This post is the official start to the usual album review schedule (i.e. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and weekends) and the unofficial end to the week full of album reviews. KARD is the group in the spotlight today, with their mini-album, Re:. It is lead by the title track Ring The Alarm and features an additional three side tracks and two instrumental tracks. This was the co-ed group’s first comeback in 2 years, following the release of GUNSHOT (through the single album Way With Words) and J.Seph’s military enlistment.

Re: is one of those albums where the title track is the weakest link of the album. All the other side tracks stood out and were much stronger songs, whereas the title track in this case was pretty much behind the rest of the pack. But these are just my thoughts and you might have different take on the mini-album. Let me know in the comments if you agree with me or not.

1. Break Down – Break Down begins rather slow, but I love Jiwoo and Somin’s deep vocals that kicked off the song. Break Down instantly picks up when the chorus is reached, with the instrumental becoming very crunchy and textured. The hooks were super catchy and memorable. J.Seph comes swinging with his rap verse, which brought the song up even further. BM, for his run at the chorus, felt extremely dynamic. And his rap in the bridge was very pulling. I wished the ending had a much harder slam though, as what we got felt relatively weak compared to the rest of Break Down. (8/10)

2. Ring the Alarm (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Ring The Alarm. (6/10)

3. Good Love – Good Love features a brighter and summery feel to its instrumental. You can feel a tropical vibe in the background and it was quite a fun listen. I can imagine a beach themed music video for this track. The melodies and hooks were rather pleasant, with Jiwoo and Somin doing the heavy lifting in this regard. The male members brought strong rap sequences with nice flow that is on par with the rest of the song. (8/10)

4. Whip! – Opening up with the catchy hooks of the song’s chorus and a brief saxophone riff (that plays throughout the song), Whip! Is the most appealing track on this mini-album. The instrumental is on the softer side, and I quite liked the guitar in the background. I also enjoyed how BM sings with the female members during some parts of the song. I found Jiwoo and Somin’s vocals to be so satisfying to listen to in this track (particularly Jiwoo’s vocals in the second verse), and J.Seph’s rap sequence packed a punch. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.8/10