[First Listen] BANG yongguk 'The Color of Love' EP

Dyani Robles

It feels great to be able to start my first ‘new music listen’ with Bang Yongguk’s newest album, ‘The Color of Love’ EP. I made sure to stay away from the teasers and other previews to ensure this listen was being digested with no preconceived idea of what the vibe of this album would be like. This album is an amalgamation of hard hitting beats that make you want to get up and dance, as well as softer songs that showcases his vocals.

For those not familiar with the artist Bang Yongguk, he debuted with the group B.A.P in 2012 as their leader. The group was known for their high energy music and choreography as well as their ability to bring awareness to societal issues through their lyrics. Bang Yongguk has featured on many songs in addition to releasing his own projects. His last album, ‘BangYongguk’, which he released in 2019 was comprised of 15 songs that took the listener on a 53 minute roller coaster ride of emotions. My personal favorite songs from that album are ‘Hot and Cold’, ‘Xie Xie’, and ‘Hikikomori’. If you’re looking for new music, these songs would be great additions to your music library.

Diving into this new album, the first song I listened to was, ‘Ride or Die’, it is the title track for the album and set the tone for the rest or the tracks for me. I love when rappers showcase their vocals in a song and I was pleasantly surprised that his vocals were the first thing heard during this song. Bang Yongguk has always been known for his amazingly deep voice. Whenever an artist with a deep voice pairs this with a softer beat, it tickles all the right parts of my brain. It is like the perfect balance to listen to. This is perfectly showcased in the songs, ‘Green’ and ‘Breath’. His vocals are at the forefront of the song and it just causes the listen to further appreciate his voice. Artist Soovi accompanies Bang Yongguk on the song ‘Green’. Her voice compliments Bang Yongguk’s voice so perfectly. Soovi is a songwriter and producer under Hi-Lite Records. She made her debut in 2019 with the song, ‘Chained Up in Diamonds’. This is my first time hearing a project featuring her but it has made me want to look into more of her releases!

The remaining three songs of this album, ‘Rain On Me’, ‘I Don’t Care’, and ‘UFO’, flip a switch from the slower tempo songs to something that makes you want to get up and dance. ‘UFO’ was the most interesting song on this track list for me. It starts of with what I believe is an acoustic guitar leading the listener to assume that it was a slower song. I was totally wrong and absolutely ecstatic that I was. Although Bang Yongguk is serenading us for the first 45 seconds he breaks that by introducing a beat drop that can only be described as dirty. Artist COE joins Bang Yongguk on the track ‘Rain On Me’. I wasn’t able to find out much information about him and his past projects however his amazing voice can be heard on this track. Similar to Soovi, I have not had the pleasure of hearing anything from him before this EP but am very excited to know if he plans to release solo projects in the future.

This album was a great return after three years. It was amazing to hear his voice on new songs that produced new emotions. Seeing how Bang Yongguk is scheduled to make his first solo tour debut in the US beginning in June I am very excited to see new and old fans alike come together and have a wonderful time.

Bang Yongguk

COE

Soovi