Boys Republic (소년공화국) - BR:evolution

Summary

Boys Republic music has kept me interested for a long time, they're definitely a talented group. While I don't stan personally (funny story) a few of my friends support them and requested I check out this release. I mostly enjoyed it, but there were some things I couldn't avoid while listening. I feel that if it had been more than a single +3 songs I could've gotten a better grasp at what sound they were going for.

Individual Song Reviews:

1. “Get Down” music video

The beat to vocal balance on this track was nice right from the start, sound was clear without any disruption of the singing. Pitch editing is a guilty pleasure of mine, so I definitely appreciated that they picked to go so low on that pre-chorus to build up the vibe more. The somewhat droning low bass paired with soaring vocals and a short catchy phrase made the chorus stand out. The dropout after the bridge AND a dropout for a skin-prickling harmony gets a double thumbs up from me, usually one dropout is the max but they made two work. My favorite track on this release, I'll definitely be listening to it again.

2. "Eyes On Me”

There were powerful strings so I got excited, then it dropped into a more trap sound still mixed with those strings. I felt like it was building but then they brought it slower which was very very nice, but the chorus lost traction for me. The vocals and beat seemed flattened out compared to the space used in the rest of the song. And yes I heard the "one night stand" I see you son. The raps were well executed but the chorus knocked this song down.

3. “V.I.P”

I felt almost assaulted by the beat in this song, it was extremely offsetting. The weird feeling was resolved for the verse and pre-chorus but they brought it back in the chorus, once again. The synth jabs were too out of place, it took away from the vocals and other beat tones. The bridge and breakdown portions of this song saved the whole thing. I wish they had used guitar or brass instead of that synth.

4. “A Song For You”

Thank everything holy they put a ballad in this release. Their vocals are very strong and deserve to be displayed like this. The string accompaniment complimented everything very well, and waiting until the song built a little momentum to add them was the right choice. I almost wish they had changed it up a little in the latter half of the song because there was such a buildup, but it's a very beautiful track regardless.

Ending notes:

I'm giving Boys Republic a 6/10 for this release. As it's a single with only 4 songs, there wasn't enough content to sway me higher but I know their skill level based on past albums.

1. Get Down
2. A Song For You

Released March 30th 2016

Listen on spotify here

Support Boys Republic and buy this album on iTunes here