Dear, guys – welcome to Letters From Liz!
Another day, another Victon comeback! I have to be honest, life has been so busy for me that I actually forgot to prepare this post in advance. Nevertheless, Victon made their comeback with their 8th mini album, Choice, ending their 3-part time trilogy. The trilogy started off with Chronograph earlier this year in January and continued in May with Chaos.
Victon announced their comeback back in October during their fan concert, “Chronicle”. While we were all excited to get new music from our favorite boys, it came during a time where Victon had just lost one of their members. Chan officially announced his departure from the group just a week before the comeback was announced, which left a lot of us confused and concerned thinking if this was the right time to jump right into a comeback. Atlas, Victon dropped the last part of this trilogy and they did not disappoint. Let’s just say this album is my favorite out of the trilogy!
So without further ado, here’s some of my thoughts on each track!
1.) “Virus”
Okay, so the title track for this is this masterpiece that literally didn’t even think was something that Victon would put out. This sound is very nostalgic; it’s a sound a lot of 2nd generation & 3rd generation kpop music was like for boy groups, so it was refreshing that they decided to make their comeback with a sound like this. But this electronic pop isn’t a foreign sound for Victon! They experienced with this genre in their earlier stuff, like their title track for their 2nd mini album with “EYEZ EYEZ”. The only different is that this is a sexy song. The opening has our main vocalist literally serving those 90’s R&B vocals, setting the tone for how pretty the song is, but then BAM – the beat changes and it’s dark and sexy.
I really enjoy this song as their title track! Plus, we get an insane Hanse rap that just feels out of this world because the flow of his rap and how the beat changes and is set up doesn’t align whatsoever, but our main rapper makes it work and it’s literally insane. We also get two high notes at the end! The first one is from Sejun, which was surprising to fans because he’s not one to get the high notes as a lead vocalist. If anything, I think this era is Sejun’s! Of course, we get high note Seungsik, which puts the icing on top of the title track cake. It’s definitely one of my favorites on this album, and as an overall title track for Victon.
2.) “Time Chaser”
This b-side is truly a hidden gem. It’s so beautiful, and I simply have no words for it. It’s a different sound for the boys, but they execute it so flawlessly and it’s heartbreaking but empowering. The premise of the song is that even with time passing, “I will never break”, as our leader Seungsik sings in the chorus. This would’ve been a strong title track and something tells me this was in the talks of being this mini album’s title track, because it definitely is one of the strongest b-side tracks in Victon’s discography. Yes, she sits at the same table as “Flip A Coin” from their full-length album, VOICE: The future is now. I have nothing else to say besides that this song is my favorite out of the album, and a tattoo is in the works for this because of the meaning and the message behind it. I recommended anyone wanting to listen to Victon to listen to this gem while doing your research.
3.) “Alive”
The opening of this song made me scream. The opening samples somewhat of a “R&B with some lo-fi vibes” beat and then the beat drops and it’s literally such an experience. It’s funky and it’s groovy, and it’s something that we’ve heard Victon do in the past. The chorus even changes in sound. It definitely reminds me of their b-side from their last mini-album; “Bonnie & Clyde” where the beat changes in the chorus and Sejun begins to sing. I can see myself getting pumped up at the gym listening to this song.
4.) “Better Place”
This has to be the cutest song Victon has put out, and it makes me smile the most stupid smile I ever did. This song has such a double meaning; while the song has light and symbolizes a new beginning in their trilogy, I also feel like this is Victon letting Alice know that they are in a better place. It’s been a really rough past couple of months for our boys, so it was nice to hear this song and even have the boys sing it all off-key and playful at the end of the song.
This also features my possible most favorite Hanse rap ever. Within this rap, he has all the members participating and then completely vibing out with the rest of his verse. I hollered and it was on repeat because it was possibly the cutest thing ever. Needless to say, this is also another favorite of mine!
5.) “Feels Good”
“Feels Good” feels… good! They play with a beat that feels like a younger Victon, which I always adore when we get new music from them because even though they are all older and more mature now, this young and fresh sound they started out with still fits them so well. This song easily feels like it belongs in their second mini album!
This song was written by all of the members, and the lyrics were written with the others in mind. They have described it as a love letter to each other, and I nearly cried hearing that. Victon always do this thing where they end their albums with songs that are meant to make you feel good, but almost cry happy tears. This song is bittersweet, and it makes me wonder if this was written prior to Chan’s departure or after or if the lyrics were written with their other members in mind, like Seungwoo and formerly Chan. It’s definitely a fan song, and from the looks of it, the fans are taking a huge liking of it.
And that’s the end of their trilogy! It’s been a wild ride this year with Victon and seeing how the story evolved with each music video and title track. Personally, I think this is their strongest mini album since Continuous. This album compared to the last one feels the most like Victon and this album is truly a no-skip album.
Here’s to more Victon comebacks in the future! Seungwoo discharges from the military in January 2023 and I think I speak for every Victon fan… we miss our Wooya with our boys! So, you already know I’ll be back with another review of their next comeback when he comes home! Until the next one!
Letters From Liz. 