The next album review covered this weekend is Restore, the debut mini-album for ASTRO’s newest subunit, JinJin & Rocky. Restore, which is another album that dropped in January, features the title track Just Breath and four side tracks, three of which are solo tracks from the two members (one for JinJin and two for Rocky). The remaining side track is another single from the pair.

Compared to the other subunit under ASTRO (i.e. Moonbin & Sanha, who also recently came back), JinJin & Rocky have a very different and unique vibe that is more fun and bright. It comes as no surprise, given their witty and funny personalities and a title track that is as fun and outrageous. Let me know if you agree with my thoughts below and the summary of the album I just gave!

1. Just Breath (숨 좀 쉬자) (Title Track) – Click here for the full review for Just Breath. (9/10)

2. Lazy (ft. Choi Yoojung (Weki Meki)) – Lazy is JinJin’s solo songs on this mini-album, and it features Weki Meki member Yoojung. Lazy is a fairly simple song, consisting of a consistent piano and hip-hop based instrumental that comes off as lighthearted and fun. This lightheartedness and fun vibe is important in Lazy, offsetting the repetitive nature of the song. JinJin’s rapping is a bit heavy with the autotune, but is balanced out with Yoojung’s higher pitch vocals. Overall, a fair effort. (7/10)

3. Lock Down – Lock Down is my pick for best side track on this album. It is extremely dynamic, thanks to the bass and funky rock guitar that is present in the song. It almost felt like a stomping effect – quite effective in grabbing one’s attention. Both JinJin and Rocky showcased power in this song in their own way. JinJin obviously did it with rapping, while Rocky showed power through his vocals. I liked how both peaked at the end of the song, giving the song a strong ending that was unforgettable! (10/10)

4. Complete Me – Rocky’s first solo song comes in the form of Complete Me. Complete Me is quite a textured hip-hop dance song, with textures coming from both the instrumentation and vocals. It might be overwhelming for some (it did at first for me!), but repeat listens have helped lessen it. Now, I find Complete Me to be quite robust. Since Complete Me is a dance track and the textures gives it interesting potential, the song probably lends well as a performance piece, which is something that is definitely up Rocky’s wheelhouse. (8/10)

5. CPR – CPR is the second solo song from Rocky, and it also closes out the mini-album. It is a pop ballad that explores more of Rocky’s vocals. I liked the energy, passion and power Rocky puts behind his vocals for this song. I was thoroughly impressed with him in CPR, especially when it came to the ad-libs and high notes that we got. I want to hear more of Rocky like this in ASTRO’s work, as he has proven himself to be a capable vocalist. I also enjoyed the 90s instrumentation that CPR had in the background. Not spectacular, but definitely nice. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.6/10