[MV & Album Review] NU'EST W � 'W, HERE / Where You At'

AKP STAFF

NU'EST W � W, HERE

Track List:

1. My Beautiful
2. WHERE YOU AT
3. PARADISE (REN SOLO)
4. GOOD LOVE (ARON SOLO)
5. WITH (JR SOLO)
6. Thankful For You (BAEKHO SOLO)

We haven't heard from them since their special single in July, and four of them (JR, Ren, Aron, and Minhyun) were busy with 'Produce 101.' Now they're back for a full comeback with 'W,HERE.' In addition to the title track "WHERE YOU AT," the EP also has a whopping four solo songs.

Instead of an intro track, the EP starts off with the quiet "My Beautiful." That particular track has some balladic elements, though the boys sound quite slick here. There's even a minimal rap before the first chorus, and there's three in all, which keeps my interest. When it really gets going it has this chugging beat that is pretty cool. The dance track "WHERE YOU AT" is more my speed. While there are some epic slow parts, the parts that Baekho sings are just full of vocal power and emotion. JR's raps are angry and fierce. I like this one a lot.

Ren proves he can sing with the best of them on the deceptively simple "PARADISE." That tune has all sorts of little flourishes that make it pop. Aron assures the girl he can give her "GOOD LOVE." He works with a repetitive R&B tune, and while I'm sure the synth notes are timed, they come at odd times, resembling a more improvised tune. He wraps his voice around them like a viper though. "WITH," as if you couldn't guess, is a rap tune. JR kills it here like usual, with a chorus behind him at times, and emotions ranging from matter-of-fact to slightly defensive. As I'm a hip-hop fan, this song resonates with me. Baekho shows off his tender side on "Thankful For You," using his expressive voice to wring every tear from the listener, eschewing the lung power he displays on "WHERE YOU AT." The fact that he can swing vocals like that with ease is another reason to like him and the tune.

Overall, it's probably a little slower than I like, but it was still a solid album. The boys are back in fine form�and are maybe even better than before. NU'EST W has created a handful of quality tunes here, and they should be proud. My understanding is that "WHERE YOU AT" is climbing the music charts, and it's a well-deserved success.

MV REVIEW

Here we get transported to lush environments in this somewhat foreboding MV.

So yeah, Halloween's around the corner so let's freak people out. We have a church setting, but it's anything but comforting. The flame from many candles stabs the surrounding darkness. There are other dark and somewhat unsettling locales as well. Though the bedrooms and the outside area where they're dancing in red suits are actually pretty cool.

So maybe it's my gut feeling, but the colors and such do little to dispell the feeling of "wrongness" here. It's just the opposite. And I think that's the point. That there's something not quite right and the boys are caught up in it. As eerie as some of it is, I can't deny that it's visually arresting.

I'm frankly impressed. A video like this, rife with at least faux symbolism and striking visuals is nothing to sneeze at. This cool MV, married to a cool tune, enthusiastically gets my thumbs up.