WayV – On My Youth – The 2nd Album (Album Review)

The 2nd full album by standout Chinese boyband WayV is a multifaceted collection of trendy and diverse tunes that provide the 6 members equal room to shine and display their talents in a variety of genres.

Managed under the Chinese sub-label, Label V, of the South Korean entertainment giant SM Entertainment, WayV’s polished mix of Mandopop and K-Pop was automatically thrust into the spotlight upon their 2019 debut.

However, with the band serving as 1 of 5 sub-units of K-Pop group NCT alongside the boundary-pushing NCT 127 and playful NCT Dream amongst others, one could say that after the release of an overwhelming amount of musical material and fierce promotion from the Korea-based groups, WayV has been somewhat overshadowed.

It is with ‘On My Youth – The 2nd album’, therefore, that WayV stake their rightful claim to fame and reminds us they have yet a few tricks up their sleeves.

Expertly characterising the members’ ability to be equal parts daring and original, the boyband makes a very bold statement with their title track and album opener ‘On My Youth’. After 2021’s energetic ‘Kick Back’ and 2022’s brooding ‘Phantom’, the decision to follow with a dramatic vocal-led ballad is entirely unexpected for the continuation of WayV’s powerful hip-hop-based discography.

However, in true WayV style, the band immediately shatters any first impressions built up by the song’s initial tentative vocal delivery and nostalgic tone by subverting genre conventions in a lively and alluring chorus. After the gentle piano of the verse cascades over the edge of a sudden anti-drop, the members’ breathy calls of “blame it on my youth” over a minimalistic hip-hop instrumental transport an unsuspecting listener back to WayV’s carefully curated brand of dance-pop.

Not only is the song structure addictive in its bold ingenuity, but the lyrics also gorgeously portray the struggles of youth and selfishness in love. Lines such as “I could blame it on my ego, put a cross against my name” and “All caught up in the past” highlight the members’ sensitive sides while giving vocalists Xiaojun and Kun time to demonstrate breathtaking vulnerability through their melodic voices. It’s a combination that absolutely shouldn’t work but does, in the most enthralling of ways.

WayV return to their familiar high-spirited pop sound in ‘Poppin’ Love’ with the members smoothly delivering repetitive but catchy lines such as “When you’re looking at me I’m so off my face” over the top of a bouncy instrumental base.

The band’s rap line consisting of YangYang, Hendery, and WinWin, brings a dose of playfulness to the bright track as their distinctive, rhythmical rapping styles melt pleasantly into the mellow voices of the group’s vocalists. It’s a song meant to entice new and old fans alike, with its skilfully executed melodic vocal lines and overall fresh vibe.

The album is balanced out though by slow-tempo entries like the dreamy ‘No One But You’ and the maturely charismatic ‘Lighthouse’. In ‘No One But You’, a lilting acoustic guitar conjures a swaying beat over which the members’ powerfully resonant vocals enunciate sweetly romantic lyrics and perform mesmerising vocal runs.

Similarly ‘Lighthouse’, featuring only singers Ten, Kun, and Xiaojun, pushes the vocalists’ delicately angelic voices to the forefront of a track that swaddles the listener with its tranquil piano and guitar melody and soaring high notes that continue to sound impressive even after multiple replays.

Containing lyrics mostly in Mandarin, the soft caressing quality of the language adds a new depth to the meditative tone of this track and lends the vocalists a soothing warmth that in turn contributes a spellbinding ambience to the song.

The group end their 2nd album on a high with an English version of title track ‘On My Youth’, exhibiting the band’s desire to break through language barriers and make their music accessible to their widespread fans outside of Asia.

Score/Excellent: WayV’s commitment to show versatility not only through experimenting with genres and other languages, as is characteristic of all NCT sub-units, but also by providing opportunities for members’ individual strengths to be highlighted in each track, establishes WayV as a Mandopop powerhouse worthy of the fame and acclaim of their label counterparts.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]