LUNA – Free Somebody Review

fx-luna-free-somebody-mini-album

Released May 31, 2016

Track Listing

  1. Free Somebody
  2. Breathe
  3. Keep On Doin’
  4. 예쁜 소녀 I Wish
  5. Galaxy
  6. My Medicine

Review

SM Entertainment keeps the solo releases coming, with f(x)’s Luna debuting with her first EP, Free Somebody. Luna is the lead vocalist of f(x), and her overall talent is obvious. Unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily translate to popularity, a category her other members have her beat by a good margin. While she has gotten good opportunities to display her abilities and win over some new people, I never got the sense she would get a solo release because of her popularity, and she never conveyed that she has the skill to carry a release on her own. She had some one-off singles here and there, but again, it doesn’t prove she could do it. It wasn’t until she won Immortal Song 2 that I became a believer.

Her singing was never a question, but she put all the pieces together during that performance: choreography and, most importantly, stage presence. From then on, I wanted a solo release from her because she proved she could carry it. Four years since that performance, here we are. The title track Free Somebody is a bouncy, electro-pop track that channels the same performance energy seen during Immortal Song 2, punctuated by moments of her vocal prowess.

The biggest takeaway from the EP is that it sounds like an extension of f(x), similar to how The RZA produced the first few solo albums from the Wu-Tang Clan to sound distinctly Wu but fit every member simultaneously. Luna’s Free Somebody could be to f(x) what Ghostface Killah’s Ironman is to the Wu. (Granted, f(x) hasn’t put out enough solo albums for me to really break it down.) f(x) has always been SM’s experimental group where they are willing to produce more off-kilter, unusual songs. That mentality has extended to this EP. There is a world where Free Somebody, Keep On Doin’, I Wish, and Galaxy could’ve been songs on an f(x) album. But instead, they were moulded to fit Luna and her alone. Not to mention Breathe and My Medicine is songs only Luna could do justice to all the group members.

Free Somebody not only carves out a musical identity for Luna but doesn’t alienate f(x) fans who are used to the ever-changing sound of the group. I was just excited that Luna got her solo project. But not only does it succeed artistically, but this also lays out a blueprint for future music for her. That’s a future I can believe in.

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