[Album Review] House of Tricky: How to Play (2nd Mini Album) – xikers

xikers is nominated for Best New Male Group and their single ROCKSTAR is nominated for Best Rock Song in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support xikers and ROCKSTAR by clicking here to vote for them and your other favourite artists, songs and performances today.

Today’s album review focuses on xikers’ second mini-album, House of Tricky: How To Play, which was released at the beginning of August this year with the title tracks DO or DIE and HOMEBOY. This is the group’s first comeback, following their debut in March 2023 with House of Tricky: Door Bell Ringing, which featured the title tracks Tricky House and ROCKSTAR (the latter is nominated for Best Rock Song of 2023 in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED in case you forgot to the read top part of this post). This latest mini-album really consolidates the rookie group’s presence in the KPOP industry this year amongst some very high profile male group debut acts. Pretty much all the songs on this mini-album are powerful, loud and noisy in their own way, which is pretty much on par with the rest of the industry. However, xikers keeps it interesting and has me coming back for more.

*House of Tricky: How to Play* Album Cover

1. Skater – If you are looking for a track that is filled to the brim, look no further than Skater. I like the brightness that the track exudes, which is thanks to its pop energy that the synths in the instrumentation form and the dynamic flair that the members give off throughout Skater. I particularly enjoyed the soaring effect of the vocals towards the end of the choruses and the rapping leaves a strong impression. I did feel Skater was slightly overwhelming, given how everything felt like it was piled onto one another. But I can also see it as a potential charm which might get listeners interested. (9/10)

2. HOMEBOY (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for HOMEBOY. (8/10)

3. DO or DIE (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for DO or DIE. (9/10)

4. Koong – Koong was actually the first song to be unveiled from this album via the release of a performance video a week before the mini-album and first title track dropped. I was going to review it separately, but have shelved that plan in the interest of time. Koong takes a serious turn, with powerful hip-hop beats and intense energy that packs a punch. This is heightened by the autotune and vocal processing applied to the members’ vocals and rapid rapping, and the piano work etched into the synth soundscape in the background at some parts of Koong. The track has a punchy hook in its chorus, but I like the shoutier delivery of the song title the most as it just has so much character to it. As a teaser to the new mini-album, Koong actually sets the bar up quite high. (8.5/10)

5. Run – Moving away from intensity is the brighter Run. After a powerful track like Koong, Run does come off as refreshing and I like that aspect. I am not entirely keen on the squirrely synths we hear in the choruses, and like the first track, Run does feel very full to the brim. But the rest of the song is solid work for xikers. I just felt more memorable hooks and melodies could have made Run even better. (7.5/10)

6. Sunny Side – Old school hip-hop comes into play for the final track on the mini-album, which is a different sound compared to the rest of the mini-album. Sunny Side still maintains xikers’ EDM profile, showing off some pretty cool synth choices that works really well with the old school hip-hop style. I found the “Sun is coming up” to be quite catchy. Likewise with the chorus melodies. Even the rappers felt just right in the song with their sequences. It is a definite step away from the rest in the mini-album, but I see that as a nice way to ease off a very energetic and full-on mini-album. (8.5/10)