After more than a year's absence since WINNER's 2014 debut (an eternity in K-pop time), two members of the K-pop boy band formed from reality show contest winners have produced the heartfelt soft rock ballad "Pricked."
Released on Monday, rapper Mino and vocalist Taehyun show fans a rawer side to WINNER than they've seen so far on "Pricked." The single is a guitar-driven affair released in anticipation of WINNER's upcoming album.
Written in part by the two singers, "Pricked" is a raw take on the feelings that come at the end of a relationship. While the lyrics are in Korean, the meaning is expressed clearly through Taehyun's breathy melodies and Mino's meloncholic rap.
Acoustic strumming provides a simple backtrack for Mino and Taehyun's thoughts of regret and sadness, before the song picks up a few electronic elements, offering up a eerie, hollow chorus that plays off Taehyun's sweeter melodies against Mino's deeper rap.
The end of the song takes a sudden turn and grows into a true power ballad, picking up an electric guitar solo on its way towards the finale. It harkens back to label mate Seungri's 2013 release "Gotta Talk To U" in the most subtle way,
While Taehyun and Mino each had a chance to display their vocal colors in solo tracks on WINNER's debut album, "S/S 2014," this nuanced duet that shows the pair's talent has the potential for wide appeal.
"Pricked," which is the introductory song to WINNER's upcoming "Exit Movement" project, is hopefully a preview of more material to come from this well-paired duo.
Listen to the audio of WINNER's new single "Pricked" featuring band members Mino and Taehyun RIGHT HERE
Tamar Herman is a multi-media journalist and the co-founder of KultScene. She is a freelance writer and copy editor, and has written for MTV Iggy, Noisey and Paste Magazine.
