It is Sunday and it is time for another album review! Today’s album review is dedicated to the debut mini-album that kicks off CRAVITY’s career. For those who don’t CRAVITY is a nine-member male group from Starship Entertainment. They made their debut on the 14th April 2020 with Break All The Rules and this mini-album. The album has since peaked at number 1 on the domestic charts and the group has sold over 100,000 albums since their debut. As mentioned in the song review, I hope the rest of the album was more likable that the title track. Spoiler alert: it is! Let’s see the album now.

1. Top Of The Chain – What many new artists should be doing is making a statement with their first track. Top Of The Chain does just this. I have been binging on a number of epic sounding tracks as they were featured as part of a favourite TV show and I feel like that Top Of The Chain channels the same epic vibes that I gather from these tracks. The song is a rock anthem and exudes the power that the group claims to have and subsequently deliver through song. The most memorable section of the song, which also showed a strong combination of their vocal and rapping skills is the climb and the moment of stillness we get in the pre-chorus. That being said, the vocals and rapping were definitely strong throughout the song. Overall, Top Of The Chain was bold and a powerful track. (10/10)

2. Break All The Rules (Title Track) – Click here for the full review for Break All The Rules. (7/10)

3. Jumper – Jumper continues the same momentum from the two preceding tracks and also features an epic opener. The first few seconds of the song reminds of a theatrical release. The song then launches right into the chorus with a drop that reminds me of Wanna One’s Boomerang. The pairing of these two parts actually makes the drop feel very powerful. Another aspect that makes this song a strong piece is the ‘shouting’ that features as part of the chorus. This helps bold that one liner that repeats throughout the chorus. The rest of the track follows a similar dynamic instrumentation and feature strong vocals and rapping talents. The only thing that disappoints me is that the song felt like it was on a loop. But other than that, good track. (8/10)

4. Blackout – Blackout tames those epic vibes that I had written about in the previous songs. But it still that rough dance track, with a stronger focus on melodies and vocals. I really like that vibrating-like synth in the background, which felt very unique and different. I liked the opening vocals that utters the title of the ‘Blackout’ in that really edgy voice. I also like how this contrasts with the smoother ‘Blackout’ that is sung in the chorus. This song, too, shows that the group has a strong vocal and rap line. Whoever did the higher pitch during the bridge sounded really good. The only thing I really didn’t understand is that ‘explosive’ utterance in the chorus. It just got annoying in the background as I enjoyed the rest of the song. But that is just me. (8.5/10)

5. Stay (낯섦) – Despite it too being a dance track. Stay is a lot smoother than any of the tracks before it. It is a good track to really chill to, especially after all that intensity. It laid back tone is very likeable and pleasant to my ears. This track zones even further into the vocal side of the song, as the song has really nice melodies. The song delves into a EDM that we hear very often in the KPOP realm. So it has that typical nature working against it. But what does work in its favour is how suitable the song feels for a nice drive along the coast. Or a walk on a mild breezy day. (8/10)

6. Cloud 9 – There is a bit of grooviness to Cloud 9, which sets this song apart from the rest of the album. But it is also a pop sound that you hear very often from many male groups. So once again, there is a typical nature working against it. But the song is still pleasant and enjoyable. It had a decent beat and it isn’t overly loud in any aspect, which is a good track to put on when you are doing some chores around the house, for example. The vocal work and rapping was a little bland in this song, but it was still good for a lighthearted style. Interestingly, I don’t find the song to be much of a Cloud 9, given that the song is still rooted in a dance track style. It does, however, cast a different and softer light on the group. (7/10)

7. Star (별) – Star is another pop song. And I too feel like it fell into the trap of being typical. But it was a much stronger effort than the other two tracks of a similar nature. Once again, the song is very vocal centric, with the featuring soothing and pleasant sounding vocals, which is interesting considering he instrumental was still very upbeat. The melodies were very appealing, especially when it came to the chorus. The rapping was also quite good and fitted in well with the song. I really liked the acoustic guitar during the bridge of the song, which is a change from the electronic synths we have heard throughout the album. It also seemed to start a level of lightness, which made the song and album close out in a pretty and easygoing manner. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.2/10