ENHYPEN - Dimension: Dilemma

Another round, another sprint, because even at the risk of blowing up, the ravenous machine of k-pop, with its numbers constantly on the rise, certainly has no intention of stopping now. And so new faces keep popping up at an ever more frantic pace, risking flattening the offer into a mediocrity that's neither fish nor fowl. It's not that we should expect great artistic statements from this universe, but it's still nice to see how the management of ENHYPEN, a septet that debuted just last year, has decided to give the group a sonic outfit and aesthetic already distinguishable from those of their direct competitors, by veering towards clear electronic territory and toning down the hip-hop appetites typical of both superstars like BTS and EXO, as well as the much larger collective NCT. It's an approach that had already expressed itself decently on the two EPs released in recent months, and which, on "Dimension: Dilemma", the group's first album (though it doesn't even reach twenty-five minutes in length), reaffirms its essence, veering towards even more pronounced electro/drum'n'bass markers. There's a lot to clean up and refine, but if the album's sales, which have comfortably passed the million mark, indicate anything, it's that success is already smiling on the seven members and isn't about to stop now: might as well seize the opportunity and carve out an even more distinctive niche.

The basic blueprint is there, though: while it's true that the melodicism often doesn't transcend genre clichés, conveying a euphoria that might have found its ideal context ten years ago (the segmented EDM-indebted sketches of "Go Big Or Go Home" could easily have fit on the early Super Junior albums), sonically the album knows how to play its cards, building solid foundations on which to make its mark.

If the jungle hints touching the intro might seem like just another passing divertissement, it only takes the adrenaline-fueled "Blockbuster" (featuring Yeonjun of TXT, effectively the evolution of BTS) to show how committed the band is to this sound, a sincere, rocking take on Y2K aesthetics. And it doesn't end there: still riding a spirited, gritty attitude, the other single "Tamed-Dashed" lets a thunderous bassline take the lead, before the melodic phrasing explodes into one of the most vital refrains of 2021.

The seven members then split their time between more delicate r&b midtempos (the electro-tinged spaciousness of "Upper Side Dreamin'") and attempt, with a few too many missteps, more direct pop-rock moments ("Attention, Please!" and its lurching melodicism). It's a bubbling cauldron, still understandably lacking a specific center of gravity, but one that hints at the potential needed to achieve a project of real personality. And who knows, maybe drum'n'bass really could be the right path forward!

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25/11/2021