Asian Addicts Anonymous

I loved NU’EST’s debut with “Face,” which took on the subject of bullying. Let’s face it, from an honest standpoint, they are one of the few idol groups debuting with songs that have a message and social commentary. Most songs are about love or breakups. And then we get these concepts of goddesses (Venus) being love coaches and beings with power from another planet coming to earth (EXO, technically BAP, too). NU’EST’s concept was that they wanted to tackle the issues of today that is relevant to their audience and I think they succeed.

I refuse to be like you!

Didn’t I tell you not to stand out?

I loved “Face” and its message (once I understood what it was about). I love their latest release “Action” just as much if not more. This latest song is actually a dialogue. We have Minhyun’s lines asking why a person is not conforming to the latest trends and the standards that are set. Aron’s lines are responses back about how he chooses to go his own way and be different. He knows what he likes, what he wants, and he will stick with that. We then have Ren talk about being tired of everything being the same and how you can follow if that’s what you want, but they don’t have, too. It’s really quite good. And when you understand it’s a back and forth dialogue, it makes it even neater. I was a bit sad that it seemed like JR’s lines were cut while Aron had both singing and a longer rap (all in English again). Now, if there is one thing I have to say that I don’t like, it’s Aron’s rapping. The guy’s English is flawless, well, he did grow up in the US, so its to be expected that his English should be good. And the English in the song does make perfect sense. No, my problem comes from I really think its awkward and throws off the pacing of the song. While it’s not as bad as it was in “Face,” it’s still not my cup of tea.

While the video for “Face” actually had a story that they played out, this song does not. It’s mainly the boys singing and dancing in various rooms (actually in what looks like it could be some type of warehouse). They do have pertinent scenes to the song in that Ren is wearing shackles and JR is a puppet on strings. It’s basically representative of being caged in and forced to conform, but as JR does state, he can’t be that way. Baekhho’s lines in the chorus calls for people to stand up, take action, and find their own way to shine. It’s really inspirational, especially when you know they are reaching out and focusing on the typical issues faced by kids (and even still adults) today. It’s like B.A.P.’s “Power.” They speak out with a message.

I have no problem with love songs, breakup songs, etc., but it’s nice for a change and it actually does help them stand out from the pack. I am pleased to say that their comeback was just as stellar as their debut.

I also love watching this live. Why? You get to see some great moves that weren’t necessarily scene in the video as they were focusing on the solo shots of the boys. There’s actually one part of the song where JR gets thrown. You know, that seems to be a trend of late… Oh, and if you watch the start of the song, you see just how much it resembles the start of SHINee’s “Sherlock.” It’s kind of eerie how similar that start was. You don’t really get that when you watch the video. I also love how well these boys perform live. Sure, it’s one thing to sound good in an album and MV which is pre-recorded and, unfortunately, uses a lot of autotune these days. It’s quite another to sound good while dancing and singing. These boys do both well. Looking forward to more from them ^_^

Action
Release date: 16 July 2012
buy on iTunes | YesAsia
01. Not Over You
02. Action
03. Sandy
04. 생일 축하해요 [Saengil Chukhahaeyo; Happy Birthday]