Last week, I didn’t post any album reviews due to a lack of time on my end. But I preplanned the last few days so I could fit in an album review for today. Today, I will be focusing on FT Island’s latest mini-album release, Zapping. It has been confirmed that this will be the last album release prior to Hongki’s enlistment. Given that the other members are at that age as well, I am certain they will be enlisting sometime in the future. So this will also be the last time we hear from FT Island for a while. Let’s see if their album is fitting for the situation.

1. Quit (관둬) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Quit. (10/10)

2. Hope Again (다시 바래) – When I pick albums to review, I give them a listen to see if there was anything worth writing. Hope Again is only the second track on the album. But upon hearing the chorus for the first time, I made sure it was on the list to review. I think this is such an amazing song. The instrumental came across as pleasant yet upbeat for a song about longing for the person they let go. The real winning element in this song is the vocals. Hongki’s vocals were extremely powerful in this track, particularly during the chorus. He went above and beyond what I had expected for the chorus, based on the very verses we got. I was also wondering when the other members would appear on the album as they were noticeably absent from the title track. But in Hope Again, we got both Jaejin and Seunghyun. Their sections were not as well showcased but at least they were there. If you want a track with vocals that blow you away, this is the one for you to check out. (10/10)

3. Day By Day (못 고치나 봐) – Another good song from FT Island. Just it feels like something we have heard before from the band. This time around, Hongki takes that explosive approach he used in the chorus for the previous song and opened Day By Day (this same section ended up being the chorus in the end). I think Jaejin was better incorporated in this song, with his part blending well with Hongki’s. The song also has strong rhythm and is quite upbeat, which made it rather appealing to me. But it was a good track to follow from the preceding perfection. (9/10)

4. No Regret (신기루) (사랑사랑사랑2) – This track is intriguing to me as it is Love Love Love 2 (Love Love Love 1 was released back in 2010 and was a hit). Interesting note, however, is that despite how iconic Love Love Love was for the band, I always thought it was one of their weakest releases. Listening to 2.0, I can hear the influence of 1.0 in the chorus. It just doesn’t feel as memorable as it doesn’t have the memorable Love Love Love line. And hence, No Regret comes off in a similar manner to Love Love Love for me. I felt like Hongki could have been more heartfelt and emotional in this track. I was lowkey expecting Seunghyun to return with another rap sequence but was disappointed that it wasn’t the case once the song wrapped up. (5/10)

5. Don’t Lose Yourself – Don’t Lose Yourself comes in crashing with a strong rock sound, something that we haven’t heard on the album thus far. This isn’t as present in the verses but it makes the return of it during the chorus even more powerful. Hongki’s vocals were superb. The way the lyrics are posed, it felt like it was a farewell song for the band (No, they are not quitting showbiz. They just need to step away so that can enlist as they are at that maximum age to do so). I liked how the song transitioned to be a live song, as towards the end you can hear their fans singing along. I think this makes this song extra special for FT Island and fans alike. And it ends the album on a very strong note as well. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.6/10