I end the week of long of reviews focusing on solo comebacks and debuts with a focus on OnlyOneOf and the solo works that the group has been pumping out monthly since June of this year. For those who were not aware, OnlyOneOf embarked on a undergrOund idOl project, where each member releases a single each month. First up was YooJung, who made his solo debut with the single begin (and is the focus of this review). Following YooJung, we have also seen releases from KB, JunJi and most recently Rie. Mill and Nine’s releases will come out in November and December, and I will be reviewing those once they come out. Aside from solo work, we last saw OnlyOneOf through their skinz promotions earlier in the year and more recently their second Japanese single Zurui Onna.

Aside from their more recent singles, I am not familiar with any of the OnlyOneOf members and their music. So I am quite interested to hear what the individual members have to offer through this project. begin was a great start to the whole thing. It is a mid-tempo pop track, with an instrumental that is predominately synths and percussive elements. What I liked about the track is that it isn’t a heavy dosage of synths, nor do the synths go down that noisy or abrasive route that you might liken to a ‘heavy dosage of synths’. Instead, I find begin to be quite pleasant and easy on the ears. Interestingly, when I factor in the vocals, I have considered describing begin as soothing (provided you play it at a lower volume, which I have done). It is at odds with the idea of ‘predominately synths and percussive elements’, but it gave off that tone to me. All of this can be attributed to the synths choice (i.e. not abrasive or noisy), but also the balance that is created with the percussive elements. These percussive elements added oomph and depth to the song, which allowed the synths to not feel as heavy and transformed begin into a likeable track. YooJung’s vocals were quite nice throughout, with a slight husky tone which does wonders alongside the instrumental. My understanding is that YooJung usually takes the role of main dancer in the group, so his vocals are not as strong as other artists or members in the group. But begin has his vocal tone in mind, and opted for a piece that complemented his skills and abilities. My only qualm about begin is that I felt the song could have gone the extra mile to be an even more riveting piece. Maybe stronger melodies or hooks would have brought begin up, even though the ‘Begin begin begin‘ at the start of the chorus was quite catchy. Overall, a neat start to both YooJung’s solo offerings and the project overall.

Even though this is a completely new project and offering from the group, the music video (and subsequent videos) expands the group’s focus on their LGBT themes. This moody video sees YooJung play a restaurant worker who develops a crush on a character played by KB. His shyness (and potentially closeted status, as theorized by a few viewers and the short description of the music video on YouTube) prevents him from making a move, instead leading him to sneak glances at KB while the latter isn’t watching. We are not told of KB’s motives in this video, aside from there being a mutual connection to some degree (and we find out the extent of this connection in his solo release). One day, a drunk KB corners YooJung and YooJung takes him home to make sure he is okay/safe. Nothing happens, with YooJung pretty much hesitant during the whole ordeal from the previous night to the morning. KB wakes up the next day and notices the cranes that YooJung has folded, which brings him back to YooJung at the end of the video. We don’t know what happens next, but this is answered as part of KB’s release. Aside from the storyline, I do like the moody aesthetic and atmosphere that comes about from the video, and the cinematography makes this video come together in a subtle artistic manner.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10