I wanted a short and sweet album to do since I’ve been swarmed with schoolwork. That is a lie, but I need extra time to rest after school now. So apologies if this album review is short.
Hush Rush is better than I expected it to be. Though I have my criticisms, like how it could’ve been more fleshed out, this EP is fully enjoyable. The extended play establishes Lee Chaeyeon’s debut sound from the single of the album to the closing track. The songs are quite uniform, and I know people like spontaneity in their albums. For me however, it works. To be fair, if there was a fifth or sixth track, Hush Rush would have become repetitive maybe. The tracks aren’t ones for my mind to be blown or for me to say, “this is breath-taking!” But what I do like is the chillness and soft spoken nature. This is not a dance album (except for like, one song), it’s one to relax to. And I’ve needed something like this for a bit. Just an extra point: I like how well these tracks suit Chaeyeon’s voice. She’s known for her dance skills most of the time, and that’s great she deserves it, but I find her airy vocals to be underrated, despite them being airy.
Tracklist:
Hush Rush (single)
Danny
Aquamarine
Same But Different
Hush Rush
Written by: Dem Jointz, Ryan S. Jhun, Stalone, Cho Yoon Kyung
Lyricism by: Cho Yoon Kyung, Dem Jointz, Ryan S. Jhun, Stalone
Arrangement by: Dem Jointz, Ryan S. Jhun
Composition by: Dem Jointz, Ryan S. Jhun, Stalone
Whoever’s producer tag is “INCOMINGGGGGGGGGGGG” really needs to remove it for this song. It’s abrupt and doesn’t fit the nature of Hush Rush at all.
Hush Rush is a very flat song: There’s no high or low point during the duration of the track. It stays stable throughout, becoming atmospheric during the chorus. The best way to describe the single is to categorise it as funk pop maybe, with the use of bass, but I think the synths and drums draw from indie pop influences. Hush Rush starts off quiet, with only the funky rhythm of the bass, the aiding drums, and Chaeyeon’s voice that has power in it. The writing of the track is hard to explain. I know I describe many verses as simple but I think during the entire track, simple, and maybe even lazy, is the best way to say my thoughts. Right now, during the verse and pre-chorus, it’s quite simple, but I think it helps with the growing atmosphere of the track when the backing vocals come in and guitar (?????? I can barely hear it but it adds this dream-like ambience). The chorus is where the lazy song-writing comes in. If the refrain came first, I would’ve brushed it off since the chorus would’ve become the hook. It’s a nice guitar riff, and honestly the dreamy guitar literally saved the segment, but like you guys couldn’t write four lines? Thankfully, the refrain expands on the chorus all together. The bridge itself is atmospheric, and utilises Chaeyeon’s airy vocals well. This is obviously not a song to overestimate, it’s sweet and dreamy and roadtrip-like. However, I do find myself getting hooked with it. It’s not great, but it’s good, and I’ve been waiting for something like this.
Cute music video.
Hooks: 7
Production: 8
Longevity: 9
Bias: 8
Total: 8
Danny
Written by: Ryan S. Jhun, Celine Svanbäck, Jeppe London Bilsby, Daniel Schulz, Mirza, Red Anne, Jeon Youl
Lyricism by: Red Anne, Jeon Youl, Ryan S. Jhun, Celine Svanbäck, Jeppe London Bilsby, Daniel Schulz, Mirza
Arrangement by: Ryan S. Jhun, Jeppe London Bilsby
Composition by: Ryan S. Jhun, Celine Svanbäck, Jeppe London Bilsby, Daniel Schulz, Mirza
Danny starts off minimal, synth chords, a rhythm with an instrumental I can’t place the name of, and Chaeyon’s soft vocals. When the pre-chorus starts, it becomes obvious: The synth is the centrepiece of the track. I’m not sure if I should describe this song as synth-pop or synthwave; Like yeah they both have similar meanings but synth-pop is light whilst synthwave has darker elements and more heavy synth use. Though this song is light, the synth really is the glue holding it together. If I’m having trouble with distinguishing the subgenre, then know the synth is going to be really hard on this track. This is’t to discount the rest of the production and the song-writing though. The pre-chorus builds up the tension, the beat drives the synth bass rhythm and chords. Chaeyeon’s vocals float on this track, they’re dream-like, more dream-like than Hush Rush. It’s most blatant in the pre-chorus, where she switches from chest to head. The chorus starts and the beat thumps and drives and hits! The percussion is well produced in Danny. The song only builds up from here, there’s no minimal moment unless it’s to build tension. The track pulses through synths and soft-spoken lyrics. It’s a dream, Danny does feel like a dream. I like this dream. Remember when I said “there’s like one track I’d dance to?” It’s this one. Awesome guitar at the end, I wish there was more of it.
Hooks: 8
Production: 9
Longevity: 9
Bias: 8
Total: 8.5
Aquamarine
Written by: Ryan S. Jhun, Gustav Nyström, Isabelle Z., Red Anne
Lyricism by: Red Anne, Ryan S. Jhun, Gustav Nyström, Isabelle Z.
Arrangement by: Ryan S. Jhun
Composition by: Ryan S. Jhun, Gustav Nyström, Isabelle Z.
On paper, Aquamarine isn’t anything special. It’s an indie-pop song. But, I don’t know, I think it’s executed really well. The beat drives as the synth piano chords add a romantic atmosphere. The guitar rhythm adds this funk influence in my opinion, like I kinda want to dance to Aquamarine despite it, obviously, not being a dance song. The true spotlight is on the song-writing though. Chaeyeon’s vocals exceed on this track, giving this nostalgic feeling. The lyricism helps too. The verses are airy and the two types of guitars play, one for rhythm and one for chords. The pre-chorus is short and sweet, letting us relax and destress before the chorus lifts up the mood. The drums drive the song forward as the background vocals power Chaeyeon’s already sweet vocals. The hook is addictive, as the synth chords give off their romance. The lyricism is so comfy, Aquamarine is a song for a road trip or something to relax to. I do wish there was more to the bridge though, it seems very empty and hollow. I do like this song, it’s so soft and so whimsical that I just can’t.
Hooks: 8
Production: 8
Longevity: 8
Bias: 8
Total: 8
Same But Different
Written by: Ryan S. Jhun, Anton Rundberg, Julia Karlsson, Kristin Carpenter
Lyricism by: Seo Ji Eum, Ryan S. Jhun, Anton Rundberg, Julia Karlsson, Kristin Carpenter
Arrangement by: Ryan S. Jhun, Anton Rundberg
Composition by: Ryan S. Jhun, Anton Rundberg, Julia Karlsson, Kristin Carpenter
There isn’t much to write about this track, so apologies to the little comments I give. First of all, the song is soooooooooo short. Like please, give me a bridge and a final chorus! It’s not really the song’s fault, it’s just going with the trend of short songs for Tik Tok brownie points. A trend I dislike, by the way. The verses are the strongest point of Same But Different. There’s a strong bassline aided by the higher guitar. The flute adds a nice touch and the drums help the song pump along. The verses are simple but nice; Less is more. The pre-chorus is fine, good enough. The muffled flute adds tension with the claps and beat powering behind. The chorus however, is a let down. Like, if the writing was expanded on and had like two parts, I’d enjoy it more. Unfortunately the lyricism is very lazy. The production doesn’t add anything either, it’s just the same beat from the verses. I enjoy Same But Different, but this obviously sounds like a demo. It really should’ve been expanded upon whilst creating the final version. I’m blaming Ryan S. Jhun for this, the foreign names probably worked on the demo. And god please add a bridge next time, 2 mins is so short.
Hooks: 6
Production: 7
Longevity: 7
Bias: 8
Total: 7
Total: 7.9
Credit to TheBiasList for the rating system
Fr tho I thought it was gonne be 
