another-gander playlist.

The simple fact that they released the instrumental alongside their debut song brings me joy. There's a really beautiful softness to the song that I really like, even when the energy is up, and it reminds me of something DAY6 might release. There's also a beautiful moment of peace about three quarters of the way through the song where it's a held note from the keyboard and a gently strummed guitar. I'm impressed by how relaxing it is. I have to assume based on the fact that the instruments are a guitar and a keyboard that the drum elements are part of the recording from the keyboard, which I'm almost positive is something that you can do as a set instrumental. Yes. This is nice.

Only one of them is marked as a vocalist, so his voice is the one we get to hear, and you know what? The style of this reminds me more of the bands that have just the one vocalist and the rest of the members handle the instruments, and there's nothing wrong with that. He's got a very good voice, although the way the vocals interact with the instrumentals, it almost sounds Western styled.  I'm thinking early 00s? But he's got something very familiar going on with his voice. I'm interested to see what the two of them can do when they're both singing, if the keyboardist is comfortable with that.

I really like how the music video is bookended by the imagery of the pocketwatch. It frames the music video well and allows that sense of time to seep into the meaning. It's very simple, with no grandiose effects or choreography or sets, but that honestly strengthens the sense of running towards something rather than away from something. The flash of the bird also helps because of the bird often symbolizing freedom.



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