pentagon "love or take - the 11th mini album" first listen

[yoonki]

I am once again making one of these on here instead of doing it on the tl~~

Same rules as always: listen through each song on the album in order, write my thoughts on the song within the length of the song's runtime, rank my top 3 tracks  just from this first listen (not including the title track) and then wrap up with my final thoughts on the album as a whole.

Let's Get Into It!!
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10초 전 (10s and) - Love the way that this starts off the album! Love the use of the countdown as a motive, it's used so well; you really get the sense of anticipation that you feel right before you see the person love. I mentioned in my SHINee review how much I love songs that sound like video game bgm or osts, and "10s and" perfectly fits into the type of song that makes my brain go "!!!!!". The beat is very much reminiscent of a dating sim menu screen or even the main ost, which is perfect for the shoujo manga concept of this comeback. I think Pentagon always does an amazing job of writing songs that touch on these sort of melancholic/bittersweet moments of love, and  "10s and" is a perfect example of that. It perfectly captures the longing and anxiety of love, that feeling of "If I can just make it 10 more secs then everything will be fine".

DO or NOT - Gosh what a great title track! Pentagon really hit it out of the park again!! The song and the M/V have a classic rom-com vibe that come across perfectly in the lyrics. The guitar riffs and drums really capture that feeling of young love, and that sort of frustration that comes with not knowing the other person's feelings. It's about longing, about knowing what lies in your heart but not someone else's, and telling yourself you don't care about the outcome, you just want an answer! It's fun and upbeat, and perfectly Pentagon!

1+1 - When the audio snippets came out, I said that this would be one of my favourite tracks, and I was right. The R&B inspired beat and overall feel of the song is so good; it works to create this great groove that you sort of melt into when listening. On top of that, the lyrics and arrangement are fantastic. Finding your "One" and wanting to be that person's "One" in return, so that together you're the sum of that "1+1", it's ingenious lyrical storytelling is what it is! My favourite part has to be the chorus; the repetition of the last word of each line, which is fun by itself since each word is close to/ sounds like the word "one", that's then broken up by the flowing confession of the following line of the last line, that kind of arrangement is one of my favourites to listen to. 

Baby I Love You - Ooh this song....Hyunggu's cursed little number. I know at this point (7:40pm as I'm typing this part of the review up) we've all read the lyrics and know the story behind the song, but to throw my own two cents in: I think that the cliches that Hyunggu and Wooseok added to appeal to Noona fans are very sweet, and genuinely work with the classic vibe that the song. I think it was an excellent choice to make this the b-side for promotions; the choreography feels very theatrical, more like a musical number instead of a bg choreo, just like the choreo for "DO or NOT" and they both work together to create these mirrored types of love: young, frustrated longing and calm, content affection.

That's Me - This song is so Incredibly Fun! The way that "that's me" and "Gatsby" are used as lyrical parallels, how they're interchangeable both in sound and in meaning, is yet another moment of genius lyrical writing! It's my favourite part of the song, even with how funky and cool the arrangement of the song is! Again, I talked about this when I reviewed SHINee's latest album but I love a song that has electronic elements to it, and "That's Me" really delivers on that feeling, especially with the vocal effect during the hook.

노래해 (Sing-a-song) - This is the perfect song to finish up the album on. In the same way that "10s and" felt like the opening menu to a dating sim, "Sing-a-song" feels like the ending song to a shoujo anime. The lyrics telling you to relax and seize the day, since today is different than the last and that means it the perfect day to do what makes you happy. It perfectly bookends the feeling of the album on a hopeful, happy note.

소년감성 (Boy in time) - For the last two albums, members that are enlisted/not active have had solo bonus tracks added to the end of the album. Personally, I listen to and think of them as letters, and in this case I think that kind of comparison fits perfectly. Hui's vocals are as strong and warm as always, with that sort of sad quality that goes so perfectly with a ballad like this. In the same way that we're looking back and remembering moments we shared with Hui to comfort us while he's away, Hui is doing the same with his own youth. The last line being a simple "goodbye" is perfect.

 

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Top Three Tracks
1) 1+1
2) 10초 전
3) That's Me

Honourable Mention: Baby I Love You

"Baby I Love You" is exactly my style of fun cute, retro inspired bop,
but the lyrics, arrangement, and the concept "1+1", "10초 전" "That's Me"

hit in such a different profound way.

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Final Thoughts 

"LOVE or TAKE" is one of the best put together albums that has been released so far this year.  Pentagon returns to their young, fun sound in a way that I personally have been missing for a few comebacks. This is the Pentagon I fell for when I first started listening to them during "Naughty Boy" promotions.

I feel like I don't have a lot to say, simply because I enjoyed every moment of the album. Nothing more can be said when each song not only fits into the concept of a comeback, but also stands on its own as a great song.

Overall, Pentagon has released yet another excellent album, and I can't wait to see what they do next!