REVIEW Album Review: 乐华NEXT – “NEXT BEGINS”

[Kłapouchy]

ALBUM REVIEW: 乐华NEXT – “NEXT BEGINS”
Written by: Polaris_Tae



乐华NEXT is a seven-member Chinese idol group under Yuehua Entertainment's Chinese branch, and their first boy group since UNIQ. The group debuted in June 2018 with the single "Wait a Minute" and three of its members promoted with 乐华NEXT and NINE PERCENT concurrently. All of them have excellent solo careers outside of the group, with Zhengting, Justin, and Fan Chengcheng obviously being the most successful ones.

In November 2019 the group released their third album 'NEXT BEGINS' with their lead single "WYTB", containing a total of four tracks. This was their first comeback under the name 乐华NEXT, as they had previously been promoting under NEX7 (or 乐华七子NEXT), as well as their first without Fan Chengcheng,
who was noticeably absent during this comeback. Yuehua failed to release a statement regarding his status in the group, which led many to conclude that Fan had been removed from the group. His status as a member was only finally confirmed following his appearance with the group months later at the ‘2020 Zhejiang Spring Festival Gala’.

One specific thing to note about idol groups under Yuehua, in both their Korean and Chinese labels, is that the company has a habit of producing albums that almost never surpass 5 tracks. The only time this habit deviated was with 乐华NEXT's "NEXT TO YOU" because it had solo songs for each of the seven members and three group songs.



'New Order'



"New Order" is a song about accomplishing your dreams despite adversities. It serves as a great intro for the album, but it is probably my least favourite track due to the fact that the instrumentals, and its composition, drowns out the vocals with how heavy they are, especially during the first half. However, during the second verse, the song begins to gradually pick up when both vocalists and rappers begin to vocalise with further intensity, even if the composition stays as intense as it began with heavy drum and guitar beats, also at times it feels like the vocalist is struggling to keep up with the noisy background in the production. The song serves its purpose as a buildup to the lead single for the album, and its transition from "New Order" to "WYTB" is probably one of the smoothest I've heard between an intro and a lead single in recent years.

7/10


'WYTB'


Read the lyrics here

"WYTB", the title song, is a trap-heavy EDM fusion dance track that is very distinctly a Zico production but still fits well with NEXT's prior discography.
It begins with a number of synthesised horns that anyone familiar with Zico's sound will recognise as a staple of his compositions (see Vendi Vidi Vici), acting as a gradual crescendo to introduce you to the fast-paced nature of the song, a step in the opposite direction of their Latin-infused title from their previous album "NEXT TO YOU". The song talks about rising up beyond the expectations put on you, to never give up even when faced with challenges that want to pull you down, and to never see yourself inferior because all you need to accomplish your dreams is sheer will and determination. If I had to describe the music video for "WYTB" in one sentence, I would say that it would be an aesthetic blogger's dream. It includes motifs resembling orientalist architecture and design throughout the scenes with Ding Zeren, somewhat reminiscent of NCT127's 2020 "Kick It" (even though "WYTB" came out some months prior to NCT's latest release). Zhu Zhengting, instead, is surrounded by a room full of Renaissance art and sculptures combined with a kaleidoscope of butterflies to create a stunning sequence of visuals. The music video concludes with each of the members reaching above their highest expectations and coming face-to-face as a group to a large classical door, opening for them as they are ready to overcome their next challenge together.

I found that the highlight of the song was Zhu Zhengting's final lines during the closing bridge of the song, though I found it strange that he received a small amount of lines. considering his position as a main vocalist in the group, though this is likely to the fact that 乐华NEXT has three main vocalists within. Even if the vocals are not complex enough for a group like 乐华NEXT, that has at least two vocal powerhouses in the voices of Zhu Zhengting and Li Quanzhe, the production quality alone assisted it in becoming one of my favourite 乐华NEXT title tracks to date!

8.5/10

'Blooming'



"Blooming" is probably my favourite track on "NEXT BEGINS". It's a softer, laid back EDM song made up almost entirely of synths that are perfect for lazing around on a summer morning and it talks about the heart-fluttering feelings of falling in love at first sight. It further demonstrates the vocal abilities of the members, especially Zhu Zhengting and Bi Wenjun's, who open the song on a powerful note and absolutely blow it out of the park with their amazing vocal harmonisation, which was not as clear in the title track "WYTB", and there is not a single weak moment both in terms of vocal quality and song construction in its entirety.

I feel like the bridge beginning with Justin and ending with Ding Zeren, where their amazing voices blend together, was absolutely stunning. A lot of times a bridge can make or break a song, depending on where the producer places it within a song, and I feel that for 'Blooming' the bridge was perfectly placed. The song plays with the strengths of every member of 乐华NEXT, where even the designated rappers in the group, such as Justin, have amazing harmonisation and vocal technique. Even the backing vocals of this track are top tier, where the other members are harmonising along and backing up the leading ones in a way that adds further dimension and refinement to an already outstanding track!

9.5/10


'I Just Need You'



"I Just Need You" plays like the upbeat sibling of "For You" from their earlier release "The First I". The track has similarities with "For You" but with a lighter tone. It's less of a lovesick ballad, as "I Just Need You" sounds more uptempo instead, and the group sings about the one person in the world that makes them happy. I think this song really played well for the weaker vocalists in the group, as it really brought up their vocal colours. I often find that Yuehua has a knack at picking amazing singers that are initially shafted within their own group, only to later come into their own a few years down their career (see Meiqi from WJSN/Rocket Girls or vocalist Seungyoun from UNIQ). I feel like this was exactly the case for a number of 乐华NEXT members, specifically Xinchun and Ding Zeren; the two were initially relegated to positions such as sub-vocalists and/or rappers, only to improve immensely to the point where they can be given their own solo songs and sing it with no effort, such as Ding Zeren in "Open Your 爱".

Li Quanzhe's breathy vocals during the conclusion of the first verse created a flawless transition that, in any other song, may sound out of place, but within "I Just Need You" created the perfect dimension for the next verse, playing to the strengths of each member, with Ding Zeren being particularly outstanding vocal-wise throughout this composition.

10/10

In conclusion, "NEXT BEGINS" substantiates the group as one of the most popular Chinese idol groups within the entertainment industry, while at the same time serving to expand on their previously established sound. It also introduces new experimental ones such as the third track, "Blooming", which is an EDM-Pop track that adds a certain flavour to the release. "NEXT BEGINS" is a solid album that would be a great introduction to anyone who is looking to delve into the world of Chinese idol music; it seamlessly shifts from one song to the next with not a single track feeling out of place.

__________________________________________________

Artistic Creativity: 8/10
Vocal Quality: 10/10
Music: 8.5/10 for the title track, 9/10 for B-sides
8.9/10
________________________________________



PROOFREAD BY: @Andrea & @Kyon
GRAPHICS BY: @AKID❀KI​

 

[BlueNose]

i didnt know Zhengting was in a group, i thought he was a pure solo. he's very cool looking in the mv
thank you for the review! i really like New Order especially​

 

[Lilac]

Ooo i'll check out the album

 

[Kłapouchy]

i didnt know Zhengting was in a group, i thought he was a pure solo. he's very cool looking in the mv
thank you for the review! i really like New Order especially​

No one ever really does, It's probably bc of the way YH promotes them, where they have major solo activities year round and come back together 1-2 times a year for a group release.
New order is great! I kind of wish I had the chance to review their previous album, bc that one has their god-tier solo songs ~​

Ooo i'll check out the album

Do check it out, they're great ~

 

[anh]

if you have to choose, do you like this more or their first album more?

 

[Kłapouchy]

if you have to choose, do you like this more or their first album more?

Neither, my favourite would be "Next To You" which was their release before "Next Begins", which has some fantastic group songs as well as solos for all of the members and a much more cohesive structure, but "WYTB" is still the superior title track.
My favourite tracks on "Next To You" would be: "Excuses", "Open Your Ai", "Want U" and "Fly To The Moon"

 

[anh]

Neither, my favourite would be "Next To You" which was their release before "Next Begins", which has some fantastic group songs as well as solos for all of the members and a much more cohesive structure, but "WYTB" is still the superior title track.
My favourite tracks on "Next To You" would be: "Excuses", "Open Your Ai", "Want U" and "Fly To The Moon"

true. next to you was a pretty good album
now i kinda regret not getting the physical version lol