BANG&JUNG&YOO&MOON – KPOPREVIEWED

The next album for review is BANG&JUNG&YOO&MOON’s Curtain Call. It marks B.A.P’s grand return to the music scene after almost seven years, even though only BANG YONG GUK, JUNG DAEHYUN, YOO YOUNGJAE and MOON JONGUP are represented in this comeback (ZELO is currently carrying out his military enlistment). Curtain Call serves as B.A.P’s 6th mini-album since their debut in 2012 (14 years ago at its release), and features 5 songs, including the title track Gone.

While they have stuck around following the release of Curtain Call, as they did make a Christmas comeback in December 2024 with Christmas With You, the name of the mini-album, pre-release track (Farewell) and title track did sound like a last hurrah for the group. I am unsure of what they have planned for the future. However, I would love to see the quartet reunite with ZELO for future promotions and music releases and revive the group I always saw as having the most potential from the moment they debuted. But until we get confirmation of that, here are my thoughts on Curtain Call.

1. Love – In their first track in almost 7 years, Love expresses the emotions associated with falling in love, which I am sure is a message directed towards their fanbase (BABYs). It is a refreshing pop-rock track showcasing what we have missed out on for the last 7 years. What I really like about Love is how passionate the members sounded. From the stunning vocals and rapping, Love was pleasant yet powerful in its own right. (9/10)

2. Farewell (빛바랜 날들 이젠 잊고 다 안녕) (Pre-Release Track) – Just like the title of the mini-album, Farewell made me slightly nervous for the same reasons as mentioned in the intro of this review. But rest assured, Farewell’s lyrics speak to saying farewell to the past and looking forward to the future. It is also a pop-rock track, though the upbeat tempo and intensity of the instrumentation do make it more rock-leaning. It is the vocals that bring the track’s pop side to life. I particularly enjoyed BANG YONG GUK’s familiar hoarse vocals in this song, but there is also a strong showing from the others. (9/10)

3. Gone (Title Track) – Click here for the full review for Gone. (8/10)

4. Stand It All – Changing up the momentum of the mini-album is Stand It All. It is a ballad that speaks to accepting the unhappy moments and holding on strong during them. Like most ballads, I am drawn to its vocals, which have consistently stood out on this mini-album. In Stand It All, it is so emotional and heartfelt. Even the rapping was done so profoundly and resonates alongside the vocals based on emotions alone. Regarding the instrumentation, I liked the oomph it gives the ballad. Altogether, Stand It All a very powerful side-track from the group. (10/10)

5. Way Back – We go back to the rock genre with Way Back, the final song of the mini-album. The lyrics reflect on the past and look towards the future. Like every song before it, Way Back impresses on the vocal front. YOO YOUNGJAE’s delivery of the song’s hooks and melodies stands out. Though, per usual, all members sound excellent. The instrumentation is probably the most traditional and straightforward on this mini-album and could have been toned down slightly to not mask the vocals. However, those are just minor elements that do not hinder Way Back’s appeal. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.8/10

It has been a long time coming, but it brings great pleasure to say that B.A.P has reunited! It has been six years since the group disbanded upon leaving their former company, TS Entertainment. Today, the group reunites as a quartet: BANG Yong Guk, JUNG Daehyun, YOO Youngjae, and MOON Jongup. Fellow former member ZELO is not part of this comeback due to his military enlistment. However, I saw a message of support from ZELO in the comments to the music video released alongside their new single, Gone (which leads me to believe we might see five members together in the future). Gone is the lead single off their new mini-album Curtain Call.

Gone is very unlike any B.A.P release I have heard before (as far as I can remember). It is much more sentimental, which makes perfect sense given the lyrics convey nostalgia as well as the thoughts that this moment with each other may be their last. In Gone, the music is a lot more subdued than usual for the group (for reasons already mentioned), and there is more focus on acoustics and band instrumentation. I actually quite enjoyed this, especially since the lesser presence of synths sounded refreshing. The softer sound also enables the group to showcase their vocals, which they all do quite well in Gone. While it isn’t that powerful as I had hoped for, you can really hear the passion behind each member in Gone. I have always thought that each member of B.A.P was born to be on stage. The passion and subtle emotion that delivery in Gone is testament to that. JUNG DAEHYUN and YOO YOUNGJAE’s vocals were strong and steady as always. I liked how softer BANG YONG GUK sounded in Gone, and his vocals parts brought nice texture to the song. But the standout member, in my opinion, is MOON JONGUP. I haven’t really paid attention to MOON JONGUP’s outputs since 6 years ago, but he needs to keep up with whatever he has been doing as he has shown the greatest improvement in the group with this release. My only critique about the song is that the melodies could have been a bit stronger and more developed to be more memorable. But aside from that, it was great to hear B.A.P again (sans ZELO) in Gone after 6 years.

The video sees the members reunite and hang out with one another. The video opens up with the members meeting in a diner. They have their banter in the diner before going onto a road trip to a stage where they will perform with one another again. They stop at a service station that has a sign that says ‘Closing Down, Thank you for the last 12 years‘, which is represents the time that has passed since their debut in 2012. While raiding the service station, the video snaps to a Korean barbeque restaurant which sees the members, again, enjoying a meal and each other’s company before we are taken to the stage where we can see the members perform for the first time in a while. The KBBQ scene does highlight some nerves they have since they are returning to the stage after a long time. The video ends with the members back at the restaurant, pleased and proud with the resulting music video on their phone. Despite the song’s lyrics as mentioned above, the members remain with one another at the restaurant, telling us that this wouldn’t be the last time we see the members together again.

To match the sentiment of the song, the choreography for this comeback is rather flowy. And I like how logical that is. Most of the dancing itself was handled by the dancers, allowing the members to focus on the vocal work that comes with a song like Gone. But the parts the members do participate in had this powerful aura to it that reminds me of their past.

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