Joohoney from MONSTA X is back with his new mini-album ‘Lights’ and we are super stoked. He never fails to deliver so my expectations are sky high. Let’s dive in!
Lights
Joohoney starts off incredibly strong with the track ‘Hype Energy’. This is literally such an insane track. The fire, the switches of flow and the immaculate energy is so dope. The beat is popping off and honestly, my jaw is on the floor!
‘Voice’ comes up next. The electric guitars and the choir samples are awesome. From the first note, I was in the music. This is such a cool track, with a sick build-up and a cool rock vibe.
After that comes the title track ‘FREEDOM’. I had to listen to this a handful of times because this track went to a couple of different directions I wasn’t expecting. We’re getting vocalist Joohoney at the beginning with piano and soft instrumentation which then leads into an intense rap break and later on even a dance break with horns, electric guitars and an intense build-up. It really shows the all-rounder he is.
In the music video of ‘FREEDOM’ at 1:16, you’ll see references to the poem ‘Invictus‘ by British poet William Ernest Henley translated into French.
‘Evolution’ is an emo hip-hop track with cool autotuned vocals that really reminded me of the early 2000s. It’s kind of a vibe. The chorus involved more rock guitars and evolved into chanting and I’m a sucker for that.
Next up
Next up is the track ‘독백‘ featuring G.Soul. I have to say I’m obsessed with the jazzy opening and the intense, raw and real rap verse. G.Soul in the chorus had me believe I was in a moody jazz bar. The piano solo was stunning and elevated this track even more. I can’t tell you how much I love this song.
The closing track is ‘Don’t worry, Be happy’. This is a track Joohoney wrote with Monbebe in mind. It’s all his best wishes wrapped in a track alongside a soft electric guitar and smooth piano music. I do feel like I got a slight emotional whiplash because of the different moods from this and the previous track.
Overall ‘Lights’ by Joohoney is a great mini-album that leaves you wanting more. Go ahead and listen to the mini-album here.
