8TURN DEBUTS WITH ALBUM 8TURNRISE | COMEBACK CORNER
BY BRENESSA ROACH | JANUARY 30 2023
8TURN is the new boy group under MNH Entertainment. The group consists of eight members; Ji Myungho (21 years old), Moon Jaeyun (20 years old), Yang Minho (20 years old), Cho Yoonsung (19 years old), Jung Haemin (18 years old), Cho Kyungmin (18 years old), Lee Yungyu (17 years old) and Lee Seungheon (15 years old). 8TURN is a name that signifies that it is now these 8 members turn to shine in the K Pop industry (Source: Korea JoongAng Daily). They debuted today with their debut album 8TURNRISE which consists of 5 songs; “WE”, “TIC TAC”, “WONDER”, “Say My Name” and “Heartache”. Furthermore, after 11 hours, the music video for the title track “TIC TAC” already sits at 1 million views.
Prior to this comeback, I didn’t hear or see anything about 8TURN or their members until this morning when I saw their song in the Spotify curated playlist New Music K-Pop. After listening to all five songs, I knew I had to review the album because they are new and I want to watch them grow. As well, for being a 4th generation boy group (groups that debuted between 2018 to now), their sound is so similar to 3rd generation groups (groups that debuted between 2012 to 2017). They specifically have a similar vibe to NCT, which is a group I very much adore. So, if you like 3rd generation groups like NCT 127, NCT Dream, BTS, Seventeen and EXO, definitely listen to 8TURN. Additionally, 8TURN is also in the lineup for KCON 2023 in Thailand which is such a cool performance as rookies!
In this article, I will be reviewing and breaking down all 5 songs on the album 8TURNRISE, so let’s get started.
“WE” is the first song on the album and it’s a fun, upbeat song. It’s got a hip hop style, which seems to be the vibe that 8TURN is going for. Additionally, the song includes a faint buzzing, electric guitar which makes the song have a rock vibe, especially when the members sing the “Woah oh oh” part during the post-chorus. Throughout the song, there is a bird calling type of sound, which at first I thought was really odd. However, after looking at the lyrics I realized that the meaning of this song is that the members are coming together and they are essentially saying that nothing can break them down. Since bird callings are usually a form of contact, alarming someone and marking your territory, I feel that using the bird calling in the production of the song symbolizes that 8TURN are marking their territory in the K pop industry and nothing can stop them. That’s just my interpretation of this song though.
Listen to “WE” by 8TURN on Spotify:
“TIC TAC” is the title track and the second song on 8TURNRISE. It’s a very colourful, hip-hop song. It also has a virtual/futuristic world feel to it because of the synths and siren beats. This futuristic aesthetic can also be seen in the music video which has a bunch of floating items and concepts that you would see in a virtual space. This song in particular gave me very similar vibes to NCT Dream’s “Glitch Mode”. My favourite part of the song was during the bridge when it slowed down and went into a half-time tempo, something that is common in pop music. I also loved the rising effect after the bridge and the few seconds of just that catchy, synth hook.
Listen to “TIC TAC” by 8TURN on Spotify:
“Wonder” is another hip-hop, futursitic style song that reminds me of NCT’s music. In fact, this song was written by Sean Alexander (a.k.a AVENUE52) who wrote “Long Slow Distance” for NCT 127 and “Candle Light” for NCT Dream. Additionally, Sean seems to write a lot for 3rd generation groups, which might explain why 8TURN has that sound. I would like to note, that in my opinion having a similar sound to NCT is not a bad thing but of course, anyone can interpret that how they wish. Overall, I loved this song but I felt it was too similar to “TIC TAC” and I wish it would have had different elements to make it a little bit different. As well, I think having “TIC TAC” and “WONDER” back to back might be confusing to the listener because of those similarities.
Listen to “WONDER” by 8TURN on Spotify:
“Say My Name” is a song that kind of changes the vibes of the album. It definitely follows the upbeat, hip hop style but it starts off a lot more chill. I specifically really love the staccato piano melody as it has a very nostalgic/early 2000s hip hop sound. This song was written by Wassily Gradovsky, who has previously worked on EXO’s “Walk On Memories” and VICTON’s “Up To You”.
Listen to “Say My Name” by 8TURN on Spotify:
“Heartache” is the song that I love the most on this album. It’s a slow, chill song with a melodious piano, a faint tambourine sound, a few twinkly bells and a simple drum beat. The chorus is a little more upbeat but overall this song is a good one to relax to. This song reminded me of the group ASTRO’s musical style mixed with the song “A-TEEN” by Seventeen. I hope in the future, 8TURN has more songs with this style because it really suits each member’s vocal style.
Listen to “Heartache” by 8TURN on Spotify:
Hope you enjoy the album and find yourself supporting 8TURN!
Listen to the full 8TURNRISE album on Spotify:
Got an artist or song submission? Visit our Contact page.