YOUNHA is back to bless us with her vocals and her lyricism in ‘END THEORY’. This is her sixth full-length album, her last one being the 2017 album ‘RescuE’.
END THEORY
We open with ‘P.R.R.W’. We get future bass with some lovely impactful electric guitar. She really said, let’s open with a bang. ‘P.R.R.W’ stands for ‘the process, the result and the reason why’.
After that comes ‘Big Picture’. This has some cool synths going on in the back and creates a very spacious sound. The snaps add a cool layer to the track. YOUNHA’s vocals add a really lovely warmth.
If you wanted more country representation in popular Korean music, look no further than ‘Oort Cloud’. This is such a fun track! The guitar is awesome and the bridge with the chanting of what I think are the EPEX members who are in the same agency. The tap dancing is also such a fun addition. Honestly, this is a 10/10.
‘Wish’ is an orchestral pop track that plays really well with the ebb and flow of the intensity. There’s a cool build-up towards the chorus. It’s a song that makes you feel happy and cheerful and just that little bit bigger than yourself. The vocals in the bridge are CRAZY! I love it.
‘How U doing’ is not a reference to the show ‘Friends’. This track is a ballad that shows a bit more of YOUNHA’s lower register. They added some lovely pop rock elements that create a very dramatic effect.
Next up
‘Highlight’ gives us some Soul pop and it’s such a lovely track. I really like the guitar with its very snappy riff. I would love to hear a live version of this to catch all those extra feelings.
The single ‘Tik-Tok’ was composed by Korean-American artist Sarah Kang. This lo-fi R&B single is about global warning. The instrumentation in this one is amazing and I loved the plucky violin section. The outro gives the track such a nice closure.
We’re on track 8 with ‘Truly’. We’re getting a modern rock sound with a beautifully soft intro. The vocal layering is amazing.
The title track ‘Stardust’ is gut wrenching and left me in tears. The music video is absolutely stunning and the combination is a storytelling masterclass.
‘Here’ is mind-blowing. We’re getting more experimental with ambient sound and the full soundscape. Whe the instrumentals all fall away just to showcase YOUNHA’s vocals I was shook. What a beautiful, beautiful song. This is OST worthy, preferably in a scene where the heroine resurrects and finds her inner power. This is the longest track of the album, but it’s so worth it.
We close off the album with ‘Savior’. This mid-tempo folk song is a lovely end to the album. We get the sound of a warm guitar line with even warmer vocals. There’s also a harpsichord used in the instrumentals. The chorus really packs the emotion with the vocal layering.
Overall
‘END THEORY’ by YOUNHA is absolutely brilliant. What a great variety of genres and sounds while still giving nothing but the best quality. I’m thoroughly impressed and will be replaying this for quite some time.
You can find the album on Spotify here.
