In my desparate attempt to go to more K-Pop concerts, I bought a ticket to see P1harmony on a whim. I even shelled out more to do the top tier benefits experiences. That’s probably pretty foolish of me, but having seen P1harmony’s name around quite a bit, I knew it was just a matter of time before they entered my lexicon. I just forced the timeline a little bit.
In fact, it makes more sense given that they are on the same label as Ampers&One. In fact, they’ve been a part of it longer, having debuted in 2020. Though I’ve been listening to them for several weeks now, it’s kind of hard for me to describe their style. They have two really strong vocalists, two really strong rappers, a killer dancer, and one complete all-rounder. Every album I’ve listened to so far really sounds completely different. I think it’s cool that they are changing up their style so frequently, but it also makes me think that they are still just trying stuff out until they land on what they really like. In any case, it definitely lets them showcase their talents!
For me, similar to Don Broco, I started listening to their discography backwards. I decided to start with their most recent mini album released earlier this year, DUH! This album slaps! Top to bottom all songs here are really, really strong. Of ocurse, the title track is my favorite. It incorporates a 90s hip hop beat and the bridge is more rapping featuring a killer note with some flair, but gosh does it stay in your head. I also think this was the perfect song for me to start with coming off the heels of my ongoing obsession with 82MAJOR. It also doesn’t hurt that Yechan’s older brother, Keeho, happens to be P1harmony’s leader. How neat?! At first I was wondering if the rest of P1harmony’s music would sound similar, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
“Pretty Boy” was essentially the second single off of this mini album and it is like a complete 180 to what “DUH!” sounds like. It’s almost got a bit of an African beat vibe going on, but gosh does it groove. I’m a huge fan of Jongseob’s rap style here, along with how it bleeds into Intak’s. Jiung gets to show off his supreme vocals here, too. I was a little surprised to see how much reactors liked this song. Obviously they like the title track, but something about this one really hit with them. Maybe they would also like to be called “pretty boys.” This vidoe also features an incredibly satisfying dance move that I can’t stop watching.
“Murmer,” “Flashy,” and “Over and Over” are also really strong tracks. “Murmer” gives off a bit of an old school crooner vibe, where the chorus in “Flashy” has a part that reminds me of Fall Out Boy’s American Beauty/American Psycho times. In anticipation for this album, P1harmony released a video teasing all of the songs, and the dance that Jiung and Intak do to “Over and Over” gave me goosebumps. I know I’ll never see a full performance of this song, but that clip is enough to get me by. “Work,” the closing song on the album sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard before in K-Pop, but it is so damn catchy! The synths in the chorus are my favorite thing. Makes me play air synths when I’m listening to it. I am also so excited to know that it will be a part of their set when I finally get to see them later this month.
All in all, these self-producing and writing barely 20-somethings are teeming with talent and it has me excited to see them live, wanting to listen to all of their old stuff, and has me itching to hear what’s next. And I don’t have to wait that much longer for the latter! For whatever reason they have a new mini album coming out the day their US tour starts. Strange move, but I’ll be there for it! Stay tuned!