Review: EXO - Runaway
As many fans can attest, one of the biggest attractions to EXO is their larger-than-life sense of drama. However, recently they have not been relying on it. Thankfully, b-side Runaway is classic old school EXO. It sounds like it would slot perfectly into their first EP as an album track.
Runaway's trump card is the stadium-ready chorus. The central "Runaway" refrain is repeated near endlessly, but it sounds as central as it should. The R&B beat merges greatly, and the sub-refrains, especially by Baekhyun fit the music perfectly. The notes hit perfectly, working through the atmosphere.
The verses build on this stadium-ready R&B template, sounding like wanderings in a large, open, and empty desert. The keyboard chords work well as well. I wish that there was a gritty rapid-fire rap verse somewhere, as it would counter the vocals well. The only real issue here, however, is that the song slows down to simply a guitar whenever the vocals reach a standout moment.
The biggest gripe I have with the song, however, is that the bridge is awkward and shouty. It puts the elements of the song into one messy and tinned segment, not allowing the vastness to show. Unfortunately, there is no standout climax to redeem this.
That said, I love the sound of Runaway. One of my favorite genres of fiction is Wuxia, which thrives on its sense of adventure. Runaway is not exactly a great track for a wuxia, but it sounds like an open land, ready for discovery, and this sense of adventure is truly amazing.
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