1. Plz Don't Be Sad
2. It's Still Beautiful
3. The Beginning
4. Danger
5. Can You Feel It?
6. Plz Don't Be Sad (Instrumental)



If you were missing B2ST, you don't have to miss them anymore. They left Cube, changed their name to Highlight (after their last album), and just dropped their new EP. 

'Can You Feel It?' was released under their own indie label Around Us, purportedly formed to create music and content where fans can easily enjoy. There will be two versions of the album you can buy: 'Sense' (brightly colored) and 'Sensibility' (in blue and white). How cool is that?



We kick off with "Plz Don't Be Sad" which is just the right prescription for the blues. It's wild, upbeat, wonderfully catchy, and put a smile on my face even as my body started to move to the beat. It's like it's impossible to be sad while listening to this, which I think is the point. It ends way too fast, too, but it's still just a great time packed into a 3:44 running length. It makes me think of some of 2PM's more party-oriented hits, and that's a good thing.

Now we hit the pre-release track "It's Still Beautiful." This is one of those great ballads that doesn't try to ruin itself with overproduction. It's pretty simple and stripped down because you don't need tons of production to be tender. Junhyung squeezes every last bit of emotion out of his voice, while Yoseob and Dongwoon use their trademark falsetto to great effect, sounding genuinely heartbroken. My judgment? Yes, it's still beautiful.



"The Beginning" starts out slow and you think it's going to be a ballad, but it quickly acquires an R&B slow beat, and gives some nice feels after the emotional "It's Still Beautiful." It's steady, warm, and just overall a feel-good tune. They're still heartbroken, but this almost has a sense of hope to it, rather than agony. I really like how this tune sounds, and it's definitely one of the 'highlights' of the album. :)

Starting out slow and mysterious, "Danger" sounds almost like the title. Yes, it's soft, but there's a spookiness to the way this is played, and Junhyung's raps lend this an even sweeter edge. It's bittersweet with a hint of masochism, and I think that was entirely intentional. It's got that kind of tongue-in-cheek-wink-wink feel to it, and that's 100% awesome.

"Can You Feel It?" is when they dial it up to 11 and is largely another party-rock style tune. It's loud, catchy, full of bold synths and all the boys together sound like a k-pop army stomping to your town. It is catchy and absolutely danceable. There's a reason this album was named for this tune, and that's because the song is more fun than a barrel-full of boy bands.  



What does it sound like? It sounds like a B2ST album, warts and all (though to be fair, there are very few warts). The fact that they've grown by leaps and bounds over the years is obvious, and this album is just one more jewel in their crown. This is entirely their own, with Junhyung, Yoseob, and Gikwang having produced each song on here. I think this rebranding really injected new life into the band, and I think this will stand as a 'highlight' of their career.

MV REVIEW

Everything is better with giant animal heads.

At least, I think that's what the message is. Inexplicably, the boys are having fun, either shopping (and riding on the cart), playing golf-bowling, playing video games, or some such thing. And dancing. In confetti. While characters with giant animal heads are occasionally seen with them. Um. I wondered if someone spiked my drink before I watched this.

The MV is festooned with bright colors and happy, dancing people, with animal heads and without. The sets range from okay to cheap, but you should be too busy having fun to notice. The whole MV echoes the point of the song, which is not to be sad but be happy. And really, there's nothing wrong with that.



The outfits recall the crazy days of K-pop costuming when bright colors and loud shirts were the order of the day. No boring suits for these guys -- they go all out here. And it works wonderfully.

The dancing is absolutely on par for a fun MV. Is it on point? Well, yes, but not entirely. The dancing is really a small part of the whole thing, and it looks like they're really just having the time of their lives.

If you're feeling down, give this video a watch. You should get a couple chuckles from the antics shown here. And if you're a B2ST fan, then you won't be disappointed. They're all here (minus Hyunseung, who's still with Cube). They're back as Highlight, so do as the song suggests: please don't be sad.

Score

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

OVERALL...............8.7

SEE ALSO: Krystal's past letter to late f(x) member Sulli goes viral