Everyone knows what a real cathartic scream seems like—nicely, Vernon within the “Black Eye” music video actually is aware of. Screaming releases a large number of emotions: frustration, disappointment, heartbreak, anger, and so forth. Simply within the first couple seconds of the music video of his solo mixtape, he lets out that fury, and the white noise seamlessly transitions to the regular beat displaying his true feelings.
“Black Eye” is the third out of The 13 Tapes, a mixtape sequence that highlights every SEVENTEEN member’s particular person expertise, and got here out after the discharge of HOSHI’s “Spider” in April 2021 and WOOZI’s “Ruby” in January 2022. With a lot popping out of SEVENTEEN this 12 months like their fourth album Face The Solar and their scorching world tour, Vernon nonetheless had time to excel with collaborations. He dabbled in his residence base of Korean Hip Hop music, telling individuals to name him “Okay-Pop Papi” in Omega Sapien’s “Wrecker,” whereas additionally channeling over the web to collab with considered one of his favourite artists Charli XCX within the glitchy remix of “Beg For You” with PC Music powerhouse A.G. Prepare dinner.
His new solo tune additionally joins his flourishing solo repertoire of the reflective trap-beat-filled “Bands Boy,” and his early solo tune “Lizzie Velasquez.” He expanded on his inventive course of when he informed Teen Vogue earlier this 12 months by likening it to his favourite movie, “Each time you search about The Matrix, you be taught one thing new. There are such a lot of hidden messages. Possibly the hidden messages individuals speak about on-line [aren’t] actually what [the filmmakers] supposed, however [there’s] all this speak coming from one film.” He continued, “That’s the type of music I wish to make, simply having individuals speak about it even when it’s not likely one thing I supposed,” he provides. “It’s like an summary artwork piece, what I imply?”
The uninterrupted bounce between genres is highlighted by his attachment to his favourite artists like Bladee, The Child LAROI, and particularly Avril Lavigne. “Black Eye” serves as a particular homage to all the things Vernon loves as an artist and it reveals past doubt that he can actually rock out.
It’s not the primary time that Vernon pursued a pop-punk sound in his work. His duet with JOSHUA of their English tune “2 MINUS 1,” a bonus monitor from SEVENTEEN’s album Attaca, sparked the identical route of feeling angsty and let down from a horrible heartbreak. However by some means, Vernon’s solo tune delves even additional deeper into that idea with a simple rampage. Paying homage to the construction of a mid-2000s pop-punk tune, the primary verse buildup leads into an emotional backdrop of self-pity. The primary strains are about wallowing round as a pop-punk character does, “Operating ’spherical the entire metropolis for somebody / To look me in my eyes and inform me fairly lies” A gradual enhance of catchy and upfront “ohs” turns into an offended name out to the void: “Is there anybody on the market?”
Right here’s the place the rebel is available in. Vernon nails the supply with the grit of the refrain, “I’m on my worst conduct / Don’t cease me now / I f**king hate this world / So present me a manner out” The bleeped-out half makes use of the identical tone as featured in Seventeen’s chief unit tune “Cheers,” which is smart since each songs have been co-written with Ohway! On this case, the censor provides extra riotous and uncooked depth, and with extra repetition and construct, it results in a defiant declaration that he can’t be contained: “Put a muzzle on me / I’ll spit in your mouth.”
Courtesy of: PLEDIS Leisure
The swirling guitars and slight mellowness of the second verse carry you again to contemplation for a saving grace. “So why you retain coming to me? / Along with your harmless eyes, you smile so brilliant,” Vernon asks. It involves an final deflection, as he is aware of what he needs with a thrashing angle and doesn’t need assist for his self-destruction. “I’ll simply let it burn all the things round me / ‘Trigger you possibly can’t save me from my disappointment / No, don’t save me.”
With a background chorale of “ohs” shouting within the outro, he tells us to have enjoyable however hold just a little distance. “Let’s dance all evening lengthy / However in case you come too shut / I’d simply burn you entire,” he says earlier than repeating the last word query from the refrain. There’s at all times a steadiness between craving, searching for consolation and realizing what sort of dangerous harm a persona may do within the style of pop-punk, and Vernon certainly punched it in with the proper method.
Picture: PLEDIS Leisure.
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