For the next rookie, I vaguely remember they debuted, but I cannot recall anything beyond that. The group in question is AEN, a seven-member male group from Starship Entertainment (home to MONSTA X, WJSN, CRAVITY, IVE, KiiiKiii and IDID), consisting of Bomin, Jiyong, Kyuhyun, Haru, Haruto, Junseo, and Kaira. They debuted in August with the single X to Z (Next To Me) and mini-album A New Era of Now.
Relistening to X to Z (Next To Me), I think I know why their debut never sparked anything in me – the song also failed to spark any reaction from me. X to Z (Next To Me) was very generic, which dampens its appeal. The opening beat was decent, and the EDM-based instrumental was sleek. But the former didn’t develop into anything worth sticking around for, and the latter just didn’t have too much going on. The instrumental’s sleekness does lend well to the members’ delivery throughout the song, which I also thought was decent. But it was the case of not having good enough material to work with – there wasn’t much of a hook to even remember X to Z (Next To Me) by. Thus, all of this contributed to X to Z (Next To Me) being a pretty forgettable debut, which isn’t the best first step into the industry.
A unique aspect of AEN’s debut is that they debuted with Korean and Japanese versions of X to Z (Next To Me). And that comes with two videos. The Japanese version was featured in the official music video, showing the members and an unknown presence together in the same place but in different universes, which speaks to an unwavering connection with another person and the ability to be together despite those circumstances. The Korean version of the song was featured in the official performance video, showing the members on radar (either on a different planet or on the road). This also reinforces the same message of an unwavering connection, though it is strongest with the ‘different planet’ set.
That sleekness I mentioned earlier in the song part of this review emerges as an asset for the choreography. It corresponds to some dragging movements within the choreography that I thought were a memorable element of the routine. Not key-point territory, but enough to give the performance something different to talk about and appreciate.
Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.3/10
