Park Jihoon is back with his first full-length album ‘MESSAGE’. If you’re wondering what the message is, it’s love.
Let’s dive in!
MESSAGE
We open with the intro ‘Waterfalls (intro)’. This is a really cool hip-hop opener that sets the vibe for the rest of the album.
After that we get the title track ‘GOTCHA’. It’s a dope mix between trap and Latin vibes. Honestly, I really dig this title track. It’s catchy and there’s this one section that reminded me a lot of Skrillex.
We get the first feature with the following track ‘Hit it off’ featuring PENOMECO. This is a funky hip-hop track that blends Jihoon’s and PENOMECO’s styles really well.
‘Rolling’ is next and what an appropriate title. This R&B track is super smooth. I like this one a lot. Jihoon’s rap verse feels very suave. Honestly, 10/10.
The next feature is with EB for the song ‘50-50’. The female rapper is hella dope. This song feels quite a bit like tropical pop without going over the top. It’s a lovely balance and feels quite fresh. Their vocal layering for the chorus is super nice.
Next up
Next up is ‘DRESS CODE’ featuring Punchnello. This is another R&B track with some interesting instrumentation. I really liked the samples they used from the little squeak to the video game synth. Punchnello’s verse is dope. Though the song does get a bit repetitive towards the end.
‘Whisper’ follows that with a softer vibe than what we’ve heard so far. However it does pick up the pace a bit in the second verse, but it still remains in the soft R&B genre.
We’re on track eight with ‘Tomorrow’. We’re getting some funk in the instrumentation. I dig the samples they used and the playfulness with silence and rhythmic breaks. This is lovely!
The last feature on the album is Sweden Laundry. The track ‘Scenario’ is a lovely mid-tempo pop ballad. I love the combination of their voices. It’s super cute.
We close off with ‘MayDay’ which is a song for the fandom May and it’s beyond adorable. I really dig the happy tropical vibe of this track.
Go ahead and listen to ‘MESSAGE’ by Park Jihoon on Spotify here.
If you want to listen to his previous title track, you can find that in our list of the Best Korean Releases of May.
