With excited anticipation from fans, member of the group NCT Doyoung has released his first solo album. Youth holds 10 songs and was released on April 22nd. Although he isn’t the first member of NCT to have a solo album he’s surely taken a different approach with his. Best known for his insane vocals, this album holds a lyrical ballad style.
The title track of the album is Little Light, this song immediately starts off with addictive instrumentals. A mix of synth and rock guitar surprisingly create the perfect background for this upbeat ballad. The lyrics themselves hold a deeper meaning: ‘Once I pour out all my light, my breath / Would that my little moon / Become just like that star’. This song talks about giving all of your love to someone and how they shine in your eyes. Using a metaphor of a firefly as the person you’ve been chasing, like a child chasing after the light they shine. He goes on to sing about how when they are together they shine brighter and how when he is alone his light is dim. The music video further enforces this metaphor by showing Doyoung chasing after a firefly throughout the song. Both the song and music video include many metaphors and symbolism which is very thought provoking for the listeners.
One of the other most anticipated songs is, Time Machine. This song features fellow member of NCT, Mark, and member of Girl’s Generation, Taeyeon. All three artists are under the entertainment company SM. When the preview was first released it was clear that these three were going to create a song with perfect harmonies. Which came to be true as the two features took turns harmonizing with Doyoung. The mix of the vocals is heavenly, especially during Taeyeon’s part. It’s always cool to see how close artists under SM Entertainment are and how they can make great music together.
As for the rest of the songs, they all share a very similar lofi vibe. The highlight of the rest of the songs has to be Serenade a jazz style song, with captivating vocals and an upbeat piano. From Little Wave has the most instrumental difference by having electric guitar and drums in the background. The riff’s in this song are mesmerizing because of how easy he makes them sound. Rewind really shows Doyoung’s strong raw vocals, and honestly is very emotional. Warmth is straight out of a movie soundtrack with the way the instrumentals are so powerful. Mixing in Doyoung’s strong vocals makes this such a profound song. Lost in California is the most pop music-sounding track with the hint of electronic instrumentals used. The chorus is addictive and definitely a must listen for when you go to California!
Overall this album really proves Doyoung’s talent as an artist and a singer. His vocals are no joke and that’s shown song after song. This is one of the best solo debuts I’ve seen!
