_{Review by Kayla (@kaylazomboid)}

Death Of Me is the first foray into solo work from former ENHYPEN member, Evan (에반) (formerly known as Heesung). When he left the group earlier this year, it was a huge issue amongst fans. Now, as somebody who is not as familiar with ENHYPEN, the news of him leaving was what had me curious about checking out his solo project.

Reports state that his departure was due to him not feeling as creatively aligned with the musical direction of the group and as I’m not an avid listener, it is worth noting that I’m coming into this with completely fresh ears.

The opening track, ‘Not Enough’ has a strong rnb energy throughout it. Immediately I can hear why he was such a popular member of his group. His voice is beautiful, the slight modulation allows it to have that soft echo through your ears. As sweet and light his voice is, it dances wonderfully across that thumping beat, giving it that more depth. His voice is definitely made for this style of rnb infused pop. A great introduction to the mini-album as a whole but it did not set me up for the mood of the rest of the tracks.

‘Noise’ has this soft indie-rock, shoegaze vibe to it. Don’t get me wrong, it is still very much pop but we are tapping into very different sounds. The opener was steered by that thumping beat while this one leads us gently with a subtle bass guitar. The distorted riffs and licks of the guitar help drive home the sultriness in his voice. It matches the lost and wandering descriptions in the lyrics. Initially it feels like a bit of juxtaposition from the first song, but it does create a great segue into ‘Ride Or Die’.

Now this one takes that rockiness introduced in ‘Noise’ and gives it that pop anthem treatment. It has all the makings of a melancholic bittersweet summer love song. It is short and sweet, which I think works well as it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Adding an additional hook would make it drag and probably lose its charm. It is just pop-rock enough to be recognisable enough, but doesn’t go too hard to come across as trying to be something it’s not. Overall a fun track and is emerging as one of my favourites.

‘Death of Me’ has a drama to it that shows exactly why it was one of the singles on this album. It is one of those songs to me that without evening listening to the language it is being sung in, it does feel very “K-pop”. That is not a negative thing. It has that underlying 80s pop feel that will never die, not just in K-Pop, but all pop (credit: Michael Jackson). This song also makes me believe that on vocals alone, Evan does have potential to really make it as a solo artist. It’s a catchy and groovy pop song and that’s all we can really ask for.

As soon as I heard ‘Twilight’, I jumped for joy a little. I keep hearing this style of pop/rnb that felt very popular in late 90s/early 00s and as somebody in their mid 30s, it has such a nostalgic feel. It is giving Craig David in the best way. Producers in K-Pop are really nailing that pop/rnb with dance/electronic elements so well and this is a beautiful example of it. It suits his voice so well.

Moving back into the distortion with ‘Immature’ had me looking up Evan’s age, as this song again is giving me real 2000s pop vibes. It is the kind of pop I grew up with so this is why Death Of Me is really becoming endearing to me. Lyrically, it has a theme of self-questioning- perhaps a bit of a documentation about his creative and career decisions? I will let fans decipher that one.

We go back to the more softer pop-side with ‘Overflow’ and honestly, these type of tracks truly show the brightest side of Evan’s voice. It has that Bieber/The Kid Laroi-ballad vibe, and in this generation of K-Pop male soloists, there aren’t as many occupying that space in his generation. It’s overall just a really pretty song that may not be a ‘smash hit’ style tune, it does earn its place on the album.

Finishing up with ‘Going Home’ was a great choice. The messaging of the song really feels like a love letter to his own decisions rather than a romantic kind of love, perhaps a double meaning? This might be an ‘english teacher interpretation’ but the way he sings has an element of yearning but it doesn’t sound lost. It sounds more like a please meet me where I am at kind of grief in his voice. That feeling when you make a decision for yourself and while your grieve what you have lost through those decisions, you ultimately know it was best. It has all the elements of a solid pop rock ballad too. Acoustic instruments with the inclusion of an electric guitar solo to bring it to its final crescendo. It finishes so abruptly. No fade out. Again, strengthening the idea of a solid resolve.

Ultimately, this is a fairly solid introduction for Evan as a solo artist. While the tracks did not feel so cohesive, jumping between genres and feeling more like a collection of singles with a couple of interludes, rather than an overall packaged release, that kind of fits in with what his messaging is. It’s him stepping out alone and trying to find his identity in music, especially away from being in a group. 

Death Of Me not only has me invested in his musical evolution, but also his overall journey. I will be paying attention to see where he goes from here but I will also be dipping into Enhypen’s music to see where he came from. 

Rating: 7/10

Evan (에반)– Death Of Me Tracklisting

1. Not Enough
2. Noise
3. Ride or Die
4. Death of me
5. Twilight
6. Immature
7. Overflow
8. Going Home

Death Of Me is out now through Belift Lab. Find it here.