The brother-sister duo AKMU is back with their new EP ‘NEXT EPISODE’. The album has a bunch of features which is something new for AKMU. The seven songs explore the concept of ‘freedom’. Let’s dive right in!
NEXT EPISODE
We start off with the pre-released ‘Hey kid, Close your eyes’ featuring Lee Sun Hee. This song compares life to a war-like existence. The video is rather dark with kids playing soldiers, which most of us did when we were young. The song is a beautiful piece that uses a wonderfully layered synth. The vocals are brilliant.
Next up is the title track ‘NAKKA’ featuring none other than IU. This is such an interesting song with an even more interesting music video. I like the layering they used a lot. The snare and drum kick complement work so well with this more electronic sounding track. It’s catchy as hell.
‘BENCH’ featuring Zion.T comes after that. This feels a bit more toned down in comparison to the other two tracks. I’m getting 80s R&B vibes. The guitar riff is lovely and as always Zion.T’s vocals hit the spot.
Beenzino is the next feature on ‘Tictoc Tictoc Tictoc’. We’re going a bit jazzy with some cool synths and bass thrown in. Beenzino’s verse blends in seamlessly and keeps that groovy rhythm. It’s such a smooth listen.
Next up
‘Next Episode’ follows that with a feature by Choi Jung Hoon from the band JANNABI. We’re getting a rock ballad. Jung Hoon opens the track with his fabulous vocals and everything just fits so well together. There’s a bit of a distortion effect on Chanhyuk’s vocals which is turned up more and more throughout the track. It’s such an interesting listen!
‘Stupid love Song’ featuring Crush is up next. This is such a beautiful song. It’s a collab made from heaven. This pop ballad has some interesting instrumentals going on in the back. My only complaint is that I wanted it to be a bit longer.
We close off the album with ‘EVEREST’ featuring Sam Kim. We’re going more acoustic with this one. The main focus is on the acoustic guitar and their beautiful vocals. I really enjoyed the chanting and the way it drives up the intensity. It’s absolutely lovely.
Overall
‘NEXT EPISODE’ by AKMU is a beautiful album that has great collabs and just shows again how talented they are. It’s brilliant to see their continued growth in their musicality. AKMU just doesn’t disappoint.
You can find the album on Spotify here. If you’d like to read our review for their previous release, you can click here.
