I have determined that Youtube is my kryptonite. As much as I try to ignore the videos presented to me by the algorithm, my curiosity eventually caves to its pressures. For instance, Youtube has been trying for months to get me to watch funny videos of &TEAM, and as someone who is still trying to take their time with new K-Pop acts, I refused to let a bunch of new, hot, and silly guys take my attention away when I wasn’t ready. But I have finally relented, and I am so, so glad that I did.
Fun fact, &TEAM is actually a J-Pop group (Japanese for the un-initiated). They have one Korean member, a Taiwanese member, and a half German member, but the remaining six are from Japan. I was actually quite excited to learn this! They formed and debuted back in 2022 and I was even more happy to learn that a few of their members were born in the same decade as me. They were formed on a reality competition show, and just last year made their Korean debut. With that many years under their belts, it means I had plenty of music to get absorbed into.
Not really paying attention to the lyrics, the videos, and some helpful fans, had me learn that their lore revolves around being wolves. I typically don’t try to get too deep into any lore, but theirs from a high level is easier for me to want to follow. I also learned that there is a webtoon that follows their story that I have yet to check out, but I most definitely will be doing that in the near future. But only after watching a handful of compilation vidoes of them acting like goofy fools did I finally choose a song to start with. The look of the thumbnail for “Lunatic” was the draw, and I also just liked the name. What a banger! It went harder than I was expecting and it was so, so catchy. And criminally short!
But as I transitioned from that song, I found that a large portion of the rest of their discography is actually quite rock based. For instance, their singles “Go In Blind” and “War Cry” feature a lot of metal guitars, and honestly, a lot of their vocals sound like mimics of the likes of Bad Omens, Ice Nine Kills, or even Motionless in White! If they stuck to just this genre, I think they could easily fit into one of the more rock-based festivals I like to attend. With them being a J-Pop group, I wasn’t sure if they even had more light-hearted or “cute” songs, but I was quickly mistaken. But as I’ve come to find, some of those songs just totally suck me in. Ones that stick out when I think on them are “Buzz Love” and “Wonderful World.” Gosh if they aren’t insanely catchy!
Aside from the musical superiority, I have to say as performers, they might be the best I’ve see so far. For consisting of nine members, they are so clean and precise. Not a single limb is out of place despite them each having their own little flair. I read somewhere that the way they train even syncs up their breathing. Talk about accuracy! Something else that totally blows my mind with their performances is how their live ones are actually LIVE. A lot of shows I see feature a lot of back tracking so they can land the moves, but these guys are near perfect.
The only thing that has been disappointing me so far is the fact that there has yet to be a US tour! I’m hoping with the expansion into Korea, and popularity in general, that they will make some stops this year. I also perfectly timed my obsession, because they have a new album dropping in April! I like them so much that I ordered their lightstick last night…that’s high praise! If you’re looking for a show-stopper that’s not too heavy or too light, I recommend starting with “Firework.”