So obsessed
EXO taps into inner darkness with its latest album, Obsession.
IT’S been one of EXO’S most prolific years, as it has seen both individual and duo projects from its members, some of them promoting as part of SM Entertainment’s supergroup Superm.
And the K-pop juggernaut has capped a packed year by putting out its long-awaited Obsession album, fronted by new obsession-worthy single of the same title.
Thumping with urban synth and bass, Obsession is an edgy hip-hop dance track that marks a stylish shift from the group’s seductive Love Shot from last year. The song is built around a hook of “I want you I want you want you,” a bewitching vocal sample that is repeated throughout the track. Switching between monologue-like rapping and melodic interludes, the singers talk about battling their dark sides that keep obsessing over them.
Released on EXO’S sixth full-length album, the song was crafted by a group of renowned producers and songwriters in and out of South Korea, such as Dem Jointz, LDN Noise, 153/Joombas Music Group, Yoo Young-jin, Ryan Jhun and Kenzie. The album features six members of the nine-piece act, with Xiumin and D.O. currently serving South Korea’s mandatory military service and Lay pursuing a solo career in China.
“It’s been five years since I worked with Dem Jointz crew, and we had made a draft for Obsession back in the days. We’ve poured out everything into this song, as it was going to be EXO’S last song of the year. It’s one great masterpiece, like, it will get stuck right into your mind. SM really liked it as well,” said K-pop hit producer Jhun, who’ve teamed up with Dem Jointz to produce Obsession.
What stands out on the new record is its fantastical concept, led by a storyline where EXO members fight against their darker clones, known as X-EXO. In the song’s accompanying ominous music video, the members face-off against their counterparts, who are featured with laser-beam eyes and heavy makeup.
In the lead up to its comeback, EXO has been whetting fans’ appetites by revealing concept videos of the members, as well as opening a new X-exodedicated Twitter account named “EXOONEWEARE,” a mirrored phase of the group’s longtime slogan “We Are One EXO” and a nod to the act’s “two identities” concept.
The 10-track album also features Trouble, Jekyll, Groove, Ya Ya Ya, Baby You Are, Non Stop, Day After Day and Butterfly Effect, and a Chinese version of Obsession. – The Korea Herald/asia News Network