Wonho

Highline Entertainment
The solo singer dives into a blue world, swimming between heady optimism and emotional vulnerability

“In English, when one says ‘I feel blue’, the word ‘blue’ is used [to describe feeling depressed or sad],” Wonho told NME in an interview ahead of the release of his third mini-album ‘Blue Letter’. “I wanted ‘blue’ to serve a double meaning of ‘feeling blue’ and… to flip the meaning of feeling blue to ‘feeling loved’, in context of the album.”

Just as there are many different shades of blue, with this record Wonho takes our immediate emotional associations with the hue and beautifully expands the palette. It’s a soul-stirring, sensitive release that gently shifts between shimmering celebrations to reassuring moments of encouragement and emotional vulnerability, each tone standing out in its own distinct way.

On the title track ‘Blue’, the singer is in jubilant mood. “I’m drowning down into the blue,” he begins over ticking percussion and a rubbery bassline, but this isn’t a dive into melancholia. “It feels amazing / Swimming high up to the sky, am I going crazy?” The hook that drops by later, effortlessly infectious and nonchalantly feel-good, bottles the sparkling mood of the song in a great earworm: “We are young, we are dumb / We just party all night long / When you feel the blue.”

The intro track, ‘Seasons And Patterns’, is uplifting in a different way, the instrumental two-minute fragment sounding as if it’s ushering us into Wonho’s own K-drama. Twinkling piano weaves around soaring strings that take you gliding through a sun-dazzled sky. The gently euphoric electronics of ’24/7’, meanwhile, find the star mixing shades, swirling synth-y optimism with lyrical reassurance. “I’m here for you 24/7,” he vows. “Let’s stay forever young.”

As you might instinctively expect of something blue, though, there’s sorrow present here too. The softly sad ‘No Text No Call’ laments a lack of communication from a former lover, Wonho sighing: “We used to talk all night to the morning, but now we don’t.” It’s a shame it follows immediately after the towering ‘Blue’, because its impact feels dampened in its neighbour’s shadow.

If the titular colour is a joining thread throughout ‘Blue Letter’, so is the biggest mass of blue on Earth – the sea. It pops up throughout Wonho’s lyrics, at once a symbol of fun, beauty, safety and peace. “You just have to take care of yourself and let it out,” he instructs on ‘24/7’, “I’ll be a wide ocean for you.” Over the rippling acoustic guitar of ‘Stranger’, he narrates: “The night is deep without you / The blue sea is asleep / I close my eyes and sketch you.”

If it wasn’t clear by now that the singer is a big softie, this record offers irrefutable proof. ‘Come Over Tonight’ starts off as a sultry slow jam but swiftly switches gear into something sweeter. “Can you come over tonight? / Promise I’ll hold you so tight,” he coos, before confounding expectations: “I can’t sleep without you / I’d be nothing without you.”

Just over a year since Wonho made his solo debut with ‘Love Synonym Pt. 1: Right For Me’, ‘Blue Letter’ showcases an artist growing rapidly in both confidence and his striking abilities. While the star has been involved with the writing and production of all of his releases so far, this record marks the first time he’s contributed his skills to every song on the tracklist. The results are impressive – particularly ‘Blue’, which would be an instant radio smash in a just world.

‘Blue Letter’’s songs might add more depth to our connections with Wonho’s signature colour in their sounds and sentiments, but there’s one more feeling we can now link back to blue thanks to the record as a whole. That’s excitement, because it’s hard not to listen to this mini-album and feel the exhilaration of watching a star in bloom.

On this wildly imaginative debut, recent NME Cover stars Lip Critic prove why they are the band of the moment

2024 has been a big year for Lip Critic, who are well on their way to becoming one of the next great New York bands. The quartet – comprising Bret Kaser, Connor Kleitz, Daniel Eberle and Ilan Natter – have spent the past half-decade building a loyal and sizeable hometown following that has, in recent months, caught the attention of music fans across the other side of the Atlantic.

Lip Critic make music that is both freewheeling and fun – with a thrillingly dark, Frankenstein-esque edge to their sound and aesthetic. They have played alongside rappers, hardcore bands and dance acts – and toured with IDLES and Geese – with NME describing their live show as “a pulsating rush of energy” in a five-star review last November. “You never know what sound is going to pop up next – our focus is to not get pinned down into a set of aesthetics, but to stay nimble” Kaser previously told us.

Opener ‘It’s The Magic’ bursts into life with a set of heavy 808s followed by contrasting rhythms. “I told them take their grace / And send it where it came / Only the generous get to live another day,” Kaser sings, evoking a sense of danger. ‘The Heart’ follows, diving headfirst dives into skittish, almost anxiety-inducing drum patterns – it’s wild and brilliantly unnerving.

’Bork Pelly (featuring Gösh and ID.Sus)’ is a perfect fusion of The Prodigy and ’90s hip-hop influences. ‘Death Lurking’ (featuring Izzy Da Fonseca), meanwhile, offers a change of pace, an atmospheric number that builds into a skippy beat fit for headbanging.

Throughout ‘Hex Dealer’, Lip Critic prove why they are the band of the moment. A full-on, disruptive force emerging from their city’s underground scene – their music rides high on a bolt of infectious energy.

Details

  • Release date: May 17
  • Record label: Partisan
 
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