I think last week, I mentioned I had one more album from the month of February that I wanted to cover. Well, it turns out that the album is from the month of Janaury. I am talking about none other than CRAVITY’s third mini-album, HIDEOUT: BE OUR VOICE SEASON 3. Can you believe it has already been almost five months since this mini-album’s release! Apologies once again for the very long delay for this album review. Featured on this mini-albim is their title track My Turn, and follow-up promotional track Bad Habits. While I did a full review for My Turn (spoiler: it didn’t fair too well), I have yet to do a review for Bad Habits. I will definitely return one day to look at the music video, but for now, let’s settle on a song review for Bad Habits as part of this album review. Let’s also see how the rest of their 3rd mini-album faired, given that my take on the title track wasn’t that great.
1. My Turn (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for My Turn. (5/10)
2. Call My Name – Call My Name takes a diversion away from the harshness and powerful energy that My Turn had going on. Instead, this side track opts for more wispy and soothing instrumentation, all the while still falling into the EDM realm. Similarly, the vocals and rapping are toned down considerably to fit in with the instrumentation. Here, the members bring out sultry vocals – which you would expect with a ballad or other downtempo songs. This hence gives the song that passionate and emotional profile, which in turns makes it impactful. It is a bit standard, but stunning as a whole piece. (8.5/10)
3. Mammoth – Mammoth is a more substantial song, compared to the likes of My Turn (the title track). The main issue I had with the title track was the chorus, which Mammoth takes a more typical approach with. But it pays off as Mammoth’s chorus still ended up being quite dynamic and many times more likeable than what we got in My Turn. I really like the punchy ‘Mammoth’ start of the chorus, which adds a quite memorable element to the video. The intensity of the EDM instrumental and the hip-hop influences of the song were really strong material and helped delivered a filling feeling to the song. (8/10)
4. Bad Habits – Following all promotions of their title tracks, CRAVITY has always selected a side track to follow up promotions, music video and stage performances included! For this release, the hip-hop leaning Bad Habits was selected as the follow-up promotional track. My number one question is why wasn’t Bad Habits selected as the main title track. To me, this is the better cousin of My Turn. The deep tones in which are adopted by the rappers were definitely show-stopping. They also complimented the heavy use of bass in the instrumentation. I also found the rappers’ deep toned whispering when it came to the chorus to be quite sleek. While the vocals took a backseat for this song, they really showcased themselves when their parts came up. Bad Habits is a strong track that really deserves to be in the drivers’ seat of the album. (9/10)
5. Moonlight – Moonlight could have been my favourite track on the album. However, it was a bit much for my liking and hence it wasn’t my final pick for my favourite track on the album. I just wished that Moonlight toned back its energy and intensity behind the chorus be toned back a bit. While I do appreciate the energy, power and abrasiveness of the choruses’ instrumentation, I felt that it was overwhelming for even myself (which is saying something, as I really do like it when songs showcase energy, power and intensity). It is unfortuate, as I couldn’t hear the members in the chorus. But aside from that, everything else earned big ticks from me. From vocals to rapping to instrumentation (aside from the chorus) to melodies, Moonlight had it all. I could imagine a really powerful choreography that shows off CRAVITY’s performance skills to accompany this release. (8.5/10)
6. Dangerous – Right off the bat, Dangerous gives off this addictive groovy energy which really captivated my ears. It is also the reason to why I held so long onto writing a review for this release. I just wanted to talk about it! The grooviness underpins the entire track, with it also peeking through the intense and prevalent house effects we get in the chorus. I liked how the members sounded in this song. The vocals felt very clean, while the rappers brought in dynamic energy through their parts. The chorus itself featured catchy hooks. For the bridge, I thought the suspenseful and haunting nature of the instrumentation to be quite charming. Overall, Dangerous is definitely my pick for favourite track on this album. (10/10)
7. Give Me Your Love – Based on the title of this song, you can tell that CRAVITY was approaching the end of the album with a softer pop release. It was actually quite a track and one that I definitely recommend that you listen to. The instrumental was quite soothing and atmospheric with its pop rock vibes. The vocals gave off this dreamy tone, while the rappers gave the song some needed heft to keep the sound grounded. I wished there were more harmonies between the members (like a sequence in which they all sing together). That would have been a stunning sequence that would have enhanced the sentimental aspect of the song. I also like that additional instrumental piece at the very end, rounding out the song so nicely for me. (8/10)
Overall Album Rating – 8.1/10
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