Cross Gene’s latest album, ZERO, is a big change in style from their usual chirpy electro-pop, but it’s pulled off convincingly. Moving from poignant to dark to happy effortlessly, it’s a very cohesive album and plays beautifully in its intended track listing. The individual tracks are not particularly entrancing, but together they make a thoroughly enjoyable album.
Cross Gene are a five-member boy group under Amuse Korea, formed in 2012. At debut there were six members – three Korean, two Chinese and one Japanese member. This tied in with their name’s meaning which was to cross the superior genes of each country to create a perfect group.
Chinese member J.G left in early 2013 and was replaced by Korean member Seyoung. The
remaining Chinese member Casper left in 2017, with no replacement. The current lineup consists Korean members Seyoung, Yongseok, Shin and Sangmin, and Japanese member Takuya.
Cross Gene have so far had mixed chart success in Korea, failing to chart with any of their singles but cracking the top 10 multiple times with extended plays with a peak of number two with 2017’s Mirror. They’ve proven more popular in Japan, landing in the top 20 singles on three occasions, even making it to number two with Love and Peace/sHi-tai! and peaking at twelve with their full-length album Ying Yang. Their sound thus far has been consistently electro-pop, with emphasis on pop; their songs tend to have anthemic choruses, uptempo verses, and memorable dances.
This latest release seems like a coming of age for the group, and the first track on the album
doesn’t have a lick of their previous sound about it. “Dystopia” is a slow, contemplative track about a breakup that leaves the protagonist feeling like its the end of the world.
It’s genuinely sad stuff and the emotion is tangible in the members’ voices. Its slow, stripped down instrumental does a beautiful job of letting the members’ voices shine and showing off the group’s harmonies and backing lyrics. It’s extremely evident that the harmonies in the pre-chorus are not just the member singing lead copy-pasted, but the other members harmonising with their distinct vocal timbres. It’s a beautifully well-made song and perfect to open the album with.
We move next to “Touch it (달랑말랑)” which is the title song for this comeback. It’s well placed
in the album since it sits between the world crushing sadness of “Dystopia” and the party
atmosphere of the tracks to come. It’s a downbeat tropical house song which is as odd to listen to as it sounds on paper. As per usual, the vocals are solid but this song is just too repetitive to remain interesting on repeated listens. It starts strong, with great verses and the backing track builds up, but that progress is stopped by the pre-chorus. From here on, there’s nothing new in the song, just the same structure over and over.
It’s pretty disappointing for a title track, especially since it’s lacking any real hook. It’s also painfully obvious that Cross Gene’s company were chasing a trend that’s all but over now in tropical house. Ironically, the title track is probably the weakest link of the EP.
This leads to “Believe Me” which is where the album switches from the dour sadness of the
previous tracks into the sunshine joy fans would expect. It’s a by-the-numbers tropical house song and it’s done well enough to provoke smiles and a head bob. The lyrics are about being a man asking for his love to believe him from now on, and how he’ll be reliable. Still, it’s hard not to sing along with the “ppippo ppippo” part!
The final song of the album is undoubtedly the highlight. “FLY (비상)” is another tropical house offering but it’s definitely the most infectious track on the album. It’s about getting over past mistakes and not wanting to grow older. The chorus will absolutely, guaranteed get the listener singing along with its anthemic feeling. It’s a joyous affair and a perfect summer song that saved a potentially disappointing comeback since Cross Gene promoted this song alongside “Touch It” as double lead singles. The lead vocalists Seyoung and Yongseok really get to shine on this track too, with plenty of impressive high notes and vocal runs. It’s nicely balanced and does exactly what it sets out to do.
Despite a weak title track ZERO ends up being a good album. It’s not as impressive as Cross Gene’s previous work, but it’s still solid. A truly excellent choice of track listing elevates it far above the quality of individual tracks, and listened to in full it’s very effective. “FLY” is an excellent highlight and caps off the album on the best note possible.
This review was written by our blogger, Ben Chuter.