A MOA’s travel through The Name Chapter: Freefall tracks
by Fran
October 13th, 2023 was an important date for me, and I am not talking about the fact that it was the infamous Friday the 13th, as much of a horror lover as I am.
October 13th marked a turning point in my life as a MOA. The Name Chapter: FREEFALL, the latest work by TXT, was released. And I was JUST fine…
Totally… relaxed.
Screeching like an eagle in front of Chasing that feeling MV at six in the morning.
But first thing first.
To begin with, I would like to say a few words about the path that led us to this comeback, the concepts that came out in the previous weeks, one for every version of the album: Reality – Melancholy – Clarity – Gravity.
Let’s leave aside my personal opinion about the ridiculous number of versions being released lately in k-pop; in the case of FREEFALL we are on the verge on the ridiculousness with as many as ten versions, if we consider that, for the Gravity concept, there is one per member.
One thing that TXT do very well is to interpret to the fullest each and every concept that comes their way, perfectly embodying the kind of aesthetics and emotions to be expressed, never missing a beat.
When Reality pictures came out, I’ll be honest, I shivered. We have dodgy looking streets, animal prints clothes and most importantly, we have rain. I think nothing else needs to be added.
I enclose photographic evidence that will instantly remove any doubt as to why I had this gut reaction.
The second concept is Melancholy, my favorite, featuring worn out, dirty clothes, gloomy setting, and…a wolf.
The impression you get is that of a small gang of cursed boys who have an abandoned dungeon as their secret hideout, and who probably turn into something else during full moon nights.
The third concept, Clarity, is the most aesthetically clean (as the name might suggest) and flights you back to your teen era, when you were spending afternoons with friends talking, listening to music, and eating junk food, perhaps on top of a rooftop.
Hypothetically, I say, in case you actually did have friends.
In Clarity the reference to their past discography, to the old concepts, is even more evident, with two photos that exactly recreate two shots which were the album The dream chapter: ETERNITY, two images that more than any other represent their bond and their promise.
The last concept, Gravity, is undoubtedly the most representative of the essence of the album, in an almost literal way, visually recreating the effect of a “freefall,”.
After The name chapter: TEMPTATION, the five boys finally get to leave Neverland (Peter Pan’s one) and come to the real world, with a downfall that represents the end of childhood and the departure from that fantasy world in which they had taken refuge to clash with the harshness of reality and adulthood.
Now that we have talked about the aesthetic aspects of this comeback, let us move on to the central focus of any album, music.
The name chapter: FREEFALL is the group’s third full album, released almost two years after their last full album, The chaos chapter: FREEZE.
After two years of mini-albums, much appreciated indeed, we finally have the joy of a collection that contains more than five tracks, which as far as I am concerned are always too few.
In this album, the sounds are insane – a mix of genres and a tracklist that gives you serious feeling of being in a free fall, starting with the hard rock of Growing pain and ending with the melancholy and calm of Blue spring, the second song that TXT write for their fandom.
The tracklist ends with Do it like that and the English version of Chasing that feeling, which however I would not consider as a real part of the musical journey this album takes us on.
Speaking of Do it like that, I have the feeling that this track shouldn’t even be part of this album, but rather should have being a stand-alone single. In fact this fun, lighthearted collaboration with the Jonas Brothers doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the general atmosphere of FREEFALL, so I suppose that the song being in the album is more of a necessary marketing choice.
GROWING PAIN
In their discography, TXT have often tackled the rock genre, from classic to punk. With Growing Pain I think they have outdone themselves. This is a raw song, with vocals that go almost to metal ground: I am talking about the way Hueningkai sings the first phrase of the song, or the way Beomgyu sings I throw myself, throw myself, throw myself, a manner reminiscent of growling, a singing technique often used in some metal subgenres.
The lyrics talks about falling and the pain it causes, and about the willingness to jump anyway, in order to reach for reality at any cost, even if it means bleeding and breaking bones.
It is time for the leap, and with Growing pain we throw ourselves headfirst into this tracklist.
CHASING THAT FEELING
Track number two is, as always in their discography, the main one that promotes the entire album.
Chasing that feeling is a little synth pop gem that musically catapults us back to the 1980s, whilst the music video contains so many references to American movies, from Back to the Future to Inception.
Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai fall from the sky like meteors, ending up on the streets of New York, bewildered and clearly out of place, somewhat as if they were alien creatures. Each of them keep chasing after something, a feeling, an idea, a sensation, represented by colored orbs that eventually come together in a single explosion, when the five of them find themselves together again at the end of the video.
This song keeps telling us about the fall, adding the aspect of acceptance. If before we were lost and bewildered like children, now we have finally come to reality.
It hurts, but the will to go on is stronger.
It hurts, but it will be okay in the end.
Below, some slides from the official MV.
Back for more was released on September 15 as a pre-release track, in collaboration with Brazilian artist Anitta, but on the album we find the TXT version.
I loved both version very much, but after several listens I think I developed a small preference for the TXT one because of the second verse sung by Hueningkai and Yeonjun, a little treat.
This is a disco pop track, with references to ’70s-’80s dance songs with very simple but catchy lyrics and a beat that lays in your head for days.
The references to Michael Jackson are very obvious, both in the audio track and in the choreography, to the point that it feels like a real tribute, from the typical vocals to some of his most famous dance moves.
But then again, come on! Give me TXT in a sleek black suit and for me the score is immediately A+ .
DREAMER
As far as I’m concerned, Dreamer is a gemstone; a soulful r&b track with a sensual melody and vocals, one of those atmospheric songs you cas listen to in an evening with a glass of wine in your hands.
It is a song reminiscent of dreams, a nostalgic reminder of what we have now left behind to grow up, to finally find our own name and identity, but it also makes us realize that those dreams have not actually been abandoned: we are still dreamers, even now that we live in reality, even now that we are adults.
As is often the case in TXT’s discography, there is almost a discrepancy between the lyrics and the melody, as if the two elements communicate different emotions while balancing each other perfectly. An example of this is their song Run away, main track of their first full album, The dream chapter: MAGIC: the music is rhythmic and energetic, but the lyrics contain deep unease significance.
Dreamer is a song about nostalgia and memories, but if one does not read the translation of the lyrics and don’t understand Korean, it has some very sexy sounds and vocals that make it a perfect track for an evening in sweet company.
If you know what I mean.
DEEP DOWN
Deep down is a pop track with EDM elements that surprised me, since I am not a fan of that kind of sound. As always, TXT managed to make me like what I would not normally appreciate, with the good taste that always makes them stand out.
The lyrics of this song are relevant, as they have ties to Crown, their debut song. In Crown they said they felt different and wrong after horns had grown on their heads (horns as a representation of something wrong, to be eliminated, to be changed in order to conform to everyone else), whilst in Deep down we can find the acceptance of these horns, which become a crown instead: no longer something negative to be ashamed of but a peculiarity that makes us unique, something to be proud of.
HAPPILY EVER AFTER
Happily ever after is a Jersey club genre song, a particular genre of electronic dance, that makes it the most upbeat song on the album, a track I would call optimistic.
The lyrics are about taking charge of your destiny and writing your own story. Instead of feeling sadness when faced with the realization that in reality there is no happy ending you accept the beauty of life despite everything, despite the fact that there is no certainty of a happy ending, and that is what makes life interesting.
It is my least favorite track on the album, but I am a mournful person who does not like joy, so that is probably my problem.
Still, it remains an important song because of the story they are telling us, which deserves its place within the tracklist.
물수제비 (SKIPPING STONES)
Skipping stones has become my favorite track after only a couple of listens. It is an indie rock genre song that is able to bring out the full potential of the boys’ vocals, from the whispered words over an electric guitar to the long, sustained-to-perfection notes. Hueningkai’s high note at the end of the bridge made me fly off into hyperuranium, so to speak.
One of the reasons I feel this piece so much is probably the lyrics. It’s about throwing stones into a river, breaking the calm of the surface until the waters are completely agitated.
It is a metaphor about self-criticism, not the healthy and necessary kind but the excessive and ubiquitous kind, the kind that destroys us. The river is us, the stones are the words we say to ourselves, often cruel: this way of dealing with reality makes it even harder for us to survive day after day.
There is hope, though! The moment the river finally meets the sea, when our present version – restless and uncompromising – mixes with our future and grown-up, calmer and more reasonable self, the stones we throw will not do as much damage as before and the waters will be less rough.
BLUE SPRING
As mentioned earlier, this track is the second song TXT wrote for their fandom, a declaration of love for MOA who have supported them so far.
While Dubbad-du wari wari, the first song for the fandom contained in The chaos chapter: FIGHT or ESCAPE, was a cheerful and fun song, a promise to stay together until the end, Blue spring is a melancholy song about the past and the present, the difficulties of the beginnings.
It refers to the training years, when they were scared kids without any certainty, a condition that made them sad (blue, a color indicating sadness and depression).
After the debut, however, came MOA representing their springtime, rebirth, something that completely wiped out those days of uncertainty and fear.
In short, with this track they want to make us cry, and I have to admit they succeeded with me.
This song closed every concert during the last tour, Act: Sweet Mirage, and for months we only had a live version of it from the first gig, in Seoul.
Finally now can looping it on all streaming platforms.
Now that our journey inside The name chapter: FREEFALL has ended, I would like to make some general and very personal remarks.
I find this album well constructed, impactful, perhaps their best work to date, undoubtedly my favorite. The mix of genres works, and nothing seems out of place. The five of them, as usual, fully display their talents as artists, both in songwriting and in production and composition, aspects in which they actively participate more and more with each new album.
TXT is a very versatile band, I will never tire of saying that. They never repeat the same thing and with each comeback you never know what kind of sound you will find, and I think that is an extremely exciting aspect of their music.
In conclusion, I would like to say thank you.
Thank you Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueningkai.
Thank you for being and giving us another little treasure made up of ten musical tracks, for blessing my ears once again with your voices, and for being able to talk about yourselves, me and so many others through this album, dealing with themes of growth and pain in which we all reflect a bit.
Finally, thank you for being and continuing to be my personal blue spring.
