written by: McRoth
Some say that K-Pop is stuck in the 90s, and there hasn’t been a release this year that supports that statement as strongly as BtoB‘s “Press Play“.
Taking spoonfuls of inspiration from 90s boy band pop, “Press Play” is rife with classic production techniques, melodies, and styles, aptly capable of making even the latest of bloomers nostalgic of the glorious era.
Where JJ Project (another rookie group that debuted this year) fed off the likes of Seo Taiji and The Boys in their exhilarating debut single, it’s the internationally beloved American boy band, Backstreet Boys, that served as BtoB’s template in constructing “Press Play”. The biting snares and delicate blend of guitar leads with glimmering melodies hints at this the strongest in “My Girl” and the lead single, “WOW“. If you remember “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)“, which I don’t know how you wouldn’t, then one listen to “WOW” and you’ll immediately recognize it as its 2012 born-again double.
Yet, even with derivative details strong and present, “Press Play” is fresh and contemporary, polished beautifully and tailored to the members’ strengths better than they were able to show earlier this year. And even then, the most important takeaway of “Press Play” is that it fulfills the one task I had felt was poorly played in BtoB’s debut EP; these guys suddenly feel alive and distinguished as a K-Pop boy band. This is a musical direction no one else under Cube Entertainment could have touched without compromising their own (B2ST being the prime example), and I think BtoB have done an excellent job of making it their own, showing immense promise for their endeavors down the road in the process.
==
Scorecard
| Press Play |
1.0
|
|
| WOW |
1.0
|
|
| 사랑밖에 난 몰라 |
1.0
|
Points scale 0 – could do without 0.5 – mediocre/filler 0.75 – pretty good/grew on me 1 – liked immediately |
| U & I |
.75
|
|
| Stand Up |
.75
|
|
| My Girl |
.75
|
|
| Total Points |
5.25
|
Points to stars conversion: [(5.25/6) x 5] + 0.25*
4.6/5
-
*there is a 0.25 bonus for every album. The logic is that, if every song were “pretty good”, it’s a 4-star album.
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This is a vast improvement from their debut. They should’ve debuted with this instead. I felt they were not ready when they came on the scene, their debut showcase was a mess and they couldn’t sell their stuff. This time around though, they are much more confident with their material and they don’t sound like an inferior copy of their sunbaes. Indeed, they sound ‘alive’ now.
Agreed 100%. Cube dropped the ball big time, but redeemed themselves in the most impressive way I’ve seen in a very long time. This is solid gold and has made me a huge fan of BtoB.
I have got to check out this release. Wow really impressed me coming from BTOB.
You definitely should! It’s a fantastic mini.
surprisingly BTOB is growing on me too. i really dont care much to anything or anyone else in cube or any other kpop aside from BEAST. :)