[MV & Album Review] TRCNG � 'New Generation'

AKP STAFF

TRCNG � NEW GENERATION

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Track List:

1. Ray Of Light
2. Spectrum *Title
3. My Very First Love
4. I`m The One
5. Don`t Stop The Dancing
6. 0 (Young)

TS Entertainment's new idol group TRCNG has just dropped their first mini-album. Their name is an acronym for "Teen Rising Champion in a New Generation," and apparently pronounced "tray-sing." The group consists of 10 boys: Ji Hun, Ha Young, Tae Seon, Hak Min, Woo Yeop, Ji Sung, Hyun Woo, Si Woo, Ho Hyeon, and Kang Min. This is the first idol group for TS since SONAMOO back in 2014. Their first 6-track EP is 'New Generation.'

"Ray of Light" is a fairly effective EDM piece. It's a good intro to the EP�and shows off both their softer side and the tougher hip-hop side that seems to dominate the album. "Spectrum" is the title track, and I liked it from first listen. It has that sense of macho to it, and like the intro, it alternates between hip-hop and cleaner croons. And the boys put some power in their lungs for some of it, which makes for some golden hooks.�

"My Very First Love" sounds much like a stripped-down ballad, but it picks up speed and becomes more of a soft pop tune. It's quite pretty and soothing. They go into full dance mode for "I'm the One," I love the honking synth in here, and there's plenty of awesome rapping in this song too. "Don't Stop The Dancing" is another club-banger, but it's more by-the-numbers, despite the R&B start. It has less rapping in it than some of the other tunes�and sounds more like a traditional pop song. "0 (Young)" is a youth anthem, with uplifting vocals and some pretty badass rapping. It's billowy and epic-sounding, and a great finisher for the EP.

I really like the beats and energy in these songs. Overall, they're danceable and hooky, and they stomp around in your head after you've listened to them once. The vocal power in this group is impressive, and they use all 10 members to pump up their songs. I'm excited for this release, and for the future of this band.

MV REVIEW

This was an impressive MV, that also gave me the giggles in parts. I'm pretty sure they didn't mean to, but then again...

Overall, this was full of dynamic imagery. Apparently, the boys meet the alternate reality of themselves. The boys in white are trapped in another dimension, trying to escape. The boys in uniform are their idealized selves, manifested in the real world. Even when they were just dancing in a box, this was easy on the eyes�and kept my interest.

The dancing was by turns awesome or unfocused, depending on which second you're talking about. There were some nice synchronized moves with the elegant choreo we're used to seeing from TS. And the next moment they're flailing limbs, whirling, jumping, stomping, and not at all together. Still, the energy behind all this was pretty intense.

What I had to laugh at was some of the scenes where they just had them standing around, and quite a few of the individual shots. I'm not sure what feel they were going for, but the soft doe eyes got to me after a bit. As I said, I don't think this was intentional on their part. Given the whole rest of the video, I don't think they intended to hit my funny bone.

Regardless, it was still a vivid, powerful vid in some places. I think the awesome music helped me enjoy it that much more.