Well, this song came out of nowhere!

Boy group Cross Gene is facing a diminishing roster, with member Takuya the latest to exit in pursuit of new challenges within the entertainment industry. The group now stands as a quartet, and leader Shin Wonho is thankfully still among their ranks. Though he’s more well-known for his acting, his solo music is deserves equal attention. I missed out on March’s Time, but I’m happy that I decided to listen to Invasion right away.

Wonho’s new single album is called Strange Disco, and that’s an excellent encapsulation of what this song is. Invasion coasts on an insanely addictive funk-disco beat, targeting a nostalgic genre we rarely hear these days. The jazzy blend of rhythm and bass guitar is beguiling from the start, painting a nimble groove that acts as the perfect antidote to all the pre-programmed EDM loops that often form the backbone to today’s K-pop. I dare you not to nod your head to this beat. It’s just ridiculously sticky.

Shin Wonho plays his part well, wrapping his smooth vocals around the rhythm with panache. Invasion’s melody is as agile as its production, but still finds room for a knockout call-and-response chorus. This is the kind of guitar-assisted pop that someone like Jeong Sewoon should be delivering on the regular. Wonho’s vocal timbre is very similar to Sewoon’s, but his performance has a slight sense of danger that is all his own. It’s captivating and suits this style of song well. In a month of ballads and mid-tempos, this feels like an early Christmas present. K-pop needs to go disco more often!

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