My Dearest Friend,
I hope this letter finds you in good health and finer spirits.
The days have been languid here, punctuated only by the gentle stirrings of music that winds its way to my window seat, where I have lately been perched — lost in thought and in quiet company with ENHYPEN’s new collection, Desire: Unleash.
Permit me, dear friend, to send you my musings — small and unhurried — as if we were gathered together in the drawing room, hearth alight, murmuring over tea about what we have heard and felt.
The first piece, Flash Over, greeted me with an energy quite uncharacteristic of the repose I sought — gym music, if you will permit the vulgar term. Yet, its lively beat, laced with the familiar accents of hip-hop and R&B, did spark a certain cheer. There are faint whiffs of 80s synth woven throughout, giving it a curiously nostalgic scent — though I would not call it transporting.
Alas, Bad Desire (With or Without You) was less agreeable to my senses. I persisted, listening dutifully from beginning to end, though the chorus — laden with autotune — pressed heavily upon my patience. It leaned too sharply into pop sensibilities for my liking, lacking the subtler shades of R&B and hip-hop that first drew me to this group. Though I must applaud their willingness to experiment, the heavy gloss of it could not find shelter within me. I shall not, I confess, be granting it a place in my Liked Songs gallery.
Outside proved a balm — a return to familiar ground, much like the sight of a well-loved lane after wandering too long among unsteady paths. Ni-Ki’s vocals in particular set me quite beside myself — his voice rounding the words "we be outsi-a-a-ide" in such a fashion that I could not help but squeal aloud, much as a younger self might at a treasured sight. It shall certainly find its place in the summer catalogue for house parties yet to come.
As to Loose (Korean version), I had, at first, thought to grant it a place among my cherished Liked Songs. But my mind, rebellious as ever, insisted on recalling the English lyrics, and so I found myself favouring the English edition. It is a strange thing, how the mind latches onto first affections.
Helium stirred another, older memory — of the opening of Grimm, that favourite tale of mine laced with the supernatural and strange. It is not so much that the melodies are twins, but rather that Helium strikes the same minor chord of intrigue as Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics.
Then came Too Close — a song that begins with the softness of a promise but soon lifts into a brighter, more vigorous tune. I hesitated, dear friend, to grant it passage into my Liked Songs. You must understand — my collection is sacred; only those melodies that can summon the same fierce devotion on the hundredth listening are permitted. Yet, I thought to place Too Close on a different shelf — a playlist meant for lighter times, the ones where hands are busy but hearts are idle. Perhaps, in time, it shall prove itself worthy of a place among my most cherished.
This reverie led me to reflect on KAI’s Wait on Me — an album which, though fair, has not often called me back since our first acquaintance. It is not always the brightest flames that warm us longest, is it?
As for Desire: Unleash in its entirety — It is enjoyable, yes, but not a full companion for the long, quiet evenings I so love. I cannot recommend it wholly, as I have often sworn to offer you only those albums I can play from first note to last without a single restless thought. Five songs out of eight have found favour — but not enough to earn a permanent place in my library of affections.
And still — there are treasures within.
Jungwon’s vocals, so often admired for their personality, have at last found purchase in my heart through sound alone. There is a new richness there — a softness that beckons without pleading. And Ni-Ki, ever my favourite, retains that husky lilt I find so irresistible — the same dusky tone that endears KAI to me, as you well know.
I will say no more about the album’s brevity — save that I mourn the passing of the grander days, when records held twenty or more songs, each a step on a longer journey. Desire: Unleash offers merely twenty minutes — and with the duplication of Korean and English versions, the offering feels slimmer still.
But I ramble. Forgive me — you know how the heart spills over when the subject is dear.
In sum — I would not urge you to hurry to Desire: Unleash expecting a companion for long walks and rainy afternoons.
But there are jewels among the stones — and perhaps, as with all things, you will find in it something that speaks to you even where it has only whispered to me.
Yours in quiet devotion and the occasional squeal,
Vivienne