NSWERs all over the world had very high hopes for NMIXX’s latest mini-album, Heavy Serenade, following their unforgettable Blue Valentine album last year, and we can safely say that Lily, Haewon, Sullyoon, Bae, Jiwoo, and Kyujin have blown us away yet again. Heavy Serenade explores different types of love – including romantic love, self-love, and even secret love – across six extraordinary songs that are so dreamy and immersive that you’ll feel like you’re stepping right into the stories they’re telling.
Let’s celebrate NMIXX’s beautiful new “blooming” era by rounding up some of our favorite moments on the Heavy Serenade mini-album! For clarity, we’ll be referencing the lyrics translated into English by the Genius Korea community.
What The Music Motifs On ‘Crescendo’ Might Mean
Love is a huge theme on Heavy Serenade, and our theory is that ‘Crescendo’ is actually about NMIXX itself. They’re a group that stands out so much partly because of their passion for the music they make and the skills they bring to the K-Pop scene. Despite that, they’ve received a lot of hate for their early music and concept… but NSWERs have always been right there beside the girls! When Jiwoo sings, “The background fades away, just the two of us, our universe,” it feels like she’s talking right to the group’s biggest supporters.
Another lyric that really stands out to us here is “took away my metronome,” which references a metronome device that clicks in a certain number of beats per minute so musicians can properly follow the tempo or timing of a song they’re playing. Switching tempos is a component of mixxpop that comes up on songs like ‘Blue Valentine’ – think of how the pre-chorus slows things down before the chorus speeds back up for a euphoric feeling. Having a metronome can give a musician a sense of control and calm so they can keep up with what a piece needs of them, so the lack thereof reflects the lack of control they may have felt receiving so much criticism in their earlier eras. But there can also be beautiful things that come out of a loss of control: NMIXX couldn’t control the public’s opinions of them, and they couldn’t have predicted how passionately their NSWERs would love them!
The Contrasts Throughout ‘Heavy Serenade’
On the mini-album’s title track, ‘Heavy Serenade,’ NMIXX use a bunch of different contrasts to show how powerful the love they’re singing about is. The first contrast is right in the title, with “heavy” giving a conflicting image versus the romantic element of a serenade to someone. As reported by Korea JoongAng Daily, Lily said, “People can think of the word ‘heavy’ as negative, but we wanted to express how important and uncontrollable love can become when it is truly deep.”
There are lyrics that reference space, such as Jiwoo and Bae’s “My childish heart once lost in the cosmos… But I’m with you every day and night, holding all the stars, keep dreaming.” Meanwhile, lines like “through every spring and winter” and “you are the meaning of every flower” are rooted (pun slightly intended) in earthy, grounded imagery. It reminds us of their MIXXtopia lore and how they want to reach that dreamy land despite the obstacles they face along the way, as if they’re now embracing the time that passes and the memories they make while still in this reality.
Sonically, we also get quite a few cool contrasts! The production combines light piano notes with heavier bass and drums, as if this love is a sacred, safe space away from the heaviness of the world. The second verse even lets Sullyoon have her hand at a rap verse before returning to her rich singing voice.
The Ambition & Evolution On ‘IDESERVEIT’
Mixing the sleek bass of ‘DASH’ with the confidence of ‘Reality Hurts,’ ‘IDESERVEIT’ spotlights some of the things we love most about NMIXX! And we especially love to see them embracing their power like they do on this song. The lyrics describe how the girls are “boldly writing down [their] page” and shares that “everything [they were] afraid of has somehow become just a small dot,” which becomes even more special when you think back to how much hate they got during the Ad Mare and ENTWURF eras. No more shrinking themselves to try to please others – and they prove it with the blended sounds throughout the track.
How Well The Production On ‘Different Girl’ Matches The Story
Co-written by Bae, ‘Different Girl’ explores how love can change us, bring out different sides of us, and help us embrace various aspects of ourselves that we might not appreciate otherwise. Bae explained to The Knockturnal: “When you fall in love with someone, you try to show a different world, you experience a different world with that person. But, you also become a different person, you try to show the dark side, the unknown side to the other party, the lover.”
We felt like we were in a starry rainbow galaxy the first time we listened to ‘Different Girl,’ and we still feel that way whenever we press play! It draws from bouncy hyperpop that complements the intensity of the feelings and excitement in the lyrics. The girls sing about how their “hearts stuck together like magnets” with this person, and the production is just as magnetizing to us.
The Way ‘Superior’ Connects To Blue Valentine Tracks
Heavy Serenade feels like a very natural progression from NMIXX’s last release, their debut Blue Valentine album. ‘Superior’ is a fierce celebration of their strength that we noticed parallels two of our favorite b-sides on the Blue Valentine album! First off, it sounds like a sister song to ‘PODIUM,’ which includes pounding drums on its chorus – ‘Superior’ uses a similar, marching band-style drum beat in its intro to get the energy up.
Next, one of our favorite lines on ‘Superior’ is Kyujin’s “shake off the dust sitting on your wings.” Does that pairing of “dust” and “wings” sound familiar? It reminds us of the imagery the girls use on ‘Phoenix,’ which is named after the mythical bird that rises from ashes. Together, these references help build a very strong, continuing story that paints NMIXX as underdogs who won’t give up on their dreams.
How ‘LOUD’ Plays With Literal Loudness
One of the fandom’s favorite tracks on Heavy Serenade, and maybe already one of the most beloved songs in their catalog, is ‘LOUD,’ which Lily wrote alone! It’s an incredible love song about wanting to be loud about your feelings to the world, but not being able to. It plays with the idea of loudness through its lyrics and production so you really feel how loud the narrator wants to be about how she feels for the person she loves. Within the lyrics, she sings that she’ll “need a microphone and speaker” and her “heart is pounding like it’s about to explode.” And when the chorus hits that signature “I wanna love you loud,” NMIXX sing that line higher and louder than the others before it, which utilizes a technique known as text painting.
Which track on NMIXX’s Heavy Serenade EP do you love most? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! You can also buzz on over to our Reddit community to chat with us.
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