[MV & Album Review] Highlight � 'Celebrate'

AKP STAFF

HIGHLIGHT � CELEBRATE

Track List:

1. CELEBRATE
2. Can Be Better
3. TAKE ON ME
4. WHO AM I
5. LOVE LIKE THIS
6. Can Be Better (Inst.)

Highlight has just released their new mini-album, so now you have something to 'Celebrate.' Especially since this coincides with their 8th anniversary since their debut (as B2ST). Their second mini-album has 6 new tracks, and the title track was written and composed entirely by Junghyun's production team Good Life.�

The album kicks off with the cheerful and ebullient "Celebrate." It's a track that comes storming in, giving you feel-good vibes and a pounding beat. "Can Be Better" is lower-key, but no less powerful. It's got some easy hooks and another pounding beat. The boys sound as if they're having a great time on both tracks. "Take On Me" threatens to slow things down, but it soon develops into a full-blown banger with some tropical rhythms. It's got some awesome noisy synths in the chorus, too.�

They show their emotions in the power ballad "Who Am I." It starts out super-tenderly, before acquiring a beat and heading to a�more soft pop territory. The chorus is harder and louder, but has some smooth transitions -- it doesn't seem out of place. "Love Like This," the sole Kikwang co-written tune, is a slower anthemic song. It's got some of those smooth vocals that carry the chorus, but there are some great melancholic raps and a catchy melody -- despite the slow-burn.

If they wanted to celebrate something, this was the album to do it with. The EP is stuffed full of good, beat-heavy songs, and that's a good thing. I have to say I usually enjoy B2ST/Highlight output, and it seems like they generate stronger tunes with each new release. This is no exception. Happy Anniversary, guys! May we get to celebrate many�more anniversaries with you.

MV REVIEW

If the boys in this MV were asked how their day was going, they'd probably answer with the title of this song.

Falling flat on your back, ramming into a pole while gawking at a lovely lady, fearing for your safety at a barber shop, dropping your phone through a grate...these are just a few of the troubles the members of Highlight go through in this video.

And it's all played for laughs. Schadenfreude, they call it, laughing at the misfortunes of others. And yes, it is indeed funny. Even when they win, they still lose. I wasn't sure exactly what lay around the next corner, so it definitely kept my interest.

Sometimes it seems they don't take themselves too seriously. Here, definitely. Which is okay -- you need to step back and laugh at yourself sometime. The result is this MV, which made me laugh out loud more than once. Impeccably timed and hilarious, this one gets my stamp of approval.