As I’ve found is usually the case with most new K-Pop, one day they’re announced and then it seems like one week later we have it. Not that I’m complaining! I’m just used to a longer waiting period! P1harmony’s latest EP, Unique, is one of the ones I felt like I got it the day after I heard about it.
That’s not actually the case, but the album’s release felt like it came by quicker than others in the past. That might also be because I’m still in the throes of &TEAM, so everything else kind of fades away. But there is no ignoring how freaking good this EP is! Having just checked out the title track and lead single on the day of the album’s release, the song immediately felt completely different than anything I’d heard from them before. And especially when comparing it to their last english-language EP, Ex. Of course from a language perspective they were different (DUH!), but Ex felt like it focused more on the vocals of the group in a very pop-forward way. It was great, but so is this!
Stylistically, it’s just very, very cool. I would say it predominently sounds like EDM/club or even a little bit of house music/techno. I think every single one of these tracks would kill at a club. My reaction to hearing “Unique” was very unoriginally, but honestly, “wow, that was really unique for them.” And maybe that’s the exact reaction they were going for, because a few of my favorite reactors said the exact same thing without even realizing it. It does sound similar to some popular Latin inspired club song, or maybe something from Tik Tok, though I’m not in touch enough to tell you what, but it immediately grabbed my attention. A lot of the instrumentals seemed stripped back for the verses, and then Theo’s powerful vocals pop in for the pre-chorus. But instead of some big chorus, it comes at you a little understated, but still so cool. I was personally a big fan of that approach – alomst like a fake out, but in the least disappointing way possible.
A fantastic follow-up track is the equally club-inspired, Pandemonium. I mean, that has to be the name of a club, too, right? The morphing bass beat in the chorus is peak 2000s energy and they totally nail it. I want to see a loose, dark, club-inspire video for this song – fingers crossed! Or, I would love to hear and see this back to back with “Work” at a live show. They feel like sister tracks! Then upping the ante even more is “L.O.Y.L.” At first I thought it was a stylish way to spell loyal, but apparently it stands for “Love of Your Life.” Totally makes sense. But this song is COOL. Listening to it the first time, every single part sounded different from the last. Even the repeated pre-chorus and chorus were delivered in different ways both vocally and in terms of beat. I also really dug how the bass intentionally sounded like someone who’s trying to blow out the speakers of their car. This pretty easily cemented itself as my favorite song off the album
“Wednesday Girl” perhaps sounds the most like a more lowkey P1harmony song, though it still fits in well with the rest of the tracks on the album. I think this was a good place to put it in the album, too. It kind of breaks up the more club/techno sound they have going on in the rest of the songs so that it doesn’t all sound the same. Which could be the case for a more casual listener. This is probably my least favorite track, though it is still really solid. “Triple 7” and “ICY” head back in the direction as the first few tracks in the album, though they aren’t quite as strong. Still really fun listens overall. In fact, “ICY,” after a few listens, reminds me of something that either Stray Kids or ATEEZ could have released. So Stays and Atiny – this is your path to P1harmony!
I’m really excited we got something new from the group, and I hope another tour is on the horizon this year.