1. Atmos // 2. Hours // 3. Possibility // 4. Anti Believer // 5. Still Raining // 6. Thousand Miles Away

THOUSAND MILES AWAY

These days, I do a double take any time I see a K-pop song longer than four minutes. That shouldn’t be a rarity, but it’s so much more likely to find new music under three minutes. In many instances, you could fit two whole HYBE songs within Thousand Miles Away‘s runtime!

Of the slower songs that end ATMOS, this is my preferred choice. It’s more of a classic ballad than Still Raining and the melodies feel slightly more dynamic. Given its leisurely pace, there’s also more room to build toward crests and peaks.

With that said, I’m not comfortable placing Thousand Miles Away alongside SHINee’s best ballads. They’re released stronger fare within this realm and the arrangement here misses the opportunity to go in with full gusto. The second verse in particular feels like an opportunity to keep the track building rather than plunge back into the muted style of verse one. The chorus is much stronger, adding extra percussion to give this centerpiece greater heft. I wish they would have employed the same technique to make Thousand Miles Away‘s finale climactic and exciting. Instead, the song (pleasantly) spins its wheels.

Grade: C+