[Double Review] Cheeky + W.A.Y – Enoi

I was under the impression that this double review would be for a newly debut group, ENOi. But upon searching up their name, the group actually debuted in 2019. I have somehow missed them last year. ENOi is a seven member male group (conistsing of Laon, Dojin, Hamin, Avin, Jinwoo, J-Kid & Gun) under Kithewhale Company. They debuted back in April 2019 with Bloom. They also made a comeback in December 2019 with Starlight. 2020 was the first year their name popped up for me, via their first comeback of the year, Cheeky. And more recently, the group returned with W.A.Y (Where Are You). For this double review, I am focusing on their 2020 comebacks.

When it comes to Cheeky, the main draw point is the awesome instrumentation. We are given a funky guitar riff as the main centerpiece of the entire song. It is also present during the heftier chorus, though overpowered by the percussion that we get to add intensity to that section. While it isn’t explicitly present during the instrumental break we get during the bridge, the melody of the guitar riff remains, allowing the song’s various sections to tie consistently with each other. Vocally (and rapping-wise), Cheeky is definitely a great introduction to their potential. I thoroughly enjoyed the upbeat and energetically fun vibes of the song, The only missing element in Cheeky is a memorable hook. What we got was pleasant, but I want something more grabby, if you know what I mean. Everything else is fine, but this song would have definitely been reviewed earlier if the song had a stronger memorability factor attached to it!

Their more recent release is W.A.Y, which stands for Where Are You. The atmosphere for this song is more serious than the former. And that is partly due to the dubstep in the instrumental. To be more precise, I believe that there is more than one form of EDM in the song. This might translate as boring and generic to some, overwhelming for others. But as a person who enjoys an intense sound, W.A.Y works fine for me. And as a result from this dubstep plus other EDM combination, W.A.Y has something different around each corner. I will say that for this to be true, you can’t constantly replay this song, as this might overwhelm and you would become too familiar with the song. Moderation seems best for W.A.Y. Vocals and rapping are like Cheeky, in the sense that there is potential behind this group. The melody is a lot more profound in this song, which is surprising as I had expected the instrumental to take full reign of the track. I personally enjoyed this melody, as it reminds me of another pop song from back in the day (though I am not sure what). I also enjoyed that instrumental breakdown, which brings the song to a climatic point (as I hoped for).

Cheeky‘s music video is quite cheerful, which works with the music video. It features a lot of colour. What leaves me confused about Cheeky‘s music video is the references to apples. Not sure what it is meant to mean. This could be another Adam and Eve story, where Eve gives the members apples to break free, based on the snake references. But it doesn’t explain the other members. However, I did enjoy the more playful and lighthearted vibes of the video. W.A.Y‘s music video might also have a plot line to it. I have taken a stab to try to decipher its meaning. My guess is that the flowers we see each member find about halfway into the video represents their lover and it helps them out of each of their predicaments. At the end, we see one of the members put his arm through a magical portal with a flower on the other side. I assume he needs to reach that flower (as that will help them get out), but it is too far. The members don’t know that it is just there, so we hear the whisper ‘where are you’ at the end. I really liked the set of the latter’s music video, with the mini hanging garden around them during the garden shots. I also liked how they had flashing lights to help match the intensity of the music.

Cheeky‘s performance as a whole was amazing to watch. I liked the energy that came from it, along with their stage presence. I really liked the use of their jackets in the first verse. I would have liked to see it used elsewhere in the performance to give their jacket’s more purpose. W.A.Y‘s best part of the choreography has to be the instrumental break we get. It is the song’s most intense section and definitely shows off the group’s performance potential. However, I feel that the performance would have benefited if they were more in sync with one another, as that would really make the performance cleaner and stand out more.

Cheeky
Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10