Album Review #5: EXO-K's Overdose

With EXO's rising popularity and their mere appearance causing mayhem everywhere they go, it's only anticipated that they should deliver what is expected from them. With their latest mini-album dominating the music charts and achieving an all-kill status, EXO seems to be the main contender to beat right now. But with every successful album comes great and not-so-great songs and I'm here to share my thoughts and opinions regarding the new songs that they've put out for both their fans and the general public. Fair warning that you do not have to necessarily agree with what I have to say as I am entitled to my own opinion as much as you are entitled to your own. I do not claim that my thoughts are the right and only true ones as these are the mere words of a girl with too much time to spare and too much love and appreciation for a Korean pop group. Also, I do not get money out of doing this, just sheer unadulterated joy.

So if you're interested to read about what I think of EXO-K's Overdose, the album review is under the breakthrough! :)

중독 (Overdose) - I first heard Overdose when the dance practice video was leaked and I was torn between disappointment and thinking "This is okay. I expected worse so this is okay" but right now I love it. I freaking love it. It's my jam, each time it plays, I feel the need to bop my head and sing along to the lyrics even though I mess most of them up. I don't know why, maybe I just needed to warm up to it but I've noticed that most of EXO's title songs have that kind of effect on me; except maybe for MAMA because up to now, I still can't seem to swallow that song whole. I want to emphasize that I really love the intro because it sets a dark and sinister tone to the whole song since Overdose in its entirety (lyrics-wise) can be summarized in those two particular words. I don't know if it's just me but the "Come in" at the intro strikes me as similar to Sehun beckoning the listeners into entering an asylum once the song starts, which is also akin to us finding out about their insane kind of love that's bordering on madness and addiction. I think Baekhyun opening the song was a good choice and the build up to the chorus is great. My favorite part is the pre-chorus though because it's so memorable and Kyungsoo sounds so good I melt each time I listen to it. I really love the chorus as well because it's catchy but not the kind of catchy that borders on annoying (unlike Wolf's chorus with all its grating earworms). Probably the only letdown for me is Chanyeol's rap part because it was after Sehun's "E-X-O" which involuntarily led me into thinking that it sounded just like his rap part in Growl. But then again, I've never been a fan of the rap breaks in songs because for me, they just cut the nice flow of the songs. I enjoy the "Hey doctor~" though and the transition back to the chorus was flaw-free. All in all, I think Overdose is a good title track. Not the best song in the album by far but the powerful vocals pack a punch and EXO deserves a song like this one for promotions and live performances.

월광 (Moonlight) - A lot of people claim that they prefer M's version over K's but Kyungsoo's my boy and I will always like K's versions of ballads better just because he's singing in them. Honestly, there's nothing particularly special or striking with Moonlight. It sounds like any other ballad out there but the lyrics are beautiful and Baekhyun and Kyungsoo sound lovely as always, no question there. I feel like Moonlight has the same dynamics as Angel, especially with the chorus, but then again SM tends to be generic with most of their ballads so there's no surprise there. But even though Moonlight is ordinary despite its sweet melody, I don't dislike it. Not at all. There were a lot of parts that made my skin tingle and I think the bridge is gorgeous. Baekhyun's falsettos in the last chorus were amazing even though they're not really his forte (although Chen's falsettos in the M version were to die for) and Moonlight is the perfect song to listen to when you want to unwind after a long tiring day. I can't listen to it twice in a row though. [Fandom inside joke: A lot of fans joked around that this was EXO's song to Tao because of the words "stop, stop, stop, stop" and "shower" PMSL]

Thunder - It took a lot of self-control to not smash on my keyboard because I could probably just summarize my feelings and thoughts about Thunder in a string of incoherent letters that don't make sense because hoo boy, THUNDER IS THE SONG I'VE ALWAYS WANTED BUT NEVER KNEW I WANTED IT UNTIL KYUNGSOO OPENED HIS MOUTH AND SANG THAT RIDICULOUSLY SMOOTH INTRO. Seriously, Kyungsoo's riffs and melodious voice are the shining stars in this song because honestly, listen to him sing, it will make you explode into a million pieces of nothing. With that said, everyone else sounds insanely good as well because I feel like this is the kind of song that can do no wrong. I definitely wish they'd given Chanyeol more lines because I want to hear more of him here and Suho's sweet voice sounds a bit out-of-place but I like it because he sounds cute lol. Rap fell a bit flat for me, that's my only complaint. The rest of the song is gold. It has a lot of soul and the rhythm is great and the tempo is just right and I could gush on and on but I just really love this song /cries

Run - This is such a silly love song and I'm in love with it! It's so cute and cheerful, I live for songs like this one. I like how it was placed after the preceding songs because we all need a bit of bright and fun EXO in our lives, don't we? Honestly, I think that this is the kind of song that's made for Chanyeol and Kai because their voices both have that certain boyish charm that fits this song perfectly. Run is also the token play-around-the-stage-while-dumping-water-on-the-other-members song that would be ideal for encore stages or when they want to loosen themselves up after a physically-demanding performance during concerts and showcases. I know it reminds everyone of 3.6.5 and this song just makes me so happy I feel like eating rainbows and sunshine whenever I listen to it. Also! The hadouken/kamehameha move that they do during the "aaahh...yah!" part made me squeal when I was watching their first performance of Run because it just reminded me of the good old days when I watched and played Dragonball and Street Fighter with my brothers. EXO reminding me of childhood? Yes, good. Very good.

Love Love Love - I'll be frank, I don't like Love Love Love. It's the kind of song that I'd never give a second listen to if it wasn't sung by EXO. The intro sounds strange and even though it gets better when they hit the chorus, there's no special wow factor for me. The vocals are good but I felt like SM was trying to experiment with this song and it somehow ended up into this mess because they tried working with so many elements, elements that didn't really work well together. Sometimes, SM needs to be reminded that less is more. All in all, it's my least favorite track and the rap breaks had me cringing at some point. The whole song just sounds ... weird and I like weird but not this kind of weird. Also, I feel like this was a failed attempt at trying to sound like SHINee because in my opinion, this song doesn't sound like EXO at all :/

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Favorite track: Thunder

Deserves a listen: Moonlight (I'd say Overdose but it's the title track already)

Special Mention goes to: Run

I'm going to outright admit that this mini-album is a great addition to EXO's already excellent discography. I'm actually going as far as to say that EXO is well into having the best discography from SM, and that's coming from a fan who's been stanning SM groups since 2007.

Thanks for reading! :)