Song Review:: U-Know (TVXQ!): I-KNOW- Body Language {Pre-Release}

• Release date: 2025 November 05

• Album tracklist: Set In Stone, Body Language, Stretch, Spotlight2, Waterfalls, Leader, Premium, Fever, Let You Go, Take-off (26)

• Album runtime: 31 minutes

 I’m really excited for the full release of the album or mini album or whatever it is because of when it’s releasing. Very excited. I’m also excited about this because I think this will be the first time that I hear one of his solo songs. I’ve heard a couple of Max Changmin’s and obviously I love the group songs, but I don’t think I’ve heard one by just him. This’ll be fun. Also, just so everyone knows, he is incredibly smart. 

I was not kidding when I said this was going to be fun. A harmonica? Really? A harmonica? I definitely did not have a harmonica in K-Pop music on my 2025 Bingo sheet. The cool bit, from my end, is that the harmonica is not forced to be only an interesting gimmick to hook the listener in from the novelty of it at the beginning. My only complaint about the harmonica is that it’s two measures of harmonica that’s repeated. It could have been even cooler. Still, the combination of the hip-hop beat and the harmonica being treated like a percussion instrument almost is a fascinating combination.

As one of the most senior groups from second gen still active, TVXQ! has a lot of expectations of excellence sitting on their shoulders, both as a group and as soloists. I don’t know if U-Know started out as a rapper and was forced to take on a vocalist position after 2009, or if he started out as more of a vocalist and was forced to take on more of a vocalist role. With this song being my first introduction to his solo work, I’m inclined to believe the former more. That being said, I can still hear vibrato in his voice. It’s not very prominent, but it is present, especially on the one belt he’s got in the song, but some of those vocal runs he does are very pretty.

This is a comical music video, also incredibly clever in using the choreography for plot. And at one point I laughed so sharply that my cat ran off. But, as a warning, it's very weird. I love it. Especially the end when he's just casually fishing like he isn't some sort of eldritch abomination.