Review: N.Flying - Flashback

N.Flying's new album, Man on the Moon is a solid piece in its entirety. Lead single Moonshot is probably the strongest overall song and has grown more addictive as time has gone on. Other than it, the album is much stronger in its second half, though I don't think there is a single song below an 8.25 throughout. In the end, I am going to only review Flashback, but please listen to the whole album, it deserves more listens.

Flashback is a classic K-Ballad. It takes some really expected melodic turns. Despite that, N.Flying give it just the edge so it comes off as an improvement on trends rather than a run-of-the-mill ballad.

Let us start with the chorus, the melody grows constantly, while the instrumental feels soothing, driven by the calm guitar. It all culminates in an excellent high note by Hwesung, concluding the build satisfyingly, without feeling at all cheap.

The verses rely on percussion to create that forward-moving groove. Other than that, strings and guitars provide just the right level of support. Keyboards also appear throughout, just in the right degree. The pre-chorus is especially strong, with Hwesung providing vocal fireworks under hooks that could clearly be mistaken as the central refrain.

For the bridge, we get a classic rock riff. It is satisfying and unexpected, and one of the song's best moments. The rest of the bridge focuses on building back, with strong percussion. The final chorus is the song's best moment, with vocal hooks galore, a satisfying rock riff, dreamy piano chords, and strings appearing to assist.

Higedan are currently my favorite rock band in the world. However, N.Flying have made some unique moves with a similar template in their recent template. In the end, Flashback is a gem, don't miss it. It might just be better than the single of the album, and that is a high standard.

Rating: 9.25/10

Image Source: Kpop Starz