[Album & MV Review] INFINITE - 'Infinite Only'

AKP STAFF

INFINITE -- INFINITE ONLY

Tracklist:

1. Eternity
2. The Eye
3. AIR
4. One Day
5. True Love
6. Thank You
7. Zero

Taking a break from their Japanese activities, INFINITE has returned to the South Korean stage with 'Infinite Only.' The mini-album has 7 tracks, two of which bear Dongwoo and Hoya writing credits. The two also share producing duties here.

The album opens with the epic-sounding "Eternity," a symphonic intro track that gives you almost no hint of what's ahead. While it's more complex than other intro tracks, I'm not sure it was the best one for this album. Other intro tracks usually have the vocal hooks from the title track or something similar.� It's good�but doesn't serve its purpose. It does, however, remain true to the symphonic elements used in many of their songs.

In "The Eye," Sungyeol and Sungjong hit the high parts with authentic falsetto (frankly, I thought it was a girl collaborating with them, annoyingly uncredited). Still, beyond that, it's a pulse-pounding anthem with much to recommend it. It has their trademark blend of orchestral and electronic elements, with some dubstep breaks -- the combo makes this song pop. Hoya and Dongwoo abandon their raps here and instead hold their own vocally with the others, which makes this song stand out even more.

You don't go long without those urban beats in "Air." EDM is the main instrumentation here, along with the raps we're used to. They pour as much power into the chorus here as in other songs, and its fierceness works well alongside the smoothness. There's no time for vocal runs as the music doesn't let up until the end. "Air" is a tune that grabs you from the start.

"Zero" almost sounds '80s-style in the intro, and the boys pick it up and sing with gusto here. In some ways it reminds me of disco, but they definitely deliver here, and the raps are just as raw as the rest of the song. I love the unleashed nature of the tune, and the emotion is palpable in this tune. The only issue I have is the sudden ending.

One thing you'll notice on this disc is the absolute lack of pure ballads. "Thank You" comes close, but it's more of a soft pop tune than a ballad. "One Day" is in a similar boat, being more of a rock ballad. What's interesting is that the softer tunes are sandwiched in between the harder club bangers, allowing the album to end with a bang. I like it. It doesn't slow down enough to blunt its edge, and I love the album has a more electronic bent, without changing their sound completely. Definitely thumbs up.

MV REVIEW

There's a line in the song: "trapped in your eyes." The producers took the line literally, so that is the dramatic focus of the MV. The environment is post-apocalyptic,�L is caught in his ex-lover's eye, and the boys fight to keep him from getting sucked back in. The concept might be laughable, but in this producer's skilled hands, it works well.

They do a good job here. The environment is crisp and believable, and there are nods to Infinite's past MVs like "Chaser" and "Before the Dawn." At the end of the MV is a photo from a 2015 magazine shoot, maybe to bridge the past and present?

The dancing scenes are quite good. The choreo isn't that complex, but the boys' movements are so crisp and forceful that it more than makes up for that. The performance ranks up there with some of the more elaborate dance sequences.

Overall, this was highly enjoyable. If I thought highly of the song, I was in for a surprise that the video is just as good. Sometimes the MVs are just something they put out to have something to go along with their album. This MV is far more artistic than just filler.