A short disclaimer: I haven’t paid almost any attention to Winner, so I felt I’d be properly objective going into this; I think the members are a little forgettable, though having watched New Journey to the West 3, I can attest to Mino as a fun person and from what I saw, a talented performer. As for the others I really don’t know. I definitely don’t want to step on any fan’s toes, but as an objective listener I have to say I was extremely underwhelmed by their single album.
- Really Really
The song starts off with a “jungle vibe” beat (something like Bollywood influence meets African drum music with a twist of being overly synthesized) that has been popular in pop music for the last couple years. It’s a little hard to describe but I think you’ll know what I mean if you listen to it. The production is extremely bland and the beat is the generic “poppy synth” we’re used to hearing, minus anything that makes the song stand out. You can tell the members have an honest passion, but this song does them no service. I’m honestly surprised YGE released such an unimpressive song on a single album that needs to be a hit. Though I can say that the song grows on you after the first time you listen to it, in the way that only a really neutral feeling song can. Maybe it’ll be a gem over time, and although it’s definitely not creating any ripples for me in the music industry sense, the album is smashing music charts worldwide.
- Fool
I immediately thought “more interesting already.” It’s a solid ballad, starting with clear piano and soft vocals. The chorus is mellow while remaining catchy and has a lovely quality to it – the drawn out “fool” lyric is satisfying and not overplayed. The production is level and you can hear that when a nice soft drum kit comes in for the second verse. The vocals from each person are clean and the rap break lends a good “whole” feeling. The layering of their voices is nice and not overstated. The song finishes tidily – not too short, not too long, and it was a really enjoyable experience after being unpleasantly surprised.
I hope to see Winner expand on their talent and continue to gain the audience and support they deserve, and hopefully they’ll be giving their devoted fans a full album sometime soon (though it is YGE so we all know what “soon” means, buh-dum-tiss) after dominating charts with this single album.
The music videos are compelling and definitely add to each song’s atmosphere.
Really Really is done in all black and white with interesting direction and strong choreography from the dance crew.
Fool has a vivid storytelling pace and lends an eerie sadness to the song.
Each music video has a Making Of, and their official YouTube has those and their performances on Music Core and Inkigayo uploaded.
What do you think of “Fate Number For”?
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