After iKON released New Kids; Return in January, I have been anxiously awaiting new music from them. BI is a very talented composer, and I enjoyed every track on their last album. I also LOVE Bobby, as you may note from my review of Love & Fall. For this reason, when I saw that iKON New Kids; Continue was being released, I was very excited.
I did pre-order copies of this album, as IKON typically releases solid music, off of Choice Music. You can get a set of both versions of the album here for $38.99, plus shipping, which isn’t bad. You can also get one for $19.99 plus shipping here. On Amazon, you can pick up one from $26.90 plus free shipping as a Prime member here. With shipping, it is a toss up a to which is cheaper.
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.
iKON New Kids: Continue Track by Track:
죽겠다 (Kill Me)
This song is written and composed by BI, and I must say, when I first heard it, it gave me life. The minor chords combined with the bright sound of the Marimba, it give the track a slightly eerie sound that I absolutely live for. Then, when it drops into the EDM beat, that love for this track deepens. The track is this interesting mix of bright and dark. Because of this, it became my track of the summer within a few seconds. This is the first one I’ve heard that speaks to me on an emotional level. I actually teared up a little over how much I love this song. If you can’t tell by now, it made it into my playlist in 2 seconds. It’s just that good.
바람 (Freedom)
The lyrics for this song are written by Bobby, BI, and 송 (Song). BI and 송 (Song) also composed the track. This is also the point where I noticed the members changed their stage names… Thanks Jay and Song… I was so confused for a second there. This song has much more of a rock feel than I think I have ever heard iKON have before! I dig this track as well. It reminds me of things I would listen to when I was younger, like Simple Plan and Good Charlotte with an iKON flair. I love it, so naturally it’s in the playlist.
Only You
Lyrics are written by BI and Bobby on this track, and BI help with composing. This track sounds like it popped out of Grease (heck they even sing shoo-be-do-wop). I like this one as well. It’s distinctly different from the previous two tracks, but they fit together. This album feels like iKON is taking us on a journey through the eras of music. I love the variety of sides to their musical style that they are showcasing while maintaining the essence of iKON. Although I do like this song, it didn’t make it into my playlists. This is simply due to the fact that it doesn’t match the style of my existing playlists.
칵테일 (Cocktail)
BI has both writing and composing credits on this track, and Bobby has writing creds. I need more cowbell! This track has a serious Earth Wind and Fire feel too it. I love Earth Wind and Fire, so I naturally love this. It has that groove soul sound to it that I love. This song actually had my head bobbing within two seconds of it starting. What I love about this style is that the track is simple, but catchy. It has lots of flair to it. This song did make it into some of my playlists, as this track is fun to jam to.
줄게 (Just for You)
Writing and composing creds are granted to BI on this song too. This means BI has writing creds on every track, per usual. Naturally, the last track on the mini album is a ballad as no album is complete with out one. I love how they strip the chorus of this song back to an acoustic guitar and strings during the chorus to really emphasize the meaning of the song, and how they’ll “will give it to you and protect you”. I really enjoy the instrumentation in this song. It is simple, but propels the track forward. This track did make it into my ballad playlist I am building (which I’m totally not done with yet). It’s nice to listen to.
K-Points: 595/5
Let me just start by saying that I LOVE that iKON writes their own music. I love that they put their influence into all of their music. It makes it just that much more special. I love how every single track on the mini album embraces a different genre, but adds the iKON twist to it. Honestly, after hearing just part of the first track, I knew that this was going to get way over 5 points from me. iKON always impresses me with their production abilities, and rank very high for me. On top of that, they are the ONLY YG group to consistently get high marks from me (although I do like Big Bang as well). I think they have a very bright future.
Should you purchase a copy of this mini-album? Absolutely. iKON are incredibly talented song writers and performers and any of their albums are great to have. Can you just stream it? Absolutely!The music is still phenomenal and truly enjoyable. Albums are expensive. Only buy them if you can afford them.
What is your favorite track off of this comeback, K-Nuggets? Let me know in the comments below!
사랑합니다!
–Rachel
