K-Album Review: Border Day One by ENHYPEN.

Dhrumi Mayur Shah, Surat, Gujarat

Border Day One is the debut album of the boyband Enhypen, formed through the survival show, I-land. Enhypen consists of seven members: Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-ki. This album consists of six tracks and sets the theme of a supernatural concept performed by Enhypen. It also shows many other charms of the group and explores different concepts portrayed by them. Let’s take a look:

Intro: Walk the Line 

The intro starts off with an eerie tone with the narration done by Enhypen’s member, Jake. The narration feels as if it’s the start of a story or a novel, and is then followed by the members singing an Italian line translating to “Walk the Line.” This seems quite a surprise as the Italian language is rarely seen in K-Pop. This intro sets the theme for the title track, Given-Taken and is a great start to the album.

Given-Taken

Given-Taken drives into the storyline of the Enhypen universe known so far. The song has an eerie tone. Enhypen showcases a supernatural concept which is quite a rare concept. The song talks about one’s transformation from being a human to a supernatural being. The title track is worth checking out as it shows Enhypen’s unique vocals. The hook is pretty catchy too. It is one of the most unique debut tracks in my opinion. It’s quite addicting and slowly grows more on the listener after a few plays.

Let Me In 

Compared to Given-Taken, Let Me In is more on a playful side. This song is light-hearted and fun to listen to and shows Enhypen’s charms. It has more of a boy-crush concept. It talks about finding the one and how it takes time to open up to them. It shows how a partner would protect their significant other while breaking their mold at the same time. The song’s quite catchy and can hook the listener in from the first play.

10 Months 

10 Months is more of a comfort song. One may prefer to listen to it after a bad day. It talks about puppy love. “You can lean on me now, really.” This line signifies how love grows slowly as the people involved, start to confide in each other slowly. This song also signifies Enhypen’s love for their fandom and how they can really depend on each other. 10 Months is a cutesy love song. It’s a special song for Enhypen and Engenes (their fans) as they can lean on each other in their hard times.

Flicker

Originally from I-land, the song was a low-register, slow-paced track but, was later changed to a fast-paced, high-registered song. Flicker is a song about the worlds of an idol and a fan co-existing and how music connects the two as powerful bond. The baseline of the song seems out of the world and fits the song in a fantastic moment. Some may prefer the original version but the Border Day One version is just as good and impactful.

Outro: Cross the Line

(Trigger Warning Ahead)

Outro: Cross the Line sets back the eerie tone that Intro: Walk the Line sets. The narration of members Jay and Jake is outstanding and can send shivers down one’s spine. The Outro’s narration seems as if it’s the end of an era or a chapter of one’s life. Thus moving on, the track starts to play, as a child’s choir harmonizing is heard along with an intricate and illustrative MV. A little warning, if you’re weak hearted and bothered by such things, then I suggest not to play it at night as it can scare you even more. It shows how the end of an era has brought the beginning of a new one. The outro serves as a piece of an outstanding story portrayed through these songs by Enhypen. The track has excellent production and really stands as a solid piece of an outro.

Overall, the album is a work of art that should be appreciated by many. Enhypen has been taking the K-pop industry by a storm and I hope they keep making such amazing masterpieces. Tell me about your favourite track from this album in the comments below!