Review

SHINee HARD: In-Depth Album Review – 10X

SHINee - Hard


1. Hard // 2. Juice // 3. 10X // 4. Satellite // 5. Identity // 6. The Feeling // 7. Like It // 8. Sweet Misery // 9. Insomnia // 10. Gravity


10X

This is quite a shift from the album’s first two tracks. Running order is a real issue on Hard, and 10X would have benefitted from a later placement in the tracklist. After the bombastic hip-hop energy of Hard and Juice, the song comes across as too tame for my liking. I appreciate how it lives within the more vocal-driven side of SHINee’s discography, but its jazzy undertones have a lounge feel that reminds me of fancy elevator music.

Elevator music?! How dare I, right? This is SHINee we’re talking about, so of course we’re riding the coolest elevator in town. The vocals are slick and the groove is airtight. However, the production and melodies are also kind of one-note. I don’t know if it’s possible for a song to be too smooth, but apart from some great ad-libs during the climax I’m not finding much to sink my teeth into. It’s pleasant funk fluff — album filler at a point when Hard needs to be exploding with interest.

 Hooks 7
 Production 8
 Longevity 8
 Bias 7
 RATING 7.5

Grade: C

16 thoughts on “SHINee HARD: In-Depth Album Review – 10X

  1. Jazzy production kinda gives me Persona 5 soundtrack vibes, so I think I am digging this more than I expected. Wish they thru in some funky live bass, some slaps here and there and beefed up the song itself.

    Liked by 4 people

  2. Ouch this hurts. 10X is actually my most favourite track in the album, just like U Need Me in 1 of 1 (from the same Andreas Öberg). I agree that it could use a bit of a kick, but it’s less about the vocal prowess or production or everything else and more about the flair & charisma for me. I can imagine other vocal-driven groups doing this type of song, but will never have SHINee’s stylish oomph

    Liked by 6 people

  3. This is certainly a groove. My only gripe with it (and it’s a small, nitpicky thing) is how often they say “10X” in the song. That aside, I rather enjoy its dark funkiness, and I’m pretty sure I’m in love with verse two.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. See, I thought the same, but repeat listens have me appreciating this one more. That, and I can practically hear where Jonghyun should be singing. This has his style written all over it. I’ve noticed that with several b-sides actually – many of them sound like they could be ripped from the members’ solo albums. Identity could be from a Key album, which is probably why it’s my favorite!

    Liked by 5 people

  5. This is one of the two favourite songs on the album. Even though I really love ALL the song there are two that stand out and I have played an unhealthy amount of times alreay.
    This track 10x, the vocals, the runs, the jazzy funky thing they have going on. When I first listened to this I nearly cried. This to me is pure perfection. No elevator to be seen anywhere.
    Then there is Insomnia – thats the other one that has me totally obsessing. From Minhos rapping to that woofy kind of synth, then that funky base comes in, heavenly vocals, tons of harmonies, ad libs… nobody does funky R&B like them.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Oof. I’m really crushing on 10X right now, as well as Insomnia, with Like It on top. The more I listen to it, and the more I share with non-Kpop friends, the more I realize this is really a cross-genre album with something for everyone to appreciate.

      Like

  6. I thought exactly the same thing about placement when I first listened to this – it feels like it belongs at around #6 or #7 on the tracklist.

    That said, this is a really pleasant little number. It’s not often that I like a song that can be described as ‘subdued’, but the constant beat and the piano line make this great for me.

    It also is the first track on the album that sounds very SHINee. I see other commenters mentioning this is ‘Jonghyun-coded’ and I completely agree.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. It’s a great vibe little piece, but the part where they say “ten times” over and over again does get tiring for me. I would totally agree that it’s a little too one-note for me. I appreciate the groove and vibe, but wish it wasn’t so much of a background song.

    Like

    • My overall impression is that it’s just a low-energy song? Everything is very muted and the reverb is turned very high. Very little is able to stand out in the song given those circumstances.

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