'Obsession' is quintessential EXO with a twist
In while I finally accept that yeah, I basically ult EXO at this point
Hello, and welcome to maybe if you stanned, a weekly K-pop newsletter about new music and fandom culture. This week, it’s a nearly full EXO takeover, partially because this is another abridged issue (holiday weekend, can you blame me?) and also because…. EXO. There are a few news items, but if you’ll forgive my indulgence, I’m going EXO-L on main today.
EXO, “Obsession”
News
BTS wins all four Daesangs at the Melon Music Awards
Making history, dominant boy group BTS picked up all four Daesangs (grand awards) yesterday at the 2019 Melon Music Awards. The group won:
Record of the Year: Map of the Soul: Persona
Song of the Year: “Boy With Luv (feat. Halsey)”
Album of the Year: Map of the Soul: Persona
Artist of the Year
In addition to Daesang awards, the group also picked up Best Dance (Male), the Kakao Hot Artist Award, and the Netizen Popularity Award in addition to being named one of Melon’s top 10 artists of the year.
BTS also put on a truly majestic, 40-minute long performance that included both recent releases as well as classic tracks like “Boy In Luv.”
Goo Hara found dead at her home in Seoul
Former Kara member, singer, and actress Goo Hara was found dead in her home. This kind of news, especially not even two months after the passing of Sulli, is always extremely hard to bear. She, like many others, deserved better.
Goo Hara was a K-pop royal who deserved a better world (Tamar Herman, Billboard)
A K-pop star’s death is the latest reminder of how Korea’s justice system fails women (Haeryun Kang, The Washington Post)
New this week (a.k.a. EXO time)
EXO — “Obsession,” Obsession
There’s always a certain impact to EXO’s title tracks: aside from the indomitable “Monster,” easily the group’s standout track even amongst a stellar discography, there’s always a particular kind of theatricality to EXO’s leading singles. It’s what has kept EXO towards the top of my top Spotify artists year after year after year.
That never fully hits in “Obsession.” The track, which kicks off with a distorted vocal sample that threads throughout the song, fails to reach the climactic heights of previous EXO songs. More of a tightly wound R&B track than the vocally driven, extravagant singles EXO is known for, “Obsession” almost feels safe. Even a lush bridge helmed by Suho and Chen doesn’t manage to fully up the ante given that the song reverts back to the same pre-chorus and chorus with little rearrangement aside from some adlibs.
All of that being said, “Obsession” is still a really solid single, carried by a stellar music video and the fact that EXO are some of the most dynamic performers currently in the game. Even down three members (D.O. and Xiumin due to military service and Lay due to solo work), it still feels very EXO from the vocal layering on the bridge to the commitment to aesthetic.
What I really love about “Obsession,” however, is the fact that SM (EXO’s label) went all in on the concept this time around. EXO has a history of concept-heavy releases: the group’s original lore is that they’re, like… aliens from another planet, and they also each have individual powers like light manipulation or teleportation. It’s cool as shit, but the group eschewed their original concept for a few years before returning to it with later releases like “Lucky One” or “Power.”
While “Obsession” doesn’t really invoke that particular story, it features an elaborate concept that basically features EXO battling dark versions of themselves known as X-EXO. In addition to a series of elaborate teasers and a whole additional Twitter account to promote them, the group is also currently hosting a battle between the EXO and X-EXO stages of “Obsession” on VLive. While extravagant, it honestly rules — EXO’s considerable performance acumen means that the two stages have completely different vibes. I think at this point I prefer the X-EXO stage, and I promise it’s more because of performance style and energy and not just the fact that Suho and Kai are flashing their abs during the entire performance.
The full album is one of EXO’s more experimental releases, covering a wide swathe of genres and moods ranging from more mainstream pop to sample-driven R&B. The plucky guitar-led “Baby You Are” is currently my favorite out of the bunch, that’s more due to personal tastes than anything else. More musically interesting is “Ya Ya Ya,” which expertly samples R&B trio SWV’s “You’re The One,” weaving the vocal hook throughout the song and invoking its melody in the chorus. It’s easily an album and it’s a damn tragedy that Kyungsoo (D.O.) isn’t singing on it.
Overall, Obsession maintains plenty of quintessential EXO elements (in particular, the group’s signature vocal flavor) while still pushing boundaries. While not my favorite comeback that I’ve been around for (that honor will probably always go to “Tempo”), it’s a great showing from a group that’s down a third of its members in addition to having two members double dipping in SM supergroup SuperM. Not that I ever expected anything less!
Thanks, and until next time,
Palmer