(MINI-ALBUM REVIEW) INFINITE - Reality

Moonlight: What a strange way to start a song. It isn't even a smooth transition from the previous track, but it feels like it started in the middle. Once the song gets started properly though, I can tell we're back to the usual Infinite. That's not a bad thing, for sure, it's just a little more boring to me. I will say that I do like that each member has a distinct part--it isn't either one singing or all of them in unison--often there's more than one singing at a time, but it isn't the same thing. This style can go wrong, but in this case it works really well. The ending is almost as awkward as the beginning though; maybe it's a stylistic thing, but I don't like it. It's a bit startling if you aren't prepared for them.

발걸음: Okay, so I know the rappers of Infinite are Hoya and Dongwoo, but I don't know who rapped at the beginning. Whoever it was, you get a gold star. Raps are not my favorite, but yours is good. Rapper in the middle: you did better than most, but not as good as your counterpart. If it's the same person, you get props for sounding completely different from the first time. The rest of the song is fine. A little more boring than the last song, which scares me, because I would hate for that trend to continue all the way to the end of the album. I have my fingers crossed!

마주보며 서 있어: It's not often you hear a Korean pop song open with an organ. Or have a rock song. I am struggling for words, because I am a rock music snob honestly, but this song just makes me so happy. This is a good song just in general, but I love this sound. It's definitely a pop song, but it feels raw, like they just recorded this in one take and were really humble about putting it in the album. I think they intended this to be a filler song, but it's so much better than that. I demand a music video! And a live performance! And the rap is good! And it's just good music! I am so excited! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!



러브레터: A piano intro is always a good thing in my book. I wish the transition from it was better, but points for the piano intro, for sure. After the intro, we start a pretty traditional ballad. There really isn't anything remarkable about it; it sounds good, sure, but it sounds like a lot of other ballads I've heard over the years. It's a safe song to do, but for me, while I do like safe, I want there to be just a little bit of flair. And this song just doesn't have it, unfortunately.

엔딩을 부탁해: Whoa. Is it 15 years ago all of a sudden? I feel like I'm listening to an old American boy group again. I feel like I'm saying that a lot recently, but this just feels like the turn of the millennium. While this isn't the weakest song on the album, it certainly isn't close to my favorite. It's kind of boring honestly--the rap isn't strong (which, up to this point, has not been the case for this mini-album). I had high hopes for a spectacular ending to this album, especially since the beginning was pretty much perfect, but alas, it was not to be. I am tired; can you tell?

Overall: As someone who has a very limited knowledge of Infinite (I can recognize their faces but I have very little familiarity with their music outside of the occasional "Oh, Infinite's had a comeback.....meh..."), I am extremely surprised with this mini-album--in a good way. I actually had to ask if my Inspirit friend liked the song because I was so taken aback by this sound coming from a group I generally had no emotion (good or bad) towards. Now, however, I'll be looking forward to their comebacks, in the hopes that they release music on par with this mini-album.

Score: 4.1/5