#era: skinz

[sehnisweet]

Millnine 🐭🦊

[onlyoneofsideblogtrashheep]

[220214]

[vampirebiter]

i love having a concert to look forward to on the horizon because it gives me an excuse to plan a slayful outfit <3

[omegaremix]

Omega Radio for May 19, 2021; #264.

Main Source ft. Nas + Akinyele + Large Professor: “Live At The BBQ”

Scarface: “Seen A Man Die”

EPMD: “So What Cha Sayin’”

PMD ft. Das EFX: “What Cha Gona’ Do”

Black Sheep: ”Strobelight Honey” (original)

Leaders Of The New School: “International Zone Coaster”

Live Squad: “Heartless” (YG’s RMX)

Beatnuts: “Props Over Here”

Big Daddy Kane: “Prince Of Darkness”

Trends Of Culture ft. Grand Puba: “Valley Of The Skinz”

Grand Puba ft. Mary J. Blige: “Check It Out”

Organized Konfusion: “Stress (Extra P)”

Ultramagnetic MCs: “Ego Trippin’”

Almighty RSO: Revenge Of Da Badd Boyz”

Tucka Da Huntaman: “Watch Your Back”

Diamond D: “Sally Got A One-Track Mind”

D-Nice: “Call Me D-Nice”

De La Soul: “Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)”

Jungle Brothers: “Straight Out The Jungle”

Gang Starr ft. Nice & Smooth: “DWYCK”

Nice & Smooth: “Sometimes I Rhyme Slow”

Outkast: “Benz Or A Beamer”

Slick Rick ft. Warren G: “Behind Bars”

Disposable Heroes Of Hip-Hoprisy: “Television, The Drug Of The Nation”

Lost Boyz: “Renee”

Kurious Jorge: “Uptown Hit”

Cypress Hill: “How I Could Just Kill A Man”

Masta Ace: “Born To Roll”

Grand Daddy IU: “Sugar Free”

Craig Mack: “Get Down” (Q-Tip RMX)

Keith Murray: “The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World”

Kriss Kross ft. Supercat: “Alright”

LL Cool J: “I Shot Ya”

Goodie Mob: “Soul Food”

Arrested Development: “Tennessee”

Paris: “Outta’ My Life”

Intelligent Hoodlum: “Grand Groove”

Thug Life ft. 2Pac: “Pour Out A Little Liquor”

Naughty By Nature: “Written On Your Kitten” (QDIII RMX)

Bonus Omega; second hip-hop, rap, golden-era set.

[skinzchoerim]

Something I noticed in undergrOund idOl and seOul drift is that first meetings, and specifically first eye contact, seem to be very important, and it almost feels like they're recognising something familiar in each other. At first I thought that those longing looks and widened eyes were just a way to show that they're instantly attracted to each other, but some of those first interactions seem way too emotionally loaded for that, especially kyujung in seOul drift - it seems like they're seeing each other for the first time, but also like they were searching for each other, and once they see one another, they instantly know this is the person they've been driving/waiting for.

I was reading the lyrics to candy bOmb, and in the middle of a fun beat and lyrics about instant attraction there's the sudden, more thoughtful and distorted bridge and the line "I can't figure out who it is, I might've left you behind".

It seems like they're connected in every alternate universe, they know each other in libidO and skinz (we never see their first meetings there), so there's recognition when they first meet in the solos, and once again in seOul drift.

Here's where it gets really interesting. From savanna to asOiaf, none of the MVs feel like they're taking place in the real world. Starting from where the units first appear, libidO is the only MV that doesn't take place in Seoul but on an island, in a kind of summer paradise. skinz has both Seoul and the seaside. Since begin to seOul drift, we have been only in Seoul. With each era, we seem to come out of the metaphorical space of the subconscious and into the real world in which these stories have been taking place. To the surface, if you will.

The description says that "loneliness and wandering are sped up to the verge of hallucination and to their very limit, and raced to the extent that they can no longer keep up and get exhausted". I'm having a lot of trouble deciphering this, but considering how important driving vehicles is in their MVs, they've been trying to get to the verge of this hallucination since savanna. The hallucination keeps resetting and separating them, but they keep racing along their own path on instinct and eventually stumble across someone they feel they've been missing from their life, whose lack of presence by their side ignited their loneliness.

This makes more sense if you watched the part of my theory about the role of technology in their MVs and the meaning of delusion in skinz. Delusion and hallucination can easily be used interchangeably in this metaphor, which, in the case of my interpretation, means that societal norms create our reality and distort it to be something untrue to our nature.

Societal pressure forces them apart, but their instincts are stronger, so in the end, they always find their way back to each other. Just like no matter how hard societal norms try to suppress queerness, it always comes up to the surface, whether within an individual or in society at large.

[winxys]

[staurora]

Skinz: One Year Later

It doesn’t matter who you are

It doesn’t matter whether you are black, white, Hispanic, Asian, male, or female.

I’m saying that your mere skin doesn’t matter.

All that matters is you.

Instinct Part.2 was released a little over a year ago, to a mixed reception. On the heels of a controversial Instinct Part.1 era, a steep climb in popularity, and then the sad and mysterious exit of leader and main vocalist Love, many fans were in a sensitive spot. The harsh, unforgiving soundscape of “Skinz” provoked mixed responses.

I’ll save my analysis of the Instinct albums for another day. For now, I want to analyze Skinz as a stand-alone entity.

The music video of Skinz tells a tale of obsession and delusion. A desperate and crude yet unapologetic kind of love and desire. Lyrically, it refers love as something parasitic, describing the intense desire to be as close to a loved one as possible, expressed in the lyrics:

“Face off. Show me what’s behind the mask, under skin”

“I can’t take it anymore

Dig deeper into my skin”

The music video seems to directly, purposefully contrast to the Libido video. Where Libido had a clear narrative with the members playing characters inside the story, Skinz steps out of it, going from a dreamlike fiction to something very close to reality. The members become more themselves. Idols, in their practice room, their van, their beach trip. Even the aspect ratio of the videos enforces this. Libido is cinematic, wide with black bars on the top and bottom. Skinz is full screen and opened up, a broader more lifelike perspective.

Additionally, the watcher is now given a perspective. You play a fan of OnlyOneOf. You watch their van. Your hands tweet about them.

The dark sound of the music video really struck me when I first watched. The English words like “parasite” and “delusion” and “underneath the skin” really popped out.

My immediate thought was a critique of obsessive fan culture, and I think that’s a large, important part of it for sure. The fan is watching OnlyOneOf from afar and desires to become closer, to know more, to see every little thing about their idols. It grows to a point of delusion, as referenced in the lyrics “Delusion in my head spread like a parasite”. The fan can barely tell reality from fiction, taking their joy from imagining themself being closer to OnlyOneOf, catching intimate moments they never would have seen before. Member A feeding member B! Member C being shirtless! And then they turn to the fan and pull them in to join the fun!

And the fan blinks back to reality, the bridge between these worlds always represented by the glitching of the music video and their phone screen. And they can feel satisfied having enjoyed time with the ones they love, as much as possible even if it’s only in their imagination.

Now, I use harsh language like delusion and obsession, but is it so severe? That’s… hard to say. I mean it must be right? How can you refer to this love as parasitic and delusional if it’s not a bad thing? But the description of the track, which I wrote at the top of the post, is so kind. The group is saying they love you, the fans, regardless of superficial things. Additionally, though the music is grating and dark, the moments imagined by the fan are not especially evil or invasive. It’s a vacation. Grilling outside and then walking and playing on the beach. The fan is watching OnlyOneOfs van in the beginning, but were they stalking it or did they happen across it?

I believe the morality of the fan is left intentionally vague because there are so many different fans with different beliefs and boundaries. There are fans who truly have problems with delusions or obsessiveness, and there are those who indulge a bit too much, and those who have the mental state to maintain well-drawn boundaries, and casual fans who would never think to cross any lines.

OnlyOneOf is acknowledging the state of Kpop fan culture, with little further commentary. Their clearest message is their description which I put at the very beginning of this analysis. To summarize it, “I love you, your mere skin doesn’t matter.”

That’s exactly what idols are for isn’t it? When someone is lonely, lacking friends or family or other relationships, when a kid needs someone to look up to, when someone’s life is stressful and their dreams seem unattainable, idols are meant to fill that gap.

(Well, they’re meant to make money for their company. But they wouldn’t make that money if they weren’t doing something beneficial for their fans.)

For me personally, idols have held many different roles. An inspiration to work hard, a muse, a companion when I’ve had no friends, a depiction of healthy masculinity… there is something very meaningful hiding beneath the scary fan culture and the money hungry companies.

It’s the relationship between fan and artist. A relationship which I feel is so perfectly captured in this video. Honestly, I’m so impressed looking at it after so much thought. The fan can be read as completely respectful and innocent, or someone as deeply bad and unhealthy as a sasaeng with serious problems.

In fact, I don’t think it needs to be one or the other. I think many fans engage in many different kinds of fan culture of varying degrees of respectfulness. It’s all based upon personal values and the depths of obsessiveness. I think that’s what’s really at the core of this video. That’s why this was truly a fear of artistry once again from the creative team.

I would love to hear any disagreements or additional points from other fans though if anyone would like to add on! I think there’s plenty more that could be analyzed here down to the smallest details!

I mean I’ve been holding these thoughts for… well, since the music video released. OnlyOneOf really has so much depth to their releases. Maybe next I’ll over analyze seoul collection or the underground idol universe or something.

[xumoonhao]

hi maddie! I hope this is okay to ask, but could you rec a few onlyoneof songs? Their latest comeback with the waist dance part really caught my attention! I’ve heard libido and sage and enjoyed both of them

yaaaaas its so okay to ask~ 💖💖💖 i would definitely recommend all of their solos, but in particular begin by yoojung, be free by kyubin, and beyond by nine are my favs from that era of theirs :3 outside of that id say fragile, savanna, dora maar (this one especially is sooooo good), a song of ice and fire, and like…all songs off instinct pt. 2!!! that whole mini is SO GOOD (skinz is def a bit weird sounding but that’s just the onlyoneof flavour) but suit dance and gaslighting are my favourites <<<333

[qazastra]

Going with the obvious for kpop group ask: OnlyOneOf?

✦ my first bias: junji! i really liked the way he danced (i always like the dancers) and then i saw his face and it was over ✦ my current bias(es): alllll of them but mostly dance line (junji rie and yoojung) ✦ my album and/or era ranking (or favorite of each): oooh i have only been around since 2021 so i don't think i can properly rank eras but my fav promotion eras styling-wise include produced by pt 1 (the looks for designer are so interesting to me) and instinct pt 1. honestly the no-eyes look was kind of legendary. certainly made junji's dance skills even more impressive but i hope he never has to do it again lmao poor guy! albums.... hm i really like the instinct duology because of the instrumental interludes (which are unfortunately not on spotify but i've found them on youtube), it really impresses upon the listener that they're telling a story and i think that's so neat. ✦ how i got into them: an internet acquaintance got me interested in kpop in 2020, they made me an 89-video-long playlist and i think the savanna music video was on there? and other people in the discord server saw i was getting into kpop so i got a lot of song recs. eventually i found dora maar on spotify. i can pinpoint the exact moment when i start talking about ooo online lol. it was may 2021! ✦ which member would be my best friend: i like to joke that nine is my bff :-) idk he seems really fun to hang out with and easy for me to get along with and i'd love to talk to him about music production! i'm rlly interested in it, in high school i thought i wanted it to be my career for a minute and i ended up taking a class in college so i have a tiny bit of experience, and the production choices he makes in several of his covers remind me of stuff i would do. plus our birthdays are only hours apart which is wild. and we are both perfectionists oops ✦ something i associate with them (or with a bias/any member): i actually happened upon a shirt at a thrift store over the summer that is just a different colorway of a shirt junji wore for skinz promos, so i guess that! and paper cranes because of begin :-)

thank u for the ask etienne! <3

[yuliangs]

skinz era junji was something else

[my3dartblog]

With the dawn of a new era comes a new evolution in the classic Sexy Skinz Bodysuits line. Updated and redesigned to give your characters a fresh, modern look, these styles include everything from practical daywear to provocative bedroom attire. Lacy, racy, and always classy, your favorite Genesis 9 characters are sure to charm in these inviting intimates. Choose from 21 different designs that work well underneath any of your outfits, but are also designed to be used as a seductive stand-alone. A simple, one-click solution, this third set in the three-volume series allows you to quickly add a touch of sexiness to any of your favorite Genesis 9 characters. Please note this Sexy Skinz set uses DAZ's Geometry Shell feature. The geometry shell allows for greater product flexibility in that it gives the user greater control in adjusting to fit over or under clothing, and produces shadows, adding greater realism to the renders. A utility Geometry Shell is included with the set, but be sure to read the "Notes" section on this page for instructions on how to create and use your own geometry shell. What's Included and Features VYK Sexy Skinz - Bodysuits Vol III for Genesis 9 (.DUF) 21 Second Skin Pieces for the Genesis 9 Geometry Shell 01 Apply Geoshell Utility for Genesis 9 01 Apply/Remove Navel Utility 01 Apply/Remove Booty Smoother Utility Textures 156 Diffuse, Bump, Translucency, Normal, Back-scattering, Metallic and Displacement Maps (4096 x 4096) Daz Studio Iray Material Presets (.DUF) Required Products: Genesis 9 Starter Essentials Compatible Figures: Genesis 9 Compatible Software: Daz Studio 4.21 Install Types: DazCentral, Daz Connect, DIM, Manual Install Coming soon: https://3d-stuff.net/ #daz3d #dazstudio #3drender #3dart #daz3dstudio #irayrender #3dartwork #blender #blenderrender #blenderart #noaiart #noaiwriting #noai https://3d-stuff.net/

[emeraldbabygirl]

The skinz choreo is so sexy and intimate like esp the bit with yoojung and kb 🥺 I think it’s def the best brain mush food cause my brain mushy mushy when I watched a performance of it today. The brown fits are my fav and Junji’s hair color and style is so pretty that was such a good look for him and kb shut up an ugh best brain mush song lol. And the lyrics make heart spin 💞💞💞 eeeeeeeeee the ‘wiggle with this parasite’ and kb and his ‘love your skinz different dna’ and something something about kissing ~ heehee I just brain I shut up I know it’s chrome arts and hearts and farts era but I love the libido and skinz era so much I’m still in those era mentally IM NOT OVER THEM OK 😡 i can’t I can’t get over kyu and his pretty long hair or love or how sexy and intimate and cute those eras were and and I did see yoojung’s solo I think and it was so cute I just haven’t seen the others yet and idk :( but I saw a lil bit of chrome arts on the clock app and I love love that lil shoulder shimmy it’s super cute! And I love jimji’s mermaid hair he’s very cute and! Um that walking thing I swear n.o.m did that cause as soon as I saw that it looked so familiar. But it’s cool! Onlyoneof always has interesting and entertaining choreos it’s pretty neato

Tl:dr no I haven’t seen the mv for chrome arts yet and no solos yet cause I’m still crying over the libido and skinz era. :( libido brain rot and skinz brain mush :) my fav duo. PLEASE I CANT GET OVER LIL JIMJI IN A SKIRT :( I SAW 😤😤😤😤😤 fuckING HELL NEVERMIND BYE ITS CRYING TIME™️

[onlyoneofupdates]

[220115] OnlyOneOf members twitter

[#준지] skinz💕

[binniesoob]

it's just me and you, and you and me... and your friend steve nine

[skinzchoerim]

instinct pt.1 and instinct pt.2 stOryline analysis

I've spent a lot of time in the past year thinking about these two albums. I found it curious that the first three songs mention women, skinz says gender doesn't matter and the rest of the songs are gender neutral while the MVs are gay. Since today is instinct pt.2's first anniversary and it's an album that changed my life, here's the story I've come up with (based purely on the lyrics and descriptions, not the MVs).

We can safely assume that the bOy wearing cOmme des garçOns, our main character in this series, is meant to be bisexual. From what I've gathered, it's common for bisexual people to realise their attraction to the opposite gender first (since it's already expected and easier to explore) and get the full picture of their sexuality later. libidO is about exploration and experimentation, and I always thought the line "girl, I just wanna know" was referring to exactly that - experimenting and starting with the "safer" option first, but still being aware of your blooming queerness in the back of your mind, accepting and understanding your libido as a whole through this first experience.

Next is yOu can tOuch it if yOu can't feel it. In libidO, he wasn’t acting on his desires yet, it was all an internal monologue about things he feels and wishes to take further. The longer he didn’t act on it, the stronger and more uncontrollable it became. After accepting his libido as an internal thing, in instinct he explores it further, no longer questioning and thinking, but acting on it with another person. I really like the line "Why the hell were you drawn to my wandering?" because it highlights that this is just the beginning of his journey of self discovery. He found someone he's attracted to and he doesn't question that, but he's also aware in the back of his mind that it's not the end, he's still lost and has more questions than answers. For now, though, he chooses to focus on this moment and this person.

Another line I find interesting is "I don't want your love tonight because it hurts." A lot of OOO's pre-instinct era songs' messages give me the impression that in order to have a full, satisfying, healthy relationship, the subject needs to grow up, understand and accept himself. Even in relationships with women, he can't just suppress and not think about his queerness, because in the long run, it'll become poison to the relationship. It's a vital part of his nature and not exploring it at all is doing himself injustice and stopping his growth as a person. I'm not here to say whether this is true or not, but it makes sense to me with some of their songs.

Moving onto byredO - since it's his first relationship and "the emotion of love of the boy, who is yet to become a grown-up, is quite impulsive and fickle", it turns unhealthy and obsessive. The interesting this is, hOly week is the previous track, not the next like one might expect. It's because he's been slowly turning away from god and he turns his worship elsewhere, letting his desires consume him. He doesn’t see his lover for the person she is, only focusing on the physical aspect of their relationship and putting it above anything else, her scent his new god.

tear Of gOd is repentance for following his impulses. He feels the promised paradise slipping away as he realises he can no longer reach it, both because of how he acted in the relationship and because of the constant awareness of his attraction to men. He begs for forgiveness and tries to feel closer to god again, but it's not the same anymore. His indulgence in pleasure already put distance between his faith and himself, and going back just causes him to feel more guilty, so he takes a different approach.

I called it yOu but it was actually me is a curious phrase that's been torturing me since I first saw it. The description says:

Confession is a word with both a religious and secular meaning, and the “low-lying voice” always makes me imagine him on his knees in a church. However, the phrase itself is very "call me by your name"-esque, which relates to the idea of being two halves of a whole, seeing yourself reflected in another person and seeing them in yourself. It's not physical, but emotional and intellectual. So, perhaps, after confessing his sins and not getting a response, he comes to the conclusion that people are closer to him than god. He used to believe he was created in god's image, but “i called it you but it was actually me” indicates a realization of inherent connection between god’s creations, people finding their reflections in each other instead. The boy stops seeing other people as separate from himself and starts looking into their shared humanity, hence, under the_ comes next.

"Emotion beneath innate nature" suggests more focus on the inner feelings, letting go of the fear that love will hurt and opening up to an emotional connection. For all that I know, instinct pt.2 makes no mention of the boy, but it's safe to assume he's still our POV character. In this album, I'll refer to his lover as "he", because although all the songs are gender neutral and the idea of the album is that gender doesn't matter, there's an implied "maleness" in suit dance and gaslighting (with Nine and Kyubin's lines responding to each other) and it makes sense within the larger narrative.

The songs on instinct pt.2 all correspond with a song on pt.1. skinz, like libidO, is an internal monologue of acceptance. He understands that gender doesn't matter to him and he should stop looking only skin-deep. He now knows that in order for a relationship to work, he needs to look beneath the physical and see the person inside. It's desperate and slightly aggressive because he's still young and impulsive, and there's this whole new side of him he's been suppressing that's just waiting to get out.

I haven’t read the book this title comes from, but from what I’ve seen other lyOns say, la nausee relates to the idea of individual choices and how they create a person. The description shows that there's someone new in his life that he’s beginning to have feelings for.

suit dance is, in a way, encouraging someone to come to the same conclusions he did. It focuses on physical aspects and wanting the other to act on his instincts, but there's also an element of helping him find identity and freedom in it (“time to cut loose yourself”, "focus a bit more on yourself"). It explores similar ideas as instinct, following someone with his eyes and wanting to be close to them so they can both act on their desires.

Now, the line "What do your eyes in the mirror want?" makes me think of “I called it you but it was actually me”. I'm a bit confused by who is who exactly in this song, it might be a translation issue, but it's hard to tell apart the "me" and "you" sometimes. They seem to blend together and I think it's part of the idea. They're both wearing suits and admiring themselves in the mirror, but also see a reflection of themselves when looking at each other.

gaslighting, just like byredO, is deeply toxic as he gets addicted to his lover and wants to be controlled. In a way, it's kind of religious as it shows a deep and unhealthy devotion one should not have towards another human being as it also reduces their humanity. He still feels the need to put someone on the pedestal, which, although not from the boy's story, goes back to angel. Growing up religious made him feel that there needs to be someone above him, someone more holy than him he can answer to, and once he steps away from religion, he fills the god-shaped hole (sorry, I find that phrase hilarious) with other people.

snapchat honestly baffles me a little, but the description says:

Perhaps the idea is that they're realising the instability of their relationship, that they're continually missing each other and they don't know how to communicate properly. All they have is small moments that become good memories, but even they disappear without a trace.

ultimate bliss is a rejection of all that was influenced by religion in the boy's life. He still dreams of paradise, but this time he wants to build one for himself and his lover. He's ready to let go of the ideas he'd been brought up believing in and there's catharsis in leaving it all behind. He accepts the things he's done wrong and doesn't blame himself for them, doesn't apologise to god anymore.

"Are we being punished, or are we dreaming" confuses me a bit. Dreaming in general is used a lot in OOO's songs, it's a pleasant state and an escape from reality, which, if you indulge in too much, stunts your growth. I think in this case, it means that it's hard to tell whether this love they have is good or bad. He's conflicted because it's both painful and pleasurable, and religious people really like to force black and white thinking. The boy is just beginning to learn that some things are morally neutral, not everything that hurts is punishment, not everything that feels good is a beautiful dream.

"Would you come with me?" means that it's not just him, but his lover as well who has to let go of these things. If we interpret this song and gaslighting as being about the same person, perhaps the lover's religious upbringing also made him feel that he needs to be more controlling. Since their relationship is forbidden, he needed to feel like there's some aspect of it that's up to him in the face of the great unknown and placed himself as the god. As a side note, my grandparents were once reading me something about god filling people with light if they put their trust in him and I was reminded of this line in gaslighting:

If we see it like that, ultimate bliss would then show that there's still hope for the two of them if they get rid of all these messed up ideas and stop feeling like there needs to be a higher power involved in their relationship. Neither of them is god and neither is the follower, they're both Adam and Eve who made their choice to bite the forbidden fruit and leave.

As a sort of epilogue/glue to the next project, there's undergrOund idOl #0 with the description:

It reminds me of the description under be free:

Both of these are about overcoming hardship as long as they can rely on each other. It also reminds me of angel and Mill's line "to me you are faith, sometimes hope", while in skinz he had the line "belief is toxic to me" (and the word used for belief in Korean also refers to belief in god). This just reiterates that they're letting go of the idea that they need to put someone on a pedestal.

And lastly, we have re-bidO. I'm not sure if it means that if he were exploring his sexuality again, he wouldn't make the same mistakes? It's normal to look back on your journey and wish you'd done things differently, but these words imply a lot of regret. Maybe he's not fully content with where he ended up, maybe he's imagining a version of his life which is better, easier. Maybe it shows that his journey isn't over just because the album has ended and he still has a lot of guilt, so he's back to square one - accepting the natural parts of himself. It's a bittersweet ending and that makes it feel more real. The road was rocky and just like at the end there's catharsis, there's also reflection.

[qazastra]

hi look at qaz’s (my) top album releases of 2022!!! in no particular order. some of my fav tracks like this. lyrics below. i probably forgot a few? don’t worry about it

AMERICAN GURL - kilo kish     american gurl, on the outside (justin’s song)

in a locked box / in a locked drawer / will i find me an american girl?

this is a capital-A Album. kilo kish has been on the periphery of artists i keep tabs on for like 8 years now and im so glad i sat down and listened to this release all the way through. talks about/around being, well, an American Gurl, but in a much more realistic and relatable way than lana. v cool. u must hear it in order (at least the first time)!!!!!

CHASE - minho    prove it, heartbreak

i haven’t sat with this one as long as the others but i already know these songs are gonna stick with me!! waterfall has recently been on my mind :-)

Sweet Home - no buses    stopstopstop, i’m with you, rubbish:)

if i can’t come to you, take me to the place where you are

albums that singlehandedly make you excited about indie rock again i’m not even exaggerating. a little downbeat overall, but cozy. i’m 90% sure their band name comes from the arctic monkeys song and that they are also influenced by early phoenix, if that gives you an idea of their sound. but don’t misunderstand, i don’t think it’s derivative! just gives me similar feelings of being emotionally affected by guitars that listening to is this it for the first time did.

The Car - arctic monkeys    sculptures of anything goes, mr. schwartz, big ideas

i had big ideas, the band were so excited / the kind you'd rather not share over the phone

i’ve been on band tumblr since i think right before the AM era and this is quite a departure from that stadium rock vibe but it feels like a natural progression from their previous (excellent) sprawling concept album. each song has a real charm to it, i’ve been really into most of them in turns.

2 Baddies - nct 127    gold dust, designer, crash landing, time lapse

HI HELLO. NEED I SAY MORE. i will though. FASTER INTO 2 BADDIES?? HI. that transition is so good. are you kidding me!!! on first listen i really thought faster should’ve been the title track lol. the first seven tracks are PERFECT. a couple of the other songs inspire ummm. mirth. let’s put it that way. and the closer is fine. but the great parts balance out the mid and even the mid parts have their merits. plus i really like that this album makes sense sonically as a cohesive whole, i think the vaguely cyberpunk promo imagery from the album teaser actually pays off!

Instinct Part 2 - onlyoneof    skinz, gaslighting

what can i say??? this was my first comeback with onlyoneof and it cemented their spot as one of my favorite bands/groups of all time. i know many people took issue with the tt skinz but i love its nails-on-a-chalkboard moments with my whole heart. on first listen gaslighting held my attention and it never let me go. suit dance, once i got past the kind of silly lyrics, is just so pleasant to listen to. and ultimate bliss. what can i say. peak onlyoneof. incredible.

Face The Sun - seventeen    domino, shadow, hot

to be honest this has got to be the first straight pop album that i ever listened to that was genuinely no skips. and that would earn it a spot on here even if the songs were aggressively mid. bUT THEY AREN’T. 

LP3 - hippo campus    ashtray, semi-pro

i’ve been bad but i’m only getting better

i’ll be real i forgot this came out this year till i was recently reminded that i saw them live for it and it was so so good... hippo campus’ lyricism blends really well with their production in this album in a way i haven’t seen before!! i might call it a coming of age album for the twentysomething lost in a city. something like that maybe.

CYBERKISS* - blackstarkids    pink stars, sex appeal

gotta stay fresh as fuck inside this user interface / even when i’m feelin down, i know that i’ll be up again

so very fun!! same label as the 1975 which makes a lot of sense looking back on it but like, in a good way i think. i love how they all share the vocals, i love the hyperpop and bubblegum influence, love the genuine lyrics and the silly ones. just a joy to listen to.

undergrOund idOl series - onlyoneof    begin, because

begin was my top played song of 2022. it’s really something. i wasn’t sure what to expect when they announced a solo for each member, but i think their creative freedom was really put to good use here!! each song stands alone and together and they all have a recognizable onlyoneof-ness, they all feel very unique to each other and suited to their respective members. that’s not to mention the b-sides that come with every new song-- remixes of old bsides, all great (even if the company is doing it so they have versions of bsides without love on them :/ ). and that’s not even mentioning the music videos!! they all tell stories about gay relationships :] i’m very much looking forward to nine’s solo in a few days to close out the series!! <3