Last week my boys from GOT7, Yugyeom and JB came back to the music scene with a new album for us. They have created a new GOT7 sub-unit, Jus2, and they have come out with their own mini-album Jus2 Focus. If you aren’t aware by now, I’m quite a big fan of GOT7, and even saw them in concert in Toronto last summer. So, naturally I was excited when I heard about this release.
I ordered both copies of the album from an eBay seller in Korea. This is a link to the exact one I’ve ordered. I got both copies for $39.99 plus free shipping. Plus, with eBay, you can save a little bit of money by using the E-Bates extension on your browser, as it will save you 2% on all album purchases, which definitely adds up.
What is E-Bates?
E-Bates is a cashback site that gives you money for purchases you may have already made. They even have an extension for multiple browsers so when you go to a website that uses Ebates, it will automatically pop up the cashback button to make sure you are saving money. I use this all the time, and I got over 80$ back from them for purchases I was going to make anyway. That’s about 3 more albums I can buy!
If you’ve never used EBates before, you can use this link to get $10 when making a qualified purchase of $25 when using EBates. You will also get whatever percent cashback is being offered from the site you are purchasing from. Sephora, typically has 4% cashback, through here. Sokoglam typically has 3%. These percentages Many other major retailers are on there as well.
Can I get it on Amazon?
Yes! You can pick up both copies using this link here for 55 dollars (not as good of a deal) or one copy here for about 20 dollars, with free shipping if you have Amazon Prime.
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.
How do I read 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. It will help you understand what parts of the music I’m referring to when I talk about different instruments and different vocal parts. This is what I recommend for all of my song reviews.
Jus2 Focus Track By Track:
Focus on Me
I’ve already gone and reacted to the music video for this track. You can see my thoughts here:
I must say, this track is completely different from what I initially anticipated. It’s way more chill, calm and smooth. GOT7 is usually so high energy! Despite that, I still am definitely a big fan of the song. as it shows a much more mature side to the group as well as their true colors, since the song is written and composed by JB and Yugyeom.
I really like the smooth electronic, dream-like feel of the track. It feels almost sultry and hypnotizing. It makes me think of the members as adults, instead of as the derp-y boys who constantly play pranks on each other. More than anything, I love all of the reverb on the synth lines in the track, as well as how the verses contrast rhythmically with the instrumentation. Big fan of what they are doing here, and how they have gone in a completely different direction from previous releases.
Drunk on You
Yet again, Yugyeom and JB are going in a much more mature direction than the group has previously gone. In contrast to the last track, this song has a serious R&B vibe to it, which is strongly demonstrated by the chosen percussion as well as the vocal line. I really love how this track features some simple guitar chords that you can hear were actually played in front of a microphone, instead of produced through a computer. It gives the track a wee bit more of a raw feel.
If I had to pick my favorite part of this track, I would have to say that it is definitely how musically simple this track is. It has a guitar, some percussion, and then vocals that are layered on top of each other. This track is evidence that you don’t have to be overly complicated and add 20 different instruments to a track to make a fantastic, as well as sexy, track.
Touch
Even though every track up to this point has been a slow, down-tempo R&B track, these two members of GOT7 have managed to make every track sound distinct and hold its own. That on its own is hard to do, as too many songs in a similar style can have a habit of blending together. On this track, I really love how the instrumentation moves. It starts with some piano chords, and then moves into these really interesting chords that sound like a vibraphone with a damper pedal on it. It’s pretty cool how the style shifts as the song moves forward.
On top of all of that, as this is something that I have not mentioned yet, I love how the vocal line contrasts the instrumentation. It’s very legato and smooth with lots of vocal runs, while the instrumentation is far more accented. It’s pleasing to the ear, and makes you want to continue to listen to the song. More than that, the vocal line and the gorgeous falsetto they are doing is easily highlighted over the soft, smooth instrumentation. Overall, I’m a big fan of what they are doing here.
Senses
The sexy, smooth sounds continue! I must say, I love how they are singing most of this whole album in hushed tones. Because of this, at some moments, the vocal line gets this great growl to it as they try to reach for low notes. Unlike the tracks that came before this one, this track has a much more funk and soul vibe to it. This on it’s own is something that I have never seen any member of GOT7 go for.
After listening to this track half a dozen times, you begin to notice that the instrumentation throughout the track is simple yet repetitive. It isn’t interesting on its own. To add interest to it, they played with the dynamics of the instruments on the track, which shifts the balance of the song, and keeps you listening. It’s definitely different, and although it isn’t my favorite track on the mini-album
Love Talk
Yet again, JB and Yugyeom are going for more of a funk and soul vibe. I really love the funky instrumentation on this track! It really pulls the song forward, as well as well as push the song forward. Unlike the last track, although they both feature more hushed vocals and synthesized instrumentation, this track has far more musical shifts than “Senses”.
One of the other things that I love about this track is how they completely modified the vocals so that they sound like they are a descant. Even more than that, I love how the vocals take more of a secondary role in this track. The instrumentation is the highlight. I feel like a track like this is highly uncommon from two pop vocalists, so it is really nice to hear. This track and the previous track are really all about how the music makes you feel, not about the lyrics.
Long Black
The introduction to this song is really interesting. All that is in it is a bubble popping sound, and a reverbed organ instrumentation. It’s really interesting, and completely unexpected. On top of that, this track nicely contrasts the previously two because it really brings the lyrics to the forefront of the song. It’s gives the track a really interesting sound that I greatly enjoy.
Overall, this track is an awesome dance track. I love the feel it has and how it makes you really want to bump and grind. You may want to mix in some body rolls too! On top of that, you can do some popping with the percussion is great. More than anything, I love the soaring, smooth vocal line on this track that JB and Yugyeom sing. It tops it all off and makes a truly, sexy final track to a very sexy album.
K-Points: 145/5
I’m not going to lie, at first listen, I was completely shocked about how Yugyeom and JB flipped their image on its head. These sexy, sultry, R&B style tracks with hushed, smooth vocals were completely unexpected. Quite frankly, I’m not mad at it! More than anything, all of the tracks on the album were really solid, well-produced with JB and Yugyeom’s writing credentials on every track.
So should you get yourself a copy of this album? I’m personally of the belief that any GOT7 album, no matter what it is is worth having in your collection. That being said, I am also incredibly biased. As there are only 6 tracks, it may be worth it to spend your money on a full album. Should you stream it? There’s no doubt about it. This album is completely different than anything I have heard yet from GOT7. More than that, it is very well done.
What do you all think of the new direction that GOT7 has gone in, K-Nuggets? Are you a fan of what they have done since they took over producing their own tracks? Let me know in the comments below!
사랑합니다!
–Rachel
