TVXQ performed Down on this year’s MAMA Awards as the first taste of their upcoming album. It’s hard to believe it’s been five years since their last Korean comeback. I’m hopeful their new music will be an extension of their excellent catalog, but lately SM Entertainment has struggled to deliver the goods when it comes to their veteran artists. And with longtime collaborator Yoo Young-Jin gone from the agency, I’m not sure what to expect.
In many ways, Down is classic TVXQ. Its slow-burn energy is punctuated by moments of vocal drama (that climax!) and the lurching production gives them plenty of space to show off. But when it comes to slower tracks like this, there’s a narrow path I tend to find successful. A song like Down needs an incredible melody and an even better sense of tension. I think back to TVXQ’s own Before U Go — a slow-burn masterpiece if I’ve ever heard one. In contrast, Down feels too restrained in almost every way.
Rather than smooth R&B runs and lengthy moments of melodic interest, Down‘s songwriting is much more clipped. I love the drama of the instrumental during the chorus, where guitar enters the mix to give the song more drive and grit. I wish Down found more for TVXQ themselves to do at this point. Apart from the very cool production, there’s not much of a hook to be found. In this way, Down feels like a performance piece and probably works better with an accompanying visual. I hope they have stronger songs up their sleeves for the album.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
As an aside, I would love to see a top 10 TVXQ! album tracks or b-sides. As a recent k-pop fan, I find their discography very daunting (since it’s so massive!) and I would love to have some references of some of your favorite b-sides from them, to start listening to.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I agree. I’m only familiar with a few of their title tracks so it would be nice to know more about their discography. I’m very curious to know about some of Nick’s favorite album tracks. Maybe he’ll do a post on that for their 20th anniversary?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not a bad idea at all! I’ll think about doing this later in the month around the comeback. I’m going to be very busy with end-of-year stuff, but that would be a fun way to celebrate their return. I’m surprised I haven’t made this post already, honestly!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I don’t have a history with this group, so it’s all new to me. As a result, to me this was amazing, just gorgeous vocally. It’s nice to hear music from more experienced artists instead of the fresh-faced newcomers.
LikeLike
To be honest, not just gorgeous vocally, they are also gorgeous visually 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Max Changmin has a perfect face.
LikeLike
Speaking of veterans making their comebacks, I just wanted to mention that yesterday I found out that Uptown has made their comeback for their 25th anniversary and apparently Kim Bohyung (Spica, Keembo) has joined the group as a new member under the name “Ru.B” , while Babylon is a guest vocalist, at least that’s what it says in the compilation album’s description.
This is their new song and I like how funky it is:
LikeLike
That’s awesome!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh yes.
This might be an odd thing to say about about a maximalist song, but the song actually shows restraint. They knew what they were doing when they knew to stop adding layers and lines and just let the song sing. And get Max Changmin to hit a few high notes, doing his best Freddie Mercury homage.
LikeLike
I’m excited for TVXQ’s 20th anniversary comeback!
LikeLike
Incredible song. Yet another jewel in the TVXQ crown!
LikeLike