Suho, Lay, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai and Sehun recently returned to glory with an eighth album that spares no time absorbing your full attention. As a nearly 14 year old group, EXO comebacks are less frequent as they once were, but demand is as high as ever. REVERXE, particularly with title track “Crown”, possesses a majesty reminiscent of MAMA: an epic addition to the boyband’s flawless library with a dose of nostalgia.
The music video for “Crown” is conceptually gorgeous. Whoever put in the effects was as trigger happy as the editor of “Power” in 2017. It would’ve been the icing on the cake just to see the reins handed to human creators rather than AI generated details, but, as the universe will always be happy to inform you, we simply can’t have everything. In the end, it does well to represent EXO’s legendary status in the K-Pop scene.
The song itself makes use of Lay and D.O.’s bright timbres to push power in the chorus, while Kai handles many of the lower, emotion-led lines. When the boys come together in chorus style singing, it creates that distinct EXO majesty we couldn’t get enough of in 2012, 2016, and, well, ever. Heavy guitars, alarms and the SICKO MODE-esque 808 bass drive the melody, commanding us to hear their declarations: ‘Even if it breaks me, I’ll give it all / I’ll protect the crown for you (Comin’ for that, Crown) / ‘Cause you’re the only rightful one’.
On comes brass-led bombastic headbanger Back It Up, that is entirely convincing of its confidence from the second we hear the trumpets come in. The structurally complex verses allow us to hone in on the singers’ voices for normality, before being absolutely blasted out of our seats by a chorus that doesn’t decline even after its third instance. The recurring line “I’m him” in the verses is in fact a Gen Z-ism popularised in sports and gaming that essentially means I’m the best or I’m the main character. For EXO, that checks out.
“Suffocate”‘s electricity doesn’t slack for a minute. It reminds us of all their golden B-sides of previous eras, such as “The Eve” and “Baby You Are”, that could easily stand alone as singles. Flowers must be given not only to the boys that give their all on each song, but to the producers that create such masterpieces that complement their voices.
After we’ve got the establishment of all their epic vibes out of the way, things start softening at track five. Simple R&B song “Moonlight Shadows” is expanded upon with “Back Pocket”‘s extra spunky groove, and it’s a rather addictive tune. We return to heartwarming pop-rock with “Flatline”, during which Suho’s falsettos are as gentle as ever.
Pre-released “I’m Home” is a magical yet teary closer to an excellent album. Its sweet words can be interpreted in more than one way: a love letter to the fans, and a wish to stay together between members of the band themselves.
Baby, I’m home, right next to you
Just like I once promised
I’ll stay for a long, long time
‘Cause you’re my home to stay
All the voices of the EXO members are ever-distinct, yet complement the others’ so well. If you asked a local in Seoul to distinguish them, they’d likely find no trouble doing so. REVERXE is exactly as it is described; it’s a thoughtful, cohesive, and beautiful record, without a single jarring sonic moment. Though EXO could probably come out with a scat jazz album tomorrow and it’d be pleasing to the ear.
The boys have clearly been enjoying this comeback as much as we have. Promotions on music shows have seen the members playing around with ending fairies (lingering shots after the performance) that amassed virality due to their humorous nature. Fans may miss the voices of Xiumin, Baekhyun and Chen, but REVERXE proves that any number of EXO members is an impenetrable force. Everyone loves to cover “Love Shot”, but who else could body “Crown”?