[Album Review] Love Pt. 2: Passion (5th Mini Album) – WEi

I am finally restarting the album review segment today after taking a bit of a break from writing them as a result of the finalisation of the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards post. And with a break and the backlog that existed prior to the pause, you can imagine that I have a lot to get through. The first album to be reviewed upon this restart is WEi’s 5th mini-album release, Love Pt. 2: Passion, which was unveiled back in October of last year. This mini-album features the title track Spray (link below). It follows the release of Love. Pt. 1: First Love back in March of the same year and their Japanese debut with Maldives, which I have yet to review as well (but it is coming soon). So, let’s not delay the restart further and dig right into Love Pt. 2: Passion.

1. Moonlight – Starting off the mini-album is Moonlight, an inviting and wholesome pop number. It is the type of song that brings a smile to your face, thanks to the subtle sweetness that comes from both the instrumentation, melody and members’ vocals. I really liked the simplicity of the melody and I also really enjoyed the softness that the piano brings to the song, contrasting very neatly with the relatively heavier beats in this pop song. (8/10)

2. Spray (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Spray. (7/10)

3. Higher Ground – Following from Spray is the impactful and powerful Higher Ground. It is without a doubt an eclectic piece with the multi-EDM, hip-hop and rock influences that make up the background, all of which comes together to create a very intense number. Personally, I did feel the choruses was a bit too shouty for my taste. But I do acknowledge that this helps increase the boldness of the track, which the members really did put their all into ensuring that Higher Ground comes off that way. (8.5/10)

4. ROSE – The oh-so-familiar Latin influence makes it comeback in ROSE. I really enjoyed how concentrated it was in the song. Alongside the hip-hop beats, ROSE actually comes off as a fun, cool and memorable number. The members did a great job of embracing the Latin flair, which makes ROSE an even better song. The rappers, in particular, really impressed me in this track. (9/10)

5. Special Holiday – More smiles are plastered to my face when I listen to Special Holiday. It is pretty much your standard pop track. There isn’t anything new in the song that makes me go wow, but I did like the cheerfully expressive tone the members brought to the song through their vocals. There was also a peppy energy to the song that helped make the stand out a bit. (7/10)

6. Umbrella (우산) – Umbrella follows on neatly from the previous track with its softer pop approach to close out the mini-album. Relatively, it is still fairly upbeat and I can imagine an endearing choreography routine to the song, as a result. I liked the heavier prominence of the piano in the instrumental, which was a delightful aspect of the song. The vocals and rapping were very nice and felt quite wholesome. (8/10)