Eric Nam released his first album ‘Before We Begin’ yesterday. Here at M.E.A.L., we’ve been following his music for a while, so this review was to be expected. Fun note, all of the songs are in English!
Let’s dive in!
‘Before We Begin’
The first track of the album is ‘Come Through’. This pop track feels like an open letter to his soulmate. He doesn’t know who the person is yet, but he’s ready for his potential to ‘come through’. I’m really digging the chorus, where he’s basically harmonizing with himself.
‘Love Die Young’ is up next. This was released as a single a couple of weeks ago, accompanied by a lyric video that is all kinds of aesthetics porn. It’s gorgeous, soft, and sad. The line ‘flowers on your head now in our grave’ is particularly haunting.
We’re going a little bit more upbeat with the title track ‘Congratulations’. Though, the topic might not be 100% happy. It’s basically a cheerful break-up song. I need a playlist that’s basically two songs, this one and ‘Congratulations’ by DAY6, which has a similar theme only the last one feels more bitter. So let’s celebrate the break-up with a drink and a ‘congratulations’.
Now, what might be my favorite number on the album: ‘You’re sexy, I’m sexy’. It’s the self-confidence anthem we needed in our lives. Because sometimes life doesn’t have to be very complicated, it can be as simple as ‘we’re both sexy and looking for a good time’. And that’s totally fine.
‘How’m I doing’ is taking us back to sad hours. Soft piano, soft introspective lyrics and Eric Nam’s voice might be match made in heaven. I feel like this song might come back to haunt me on my sad days y’all.
‘Wonder’ is a straight up ballad as well. Sometimes we’re just stuck with all the ‘what ifs’ and though our imagination can take us to wonderful places, it can get us stuck in a loop of things we should move on from. I feel like I really need a glass of wine right now. Maybe a hug as well. In my opinion, the song has a very unresolved ending, which fits with the idea of ‘Wonder’.
With ‘No Shame’ we’re finally going back to something more upbeat. This song is an English version of a previously released song: ‘Honestly’. It’s a bop.
The same goes for ‘Runaway’, only this time he’s joined by Steve James.
Go check out the MV for the Korean version. It’s cute.
Here’s the album on Spotify:
