If you don’t know me, just know one thing. I love Golden Child. Like loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Golden Child (who now I’ll refer to as Golcha cause it’s easier lol). My obsession goes from collecting their physical albums to petitioning for Tier 2 badges in the shop. Even at a K-pop cafe, I freaked out when Golcha was playing. And if I ever get a custom badge, you know it’s going to be Bae Seungmin themed. So it’s surprising that this is the first time I’m covering a Golcha album. My goal with these reviews is to showcase albums from diverse areas (generation, gender, popularity, etc.), no matter good or bad. But still, how I went 9 weeks without covering Golcha is beyond me.
I could’ve picked any album to review, because all of their albums are at least an 8. But I’ve been obsessed with Aura so we’re doing it!
This is the most Infinite-like EP I have ever heard. There’s so much electronic and synth influences that just relate to the boy group and 2nd Gen EDM as a whole. Aura is also the most homogenous album Golden Child has ever released. And even with the EDM influences, it took a month to grow on me since I was focusing on other albums (Aura was released when I first started reviewing K-pop albums). However, the mini album still stands out. Though 2nd Gen influenced, this is an EP only Golcha can do. I may nitpick a lot in this post since there aren’t many critiques I have and I want to make each review balanced. But this is a redemption arc for Golcha after their japanese releases. Please enjoy this review, it’s going to be a really positive one.
And yes, I did get the physical album. Yes, it’s the limited edition version.
Tracklist:
Aura (intro)
Replay (single)
Knocking on my door
Purpose
Aura
Written, Composition, and Produced by: Coll’ 8va (Full8loom) & Glory Face
Intros don’t get ratings, however I do talk about them.
I only started ‘reviewing’ intros since the ones I have previously talked about are so good they could be actual songs. But the intros that Golden Child have are just that: intros. If Aura was a full song, it would be filler. I like the synths used, the mid-tempo beat is nice. It’s really short (Golcha’s intros usually are), I can’t really talk about it because there’s not much to talk about. It does its job, basically. And that’s good enough for me.
Replay
Written by: Ryan Shin (153/Joombas), danke (lalala studio), Louis (VENDORS), Fascinador (VENDORS), JANGJUN, TAG
Lyricism by: danke (lalala studio), JANGJUN, TAG
Arrangement by: Louis (VENDORS), Fascinador (VENDORS)
Composition by: Ryan Shin (153/Joombas), Louis (VENDORS), Fascinador (VENDORS)
The intro is explosive. We start with Joochan’s vocals opening lines, as the synths tense the track. After Seungmin finishes off the intro, we hear Joochan lead Y off in the first iteration of the chorus. The ascent I had when I listened to this sequence for the first time! The beat drives Replay forward, as synths’ chords add the electricity to the chorus. The lyricism is absolutely addictive, you only need to hear the first few lines to get stuck in your head. The chorus are some of the shortest segments of Replay, however there’s something so fascinating about it. The verses contain the energy, as the members tag from one line to another. Like a river, it flows and I love how it jumps from singing to rapping in a blink of an eye. The pre-chorus doesn’t build up tension that much, so whenever the chorus comes along it does give a bit of a surprise because I don’t expect the energy to burst out again. The dance break goes full rock! The electric guitars elevate this track to a new high. Hearing the intro (now refrain) again, it only confirms one thing. Replay is an amazing track, and one that everyone should listen to at least once.
Hooks: 9
Production: 10
Longevity: 10
Bias: 10
Total: 9.75
Knocking On My Door
Written by: Jinli, Glory Face & HARRY (Full8loom)
Lyricism by: Jinli
Arrangement by: Glory Face & HARRY (Full8loom)
Composition by: Jinli, Glory Face & HARRY (Full8loom)
Knocking On My Door reminds me of Highway to Heaven by NCT 127. They share similar structures and the same tempo!
I like how the track starts off. The chords used are euphoric for me, and soft. The rhythm kicks in when Joochan starts off the verse. There’s something about the writing which I love. The lyricism is drawn out, and flows. The held notes really add a touch of emotion into the song: nostalgia, bittersweet happiness, emotions associated with the end of summer. The vocals don’t hit hard, and are soft until the chorus. Sungyoon and Joochan do an amazing job when the synth chords enter. The percussion is there to push the song along, but aren’t taking up the spotlight. There’s something in the background pushing along Knocking On My Door, I don’t know the name of the instrument but it does wonders. The song writing in this segment is amazing. As I’ve said, the held notes have so much emotion in them. There’s something so sad about the chorus. If there’s anything wrong about the song, it’s that the second verse could be better, and the rappers should have more time to shine. But other than that, this is the perfect song. There’s bittersweetness to Knocking On My Door. Something nostalgic, wistful. It’s just an amazing song and I don’t think my paragraph has actually captured what makes this song a gem. Special shout out to Seungmin and Jibeom; They carried this track.
Hooks: 10
Production: 10
Longevity: 10
Bias: 10
Total: 10
3! 6! 5!
Written and Lyricism by: Yeah Nice, JayJay (MosPick), JANGJUN, TAG
Arrangement and Composition by: Yeah Nice, JayJay (MosPick)
This is a summer song. I love the guitar in 3! 6! 5!, the bass as well. The beat drives this song though, and shouldn’t go unnoticed. The writing is the best part about this track though. Not just the writing, the members do great on summery tracks like this one. I think there are electronic influences in the song, though I can’t really grasp the instruments. The pre-chorus is short but sweet. The chorus is great for its lyricism, but the best part is the refrain. It’s addictive, an earworm. The rappers do an amazing job showing off their skills. I don’t have much to say to this track. It’s a summer track, and I love summer tracks! Jaehyun shines on 3! 6! 5!.
Hooks: 9
Production: 9
Longevity: 9
Bias: 10
Total: 9.25
Purpose
Written by: TAG, CR KIM, Chae Kang Hae, JANGJUN
Lyricism by: TAG, JANGJUN
Arrangement and Composition by: TAG, CR KIM, Chae Kang Hae
I find Purpose to be bland at its core. The beat staggers, the rhythm is nothing new. However, and this is probably because it’s Golden Child, I do find the execution to be pretty good. I mean, it’s not Tag’s other song he has produced for the group. I’m just really not the biggest fan of the chorus, I find it mediocre, forgettable. The verses are pretty well done. They’re minute, and let the members do their magic. Tag and Jangjun really stand out on this future bass track. Donghyun too. The piano chords are nice, the pre chorus is short but sweet. There isn’t much to say; There are better future bass songs in K-pop. But for what this is meant to be, a fan song, it’s alright. I can fuck with it, and that’s enough.
Hooks: 8
Production: 7
Longevity: 8
Bias: 10
Total: 8.25
Miracle
Written and Lyricism by: 1Take, TAK, JANGJUN, TAG
Arrangement and Composition by: 1Take, TAK
Oh fuck I love this! The thundering beat, the electronic rhythm, the bass I can barely hear in the verse, mmm I love it! Miracle starts off strong with a wave of adreadline (banger, btw), and the verse carries all that energy with the members team-tagging off eachother. The pre chorus builds up so much tension, and we expect the wave of adrenaline to hit again. And it does. The writing is amazing, it hits highs in the chorus as we are carried through the beat. The rhythm is the best segment in the chorus, as the electronic influences are showcased so successfully. The second part of the chorus is also wonderful, how the energy is just overflowing in the last four bars. The rappers keep the energy up, though they do contain some of it so we can be hit with it the second time around. The bridge doesn’t keep us waiting. The song stops for a few seconds, only then the segment in the intro comes back to keep us on our toes. Miracle is a masterpiece in songwriting and production, it’s just the perfect song. I love it!
Hooks: 10
Production: 10
Longevity: 10
Bias: 10
Total: 10
Total: 9.4/10
Credit to TheBiasList for the rating system
also i got a lot of notifs to check and akp is laggy so it'll take time to check all of them 
