PENTAGON – 'SUM(M:ER)'

Track List

1. Humph! (Prod. By GIRIBOY)

2. Fantasystic (Prod. By GIRIBOY)

3. SUMMER!

4. Round 2 (Bonus Track)

Four months after the release of their eighth mini-album 'Genie:us,' we get a summer comeback from Pentagon simply titled, 'SUM(M:ER).' Say that three times twice! Hui and Wooseok pop up a lot in the composer and lyrics credits, and everyone jumped on board when crafting "Round 2." And of course rapper/producer GIRIBOY had a hand in the first two tracks.

"Humph!" starts with a pipe, probably a flute or something similar. It spins into a drum machine and has a definite reggae beat initially. The pre-chorus is a smooth one until the song launches into that island beat, and the pipe can be heard again. It's nice and refreshing, neither too loud nor too soft. The tropical beat is strong with this one, and then the first strains of "Fantasystic" start. It develops into more of a club-banger the longer it goes on, and 2 minutes it becomes a pretty danceable song. I'm happy with it. I like how the chorus isn't buried by EDM (as is getting more trendy nowadays).

"SUMMER!" is a little different than you might expect. I was expecting a straight banger, something akin to party rock. Instead, we get some great harmonies and a very singable chorus. Once the boys stopped squeaking on their previous releases, we got some good songs out of them. The most playful tune on here has to be "Round 2." It sounds like it's played for laughs, with a spare reggae melody and tons of ad-libs. If it wasn't a proper tune, I would say it was slapped together at the last minute. It just has that kind of spontaneity that's a joy to hear.

And this is an album tailor-made for summer. It just has that vibe that tells you its summer, with light, poppy, reggae-infused beats that are perfect for a hot day. And with tunes like "SUMMER!" you know it's going to carry that theme. And the overall sense of fun you get with this EP makes it worth its weight in gold.

MV REVIEW

I think the makers of the MV took the lyrics "Don't cross the line/I'm still a child" a bit too literally.

The MV, of course, is made from the title track, and the boys are all still in school. And also of course, high school hijinks ensue. Each boys is paired up with another one that they're feuding with. And there's even a line drawn across a table for good measure. Despite the song being written about a guy demanding an apology from his nagging girlfriend, the lyrics are repurposed to boyhood fights.

But they do it in such a fun way that you can't help but smile sometimes as they ham it up in pastel-colored sets. They wag fingers as they lecture to each other, they break up fights and hold their friends back, they relentlessly compete with each other in a softball game, and then there's the dancing.

Now, most boy groups can dance, but you wouldn't know that from watching this MV. Some of the more vigorous moves would be inappropriate for a light tune like this one, so they opt for more repetitive, less stressful moves. It goes right along with it, but I longed for some of the more demanding choreo that I've seen recently.

Still, overall, Pentagon made a fun MV and they're asking you to just enjoy yourself.

Score

MV Relevance...........9

MV Production..........8

MV Concept..............9

MV SCORE: 8.6

Album Production.....8

Album Concept.........8

Tracklisting...............8

ALBUM SCORE: 8.0

OVERALL................8.3