They’re a gem of 4th Gen K-Pop. Seemingly holding their grounds against the relentless tides of K-Pop’s fast expiry dates, P1Harmony are one of the boy groups that will see the longevity of SHINee, at least in listeners’ hearts. Attributed by dulcet tones and a young rapper’s masterful pen, the sextet are known for their musical treats. If their hyper title tracks like “Jump” and “Doom Du Doom” didn’t convince you, beloved soulful B-sides such as “Butterfly” and “I Am You” will. To top it off, the music production has been clean and innovative from the beginning. “Scared” wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it was interesting.
So we’re thrilled to be in the midst of P1Harmony’s latest comeback: an English EP, evidently catered to a demographic the boys receive a lot of love from. P1Harmony are feminist kings in title song “EX”: ‘Every girl deserves to have her exploration / Have a little fun without an explanation’. There’s another couple ex words thrown in that chorus; the writers were clearly having fun with this EP. The rare premise for a K-Pop song makes bopping along to the uptempo beat even more enjoyable.
The good vibes of “Dancing Queen” are fully convinced by Keeho and Theo’s bright voices laid over a timeless guitar track. Pick one sweet rom-com, and there’s no doubt it could fit right over the end credits. And as hearty guitars fade out, nostalgic violins come in.
“Stupid Brain” is one of the best K-Pop songs of the year. Scratch that, it’s one of the best songs of the year full stop. As verse turns to chorus, the violin passes the baton to a gushy and reverbing guitar, but we can barely pay attention to the gorgeous composition over the mellifluous vocals: “Wish I could shut my stupid brain up sometimes”. We feel you, Keeho. As if it wasn’t already perfect enough, a meaty guitar solo bridges to a final chorus we wish would last forever.
Before the encore, we wrap with “Night Of My Life”: simply 2010s techno euphoria. It’s P1Harmony’s answer to Party Rock Anthem: the kind of tune that spawns an unbreakable illusion that you’re still a teen and tomorrow is forever away.
The boys are no strangers to singing in Spanish. A couple years ago, their cover of Mi Gente by J Balvin went semi-viral, and fans have been yearning for another Spanish P1Harmony fix ever since. “EX” moves to Spanish with absolute ease in the final track of the EP. In fact, it’s so good that we’re not sure whether the English or the Spanish version came first.
P1Harmony, please always be you.
EX is out on the 26th September. P1Harmony are on Instagram.