Release Date: January 17, 2022
Track Listing
- Escape Room
- DM
- Love is Around
- Hush Hush
- 0g
Review
fromis_9’s first release of 2022 is their fourth EP titled Midnight Guest. This EP is their second release under the HYBE umbrella, and it features DM as its lead single.
Midnight Guest marks a milestone for fromis_9 as it is the first album released where each member is an adult (in Korean age). The album’s overall vibe feels exceptionally suited to its title with that in mind.
There’s an air of subtle sophistication and refinement to the songs on Midnight Guest compared to previous fromis_9 releases.
The title track sees the group return a style of pop music at which they excel. DM may not be as overly lively in tone as some of their more recent a-sides, yet it still has a groove to get one moving.
In my opinion, this dance-pop style meshes well with the sweetness of the lyrics. It’s neither overbearing nor too understated for the song’s message.
When you get to the b-sides, only one other uptempo song matches the energy of DM. That song would be Hush Hush. A piece that contains lyric and music composition contributions from Jiwon and Seoyeon.
The song’s lyrics revolve around a late-night rendezvous and staying out until the wee hours of the morning. The expression of the lyrics over the funky backdrop that is the beat makes for an incredibly infectious track.
The remainder of Midnight Guest is much more chill. Escape Room is the secondary song being promoted on shows with DM. This mid-tempo song represents drops fromis_9 firmly into R&B territory. R&B is a genre I would generally consider not fitting the image of fromis_9, but it works pretty well, surprisingly.
The remaining two songs are pure ballads. I gravitate more towards 0g because it sounds similar to city pop. In addition, the instrumentation (especially the soft keys and light porn sax) and overall feel of the song are much more appealing than the more conventional Love Is Around.
Given that the overarching theme of Midnight Guest seems to focus on a night out and the various moods and feelings that encompass that time together, it’s best to take the entire album in as a whole from front to back at first. As a result, you may end up hearing a matured version of fromis_9 compared to their previous efforts.
Or you’ll find individual songs you want to pick off to put on repeat. Whatever works.
