Congratulations to Golden Child for winning four of the categories in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards including Best Male Group, Best Male Group Choreography, Rising Star and Best Song of 2020 with ONE (Lucid Dream). To check out who else was voted to be the best in 2020, click here!

Golden Child is back! A month ago, they made their comeback with Burn It and their fifth mini-album, Yes. The comeback has proven to be a success, with the group scoring a few weekly KPOP show wins and edges the group closer to the top of the album charts. Golden Child also made their first appearance on the Gaon Digital Charts with the single. And it seems like the success has given them the opportunity to promote a follow-up single from the album. Today, the group dropped the music video and started promotions for Breathe, the final song on their Yes mini-album and the focus of this review. On a side note, I will be reviewing their mini-album and that album review will be out very soon!

Breathe taps Golden Child into the once-again common retro trend. And it is a fine track to kick back to, especially at the end of the album. What I really enjoyed about Breathe was the upbeat energy that comes off the song, particularly during the choruses. This isn’t hard-hitting like most songs we hear today which heavily utilises EDM and comes swinging at you in a relentless manner. Instead, Breathe comes off as quite pleasant and satisfying. There is also a nostalgic ring to the song. The pop dance track features synths that really make the song quite dynamic and appealing to me. What is also great about Breathe is how it present the members. The melodies are quite easy to get into, allowing the vocalists to be heard in a fulfilling manner. The ‘I Wanna Breathe‘ opening line to the chorus actually stuck with me, along with their other hook and melodies. The bridge is a prime example of how their vocals were highlighted in the song, with Bomin and Joochan bringing some steadiness to the song to make the final chorus that little more impactful for us. I also really liked how the rappers’ section had a groovier kick, allowing their rapping to fit into the song with a slightly more intense and dynamic background. The groovier kick still fits in with the pop tune of the song, of course! Overall, Breathe is definitely a nice track, with optimal energy being its biggest asset.

The image teasers leading up the follow-up promotions showed us Golden Child as volleyball players. In the music video, we see their high-school volleyball player personas train for a big game. It appears that Daeyeol and Y have a bit of a rift while practicing for the game. It leads to Y becoming quite moody and it also appears that he temporarily leaves the team (i.e. when he leaves his sweatband behind after practice). Joochan tries to hold him back, but he brushes him off. It turns out that Y doesn’t want to leave the team and comes after hours to continue practicing. Joochan joins him and gives him his sweatband to tell him that he is part of the team regardless of whatever he is experiencing. They have a bit of fun before Daeyeol appears in front of them. Y believes he is about to get scolded, but Daeyeol ends up throwing a ball at him. All is forgiven and they return with the team to train as a group. They go on to play the game, with the team scoring a win thanks to Y. The story is pretty cliché, but nice at the same time. Apart from the storyline, the music video features satisfying choreography shots. My favourite is the white shirts and demin jeans on the outside field. The colours just pop and look great.

I really like the entire routine. Like the song and music video, it just feels just right and it compliments all the other elements of this comeback quite well. The start was quite interesting. It was a nice soothing look on stage, before the first chorus kicks into gear. I also enjoyed the sharp moments in the chorus and how Golden Child performed in sync with one another on stage, giving this choreography a really polished look.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.9/10