[Album Review] Livelock (4th Mini Album) – Xdinary Heroes

1 month ago 32

I am still wrapping up my list of 2023 album reviews, which I am expecting to have wrapped next weekend. Next on my dwindling list of albums is Xdinary Heroes’ Livelock, which was released in October 2023 alongside the music video for the title track Break The Brake. Following the album release, music videos for PLUTO and AGAIN? AGAIN! also dropped – the former got its own review which I posted last week, while the latter song’s review is located in this post. An additional four songs are featured on the album, rounding the tracklist for Livelock to 7 songs.

If you missed it, the band’s performance for Break The Brake earned them a nomination and win for Best Band Performance of 2023 in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. And that recognition should also be expanded to cover the entire mini-album, as the tracks on the album were all of a very high calibre and explored various rock and punk sounds in a very appealing and enticing manner.

1. Freddy – Xdinary Heroes begin the album with a very lively song. Freddy actually feels fitting for a fast-paced chase scene in an action-comedy movie – the song’s lyrics are also about a chase. The rhythm in this track was intense, but also fun at the same time. It makes for an interesting and compelling atmosphere. The drumming was definitely the main driver of this. It was also backed up with some animated vocals that kept the momentum of Freddy going. I also really like how they went full head-banging rock as part of the bridge. A very strong start to the album. (10/10)

2. Break The Brake (Title Track) – Click here for the full review of Break The Brake. (9/10)

3. PLUTO – Click here for the full review of PLUTO. (9/10)

4. Enemy – Enemy talks about how you are your own biggest enemy. It is an emo-rock song that has a fair bit of tension to it. When the track reaches the chorus, all of that tension is released in a very intense and loaded manner that makes Enemy shine. The electric guitar at the end is a bit skittish, but works well with the rest of the track. The vocal work has a conflicted tone to it, which makes perfect sense to this track. (8/10)

5. Bad Chemical – Bad Chemical bring synths and industrial rock together. I love the head banging potential behind the chorus of this track. It makes the song so much more thrilling. The shoutier motif that the members adopted with their chorus delivery made sure they could be heard over the packed instrumentation, and it added to that thrilling nature I just mentioned. Other parts saw more melodic vocals, which sound quite nice as well. (9/10)

6. Paranoid – With the likes of Good Enough in Xdinary Heroes’ repertoire, I am excited for another rock ballad from the band. Paranoid doesn’t give off that same spark as the former song did, but I find it so interesting that they managed to make a song about being insecure so dreamy. Jungsu’s long note was spectacular, and I like the raspier motif each vocalist brings to the song. I also like how the rock amps up throughout the song. (9/10)

7. AGAIN? AGAIN! – The mini-album ends off with another fast-paced and fun track. AGAIN? AGAIN! is very much a different song to the one that opened that the track thanks to its much brighter pop punk energy. It celebrates the idea of falling in love again. The drumming and guitar work goes hard in this track, which makes this track exhilarating to listen to, particularly in that instrumental break. The combination of such a positive message and energising atmosphere just makes it so profound. ICYMI – Xdinary Heroes did release a self-cam music video for this track. (10/10)