Xdinary Heroes IMPULSE Review: Tracklist
A note first. This review is based on JYP Entertainment's track descriptions, the credits, the band's interviews and the highlight and instrumental samplers as described in press coverage. It is not based on a full listen to the finished album. Treat the rating as provisional.
Xdinary Heroes made IMPULSE under conditions that would have rattled most bands. Drummer Gunil left in August, according to the JoongAng Daily. The group that released DEAD AND in April is now five members, and IMPULSE, out Oct. 12, is the first release since he left.
My provisional assessment is that this is a better-argued record than it is a risky one, because the plan is clear and the track list varies where it should, even though the band's own description of the lead single should worry anyone who likes them for their rough edges.
Start with the claim. The five members told the Korea Times they wanted "raw, honest emotion" over "polished perfection," and in the same interview they promised a "sleeker and more refined" look and sound. Those are two different records. The lead single, "Obsessed with Youth," is described by the band as brighter and more refreshing than their recent work, and its lyric ("Every season that passed, every youth that was wasted") is a lament dressed as a hook. A rock band choosing the sunnier of its two moods for the single is a decision worth watching. Their appeal has always been that they sound uncomfortable inside K-pop's structure, and a brighter lead can sand that down.
The track list is where the album makes its case. JYP's descriptions give the seven songs distinct jobs: "Breathe in, Breathe out" in an acoustic arrangement that O.de says began as a grand, heavy track; "Give Up The Ghost" as modern rock; "Slashhh!" as the lively one; "u and me in arguments" as the heavy rock song, where Jun Han points to a minor scale under rough distortion; "You Right There" as the fast one; and "Love in dystopia" as the ballad. That is a deliberate spread, from acoustic to distortion. Whether the heavy end is heavy enough is the question the finished record has to answer, and a single track carrying the "heavy rock" label is thin cover for a band known for loud.
The writing credits are the stronger reason to take it seriously. All five members are credited on several tracks, among them "You Right There," "Give Up The Ghost" and "u and me in arguments," and JoongAng Daily lists them on the lead track and most of the rest. Jungsu says he knew the song worked when the phrase "you right there" landed. Gaon added "If I could" to the lyric for an emotional lingering effect. Those details suggest an album built from the band's own instincts, not handed down. Producer collapsedone, who worked with the group on "PLUTO," "Save me" and "Night before the end," returns on the title track, which keeps the sound close to what they have already established.
What is missing is evidence of what changed with a new lineup. Every interview answer is about desire, youth and acceptance of emotion. None is about how the band sounds without its drummer. That is the first thing a full listen has to settle.
IMPULSE gets a provisional 7 out of 10 for a coherent plan, real band involvement in the writing and a track list that avoids repeating itself. A full listen could move it either way.
IMPULSE is out now on JYP Entertainment. Xdinary Heroes hold their solo concert "Xdinary Heroes Concert <IMPULSE>" at Inspire Arena in Incheon on Nov. 13 to 15.
