EPEX’s material has been pretty hit or miss for me, but digging deeper into their song credits the group has worked frequently with (most of) the team that’s crafted The Wind’s discography. I’ve got my eyes on these producers, and for new single Youth2Youth (청춘에게) they seem to have brought a bit of that soaring, melodic Wind energy to EPEX.
This is a roundabout way of saying new single Youth2Youth is a pleasant surprise. On its face, the song is a standard angsty slow burn, but a few surprises help it stand out. First is a beautiful pre-chorus, which dispenses with any unnecessary noise in favor of sparse, theatrical piano and vocal. It’s a smart way to reinvent a song segment that can often feel very predictable. Then, Youth2Youth transforms into a bombastic shout-along during its second half. When it comes to boy group chanting, there’s a very thin line between “anthemic” and “obnoxious,” but Youth2Youth manages to embrace the former thanks to its natural build and melodic through line. And at a hearty three minutes and twenty seconds, it’s given plenty of time to develop.
Ultimately, this is still a rather generic sound and it’s hard to tease out any specific vocals with unique character, but that’s as much a K-pop industry problem as an EPEX problem. Overall, this may be my favorite single from them yet and I imagine it will only grow more addictive with time. It’s a great way to mark the release of their first full album.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
Grade: B
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Okay, damn. I actually turned this up at one point because I was like, “what is going on right now??” Easily in the 9’s for me. Just really surprising and at times shocking.
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Oh, I don’t know. At times I felt like it was a discard from a Pepsi or Coke ad. That kind of hype song.
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Is this the start of a new trend in bg music–the emotive pop song? This, Drippin’s Beautiful Maze, even TXT… The guitar in the beginning and the rolling beat reminds me a bit of Drive by Nu’est. I feel like they should have saved the anthemic part for the end. It’s very unsubtle. Still, this is probably the first EPEX song I’ve paid attention to.
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Ooh, this is pretty good! I love the hooks here, but wish the instrumental in general had more to it, with an even more explosive chorus. I’d give this a 8.5 as well, but it’s the hooks and bias that gets the 9, while production and longevity is an 8 (unsure about the longevity since I debated on giving it a 9, but we’ll see), but I’m certain it’ll age well for me. Hopefully EPEX keeps this sound, cause this is about to surpass Full Metal Jacket as my favorite EPEX title track 🙃
And while most B-sides of their album weren’t up to the mark, but “Breathe in Love” and “My Secret” are pretty decent, especially the former, which is funny since they’re also gonna release a MV of it soon
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new boy group?
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No, EPEX debuted in 2021.
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Ok, Thanks.. because I feel unfamiliar with the name
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I kinda liked it, but the chantaing remind me a little of the SMTOWN song The Cure, lol.
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