[Album Review] Beautiful Shadow (8th Mini Album) – ONF

1 month ago 19

ONF made their Beautiful Shadow comeback in April, led by the single Bye My Monster, which is still a fantastic track after just over six months. Joining the title track are four additional side tracks – all of which were just as high calibre as Bye My Monster. You might think that I am a bit 10/10 happy with this mini-album. But honestly, no side track was skippable. And being a bit trigger-happy with the 10/10s has led to this mini-album being my blog’s highest-rated release in 3 years! Only two albums have received the same rating – TAEMIN’s Want and Kim Sung Kyu’s Won’t Forget You. But it isn’t the highest-rated album on the blog ever – only one mini-album has achieved that (guess which one). But for now, here are my thoughts on Beautiful Shadow.

1. Bye My Monster (Title Track) – Click here for the full review of Bye My Monster. (9.5/10)

2. Aphrodite – ONF goes funky in Aphrodite with an electronic instrumentation. It definitely made the track fun. Some moments stray away from the funkiness, such as the dramatic and serious outro and when all the members sing together throughout the bridge. All brought a slightly different dynamic to Aphrodite but didn’t disrupt the flow or energy that the song and members were exuding. Speaking of the members, they brought strong vocals and rapping, intensifying the song even further. (9/10)

3. BREATH, HAZE & SHADOW – Changing up the flow of the mini-album is this middle song. Following the intense and funky Aphrodite and preceding the pop Chemical Type, BREATH, HAZE & SHADOW takes us into the balladry domain. The instrumental is composed of strings and piano, making a beautiful background. The vocal work from all the members was superb, and I loved how powerful they got towards the song’s end. You can definitely feel all of the emotions in the song. Stunning is definitely how I would describe the song. (10/10)

4. Chemical Type – Following the ballad, Chemical Type definitely packs a lot of oomph in its instrumentation. The pop track had me vibing along to the song. And from this, I had a lot of favourite moments in Chemical Type. The very unfiltered, vibrant instrumentation in the choruses was one of the highlights I enjoyed. The electric guitar that came through in the end felt like icing on the cake. The “My my chemical type” rings in my mind even after the song ends. WYATT’s part in the second verse, which moves between rap, vocals and then back into rapping, was another highlight. The rest of the vocals were powerful and complemented the oomph packed into the song. (10/10)

5. Slave To The Rhythm – I remember being intrigued by the title of the final song. It sounds like a very conceptual track that needed a slinky instrumental to feel alluring and commanding. The groovy synth bass was a vibe and had everything I had hoped for the track. There is a disco influence in Slave To The Rhythm, which was an appropriate era to draw upon. The instrumental break at the end was my favourite, but the dramatic ending was a close second. I liked how ONF’s vocals just glided along, and this highlighted the rhythm. Another 10/10 for this mini-album. (10/10)