BTOB -- REMEMBER THAT

Tracklist:

1. Killing Me
2. Draw
3. Remember That
4. Anymore
5. So Pretty
6. Just Like You
7. Empty Space



BTOB ushers in Spring with their new mini-album 'Remember That.' The title track completes their ballad trilogy together with "It's Okay" and "Way Back Home," written by the same songwriting team. The members of BTOB lend their pens to the process as well, writing four of the seven songs on the album.

The disc starts off with "Killing Me," beginning with a fuzzy synth, that for some reason reminded me of muted, re-sampled steel drums. That effect soon fades into a smooth ballad, punctuated by keyboards and drum machine. It's sweetly sung, and Peniel and Minhyuk do double duty on the raps.  Hyungsik's voice is soul-searing when he sings "I can't forget you."  The idea is simple: living without her is killing them.



"Draw" is a melancholy ballad, starting with some pounding beats that get buried when the vocals come in. Here the boys put some emotional punch into it, their voices hitting falsetto as they wrench the tears from your eyes. The lyrics are positively maudlin: "At age five I painted / Now I try to paint beautiful things, but remember nothing beautiful."

The title track, "Remember That," is sort of a folk-pop song, sung to an acoustic guitar. It's sad, but the vocals give it a ray of hope, injecting just a bit of sunshine into this slow-burner. The boys certainly sound earnest here, almost as if they had experienced this themselves. Again, they lose the girl, but they console themselves with a spring breeze.


Uh, Hyunsik, usually people disrobe before bathing. Just saying.

They stop being sad on "Anymore," which is oddly also the first dance track on the album. With some sampled scratches kicking off the tune, it launches into a tune with some jangly guitar, and some nice bass, along with occasional synth to remind you it falls firmly in the pop realm. They finally stand up for themselves, and tell her they won't put it up with it. They won't be around 'anymore,' and they know girls like her "aren't forever."

"So Pretty" is a midtempo tune that somehow manages to be not as upbeat as it could be. It's a little different turn from much of the ballads, though we still have the boys' high tenor here, and everyone turns in a decent performance, from the rapping to the crooning. The message of the song is somewhat bitter: she's so pretty that seeing her bleeds off their anger.



Peniel starts out "Just Like You" with a tender line ("There's not a single day that goes by where I don't think about you") and then the song shifts into full ballad mode. All the pieces are in place: the slow beat, the spoken confession of love, and the gradual addition of instruments to drown out the vocals. Hyunsik and Changsub deliver a heartfelt pyrotechnic performance at the end, showcasing these singers. The lyrics tell us they miss her, and like her just as she is no matter what.

"Empty Space" opens with not only Sungjae's line "you gotta be my lover," but the whole chorus, with all 7 of them giving this tune some punch. Sung to snaps and an insistent piano line, this mid-tempo track is a bit more upbeat than most of the EP. Eunkwang has some of my favorite parts in this tune. It's sweetly sung, and the lyrics are a bit morose, but somehow the song gives you a warm feeling, and is a nice way to finish the disc. The 'empty space' they refer to is in their hearts after she's gone.



The whole EP has this "I'm sad because she left" vibe running through it, and much of it is still very firmly in the grasp of the cold claws of Winter. I would have much preferred more upbeat and happy 'Spring is here' type songs in the vein of "Anymore," rather than 'Winter's gone and so is she.' Still, I can't fault them entirely -- the vocal work is still superb, and they show some definite lyrical deftness in the songwriting department as well. I foresee good things for BTOB, they've settled comfortably into ballad mode. A bold move to be sure, but one that will likely ensure many good comebacks in the future.

MV REVIEW

All the boys are downcast, as cherry blossoms dance around them. Hyunsik in a tub (fully clothed -- sorry, girls!), Ilhoon in a car, Peniel sitting alone in a room with billowy curtains, all of them melancholic and reflective. Minhyuk unlocks the apartment and enters, and the room is obviously old, and not seen use for a long time, plastic covering everything. Memories spring to mind, about better times with a girl in this very space, and tears start. By the end, though, sunlight streams in, and the cherry blossom petals multiply, and they can smile again.

No dancing and not a lot of costume changes, this is meant for pure effect. And it is quite interesting to watch, moving in parts, as memories of spending time with a girl are interspersed with the boys in the here and now.



I like the idea that there's some hope in the MV, just like in the vocals of the song. It's not so fun to see them sad, but I like how this was shot, with the slo-mo effects that give you that somber feeling initially, then, slowly it gets happier. The ups and downs as they remember the past, and then the tears in the present. And the bed scene was well-handled and not trashy at all. I have give credit where credit is due. Great job on this MV! 

Score

MV Relevance.........9
MV Production........9
MV Concept.............9
Album Production...9
Album Concept........8
Tracklisting..............8