2PM – Time Spent Together | The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion

The guys of 2PM have been in the kpop scene in one form or another for over seven years, which means that the time is drawing near for their mandatory 2-year military conscription. As such, I fully expect that we’ll be hearing a lot from them for the next year or so, and that starts with Time Spent Together, which seems to be their Japanese farewell song. Or at least, farewell for awhile.

As you would expect from this subject matter, the song is a soaring ballad, complete with nostalgic lyrics and an uplifting — though bittersweet — core. As a ballad, it hits all the right notes exactly how you’d imagine it to. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. Even though it gives us a satisfying amount of vocal and instrumental aplomb, there’s nothing truly surprising or novel about it. But then again, I guess it’s not really the place for “surprising” and “novel.” Still, I hope that their 2016 output manages to leave us wanting more, rather than feeling like the cap on their career. Time Spent Together sounds very much like a group heading into retirement (or just coming out of it).

For me, Jun. K has always been the group’s secret (or not-so-secret) weapon, and whenever his recognizable vocals take lead in the mix, the song’s given a bit more character. Member Junho wrote the track, and it’s clear that it really is one for the fans. As a more casual admirer of their work, I’m not the target audience. So from that perspective, I’ll say that it’s solid, but I hope their inevitable Korean sendoff packs more of a punch.