There is no longer a rough 'beastly idol.' The term 'restraint' instead fills its place. They no longer revealed their meaningless abs and have replaced their strong rap with a smooth vocal. They have even lowered the intensity of their performance.
On the afternoon of the 22nd, 2PM made their first comeback in 5 months on Mnet's 'M Countdown.' They started off their stage with 'Don't Stop Can't Stop,' already revealed on the 19th. Although their period of absence was not considerably long, they managed to capture the attention of the mass public with the withdrawal of their leader, Park Jaebum.
Their comeback stage brought about both anticipation and disappointment. Although the musical aspect of their comeback confirmed the fact that they still existed, the excessive restraint caused 2PM to blur their unique color. There has even been criticisms coming forth, calling it a 'discoloration of the beastly idols.'
- "2PM has returned"
2PM performed two tracks from their album live, excluding Wooyoung for throat conditions. Their first song, 'Don't Stop Can't Stop,' attracted high attention due to the fact that the song states that they will protect their spot at the top. Wearing boxy hood t-shirts and running shirts with a boxing style wrist wrap, the stage was completed with Nichkhun's low rap. Their lyrics, stating that they will not fall, seemed closer to home than usual.
Soon after, the crowd heard 'Without You.' Wearing an all black outfit, the members slowly danced to the song of a man that has been betrayed by a woman. The point of the choreography was the 'okay' part of the lyrics where they matched it with a gesture.
- The aesthetics of restraint
To express their comeback in one phrase would be best through 'The aesthetics of restraint.' Their music was calmer than usual with a lower rap and a controlled sense of emotion. They restrained from revealing themselves by unifying their outfit with a black tone, but leaving just enough to show a sexy transformation of maturity.
Their title track seemed as if the entire strength was taken out of it. The beginning and ending is filled with a piano melody while the point used a synthesizer to show a more controlled sense of power. Because of this, the members' vocals also got some relief. Having always used a rough rap in the latter half of their song, 'Without U' showed off a completely more mature and modern style in comparison.
By controlling their emotions, their rap came off as mournful. Having previously always 'screamed' his rap of anger, Taecyeon instead showed off a toned down version. Nichkhun also followed through with a smooth rap, giving strength to the mournful feelings of the lyrics.
Even the reveal of their bodies worked to their advantage by restraining their exposure. They wore a calm wife beater, showing off their arms and their muscles. Although they no longer rip or wet their clothes, the reveal of their arms give off a sexier appeal.
- The loss of the 'beastly idols'
Regardless, there are criticisms saying that their anticipations were in vain. Their performance became weaker and too discolored from the title of 'beastly idol,' a nickname specific to 2PM. With the disappearance of acrobatic movies, the loss of point in their styling, and a boring piano melody, they were unable to hold the attention of their fans.
The first term to come up when one thought of 2PM was performance. A special and spectacular stage that showed off the synchronization of the members such as the zombie dance in 'Heartbeat' was the specialty of 2PM. However, there is no longer an eye catching move. Although their 'okay' dance left a strong impression, there is also a bit of cheesiness to it.
Even in their style, there was a loss of point. 2PM was able to differentiate themselves with their own unique style such as putting in dot patterns on a simple suit. Their come back outfit, however, is too simple. The entire group wears the same outfit of black skinny jeans and a t-shirt. There is no detail to the outfit, leaving the accessories looking bland and boring.
The boring feel was even felt from their music. Before, their music finished strong towards the end but their recent title track lacks a strong point and feels rather like a teen pop song. Lead vocal Junsu does not even have a chance to show off his vocal skills, bringing much disappointment to the fans that anticipated a performance of 'beastly idols.'
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Their controversial comeback intro:
"We can't believe it."
"Betrayal."
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May be taken out with full credits. You are not allowed add yourself to the credits nor edit the credits.
CREDITS : SPORTS SEOUL (SOURCE); hazyfiasco@2ONEDAY.COM (TRANS)
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