NYLON: THE TOP K-POP ALBUMS OF 2021
BAD LOVE, KEY
SHINee’s Key has always been one of K-pop’s most honest and outspoken figures, and his second solo album Bad Love is a proud, unabashed declaration of just how much he has to say. Bad Love is a Key album through and through: flamboyant, fashionable, fierce, and surprising in just how intensely and reverently Key poured himself into every aspect of its making. From the ‘70s-inspired sci-fi visuals to the David Bowie-era fashion, to the retro sonic arrangements, to the surprising streaks of vulnerability on tracks such as “Eighteen (End Of My World)” – Bad Love is where Key roars and shines, as if announcing that he may be a veteran, but he’s only just beginning.
ATLANTIS, SHINee
SHINee saved 2021 the moment Key took a look at Minho in his military uniform and called him embarrassing to his face, despite the fact they hadn’t seen each other after almost two years. The band’s first release since three members completed their military service, Atlantis was a very, very welcome gift.
Preceeded by the powerful Don’t Call Me, its repackage, Atlantis, was, in simple words, like coming home. Flitting from one genre to another — from the simple pop of “Heart Attack” to the reggae-inspired “Body Rhythm” — SHINee proved that two years apart could never shake their foundations. Coming back to them was as easy as breathing — but please, for the love of God, can we throw away the headdresses on “Don’t Call Me”?
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