Enhypen, the youngest boy band of the Korean entertainment company HYBE, was created through a survival show, “I-Land.” The seven members released their first full length album, “Dimension: Dilemma,” which contains eight songs including an intro and interlude, leaving an open ending to the story told through the songs. The previous EP they released was the end of a series, and this is the beginning of the next.
The album starts with “Intro : Whiteout.” Enhypen member Jake continues the story from “Outro: Wormhole” from the previous EP. The English narration talks about starting a new journey after traveling through a wormhole with references to Greek mythology characters Scylla, Charybdis and Odysseus. Instead of an outro like the EP’s, Jack is joined by members Jay and Heeseung in “Interlude : Question” to continue the English narration, which hints towards their next release.
Enhypen continues their two-word title tracks with “Tamed-Dashed.” Echoing the “Drunk-Dazed” sound from the previous EP, “Tamed-Dashed” talks about the dilemma of the choice between taming oneself or setting themself free. This can also be interpreted as the conflict shown by the story of Scylla and Charybdis in Greek mythology — having a difficult choice between two options. This 80s-inspired track is about them finding themselves in a new dimension and dashing forward to find the answers, just like Odysseus did, with its use of poetic lyrics.
The groovy track “Upper Side Dreamin’” has an earworm chorus that gets anyone humming instantly. At the same time, the electro-bass gives an early 2000s vibe. The song is about basking in the glory of a dream about achieving something big in life. “Just a Little Bit” gives off a 90s boy band ballad feels. This song is similar to “Not for Sale,” which was in their previous EP. The group is clearly flexing their falsettos in “Just a Little Bit.” Feeling like a clubbing song, “Go Big or Go Home” is a power anthem.
A track that is ready to be played in an action movie is “Blockbuster.” This song is Enhypen’s first collaboration track; their labelmate Yeonjun from boy band TXT is featured in this song. A fusion between rock and hip hop, this song is not only edgier than their previous songs but also proves the group’s ability to switch between genres. “Attention, please!” continues the rock from the previous song but replaces hip hop with funk. The song is all about them being at crossroads where they have to choose between the love from their crush and their fans and leaves the listener wanting more.
Overall, I found this album to be about finding yourself which fits this group perfectly as they are trying to find who they are in this world of idols they have entered.
