What’s one concept that drives the world? What keeps everything going? There are billions of words any reader out there could be thinking of right now. “Passion.” “Love.” “Hope.” “Determination.” “Coffee.” You get the idea. If I asked a million people to give me one word, I guarantee there would be almost as many answers, and some would probably contradict each other directly. Why? There’s one word I can think of, and it must’ve been on indie Korean band The Rose’s mind this past October, too. This isn’t the best or the only word to describe the world, but it’s one that brings harmony to all of the other words: balance. You can’t have just fire or just water, light won’t exist in the absence of darkness, and day means nothing without night. Balance is the key theme in The Rose’s October release, “Dual”.
The album is artfully divided into two sections by short interludes. The introduction to the album, “Dawn” starts off barely audible, chirping birds softly transferring into a melodic tune. The song is reminiscent of a quiet mountain morning, a blanket over your shoulders as you watch the sun slowly rise over the horizon, painting the sky vibrant colors as the world of rolling grass and frolicking deer comes alive around you. “Dusk” serves as an interlude to the album, sounding similar to dawn but with more of a solid sound, soft beats that remind you of a night under the stars. For me personally, “Dusk” doesn’t hold the same emotional impact as “Dawn”, but it serves as a perfect transition point in the album. The first half of the album has a light sound, and seems to be about someone who is focused on the other person in a relationship, for better or for worse. The second half, by contrast, is focused on the relationship between both people, with a distinct sense of clarity and balance.
The way these themes are portrayed is unique in each song. The second track, “You’re Beautiful” is exactly what you would expect from the title. Woosung’s voice breaks through the silence left by “Dawn”, almost startling the listener immersed in the album. The soft bass-led song is a high-pitched affirmation to the listener, like a Justice brand t-shirt, but far less cringeworthy. “Beauty’s just a state of mind/You don’t even have to try/Don’t let them tell you otherwise/You’re beautiful, I’ll tell you why.”
“Nauseous”, while still a relatively chill song, has a more lively beat and a funky feel. This is my personal least favorite on the album, only because the words, “tummy-ache” and “nauseous” sound exactly like what they describe, to a point that makes me uncomfortable. Still, the song is well-made, and important to the theme, talking about a tumultuous relationship with someone that is so terrible they make the singers feel physically ill.
“Back to Me”, the first song released for “Dual”, has to be one of the biggest crowd-pleasers. All of The Rose’s songs have a distinct band feel, but “Back to Me” hits particularly hard. The song has an energetic chorus, dynamic instrumentals, and never fails to get people dancing–the band themselves certainly can’t help jumping up and down at the post-chorus. The lyrics, contrary to the song’s joyful performance, are about knowing you messed a relationship up so badly that the other person will never return. The emotions are expressed so poignantly in these lyrics, it’s impossible to miss the sentiment: “I can make a world out of broken dreams/I can make you say things you don’t mean/I can unmake all we were made to be/But I can’t make you come back to me.”
“Lifeline” is the last song before the interlude. This song returns to the lighter feeling of “You’re Beautiful”, and sounds more electronic than much of the album. This is especially apparent through the chorus after the beat drop. At the end everything fades out, leaving the sound of a homing beacon, sent to guide you back to shore. Lines like, “Pick anywhere you like/And take a second for the city lights/Yeah we’ll just wonder ‘till we get it right,” “If the world is coming down/I won’t let you drown/ Even if you start to lose your hold/I won’t let you go, no,” and “I can be your lifeline,” express and earnest desire to save someone, a sentiment that can be found in some of the band’s past songs such as “She’s in the Rain” and “Cure”.
The first four songs mostly focus on only one member of a relationship at a time; “You’re Beautiful” and “Lifeline” are about helping the other person, while “Nauseous” is about hating the other person and “Back to Me” is about hating yourself for making the other person leave. None of these feelings are completely balanced, though the first two certainly aren’t problematic. From “Dusk” forward, the album is balanced and clear.
“Angel (feat.Trever Daniel)” has a soft melody and a high pitch similar to “You’re Beautiful”, though with its own flare. This seventh track is about oneness between two people coming together as one and braving life together, similar to lifeline, but with a strong emphasis on oneness. “We can keep each other’s hearts/Together we’re one/Two’s better than one/Forever I will guide you through the night.”
“Eclipse” is where the themes of the album really start to come together and become obvious. The song begins with piano notes, slowly building up to the chorus, which sounds like flying through the sky leaving all worries behind. The lyrics to the entire song are a mirror, the lyrics paralleling each other. The beginning lines, “Deep inside my broken mind/I am haunted by the things I find,” become, “Deep inside my complex mind/I am pleasant by the things I find” at the end. Similarly, while the first chorus sings, “Take me to the dark,” the final chorus is, “Take me from the dark.” Right in the center of all of this confusion, the lines: “Out of all the things I left behind/I am haunted by the things I didn’t try,” bring clarity to the conflict. The song tells a story of being broken and confused, sinking into the darkness, but still continuing on with no regrets, eventually finding your way back to a more complex, complete form of light.
“Alive” carries the same theme of “No regrets” that seems to be central to “Eclipse,” but this track does it with a harder rock sound, and one section where the electric guitar is hammered so hard, it sounds like a robotic invasion. The song is about being uncertain, and confused, but happy to still be alive.
“Cosmo” hardly has any lyrics; a good portion of the song is electronic dance music that might even hype people up more than “Back to Me.” “Countless stars/Everlasting in this cosmos/I’m cosmo/We are one/Endless love is in these cosmos/We’re cosmic fire.” Through “Cosmo”, The Rose shows a universe where everyone is a unique star with purpose, all united together to have fun, dancing and dreaming.
The grand finale as well as the album’s title track, “Wonder”, almost reminds me of the Disney movie, “The Greatest Showman.” With a band sound similar to “Back to Me” combined with commanding drums, the song sounds like it’s meant to rally people, a battle cry for unity. Like the circus movie, “Wonder” is about diverse people and stories coming together to create something beautiful. “What if we were all the same?/Is there a point of all the names?/Everyone’s captured in the game, I wonder/What if we solely say the truth?/Will all our lives be so much smooth?/Perhaps a better world’s in bloom, I wonder/Do you think there’s still a chance?/May the people sing and dance?/Who is here to lead the way or who wants to?/Rushing to nowhere/We light up the torch of flames/Begging to uncover/All the things under the halo, oh/I wonder.”
Through the eleven songs on “Dual”, The Rose gives us a glimpse at the importance of balance. It’s easy to focus on only one thing in a relationship, whether that’s by only ever complimenting the other person, making yourself sick hating them, blaming yourself endlessly, or dedicating yourself to supporting them. These things may hurt, or they may be amazing, but either way, they’re not the whole picture. A relationship works best when both people rely on and help each other. Good and bad both happen in this life, and we need both. The world works best when different people come together, sharing their light and their dark, their beauty and scars. The world works best when it has balance.
The album is artfully divided into two sections by short interludes. The introduction to the album, “Dawn” starts off barely audible, chirping birds softly transferring into a melodic tune. The song is reminiscent of a quiet mountain morning, a blanket over your shoulders as you watch the sun slowly rise over the horizon, painting the sky vibrant colors as the world of rolling grass and frolicking deer comes alive around you. “Dusk” serves as an interlude to the album, sounding similar to dawn but with more of a solid sound, soft beats that remind you of a night under the stars. For me personally, “Dusk” doesn’t hold the same emotional impact as “Dawn”, but it serves as a perfect transition point in the album. The first half of the album has a light sound, and seems to be about someone who is focused on the other person in a relationship, for better or for worse. The second half, by contrast, is focused on the relationship between both people, with a distinct sense of clarity and balance.
The way these themes are portrayed is unique in each song. The second track, “You’re Beautiful” is exactly what you would expect from the title. Woosung’s voice breaks through the silence left by “Dawn”, almost startling the listener immersed in the album. The soft bass-led song is a high-pitched affirmation to the listener, like a Justice brand t-shirt, but far less cringeworthy. “Beauty’s just a state of mind/You don’t even have to try/Don’t let them tell you otherwise/You’re beautiful, I’ll tell you why.”
“Nauseous”, while still a relatively chill song, has a more lively beat and a funky feel. This is my personal least favorite on the album, only because the words, “tummy-ache” and “nauseous” sound exactly like what they describe, to a point that makes me uncomfortable. Still, the song is well-made, and important to the theme, talking about a tumultuous relationship with someone that is so terrible they make the singers feel physically ill.
“Back to Me”, the first song released for “Dual”, has to be one of the biggest crowd-pleasers. All of The Rose’s songs have a distinct band feel, but “Back to Me” hits particularly hard. The song has an energetic chorus, dynamic instrumentals, and never fails to get people dancing–the band themselves certainly can’t help jumping up and down at the post-chorus. The lyrics, contrary to the song’s joyful performance, are about knowing you messed a relationship up so badly that the other person will never return. The emotions are expressed so poignantly in these lyrics, it’s impossible to miss the sentiment: “I can make a world out of broken dreams/I can make you say things you don’t mean/I can unmake all we were made to be/But I can’t make you come back to me.”
“Lifeline” is the last song before the interlude. This song returns to the lighter feeling of “You’re Beautiful”, and sounds more electronic than much of the album. This is especially apparent through the chorus after the beat drop. At the end everything fades out, leaving the sound of a homing beacon, sent to guide you back to shore. Lines like, “Pick anywhere you like/And take a second for the city lights/Yeah we’ll just wonder ‘till we get it right,” “If the world is coming down/I won’t let you drown/ Even if you start to lose your hold/I won’t let you go, no,” and “I can be your lifeline,” express and earnest desire to save someone, a sentiment that can be found in some of the band’s past songs such as “She’s in the Rain” and “Cure”.
The first four songs mostly focus on only one member of a relationship at a time; “You’re Beautiful” and “Lifeline” are about helping the other person, while “Nauseous” is about hating the other person and “Back to Me” is about hating yourself for making the other person leave. None of these feelings are completely balanced, though the first two certainly aren’t problematic. From “Dusk” forward, the album is balanced and clear.
“Angel (feat.Trever Daniel)” has a soft melody and a high pitch similar to “You’re Beautiful”, though with its own flare. This seventh track is about oneness between two people coming together as one and braving life together, similar to lifeline, but with a strong emphasis on oneness. “We can keep each other’s hearts/Together we’re one/Two’s better than one/Forever I will guide you through the night.”
“Eclipse” is where the themes of the album really start to come together and become obvious. The song begins with piano notes, slowly building up to the chorus, which sounds like flying through the sky leaving all worries behind. The lyrics to the entire song are a mirror, the lyrics paralleling each other. The beginning lines, “Deep inside my broken mind/I am haunted by the things I find,” become, “Deep inside my complex mind/I am pleasant by the things I find” at the end. Similarly, while the first chorus sings, “Take me to the dark,” the final chorus is, “Take me from the dark.” Right in the center of all of this confusion, the lines: “Out of all the things I left behind/I am haunted by the things I didn’t try,” bring clarity to the conflict. The song tells a story of being broken and confused, sinking into the darkness, but still continuing on with no regrets, eventually finding your way back to a more complex, complete form of light.
“Alive” carries the same theme of “No regrets” that seems to be central to “Eclipse,” but this track does it with a harder rock sound, and one section where the electric guitar is hammered so hard, it sounds like a robotic invasion. The song is about being uncertain, and confused, but happy to still be alive.
“Cosmo” hardly has any lyrics; a good portion of the song is electronic dance music that might even hype people up more than “Back to Me.” “Countless stars/Everlasting in this cosmos/I’m cosmo/We are one/Endless love is in these cosmos/We’re cosmic fire.” Through “Cosmo”, The Rose shows a universe where everyone is a unique star with purpose, all united together to have fun, dancing and dreaming.
The grand finale as well as the album’s title track, “Wonder”, almost reminds me of the Disney movie, “The Greatest Showman.” With a band sound similar to “Back to Me” combined with commanding drums, the song sounds like it’s meant to rally people, a battle cry for unity. Like the circus movie, “Wonder” is about diverse people and stories coming together to create something beautiful. “What if we were all the same?/Is there a point of all the names?/Everyone’s captured in the game, I wonder/What if we solely say the truth?/Will all our lives be so much smooth?/Perhaps a better world’s in bloom, I wonder/Do you think there’s still a chance?/May the people sing and dance?/Who is here to lead the way or who wants to?/Rushing to nowhere/We light up the torch of flames/Begging to uncover/All the things under the halo, oh/I wonder.”
Through the eleven songs on “Dual”, The Rose gives us a glimpse at the importance of balance. It’s easy to focus on only one thing in a relationship, whether that’s by only ever complimenting the other person, making yourself sick hating them, blaming yourself endlessly, or dedicating yourself to supporting them. These things may hurt, or they may be amazing, but either way, they’re not the whole picture. A relationship works best when both people rely on and help each other. Good and bad both happen in this life, and we need both. The world works best when different people come together, sharing their light and their dark, their beauty and scars. The world works best when it has balance.
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