Chaotic Dusk

2NE1 – 2NE1 2nd Mini Album

1. I Am The Best
2. UGLY
3. Lonely
4. Hate You
5. Don’t Cry
6. Don’t Stop The Music

2NE1 is one of the few Korean girl groups I can count on to put out great music and they’re back with their second mini-album. This time they’ve done things differently with the marketing for the mini-album. Instead of using their usual fierce look for the album’s photoshoot they mixed it with cute cartoon/anime renditions of themselves. In addition, four of the six songs were released monthly prior to the album’s release date. Each track has its own video and the five newer songs were performed live in comeback specials. It allowed fans to eagerly anticipate new music and this marketing kept the girls on everyone’s mind. 2NE1 is one of the biggest groups in Korea and it doesn’t seem like they want to let go of that title anytime soon.

I Am The Best is a standard 2NE1 club banger and like all their other opening tracks it’s incredibly infectious. While is shares similarities with their previous up-tempos, there’s also a lot that sets it apart. For one, it’s got a more hardcore electronic feel that is immediately apparent with the loud, gritty synth riffs that open it. The composition becomes busier as CL sings the title repeatedly until it goes into the main melody which is accompanied by catchy chanting, “bam ratatata tatatatata.” Also, the use of auto-tune/vocoder has been cut down which is nice because they don’t need it. The verses are filled with a variety of synths that range from deep to high screechy beats. Bom leads the first verse and she’s never sounded so fierce. Her vocals exude confidence and this marks her first time starting a verse for one of their club bangers. She’s usually relegated to a small part of the verse unless it’s a ballad so it’s nice to see other members take on a larger role. Dara comes in next with her sugary vocals while CL and Minzy, as usual, kill their raps. CL takes over completely for the chorus which is a bombardment of heavy synths and despite being repetitive, it’s spectacular. With just a few simple words CL drills the chorus into your head with her tough vocals, “naega jeil jal naga.” The girls switch up their order in the second verse and Minzy leads with another great rap while CL closes the verse with a relaxed rap. Between the rappers, Bom performs with a sweet voice and Dara gets to show off her confident vocals. An exotic Middle Eastern influence is infused into the synths during the bridge and CL delivers with high energy vocals. They jump right back into the addicting chanting which closes the track on a perfect note.

UGLY is the only new song and it’s not what I was expecting at all. When I first saw the title, I assumed 2NE1 was going to be singing about a no-good guy. Instead, they’re singing about themselves and it makes this song a lot more interesting. The verses have an air of sadness due to the acoustic guitar and halfway through it is replaced with synths that carry the same feel. Bom always does well in these types of songs but I can never get over how gorgeous CL and Minzy sound when they’re not rapping. Even Dara sounds stunning and right before the chorus the tempo increases. The tone suddenly becomes positive and the chorus features electric guitars which make this the first 2NE1 song to have a rock influence. The first time I listened to it I felt that the chorus clashed heavily with the rest of the song but after a few listens it sunk in and I love it now. It’s sung solely by CL and she does a fantastic job. The chorus not only contrasts with the verses in sound but it’s also brighter which is odd considering the lyrics but it works, “I think I’m ugly/and nobody wants to love me/just like her I wanna be pretty/I wanna be pretty/don’t lie to my face/tellin’ me I’m pretty.” Like the verses, the bridge is tame and Dara takes over with her lovely high vocals as the rest of the group provides the backing vocals.

The first and only ballad, Lonely, is driven by an acoustic guitar. I love that there’s no percussion in the melody because it puts emphasis on the girls’ vocals. It’s their rawest song and vocal performance to date. The melancholic atmosphere that the guitar creates is touching and it pulls at your heartstrings even more when they start singing. CL starts with her deep, sultry vocals and is followed by Minzy who uses the same beautiful tone. Dara adds another element to the song with her high vocals and the “I don’t know” lines sung by the other vocalists are addicting. Strings are added into the chorus and they enhance the tragic mood. Bom leads the chorus while Minzy takes over for the second half and in the second chorus CL leads instead of Bom. They all sound amazing and they put so much emotion into their delivery “baby I’m so lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely.” The bridge has them singing in stronger vocals and the final chorus is filled with lovely ad-libs. This one of their most mature songs and it proves, once again, that they’re a versatile group. Hate You is a mid-tempo break-up song and it’s introduced with pulsing synths before it explodes into the chorus. CL seems to be taking over all the choruses so far on the mini-album and this one is no exception. Her carefree but attitude filled vocals are infectious along with the unique synth melody. The hook is by far the most memorable one on this mini and CL kills it, “hate you eheheheheh/I’m fine living without you.” The verses are made up of a variety of beats and Minzy, Dara, and Bom sing with fun, confident vocals. Bom’s section in the verses is a bit more interesting due to the aggressive backing vocals. All of them get a piece of the bridge and Bom closes it off with her strong voice. The track is not that energetic but its groovy melody is too amazing to ignore.

Bom gets a song all to her self and Don’t Cry is a worthy follow-up to her last solo. The piano carries a bittersweet feel and I like how it picks up when the synths make an appearance. Her vocals are emotive and strong which keeps them from being drowned by the production. The synths mellow out in the pre-chorus for an ambient sound and Bom sings in a deeper voice. She sounds gorgeous and the synths return to their hectic sound before the chorus. The chorus contains a heavy beat and the dance-pop elements that are mixed in bring it to life. Bom’s energetic, bright vocals manage to retain the emotion from the verses and this pushes forward the bittersweet mood , “it’s okay baby please don’t cry.” Don’t Stop The Music is the oldest song on the mini and I’m glad it made it on here because it’s another hot club banger. This is the only song to heavily use vocal effects and it came out shortly after their debut album which might explain why. It’s more dance-pop than the first track and it has a groovy hip hop feel to it. The energy in the verses is addicting and the drumline gives off a slight jungle sound. CL, Minzy and even Dara deliver excellent raps that will easily get stuck in your head. The backing vocals in Dara’s sections have been changed from “fiore” to “yayaya” which isn’t as catchy but it doesn’t break the song in any way. The chorus is performed solely by Bom and it’s the most infectious part. Her vocals infuse a lighter feel into the melody and the loud, pulsing synths make it irresistible. The post-chorus is very repetitive but it’s really fun, “don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t/don’t stop the music.” I love the second verse because CL and Minzy increase the energy as they rap in a faster pace to the jungle beat. The only time the energy dies down is in the bridge where the girls sing rather than rap but the beats come back harder for the final chorus.

Conclusion: 2NE1 just keeps getting better with every release. Their second mini-album is more polished and cohesive than their first which shows how much they’ve matured since their debut. Their vocals sound better and each member continuously shows growth and improvement. The employment of vocoder on their vocals has been reduced which will please many fans who were turned off by it on To Anyone. Despite being in a trend dominated industry, they still manage to keep their music fresh and exciting.

Recommended Tracks: I Am The Best, Hate You, Lonely, UGLY and Don’t Stop The Music

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2NE1 – To Anyone

1. Can’t Nobody
2. Go Away
3. Clap Your Hands
4. I’m Busy
5. It Hurts (Slow)
6. Love is Ouch
7. You And I
8. Please Don’t Go
9. Kiss
10. Try to Follow Me
11. I Don’t Care (Reggae Mix)
12. Can’t Nobody (English Ver.)

To Anyone is 2NE1’s long awaited full-length album. The hype surrounding this album was intense and it’s understandable because their mini-album was completely incredible, setting the bar high for them. I fell into the hype and couldn’t wait for this to be released. To Anyone has not one, but three title tracks and they were all used for promotional purposes. 2NE1 are back fiercer, hotter, and better than ever.

On my first listen through the album I was slightly confused and disappointed. I was expecting something hot like Fire but I didn’t get that feeling from any of the songs on my initial listen. After sticking with the album and giving it more plays my opinion changed drastically. First thing you’ll notice with Can’t Nobody is the vocoder and synth overload which runs rampant in the other songs as well. I have no problem with that, a good song is a good song, and this is very good song filled with energy and sass. As usual CL gives a killer intro followed by her fierce and bad-ass verse. Minzy’s “’cause I’m so bad bad” part is my favourite because she sounds so sexy and it’s the catchiest part of the song. The chorus is kind of a let down compared to the verses because Bom doesn’t have the same attitude that Minzy and CL have when they sing. Dara sings the section right after the chorus and that’s pretty much all she gets in this song. The outro sounds like it belongs to a completely different song but I love it. It makes you want to move along with the beat, “let’s rock/just take it to the top/ain’t never gonna stop/now all I wanna do is make you rock.” The second title track, Go Away, is a mid-tempo similar to the ones from their mini-album but much better. CL and Minzy get the verses again while Bom and Dara sing the chorus. The girls sound awesome on this song especially Bom and Dara. The song has just the right amount of attitude to keep it interesting thanks to CL, “all you do is act a fool/you ain’t shit without your crew.” I love the gasp in the background when she swears and there’s even a little shout out to Beyoncé.

Clap Your Hands was the first title track to be revealed and it takes on a more hip-hop approach. The one thing that stood out to me the most was how much Dara sings in this song. This is the first time she’s stood out to me and she’s one of the driving forces in this song. Bom gets shafted, she’s only featured in the chorus and she doesn’t even get her own part in the bridge. The chorus has a great vibe to it and the clapping in the background works wonders. CL’s English lines in her verses are so addicting, “I wanna rock your body.” CL and Minzy own the bridge with their swagger and fierce singing and Dara finishes it with some vocoded vocals. I’m Busy is so crazy and messy but I can’t get enough of it. The opening “nan bappa, damn bappa/nan bappa, very bappa,” is pretty interesting and sets the song up nicely for its energetic chorus which is incredibly infectious. Minzy and CL’s verses are the highlight of this track because of their intense rap-like singing. Bom’s pre-chorus sounds a little too pop and brings the tone of the hip-hop down but it does transition into the chorus nicely. The shouting in the bridge reminds me of the outro from Can’t Nobody and I love the repetition of “get out the way” along with the crazy synths. This is easily one of the best tracks on the album.

I wasn’t expecting a song like It Hurts (Slow) from them. It’s a captivating jazzy down-tempo and it’s the slowest song they’ve ever done. This is one of the few songs that doesn’t have any vocal effects and they all sound fantastic. Bom sounds gorgeous and this type of song suits her voice perfectly. However, the one who surprised me the most is Minzy. I was speechless when I heard her vocals in the verses because she sings in such a deep and luscious voice. To be honest, it’s kind of amusing to see CL sing in such a serious way but she also nails her parts. I love Bom’s English line during the bridge, “no way, I can’t recognize/you’re not mine anymore.” This is her best vocal performance to date and I hope 2NE1 continues with this sound in the future. Love is Ouch begins with a lovely piano melody that leads into some light synths. The vocoder makes a return but it’s used lightly and it works with the arrangement very well and gives the song a refreshing feel. The arrangement is so soothing and their vocals are sweet and light. I just love the way they all sound and it makes the song completely irresistible. The chorus is carefree and Bom’s vocals flow smoothly when she sings “a-eeya-eeya apeumdo.” This is another one of my favorite tracks. You And I is Bom’s solo song and the first of the three that are on the album. Bom has never really stood out to me so I was extremely impressed when I heard this track when it was first released. This is a beautiful mid-tempo that’s both sweet and tragic. Her vocals are filled with emotion and she sings this song effortlessly. The English lyrics in the intro are touching and are a great set up for the song, “no matter what happens/even when the sky is falling down/I’ll promise you/that I’ll never let you go.” Bom’s song is a stunner and I love every minute of it.

At first I wasn’t feeling CL and Minzy’s solo, Please Don’t Go, but the more I listen to it the more I love it. Even though this isn’t as badass as I expected they still perform with their awesome swagger. Minzy’s distorted vocals in the pre-chorus are really nice and work as a great lead up to the chorus which I love. It’s light, carefree and their voices harmonize extremely well together. All the synths and digitized vocals are stripped away for the bridge and their voices sound so sweet. I’m surprised they went this route for their solo but I’m very glad that they did something unexpected. Even Dara’s solo, Kiss, is crazy good. This has a typical electropop sound but it suits Dara. I’ve always seen her as one of the weakest members in 2NE1 but damn she owns it on this song. CL makes an appearance and offers an interesting verse to keep things fresh and exciting. It would be an understatement to say this song is catchy because in my opinion this is the most infectious of the three solos. The ending is sick, it’s insanely addicting and the English lyrics, “dangerous,” “poisonous,” and “two of us” just get drilled into your head.

I didn’t check out Try to Follow Me immediately when it came out. I first heard the song when I watched the video but that was enough for me to get hooked on the song. This is the closest thing to Fire that’s on the album. I’ve said this so many times but CL and Minzy just kill all their parts and this is no exception. Bom and Dara started sticking out to me because of this song and their parts are just as excellent. There’s a ton of energy and the heavy use of vocoder and synth gives it some edge. An exotic sound is incorporated into the bridge and the repetitive “eh eh ehs” really play off that sound. I’m usually not that fond of remixes but I Don’t Care (Reggae Mix) is outstanding. It has a completely different feel than the original and I like it much more. Their vocals sound better and the chill arrangement makes it so relaxing. This is just a pleasure to listen to. I didn’t think Can’t Nobody (English Ver.) would be better than the Korean version but it’s vastly superior. They sound awesome in English and they’ve got even more attitude. CL shuts it down with her lines, “bitch you ain’t got shit on me,” and “I let them hoes know/I run this show show.” Everything good about the Korean version is made even better here and I hope they start releasing English music in the future.

Conclusion: To Anyone was definitely worth the wait. There isn’t one single girl group in Korea that can stand next to them. They’re on a whole different level. Before, I only had eyes for CL and Minzy but Dara and Bom really stood out to me on this album and I’m loving them a whole lot more than I did before. The mid-tempos on the album are phenomenal and I was surprised by how good they sounded. Sure, there’s a ton of vocal effects but that’s the style of their music and the fierce attitude that they bring is refreshing. This is an excellent album from start to finish.

Recommended Tracks: I’m Busy, It Hurts (Slow), Love is Ouch, Can’t Nobody (English Ver.), Try to Follow Me, Clap Your Hands, You And I and Please Don’t Go

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