Earlier this year, XngHan&Xoul released a big dance banger as part of a successful mini album that traversed the breadth of this exciting genre. For me, this set him up as an artist to watch and someone who might bring back some of the high-octane sounds I used to love in K-pop. Now, it’s time for his official Japanese debut and that momentum seems to have been sidelined for a more subdued, groovy approach.
I wasn’t impressed with this single album’s pre-release Who Knew?, which halted the momentum I felt behind this whole project. High Beams is a bit more dynamic, but still feels like it’s holding back. I love the stabs of guitar and synth that punctuate parts of the track, but most of Beams plays things safe. It’s a jaunty song, perched halfway between mid-tempo and dance track. It doesn’t completely succeed in either regard, but acts as a nice spotlight for XngHan’s smooth vocals. Those looking for a light-on-its-feet, breezy groove will likely be pleased even if the overall ambition remains low.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
Grade: C+
unfortunately the weakest song in the album for me, it’s not bad just inoffensive & doesn’t exactly scream “debut.” the best song is Endless Journey and would’ve made for such a fierce debut song. whoever made these baffling decisions needs to get their shit together…
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nick what do u think of this brown eyed girls b-side produced by sweetune (I think)? is it 9+ rate?
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I’ve got it at about an 8.75 now, I think, but I haven’t re-evaluated in a long time. I love how Sweetune would have these random one-off singles with popular acts back in the day, though. They did this with Beast, JYJ and f(x) too. It’s like a little peek into what might have been.
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I’m surprise to know that they have Sweetune’s discography in their list, and also knowing that BEG did not have a career rating yet by Nick haha.
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Easy breezy pop song. Maybe too easy breezy.
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Nick, what’s your favourite k-pop songs with a melodic coda at the end of them?
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