Gaho first came to prominence in early 2020 with a huge OST hit from K-drama Itaewon Class. But, he’d been releasing music for several years prior. Now, he’s delivered his first full album – a landmark moment for any artist. Preceded by singles Ride and Rush Hour, the twelve-track work is being promoted with title track Right Now. And judging by the quality of the song, this was a smart choice.
Right Now is the kind of track that benefits greatly from performance and arrangement. As a straightforward pop song, nothing about the melody enthralls me. But, Gaho sells the hell out of it, offering plenty of dynamics and texture in his vocal. The production allows for layers of satisfying sound, lending heft exactly where the song needs it. Couple this with seesawing strings and chant-along moments of catharsis, and you’ve got a larger-than-life pop track that’s guaranteed to leave a mark.
I’ve been slow to board the Gaho train, mostly because the songs themselves didn’t feel all that unique. Right Now also wears its influences on its sleeve, but I’m quite partial to this style of symphonic rock. I love how it clears space for a proper build, climaxing in a dizzying rush of guitar and strings. Right Now supplies enough tension to make this feeling of release worth waiting for, and Gaho brings the nuance necessary to keep the repetitive melody from becoming… well… repetitive. With a number of rock-influenced tracks dropping today, I think Right Now is the one to beat.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Yippee! Nick is (almost) (possibly) on the Gaho train.
So its all about the octave leap in the chorus. I mean, F to F. Just going for it. He places the key of the song so that THAT sounds like it does. You can’t really sing that line, you can only just go for it, pour all your energy and angst into it. And of course, Gaho will intone that line better than the rest of us.
It also makes it hard to cover seriously – the time and place to sing this is after a few at norebang (karaoke), or in the car and you don’t care that you are at a light and the car next to you is staring at you.
Flove.
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I’ve bought a one-way ticket. We’ll see if the album inspires me to go round trip.
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Seems like “Lost My Way” has low-key bop energy, whereas “Part Time Lover” has BiasList energy.
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This month has been all about k-rock for me, and this was no exception. I’m going to be a while absorbing all of it. Today I’ve been listening to Gaho, the new album from Lee Seung Yoon, and an October album I missed from a new-to-me group called Adios Audio who actually have a female lead singer (*gasp*).
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Well, I just got into the new EP from GEMINI, which I had thought would be hip-hop, but is leaning much more rock/soul. I suppose WOODZ guesting on the pre-release should have given that away.
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I’ve playlisted 123 songs this month and just started listening to NiziU’s album, send help! Thank goodness we’re going out to dinner tomorrow instead of hosting. I almost skipped this one but got interested after the J-pop discussion and yes, this is my kind of obnoxious.
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