I jumped to May earlier, and now I jump right back to March as I am not just finished with the albums from that month just yet (PS. I have a somewhat ambitious plan to cover the last few months of albums, so keep your eyes out for more album reviews coming your way). The album for this review is BAE173’s 3rd mini-album, INTERSECTION: BLAZE, which dropped at the end of March alongside the title track JAWS. A total of five songs featured on the album, one of which is the instrumental for JAWS.

Given the title track, which is usually my first impression of the album, I did not expect the other tracks to swing into the pop realm. I expected a harsher, rougher and edgier album. As I mentioned below, I am not complaining about this unexpected swing given that I liked BAE173’s past pop releases and I am totally for them delving back into the genre. Read onwards for more of my thoughts on the album and the side tracks.

1. Runnin’ – Dohyun opens up the album with a solo track. With BLAZE for the title of the album, this one hits the brief for being a blaze. It was a fierce hip-hop track, merged with EDM for the instrumentation. It was energetic and gave me a kick of energy to look forward to in this mini-album. Dohyun really worked it in this track and delivered Runnin’ without a hitch. Personally, not my cup of tea. But I can definitely imagine a lot of people enjoying this track, as there isn’t anything wrong with this introductory track. (8/10)

2. Annoyed (짜증나게) – Next up on the album is Annoyed. For those who may have missed my review for Loved You, I was an absolutely a fan of BAE173 pop direction. And I am so glad that they revisited that pop sound (even if it was just a brief tinge) in this song. Naturally, it is an instant favourite in my book. I would love BAE173 to venture down more of this pop path, especially since Annoyed pretty much summarised KPOP in a nutshell for me – that is the mergence of house and pop in one song. The house element really filled out the track, while the pop influence came through with the members’ vocals and melodies. I also really enjoyed the piano peeking out in background and giving off a twinkling like effect, and the falsetto-like approach the members brought to the chorus. (10/10)

3. JAWS (Title Track) – Click here for the full review for JAWS. (6/10)

4. Not Alone (혼자가 아니야) – Not Alone also ventures down the pop path. It is a lot softer compared to the three tracks preceding it and features a neat instrumentation that is quite upbeat and textured. The vocals and melodies are sweet sounding, while the instrumental adds a cheerfulness to the song. I find Not Alone quite suitable to be an OST for a drama, playing in the background of a sweet and heartwarming scene. It doesn’t draw my attention as did Annoyed, but it definitely what I wanted! (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.3/10