Yujin Lee's Album Review

WONDERLUST
Artist: Crush
Release Date: 2016.10.14
Producer: Ameobaculture
Genre: R&B / Soul
Album Type: EP

TRACK LIST

01 wanderlust
02 2411
03 Nostalgia
04 Fall
05 Like My Dad

“Let’s escape from this frustrating city,” Crush sings on his album Wonderlust’s first
track. He seems to spit out his exhaustion, desperately hoping to escape from
reality. 

Crush is an R&B and soul singer song-writer who debut in 2012, releasing his first
digital single Red Dress. He writes lyrics, creates the beats, and participates in album
design. 

In 2016 autumn, Crush released his 2nd mini-album, Wonderlust. This album
announces the beginning of Crush’s journey, a thoughtful process he undergoes to
find his real self. Wonderlust is a continuation of his previous album Interlude: a
more dreamlike album. It focuses more on unvarnished feelings of Crush’s youth,
which pursued perfection. Crush’s songs reflect on his humane quality, as a 25 years
old man Shin Hyo-sup, rather than a title as a singer.

Wonderlust consists of five songs. From wanderlust to Like My Dad, the songs are
smoothly linked, gradually impacting the audience’s mind. Most of the songs are
composed of the least amount of instruments among Crush’s previous works—to
create focal points on his vocal.
Wanderlust well-sets the right mood of this album by introducing the audience into the
fantasy world. The song only has five sentences for the lyrics, and the rest of it is non-
lyric, more putting the basis on the accompaniment. Although short, the lyrics give a
powerful impact on the readers. Crush ushers the audience to “Fly” and “escape from
[the] city.” It seems like he brushes all burdens off and begins the trip. The melody is
lyrical but also at the same time touching.

After the beautiful beginning to set a

mood, the following songs stack up
Crush’s emotions bit by bit. The
second track 2411 delineates futility
and vanity that Crush feels in his
distressed life while riding 2411 bus
heading his practice room. Only one
instrument is used for the
,accompaniment: guitar. By doing so,
the audience can focus on the lyrics better. His candid lyrics such as “The bus that
disappeared and the neighborhood that I lived in” and “I forgot about a lot of things” let
me reminiscence my period of putting all my efforts into academics. Crush arouses the
audience’s memory of their youth and neighborhood. There, they could reflect on their
life overwhelmed with daily schedules.

The last three songs share a common theme: recollection. Nostalgia, Fall, and Like My
Dad talk about the past and how Crush misses it. The songs have a slow tempo and use
one to no instrument for accompaniment. Nostalgia gives a consoling effect with lyrics
such as “Do not think, do not worry” and “It’s okay to grumble for no reason.” The title
song Fall represents how Crush cannot get over from the past: “I still can’t forget about
you,” “I still live in your scent that’s left.”  
I recommend this album to one who is worn out of life and wants to take a break. No
one will live a smooth life; somewhere there will be curvature. Crush’s album portrays
that feeling well. His music sometimes conveys words of consolation to the audience,
and sometimes encourages them that their way of life is merely different, not wrong. 

(9.5)
I would give 9.5 out of 10 to this album. First, the flow of the songs is very smooth, and it
feels like watching a novel that flows placidly but without a peak. On the first track,
Crush escapes from the helpless and weary routine and travels in his delusion. The
lyrics seem to invite the audience to his travel, and the accompaniment of a dreamy
and exciting festival atmosphere makes the audience forget the reality for a moment
and get deep in the music. On the other hand, from the second track, the image of
Crush, who keeps looking for the past rather than a happy future, is revealed. Escape in
everyday life seems to bring happiness, but in fact, it becomes a medium that allows the
audience to reflect on the values that they had originally. As such, the five songs are not
separated but are bound to one worldview, which makes the audience more immersed
in the work. 

Although the flow and connection of the album help the audience view the work more
richly and three-dimensional, all five songs have a similar atmosphere, which can be
monotonous and boring to the audience. If there was a song to describe the climax, I
wonder if I could have heard it more vividly.