EVNNE are back with 뱉어 (Backtalk)! Recent months have been kinda strange for those of us who follow the groups that came out of Boys Planet, but there are still things worth celebrating, and EVNNE returning as a permanent group, rather than a project group, is definitely one of them! One of our very favorite things about EVNNE is their uncontainable spirit. Since their debut, they’ve always had this energy that spoke of their desire to forge their own path, which is exactly what they continue to do.
New Era
Of course, we have to talk about the elephant in the room, which is that SEUNGEON and YUNSEO are no longer in the lineup. SEUNGEON will soon re-debut in AND2BLE (with some former members of ZEROBASEONE), and it’s unclear exactly what the future holds for YUNSEO, but you best believe we’ll be supporting it. (Yes, it did hurt to write that). However, the silver lining – and it’s a huge silver lining, basically a giant silver blob – in all this, is that EVNNE have now shifted from being a project group, to an official one!
KEITA, PARK HANBIN, LEE JEONGHYEON, MUN JUNGHYUN, and PARK JIHOO have all signed contracts with Jellyfish Entertainment, meaning EVNNE is here to stay. In 뱉어 (Backtalk), the first comeback as a permanent five-member group, EVNNE fearlessly embark on this new chapter, with all the feistiness we love from them.
뱉어 (Backtalk)
As a single album, 뱉어 (Backtalk) is led by a title track of the same name. ‘뱉어 (Backtalk)’ is a ferocious hip-hop trap, co-written by all five members. They definitely don’t pull any punches here.
All members participated in creating this album to make our first step as an official group more meaningful. Please send us lots of love and support for this album and EVNNE, as we’re stepping forward to a new beginning!
PARK HANBIN
In the song, EVNNE truly bare their souls, openly talking about their journey and the worries they’ve carried, whilst also launching themselves into this new dawn. On a livestream, KEITA spoke quite frankly about wanting to pay respects to SEUNGEON and YUNSEO and their time as a 7-member group, whilst also looking forward to the future as five members.
And yes, we’re gonna talk about those lyrics…
‘뱉어 (Backtalk)’ Lyrics
A little wordplay is a surefire way into our hearts, but EVNNE’s dexterous lyricism is on another level in this one. Across ‘뱉어 (Backtalk),’ the members reference Boys Planet, their company Jellyfish Entertainment, and their previous companies, too. In an industry where most artists are supposed to stay hush-hush about company politics, this kind of rebellion is amazing to witness. Let’s take a look at the lyrics!
- “You know all the past times, PLANET’s light.”
- The song’s opening lines, a very clear reference to Boys Planet, which is how it all started for EVNNE.
- “탈락했던 나란 loser.” – Translation: “Eliminated, now I’m a loser.”
- Another clear reference to Boys Planet, where many saw the EVNNE members as ‘losers’ for not making it into the debut line-up, despite how successful and beloved they all were on the show.
- “깨어나든 해파리든 we go our own way.” – Translation: “Whether waking or a jеllyfish, we go our own way.”
- Referencing WAKEONE (the previous management company for all current members except KEITA), and Jellyfish, EVNNE’s company who they have all recently exclusively signed with.
- “비 내려도 불씨는 머리 위에 fire.” – Translation: “Rain comes piling on but my head is still on fire.”
- Referencing Rain Company (KEITA’s previous management) and Yuehua Entertainment (the company that SEUNGEON and YUNSEO returned to). Yuehua is written in Hangeul as 위에화. “Fire” in Korean is “화재” which would turn the lyric “위에 fire” into “위에 화재”).
- 파란 머리 걘 이제 fabulous.” – Translation: “That blue-haired kid is now fabulous.”
- PARK HANBIN, who delivers this line, was famous for his blue hair in Boys Planet. This comeback is the first time he’s had it again since then!
It would be almost too easy, especially on social media, to write these lyrics off as a diss track. But we feel like it’s more nuanced than that. To us, it comes across as an incredible display of self-deprecating humor. It’s like, if EVNNE mention the things people might use against them before those people get the chance, EVNNE have reclaimed them. They simultaneously take the power out of these hardships while also honoring the journey that they’ve been on, and how it’s gotten EVNNE to where they are now. We also absolutely love how they balance celebrating their time as seven members as well as being excited by their future as five.
Honestly, listening to ‘뱉어 (Backtalk)’ and reading the lyrics felt really, really cathartic as ENNVE, and we hope it was the same for EVNNE in the studio.
‘STAY’
As if ‘뱉어 (Backtalk)’ wasn’t enough, we got a b-side, too! Where ‘뱉어 (Backtalk)’ is lyrically about EVNNE’s journey, we reckon ‘STAY’ is sonically a sneak-peek of where we’re headed. This hyper-pop track suits them so well, and we didn’t see this coming at all! It has the same spirit as ‘뱉어 (Backtalk),’ with the same contagious motivation, too. We’re not waiting for miracles around here, we’re going after what we want!
What are your thoughts on EVNNE’s 뱉어 (Backtalk)? Any more lyrics we might’ve missed? Be sure to let us know by tweeting us at @thehoneypop or visiting us on Facebook and Instagram.
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