Review

INFINITE ONLY: In-Depth Album Review – True Love

infinite-onlyIn honor of the release of Infinite’s sixth mini-album, Infinite Only, I’ll be taking an in-depth look at each track. Every day this week, I’ll review one song, working through the album in chronological order.

  1. Eternity (intro)
  2. The Eye
  3. Air
  4. One Day
  5. TRUE LOVE
  6. Thank You
  7. Zero

For the throwback r&b of True Love, Infinite worked with production team Monotree, who originally formed as an offshoot of Sweetune. Since then, they’ve occasionally dabbled in the classic 80’s-tinged Sweetune sound, but have otherwise found a career composing midtempo dance tracks for girl groups like Stellar.

True Love definitely falls into the latter category, sounding very different for Infinite. The closest songs from their discography I might compare it to are Wings… and maybe Inception. The song has a groove-oriented 90’s feel, bopping along to its skittering swing of a beat. And though the guys can certainly pull it off, it will never be my favorite sound for them. The verses aren’t particularly memorable, relying more on low-key vibe than the melodic highs we’re used to from Infinite’s music. Luckily, the chorus saves the track, taking advantage of some gorgeous layering and an unexpectedly brassy instrumental support.

The song also allows Hoya and Dongwoo an extended rap break, which is actually pretty rare on this album. In fact, True Love might have been better suited as part of an Infinite H release, with a greater focus on hip-hop to replace the lukewarm verses. Coupled with some more adventurous production, its potential might have been fully realized. As it stands, it’s probably my least favorite track on the album, though even a slightly underwhelming Infinite song is stronger than many artist’s best work.

 Hooks  8
 Production  7
 Longevity 8
 Bias  8
 RATING  7.75