[Review] EXTRA VIRGIN – YOON SAN-HA (ASTRO)

YOON SAN-HA made his solo comeback back in July with his second mini-album, CHAMELEON, and the single EXTRA VIRGIN. It is his first solo release since his solo debut last year with DUSK (led by the single Dive. He also made his return to acting recently through the Korean drama My Girlfriend Is The Man!. Meanwhile, fellow members MJ and JINJIN have formed a subunit, ZOONZINI (their debut single, Some Things Never Change, dropped last week – review to come), while CHA EUN WOO recently enlisted in the military.

EXTRA VIRGIN is such a snazzy track. Right off the bat, it is hard to avoid the extremely funky and upbeat nature of the song. Amongst this, EXTRA VIRGIN brings us groovy percussion, a tinge of country twang and interesting synth choices that consistently have made me think my phone notifications were going off, when in reality my phone is always on silent mode. YOON SAN-HA is extremely charming throughout EXTRA VIRGIN. His delivery was very bright and energetic, capitalising on his youthful personality. While the chorus did feel inherently strong, particularly with the shouty beginning, I did think stronger melodies would have strengthened the chorus further. But my personal favourite part of EXTRA VIRGIN was the bridge. The instrumental break was enjoyable, while the build-up from YOON SAN-HA that follows was really satisfying. The ad-libs at the end were also great, but I think there was room to be even punchier and not feel as constrained.

EXTRA VIRGIN‘s meaning is funny yet abstract and different, with YOON SAN-HA confirming the song is about being premium and top-tier, similar to how ‘extra virgin’ olive oil is relative to other types of olive oils. In the lyrics, YOON SAN-HA expresses the idea that he can be anything his partner wants him to be, proving himself to be of a premium standard. The music video sees YOON SAN-HA attempt to find a way to get into the city from outside the town. I suppose the country twang in the song and the cowboy hat he wears during the video imply that YOON SAN-HA starts off in the countryside and wants to be a city person, to be with the person he is pursuing. That is only what I got out of the video and lyrics, so I could be totally wrong with my interpretation of it all.

YOON SAN-HA was awesome on stage throughout this comeback. Just like what the song calls for, the choreography is energetic and upbeat. But the main selling point was how YOON SAN-HA really got into the performance. His facial expressions gave off a mischievous vibe (which was what he was going for, as confirmed in an interview that I read for this comeback), which adds to the fun vibe the song had.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10