The music world is such an English centric industry that sometimes, countries build niches for themselves. For those who don’t know, K-pop is South Korean pop/hip-hop/R&B music all shoved into a weird meatloaf-type genre. The album, Flight Log: Turbulence, is the second full length album of GOT7, a seven member K-pop group formed by JYP Entertainment in 2014. It debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s World Albums chart.
This is the first album I’ve heard by GOT7, and the first k-pop I ever listened to, but now that I’ve heard it several times over, I feel like I have a good enough vibe of each song to be able to describe their best traits (because, honestly, there’s not much I dislike on this album).
The album starts with “Skyway”, a song that has a strong dance-pop beat and smooth rap lines. It really sets the tone for the whole album as a go-to bop. “Hard Carry” is the title song and first full length music video released for this album. It’s an intense song that is literally impossible to not dance along to, from beginning to end, and the bridge of the song highlights the strong vocal line of GOT7 even in the midst of such a rap centered song.
Next is “Boom x3”, a less intense, more pop type song with a fun beat and cool rap verses; with “Prove it”, we get our first slow(ish) song, with harmonic choruses and gentle rap lines that makes you want to call up that boyfriend you don’t have. The mixture of seven voices is really heard well by the end of this song.
The album picks up again with “No Jam”, which hits new heights with the high notes in the chorus, and the rappers growl their way through their verses, making it a great song (and a personal favorite). “Hey” is a 100% pop song that’s just a feel good tune to break up the heavier parts of the album.
Then, of course, we get “Mayday”. This song is usually picked as a fan favorite and member favorite, with its strong ballad parts and emotional lines. The beat picks up as the song goes along and it will have you crying even though you have no idea why. (Side note: I looked up the lyrics for this one. You’re crying for a good reason.)
We pick up again with “My Home”, a fun, heartfelt song with a hip-hop beat but pop melodies and choruses. It’s the most American-esque song on the album (which makes sense, as it was written and produced by the only American in the band).
“Who’s That” is another fan favorite, with a strong boy band vibe and
upbeat lyrics, followed by “If”, which slows down to bring us a soft pop song that’s relaxing and uplifting. The longest song on the album, “Sick”, is a soft song full of high notes and easy to listen to melodies, making it best for throwing on repeat at night.
Nearing the end of the album, we get “Dreamin’”, an r&b song that’s more of a low-key bop than the other more obvious hip-hop songs, and it really brings in the more old-school GOT7 vibes. The last song is “Let Me”, a strong ballad that highlights the insane high notes these boys can hit, blended with soft rap verses and even softer lyrics, and leaves a great taste to end on.
I’ve gone back and listened to GOT7’s older stuff for comparison, and honestly, it’s impressive how much their sound has grown up. Instead of depending so heavily on the rappers in the group, with Flight Log: Turbulence, we get an even balance of vocal to rap lines, combined with well-written and meaningful lyrics. Good job, boys.
Fans will miss: not much, really. We got the best of both worlds.
Fans will love: finally appreciating the vocal strengths but keeping the bomb rap verses.
Must Listens: “Hard Carry”, “Mayday”, “Dreamin’”, “My Home”, “No Jam”
