Minsu released her first full-length album ‘Me, Stranger’ towards the end of September. In the album, she introduces herself and asks to be loved as she is.
The album starts off with the track ‘29’. The song feels like a conversation with herself, where she dreads the past and the future. I absolutely adored the mixing, as there’s plenty going on. The end where the instrumentals are cut off, and we end with her vocal only, feels rather appropriate.
‘Ego Traffic’ is the first of two title tracks. This is a poppy delight with good vocals, a catchy hook, and cool layering. The drums are great and feel very fresh. The second title track is ‘Love Play’ and starts us off with plucky guitars. This is a groovy number with a light feel that hides the sad lyrics.
‘Milk Tea’ is probably one of my favorite tracks. The beat is solid, the hook is catchy, and the bass creates a really great vibe. The distorted effect on some of the instrumentals helps create a very summery, underwater vibe. The water drop bit and the ‘Peanuts’ horn get a 10/10 from me.
The almost entirely English track ‘I’m your love!’ plays next. I love how twinkly the instrumentals are here. The electric guitar is vibey, and the strings are fun and airy. The chorus is catchy, and overall this is a really fun listen.
The ‘Hello, S – interlude’ clocks in just over a minute and plays with its intensity. I enjoyed the orchestral moment and its open ending.
‘Private ID’ is a very laid-back R&B track talking about a toxic relationship. The beat is solid and the bass creates the skeleton of the track while the acoustic guitar and the keys create some playfulness. I loved the speaking part!
After that comes ‘Smell of your cigarettes’. We’re recovering from a breakup in this track and the R&B ballad has some really lovely synths incorporated in the instrumental which creates a cool depth, especially when the drums join in. The instrumental bridge was fantastic.
The third title track ‘Miss you, But ok’ is one of the two tracks that are over three minutes long. We’ve recovered from the breakup from the previous track and we’re focusing on self-love and the lyric “I’ll be alright on my own” soothes the hurt. This is a fun pop R&B blend.
‘Tender’ starts with the harp and the flute which makes for an amazing combo. Remember those little cupid babies? This feels like that though the lyrics are a bit tricky as Minsu wants and at the same time doesn’t want to start again with her ex.
‘Closer’ is very disillusioned with love, which the instrumentals don’t fully reflect as it sounds very dreamy. The outro when the electric guitars come in at full blast is super satisfying.
Next up we get the ‘Hae Ro – skit’.
A xylophone starts us off in ‘Jisu’. From the get-go I enjoyed this casual, laidback vibe. This song is just the sweetest. It speaks about little Jisoo (Minsu’s real name) as her parents and grandparents call her. She thanks them and calls them her heroes.
The closing track of the album is ‘Me ≠ U’. I love the retro filter on the instrumentals in the beginning. The wistful, dreamy instrumentals are stunning, and build up throughout the track while the vocals become smaller and smaller. A very pretty end to a pretty album.
This was originally published in our 2024 magazine.
