Review Summary: Got a problem with us? Then you can shove it.
Listening to
Destiny from Mamamoo's second record
reality in BLACK really hits home the kind of themes Mamamoo have been building since their debut back in 2014. Featuring subtle percussion, excellent vocal performances, and elements of Rock and Latin-fusion;
Destiny as an opener begins the album with an epic conundrum that prepares the listener for the bands most intimate and personal album of the groups career so far.
Comparing this album to
Melting would be pointless. Both albums have vastly different styles, focuses, and themes. Although there are tracks that do hearken back to the more sensual, Pop days of
Melting. Songs like
Universe and
Ten Nights bring back the groups, tried and true, slow piano ballads and lighthearted Pop sentimentality. Even with those tracks, however,
reality in BLACK remains firmly in its own yard with its heavy Synth-Pop and digital effect-laden instrumentation. The album contains a more raw technique in its dense percussion sequences and larger reliance on crescendos. Tracks like
4x4ever use hard distortion a long with multiple background effects boosting the vocal performances of both Solar and Wheein.
Back in 2016, the biggest focus of Mamamoo themselves were the leader Solar and the energetic Moonbyul.
Melting as an album largely focused on Solar and Moobyul in the rapping and singing, with Wheein and Hwasa taking a backseat as enhancers. However, with
reality in BLACK the roles have switched. Now songs like
High Tension focus more on Wheein as a vocalist, with Hwasa taking center stage as rapper in
HIP. This seems to be the result of Solar really digging her heels into her solo career as Wheein has become an even bigger star over the past three years. Not to mention Moonbyul's upcoming project
Dark Side of the Moon which, if the stats of
Eclipse, are anything to go by, show that Moonbyul's solo career won't just be a small fad. With their current record, the major players of Mamamoo are changing, and so is their music.
Mamamoo's career recently has been a hotbed of controversy. From blackface, to revealing wardrobes, to criticism over their lack of dancing;
reality in BLACK as a concept is most definitely a reaction to those controversy and criticisms. The biggest example is
HIP whose lyrics largely deal with past issues the group has faced over their career. From Solar addressing fan expectations, to Moonbyul brushing aside her critics with swagger, to Wheein criticizing fad-sheep, and finally to Hwasa taking aim at all the pearl-clutchers who lost their minds at her showing a bit of underwear at an airport.
reality in BLACK is a lot of things. It is energetic, honest, personal, and an evolution in Mamamoo's hierarchy. Most die hard fans will eat this up like every other record Mamamoo releases, but those who have certain expectations about the group may find the changes in this album jarring at first. However, if one continues listening, they might just come to realize just how integral this record is to the soul and idea of Mamamoo above else; a soul and idea of nostalgia, modern sensibilities, and excitement. It's easy to look at this album from a grey perspective, and the group knows this. That's why these changes needed to happen, because sometimes reality is black, and we just need to deal with it. If anybody has a problem with them, well, they can shove it.
