[Review] Panic – BEOMGYU (TXT)

BEOMGYU is the second member of TXT to go solo, having released his debut mixtape track, Panic, last Thursday. BEOMGYU follows on from YEONJUN mixtape track GGUM from last year. I hope we get news of the other members’ solo work soon.

Until then, I will focus on BEOMGYU’s Panic, which enters the rock genre. More specifically, it is a little amped-up soft rock track. I liked the heft that the rock brings to the table and how it elicits emotions by itself. Unfortunately, the potential created by the soft rock instrumentation is not realised in Panic. The main problem is BEOMGYU’s vocals. While he sounds really lovely in Panic, he also sounds very polished and clean, as if someone dialled back on the emotions that could have made Panic more heartfelt and impactful. I don’t think it is fair to describe BEOMGYU as emotionless in Panic, as there is some level of emotion and heft from him in the song. But some more oomph, texture or emotion behind his vocals would have given Panic so much character and robustness. Despite all of that, the rock makes Panic a decent listen.

Panic‘s lyrics convey that it is okay to take one step at a time to leave your struggles behind. In the video, we see this BEOMGYU leave the comforts of his home, a location that probably kept him stagnant and reliving his stuggles. He makes it off the uncomfortable bed that he can no longer sleep in, leaving behind the bare kitchen and the destruction that is his living room (which is where I presume a lot of memories are kept). When he steps outside for the first time, he is met with cold winds and massive waves, signalling that the world is trying to confine him to the house. At the end of the video, we see him venture outside. Yes, the world around him is still cold, but he gets further than ever, telling us that for there to be progress, we need to take it one step at a time.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10