Baekhyun is back! Baekhyun’s (EXO) new album Delight is City Lights‘ more playful and care-free younger sister. In a previous article, we delved into the visual elements of Baekhyun’s new album. Much like the concept teasers and photos, Delight‘s track list aims to showcase Baekhyun’s versatility and flavors.
Coming off his highly successful solo debut masterpiece, City Lights, there were high expectations for Baekhyun’s second album Delight. Could Delight live up to the hype? This May has been a month full of remarkable comebacks and chart digimons. What sort of impact would Delight have?
Delight made history even before being released by becoming the most pre-ordered album by a Korean soloist in Korea’s history. The music video for the title track, “Candy” trended number 1 on Youtube. Delight ranked number 1 on US and worldwide iTunes charts. Baekhyun was able to break multiple records and make history with Delight.
But what about the music? Speechless. That’s all I have to say. Delight is yet another work of art! I’m just…
Baekhyun has a way of emoting when he sings that causes a song to take on life and meaning. When he sings, it tells a story and you feel what he is expressing so deeply. From seductive R&B to the most sugary dance pop songs, Baekhyun understands how to convey a message through music. Even if there is a language barrier, you understand the emotions he is trying to convey. You may not understand the lyrics of a song, but you will likely remember how that song made you feel. That is why emotion is so vital in a song and part of the reason Baekhyun is such a good vocalist. High notes are nice and all, but they have no impact if the note is empty of meaning or sentiment. It is the way Baekhyun hits a note and the feeling that goes into it that sets him apart. He is a very technically good singer, but even with his vocal perfection and control Baekhyun never sacrifices feeling or emotion. He simply has both. Whether it is with EXO, SuperM or as a soloist, when Baekhyun sings, you feel it in your stomach.
Similar to City Lights, Delight indulges all your senses, and you feel it as much as your hear it. Maybe I caught a lot of feelings. I was going to just highlight my favorite songs on the album, but I think a full song by song review is in order.
“Candy”
“Candy” is the refreshing summer bop we need every year except it has a delightfully soulful twist. “Candy” is everything you expect from a summer anthem. It’s bright, cheery, and chill and you can’t help but dance to it. Delight is so well produced. It’s obvious the people behind this album knew what they were doing and “Candy” exemplifies this. It is everything that makes for a good title track!
The lyrics are surprisingly simple and sweet, comparing Baekhyun’s many charms to various desserts or treats. And of course, there is the endlessly catchy, “Poprocks, strawberry, bubble gum.” If this doesn’t get stuck in your head, you possess powers beyond mere mortals. The lyrics are whimsical, witty, and light-hearted. It’s fun! Just what we need for the summer given all the challenges we have faced this year. The album is the perfect setlist for a sun-soaked (virtual) road trip.
One of the lyrical highlights in the song, “Mature cinnamon, dorky mint, what more do you want?” expresses Baekhyun’s confidence that he can be whatever you would like him to be. Be it cool, sweet, dorky, mature or any number of his multiple personas, whatever you desire, he can be.
“Candy” is trendy enough to appeal to the masses, but has enough substance to make it last beyond summer. The fashionable pop elements are married well with the inherently sexy R&B soul foundations of the song. Baekhyun’s passionate choir boy vocals form the basis of the song, and his emotive adlibs and runs are riddled throughout. “Candy” takes on an R&B atmosphere. And if you still aren’t sure whether it’s rhythm and blues, there is the smooth, soulful bridge to break it down for you.
The fact that Baekhyun was able to balance the pop with the soul so well is what makes this song so remarkable! That was such a smart choice! You need your title track to be catchy and have mass appeal, but the R&B elements gives you the opportunity to add some musicality and meaning. So although it is trendy, Baekhyun really gets to show his flavors and we see the expression of his sultry, cool and sweet sides.
“R U Ridin’?”
The rest of the album dives even deeper into the R&B genre just as Baekhyun’s previous EP. Honestly, the R&B concept fits Baekhyun so well. We already see R&B elements in EXO’s songs, so soloist Baekhyun doing R&B is an easy leap.
Overall, Delight features more up-tempo and danceable songs than City Lights. “R U Ridin’?” is one of the more upbeat tracks on the album. The song creates the image of riding through the city with your significant other with your hair down in the summer. Reflecting Baekhyun’s cool, laid-back confidence, the song’s bass-heavy chorus is breezy and chill, while the sudden “Is this love?” in Baekhyun’s honeyed falsetto adds a bit of seductive sweetness. Within Delight, Baekhyun’s vocals are never static or boring but are constantly in flux to match the mood and story in the song.
As far as the production goes, there are certain parts of “R U Ridin’?” where the vocals and instrumentals sound muffled almost as if you are listening to Baekhyun drive past you in the car while he’s singing. If only we were that fortunate. That small detail helps tell the story and add to the atmosphere of one driving in the car just vibing. I really love the dedication to the song concept.
“Bungee”
With “Bungee” we again return to Baekhyun’s sensual, cool side in this romantic R&B serenade. I love the concept behind “Bungee”. Baekhyun is in a relationship that poses some sort of hazard. It’s as if he’s “bungeeing” without any sort of safety gear, but he is willing to take that risk. The perils involved in being in that relationship do not matter to him. It is worth the danger. Ultimately, he’s willing to risk it all for his girl.
“I think of, the sapphire in your eyes,
And I’m a scuba diver that swims through that ocean every day,
Every time I dive I leave my heart with you,
If you like It you can keep it all.”
You can’t tell me this man hasn’t secretly dated anyone in the past few years. Not when your falsetto is that seductive. Wow, Baekhyun uses his falsetto a lot in this song which only adds to the sensual atmosphere. I feel like talking about his vocals is starting to sound redundant. But the pitch changes in his voice in the chorus and pre-chorus adds such a rich flavor to the song. In “Bungee”, we hear Baekhyun’s medium to lower register over the higher-pitched background vocals that create this loving cool (deep) versus sexy (high) dynamic. And he Is very fluid as he navigates between pitches! It just seems too easy!
“Underwater”
“Underwater” may be my favorite B-side track on the album. I have a lot to say about this song. Again, we hear the many flavors and deviations in Baekhyun’s vocal range. The song starts off with the falling keys in the instrumental that mimic the sound of raindrops. These “raindrops” are weaved throughout the song. By adding this small detail, the concept of being underwater is emphasized. This again is why I say the production team and everyone involved in making this album really knew what they were doing. Everything is so well-produced and thoughtful. They worked hard!
“Underwater” expresses losing the love of someone you cannot live without, and now that they are gone, living becomes difficult. This feeling is likened to drowning. To enhance this storyline, the sound of Baekhyun’s vocal effortlessly fluctuates during the song from deep to higher-pitches. Moreover, the song has a feeling of depth due to the countless harmonies and background vocals that take on a variety of characteristics.
In “Underwater,” Baekhyun sings with an airiness in his voice that seems to reflect the idea of gasping for air as if he were drowning. I really love when he uses the deeper parts of his voice as he did in this song. His voice starts out deeper and then slowly works it’s way higher into a mournful falsetto. That vocal progression and its timing create a feeling of urgency and danger as we eventually reach the climactic high part in his voice. Then Baekhyun’s voice suddenly gets deeper again as he laments, “I’m gonna be alone again. Like this.” At this point, at least for me, I look back at the falsetto in the previous verse and realize that the high point in his voice reminded me of desperate weeping. But that doesn’t become apparent without the contrast of the deeper verse right after that. That contrast creates a sense of distress. Baekhyun is getting desperate and is now at his wit’s end as he tries not to drown.
Furthermore, during the chorus, the first few lines are rather short and have a similar flow. It seems to echo shortness of breath. This raises tension again before the melody abruptly changes into the hopelessly falling, “살게 했던 heaven,” (Heaven. Who let me live). So his voice keeps building tension and creating a sense of danger before changing climactically as if he has sunk into fear and despair. It is as if he is struggling to keep his head above water. Poor Baekhyun!
“Poppin”
“Poppin” is a little bit sweet, a little bit sour, but always cool! Baekhyun was generous enough not to provide us with one summer party anthem but multiple! Even as a dance track, I love how the production strips back the instrumental and stays focused on Baekhyun’s vocals. Overall, it’s a happy track that gets you in the mood for summer.
“Ghost”
If “Underwater” isn’t my favorite song on the album, then “Ghost” is. “Ghost” is about not being able to move on because the person in your past relationship still lingers in your heart. Right from the start, Baekhyun’s voice is smoky and eerie. The song starts out dark and sultry before the beat drops and the surprisingly up tempo chorus comes in. I love how his voice has a slight falsetto before going into the chorus. Anytime his voice morphs from one pitch to the next it creates such a dynamic moment and builds drama and he does it so effortlessly. Also, am I the only one who kept checking their phone for messages while listening to this song? I kept hearing a dinging sound but eventually realized that sound is coming from “Ghost.” There is the sound of a text message alert in “Ghost” which becomes a cheeky reference to ghosting someone. Who ghosts Baekhyun?
“Love Again”
Another favorite, “Love Again” is about someone you love drifting away from you and your distressing plea for them to return to you before they leave entirely. And again I wonder who is breaking Baekhyun’s heart like this. This song is stripped back so that you can maybe recognize most of the instruments used in the song. It lends itself well to a performance with a live band. There isn’t a lot of background noise in the instrumentals of the songs on Delight. There is just enough to contribute to the story without adding too much unnecessary sound to the music. The focus was mostly on Baekhyun.
“Love Again” has a very cool, laidback mood. My favorite part of the song is the bridge where Baekhyun repeats the chorus verses, but this time his pleading voice gets deeper before bleeding into a falsetto and then gets deep again. The high and low vocal contrast gives the song a sexier ambiance. I’m just a sucker for Baekhyun’s lower register. I’m probably overstepping here, but girl if you don’t go back to this man I’m going to start throwing hands!
In closing, a word about the album title, Delight. EXO has a concept where the members are superpowered extraterrestrial beings that come from Exoplanet. Baekhyun’s superpower is light.
Similar to other EXO soloists, Baekhyun drew on his superpower for inspiration in his solo work. Both City Lights, and Delight contain the word “light.” And I’m so happy Delight exists. We get everything in this album. Delight showcases the various flavors of Baekhyun and reflects who he is as an artist and person. And perhaps we come away knowing him a bit better.
