Album Review: 2NE1's CRUSH

Hi guys! It’s been awhile and now my hiatus has come to an end and on that note I present to you a short review of 2NE1’s second full-length album entitled Crush.

photo: kpopconcerts.com

The quartet who brought fire on the dance floor and redefined women empowerment through music is back with their latest offering.  Crush is the group’s second studio album following their 2010 hit album “To Anyone”. It has been 4 years since the South Korean girl group released a new album and it has been worth the wait because Crush is literally crushing it not just in the Korean music charts but also in the international music scene as well. So here’s a simple album review of 2NE1’s Crush with some of my favorite tracks from the album.

image: allkpop.com

The album opens up with Crush, an edgy track capable of activating your heart on “hyper mode”. The song is reminiscent of “I Am The Best” but still has its own mix of electronic, hip-hop, and rnb elements making it uniquely eargasmic. The first time I heard the song I fell in love with it instantly. The song in its entirety is dynamic and innovative. It’s the best song for the group’s anticipated comeback.

“Happy” is a bubbly, feel-good, and an upbeat song. Although the title suggests a cheerful vibe and the track is infectiously gleeful “Happy” somehow deviates from the message of the song itself. If you search for the English translation of the track you would realize that the song tells a story of a typical break up aftermath, where one party hopes for the happiness of the other party vice-versa. The catch though is that one of the conflicting parties hasn’t moved on yet and everyday is a painful ordeal one has to take to fully recover from the miserable rift.

“Come Back Home” is a catchy track which infuses the group’s signature genres such reggae, hip-hop, dance pop, ballad, and electro pop. It starts with a dancey reggae beat which will slowly drown into the background following a sea of hypnotic electronic synths with Dara’s seductive delivery of “Come baby baby, Come come baby…”    

“MTBD (Mental Breakdown)” probably proves why CL is the baddest female rapper there is in the Kpop scene. She’s confidently fierce and bold in this track.

MTBD sees CL’s rapping ingenuity up a notch. It’s like she has grown into a mature artist and with every sick beat she drops you can feel the vocal prowess and restraint the 2NE1 leader has. There’s no stopping CL here. Mental Breakdown is an addictive track that will make your hearts race!

“Scream (Korean version)” is also one of my favorite tracks from the album. I don’t know why but there’s something about the song that really makes me want to click the repeat button all over again. It’s infectiously good. It’s buzzing with lively tunes, electronic synths, and beats cleverly produced and arranged for that LSS experience.

The unplugged version of Come Back Home brings out the versatility that made 2NE1 what it is today –an unstoppable force set to rule not just the Kpop scene but the international stage as well. It’s full of feels and raw emotions and in a good way it’s soothing. Surprisingly it’s more appealing compared to its EDM-ish version because it showcases each member’s unique vocals. It’s a good thing they included this on the track listing because I believe anyone can listen to it all day.

Here are the other tracks from Crush:

Gotta Be You

If I Were You

Good to You

Baby I Miss You

Watch the group's music video for Happy and Come Back Home! :)