There have been tears coming to my eyes every single time I think of EXO Don’t Mess Up My Tempo. This album is long overdue, and I am so excited that EXO is back in my life with a full, brand new album. I have very high expectations for these guys, as they are my favorites. Look at these faces, how could they not be:
And then there is me all like:
I’m not excited for this at all!
I did pre-order my copy of the album from Choice Music LA, but as noted in my NCT Regular unboxing, this will be one of my last. You can pick up all the copies here for $54.99 plus shipping. You can also get one copy here for $19.99. On Amazon, 3 copies
If you don’t have Amazon Prime, you can get a 30-day free trial using this link here. I will not lie, the free 2-day shipping, plus all of the free music and videos are totally worth it. I also now use it for books for my Kindle Paper White too, and it is honestly a life saver. They have a program called Kindle Unlimited where you can check out 10 books at a time, read them, and put them back in the Kindle library. The program cost $7.99 a month, and you get the first 30 days for free with this link.
For the purposes of reading the remainder of this post, I recommend that you put the album on in the background, and read through it while listening to the track that I am talking about. This is what I recommend for all of my song reviews.
EXO Don’t Mess Up My Tempo Track by Track:
Tempo
So, I actually already reacted to the music video in video form. You can watch it here:
Overall, I’m totally in love with this track, I think it is different from any other singles that EXO has ever done. Naturally, this makes me a huge fan.
Sign
Moving on to the second track! This song is so hard! I love the really aggressive, staccato beat! This is a full on EDM, club song. Not going to lie, this track has me full on body-rolling. I really like how they do voice mods, just like they do in the first track. So far, I’m in love with this album. The transition from track one to two is on point. The songs vary greatly, and have different feels to them. This album so far is fire.
닿은 순간 (Ooh La La La)
Okay, the tempo has been taken down a few notches. This song has a slight salsa feel to it. It’s smooth lyrically and musically. Per usual, EXO’s harmonies are perfect in this track and very well balanced. That’s partially due to good music, and partially due to having a phenomenal vocal line. Also, Chanyeol’s singing voice has improved so much over time. His voice is less husky and far more clear-toned than it used to me, but that occurs with age. Singing voices don’t fully mature until around the age of 30. Because of that, this is expected. Overall, the level of polish this album has is impressive. It’s extremely challenging to even nit-pick at it. Good job boys.
Gravity
Changing it up again for this track. The beginning of this track seems to borrow elements from Power of Music with that electronic, distorted guitar. They even add in a few disco elements to the track. This track is far more smooth than Power of Music though. In Power of Music, EXO wants to have an upbeat, happy feel. Here, they are trying to steal your hearts. Musically speaking, this track is relatively complicated. It has a number of parts and vocal tracks coming in and out. Days were clearly spent mixing this track. The attention to detail truly makes my heart melt.
가끔 (With You)
Okay, the beginning of this track really plays with dissonant chords and notes. I like how they slowly melt these pieces together into one cohesive sounding track. One thing I will note about this track: The use of dynamics in the album up to this point has been phenomenal. If you listen to the album from one track to the next, you will notice the different volume levels, based on the feel they are trying to get across. For example, Tempo is overall mixed at a higher decibel than this one. It’s just louder overall. This track on the other hand, has a more simple, light backtrack, so they can play more with the quieter dynamics. I approve.
24/7
Okay, this song has a very smooth, slightly jungle-y sound based on the instrumentation. I love the staccato chords in the background on what sounds like a marimba (That’s a wooden-style xylophone). The chorus adds a very sexual vibe with the gorgeous falsetto that we’ve got going on, and all the vocal slides throughout the track. The only thing I keep thinking while listening to this track is that “my boys are all grown up!” They’re allowed to sing really sexual sounding songs now! Love it
후폭풍 (Bad Dream)
Okay, the muted guitar chords in the beginning of this track give me all the feels. This coupled with the vocal riffs…. dying. Just dying. I like the percussion that they added into the track to propel you through the track. I also love how they are playing with dynamics on this track! Good job guys! I feel like dynamics aren’t touched enough in pop music. A lot of songs sound vocally flat because of this. It is nice to hear a group using them relatively heavily. Musically speaking, I think EXO is one of the K-Pop groups that would have the most complicated sheet music, which is why I love them. The more complicated a track is, the more interesting it is to listen to. As you keep listening, you hear new pieces that make it like a completely new song.
Damage
Okay, massive contrast between this song and the last song. We went from smooth back to a hard-hitting, staccato song. I’m a fan. This album is really giving us all an excellent mix of different styles, which is why I like it. We aren’t getting one straight consistent sound, and each track shows a different side of the group. With the horns and the hard percussion, this track sounds extremely masculine, while still being contrasted by a higher vocal range. The guys really go up toward the top of their vocal range in this track, and I dig it. Totally a fan.
여기 있을게 (Smile On My Face)
Back to a smooth ballad. Thus far, I think this is the track that has the lowest number of BPM (Beats per minute). What I love about slow songs is that vocally it is much easier to play with the notes and it still sounds good. That’s what they definitely do here. The members are playing with vocal runs, dynamics, and slides all over the place in this track. This adds to the sexy, smooth feel of the track. I love it.
오아시스 (Oasis)
Okay, the use of silence, and dropping out all background music at the beginning of this track is fantastic. It immediately draws you into the track. The use of holds and musical lifts in this song is awesome. On top of that, I love how the group plays with accented notes and mixing it with tied notes throughout the whole track. It really plays with the music and shows how you can take a song from simple to very complex with a few, simple changes. Yet again, EXO has produced a gorgeous, musically complex track that feeds my ears and my soul.
K-Points: 321/5
Musically speaking, this album is gorgeous. I would die to look at the sheet music for this album. There is a very good reason why EXO remains supreme for me. This album is a perfect example of that. I don’t have any bad things to say about it. It is musically complex, has lots of different pieces, and they really played with sound while still sounding polished. They impress me over and over again. 수고했어요 엑소!
Should you pick up a copy of this album? I, personally, think EXO Don’t Mess Up my Tempo is worth it. The album is phenomenal and gorgeously written. I love every tiny little piece of it. Having the album will be a treat. The links are up above to where you can grab a copy. Can you just stream it? That’s not even a question. You should stream it. It is just that good… I might be biased, but I did try my best to take this from a musician perspective instead of a fangirl perspective.
What track on the new EXO album is your favorite? Let me know down in the comments below, K-Nuggets!
사랑합니다!
–Rachel
