In Latin, expérgo means to awaken. And on this launch, plainly NMIXX’s producers have lastly opened their eyes to creating full use of the lady group’s best energy: their unparalleled vocal prowess. It’s most notable on title observe ‘Love Me Like This’, the place the lady group commerce the high-octane belts of their previous singles for extra complicated harmonies, serving up a model of refined bombast that doesn’t fall removed from the likes of Little Combine’s early materials.
“Present me your manner / Attraction grows at a sure level / Join the dots, oh child,” sings Sullyoon on the pre-chorus, the fullness of her voice taking level because the extra hanging tones of bandmates Lily and Bae give it an additional kick. NMIXX boast a few of the most distinct vocals in fourth era Ok-pop, and it’s nice to listen to them lastly working collectively in tandem on ‘Love Me Like This’.
A mix of soulful R&B vocals and energetic dance-pop, it’s the group’s most cohesive title observe up to now, although the repetitive hook – “Love me like this, love me like that / Love me like this, and I like you proper again” – falls wanting expectations set by the lead-up. But, highly effective ad-libs punctuate the choruses, giving some life to its bare-boned simplicity.
Touchdown nearer to the NMIXX of the previous examples is pre-release observe ‘Younger, Dumb, Silly’, which interpolates the nursery rhyme ‘Brother John’. Whereas it’s not unusual for Ok-pop acts to often incorporate nursery rhymes of their music (HyunA’s ‘RED’ is a standout instance), this one feels just like the group have bitten off greater than they’ll chew with this one and someway make the tune sound extra infantile.
‘Younger, Dumb, Silly’ has its strengths, however most of them find yourself getting misplaced in ‘Brother John’’s shadow. Jiwoo and Kyujin’s playful rap verses burst with charisma, and the music’s electrifying bridge – which borrows from the Korean hibiscus flower rhyme (popularised internationally as ‘Purple Mild, Inexperienced Mild’ by Squid Sport) – appears to be on the cusp of one thing nice, just for the music unceremoniously splash again into the kiddie pool.
The assured however oddly empty digital pop observe ‘Simply Did It’ mirrors ‘Love Me Like This’, aiming to be memorable with a repetitive, monotonous hook – solely with far much less influence. In the meantime, the lady group set their sights on the long run on the serviceable however nice closing observe ‘HOME’, the place they resolve to maintain dealing with the world head on: “There’s no mounted reply / That’s how we do, MIXX!”
Fortunately, the remainder of ‘expérgo’ fares a lot better, with ‘PAXXWORD’ and ‘My Gosh’ being the clear standouts. Within the former, NMIXX announce their intentions to get nearer to a possible lover, cheekily asking “what’s your password?” and later, coming into “hacker mode” to make the connection they need. There’s no scarcity of gorgeous moments in both observe too, the group flexing their vocal dexterity with ease.
NMIXX have clearly taken the departure of Jinni in stride, every of them naturally filling any gaps left behind by the vocalist and rapper. Haewon, Lily and Sullyoon have a seamless synergy, forming the spine of each observe. Bae additionally options way more prominently on this launch, her deep, stylish tone making its mark in ‘Love Me Like This’ and ‘PAXXWORD’. In the meantime, rappers Jiwoo and Kyujin imbue every observe with bursts of recent, spunky vitality.
For what it lacks in revolutionary change-ups, ‘expérgo’ successfully showcases the very core of NMIXX: its members. Now a 12 months into their profession, it is sensible that NMIXX would need to bridge the hole between followers of their area of interest “MIXX POP” sound and potential new listeners, making ‘expérgo’ a well timed step in the suitable course for the group.
Particulars
- Launch date: March 20, 2023
- File label: JYP Leisure
