IN2IT – 'PUZZLE'

Track List:

1. ULlala: Poisoning

2. Young & Dumb

3. !F (If it's a Dream)

The boys of IN2IT have just dropped their 3rd single album, 'Puzzle.' It contains only 3 tracks, the first of which is the title track. It's their first single album in more than a year.

The curiously-titled "ULlala: Poisoning" is partly named for the nonsense refrain in this title track. It starts with a vaguely Latin beat, and then it shifts to more of a reggaeton tune. The one thing you notice about this is that the bridges and pre-chorus are very smooth, almost like they were going for vocal team status. But there's suspense here that builds to a very satisfying club-banger conclusion. "Young & Dumb" is an R&B-inspired song. It's modern R&B, make no mistake, complete with rapping. They do a good job here, and they have a very smooth delivery during the main verses, though. No one can say these guys don't have top-notch vocals. They get playful on "!F (If it's a Dream)." It's one of those piano-driven, light, cheerful songs. They still have the trademark buttery-smooth vocals we heard on the second track, but here they're repurposed into a good-natured pop tune.

This single album is a study in contrasts. Every single song contains two elements, the slick and the smooth. Each song has that modern, urban feel with the rapping, and the smooth vocals to go along with it. As I said before, these guys could do the vocal team thing, but the songs are overall better. They're not bogged down by how beautiful they think they sound. They don't keep the song there too long. There's always something that just lifts the song out of that mire, and gives it some sass.

As for the title of the album, I'm puzzled why there's no song called that.

MV REVIEW

IN2IT looks cool in their brand new MV, "ULlala: Poisoning."

And that's what this MV is primarily about. It's got members lit in a neon cage, another member in a room with flowers, another on the phone in a barren blue-and-purple-lit landscape, dancing in a red room, in a richly-appointed room complete with chandelier, changing colors, changing outfits, all the boxes are ticked here.

Problem is, I've seen it all before. A lot of these types of visuals were pioneered during the second-gen era. It's like an MV that was designed from recycled footage. It wouldn't be impossible to see EXO or Super Junior here rather than IN2IT.

But sometimes, it's not that they're recycled, it's how. And that kind of thing is what I look at. I can't deny that all this has a certain panache, even maybe a nostalgia, that speaks to me. I like how it's arranged, how it all falls into place.

It's not very original, but it's very watchable, and that's something.

Score

MV Relevance.......8

MV Production......9

MV Concept..........7

MV SCORE: 8.0

Songwriting..........8

Composition.........9

Impression............8

ALBUM SCORE: 8.3

OVERALL............8.1