WayV – Awaken The World: Album Review

YESSS!!!! My babies are back, and I am super excited. WayV just released their first full-length album titled Awaken The World. It has ten songs including the title track “Turn Back Time” I already have a detailed profile post for WayV, which can be accessed with this link 👉🏼 WayV: Star Showcase. Also, if anyone needs the teaser images for this album, use this link 👉🏼 Official Tumblr Account. Most of the photos that don’t make it to my pictorial|poster faves always go on my Tumblr.

(Please note – this is a real-time review, meaning I am typing down my exacts thoughts while listening to each song.)

Reaction to Title Track/Official MV:

• This concept is something else. I love how the song starts with a loud siren and the heartbeat that naturally calls for anyone’s attention.
• My babies are looking GOOD. Ten is serving me looks.
• The song hasn’t even started, and I’m already fangirling this hard.
• Thankfully, Label V always gives captions.
• This beat is unusual but intriguing.
• Wait, wait… they didn’t have to come in that hard. I need to start this video from the beginning.
• By the way, I love their outfits or lack of in some scenes.
• Okay, I won’t lie. The intro with Lucas kind of threw me off a bit because I wasn’t expecting it to be so hip-hop based. My ears got more in line with this song once Kun started singing.
• Now let’s see how the chorus turns out.
• XiaoJun is always slaying me vocally.
• After the chorus, I’m 50/50 on this song, but I absolutely love the section that starts when Lucas says- “Stop, rewind, turn back time…5432” The melody there is catchy, and the choreography was very smooth.
• Okay, the rap parts sound way better to me in the second verse. I love Lucas, Winwin and Yangyang’s rhythm and flow. Maybe my ears were just too shocked during the intro.
• I can see that Winwin has a substantial amount of lines, and for some reason, Label V has decided not to give him a shirt. OKAY.😂😂😂
• I like that Winwin gets more shine in WayV, so I always make sure to confirm that they are consistent with him in each comeback.
• Yangyang is always spitting fire on every WayV song. I literally live for his parts.
• Everyone sounds terrific, and I like the chorus now. I guess I just needed more time with it.
• They are really out here not giving these boys shirts. What the heck???😳
• Ten looks gorgeous with this length of hair.
• As always, we have a dance break. Also, this section sounds like a score for a car racing game.
• That “Stop, rewind, turn back time” is the standout point of this song to me.
• Alright, I’m going to listen to “Turn Back Time” again before giving my final thoughts.
• This is a great song, and I love that it showcases a different side from their previous title tracks, but I’m not 100% on it yet. However, visually speaking, it is one of my favourite concepts from them.
• I think what this song lacks for me is the unique WayV touch. This seems more like a track for NCT 127.
• Now you all know I love NCT 127, but I prefer each NCT-unit to have their own distinct sprinkle. Hence why I hope to hear a better balance with the remaining songs on the album.

Album Review:

Here is the album on Spotify –

1. Turn Back Time – Because this has that standard NCT 127 vibe, it got better after hearing it a lot. I have listened to it four times now, and I can confirm that “Turn Back Time” does slap hard. Once I’m done with this review, I will watch the music video again to enjoy it properly.
2. Bad Alive – This starts out with a heavily synthesized beat, and Lucas seems to be taking the lead on this album. Okay, this song definitely goes hard, and I love the inclusion of sirens again. The vocal sections are beautiful. “Bad Alive” is also hip-hop based like the title track, but I feel it has more of the balance I was looking for. Or it could just be that my ears are accustomed to this new sound for them. Whatever it is, I LOVE THIS SONG. It will be a total blast if played through a car speaker. I can just imagine the bass of it all. I think so far, what I’ve noticed is that this album is going to allow more room for every member to shine equally because the rappers are giving me life on this track. While the vocalists are also killing me with their insane runs and high notes. Plus, everyone blends well. The melody for the chorus is pure 🔥 , and the overall production of this song screams perfection.
3. Unbreakable – Oh, I love how the instrumental flowed perfectly from “Bad Alive” into this song. XiaoJun is a vocal beast. The boy stays flexing his God-given pipes. The beat on this is body rolls worthy. Okay, WayV, you guys came through. I was kind of scared after the title track, but I love the songs. Yangyang and Hendery stay riding every beat correctly with their epic flow. Plus, Lucas ain’t helping with that his smooth deep voice. “Unbreakable” has a very sexy vibe to it, and I am just here dancing💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼. I love it when they sing in unison because their harmonies are always on point. I constantly wonder where SM Entertainment gets its artists or what sort of training they give them because the talent is overflowing in this group. Some parts of this song slightly remind me of “Highway to Heaven”
4. After Midnight – This seems a bit slower compared to the previous tracks. Oooh, I wasn’t expecting the melody to sound like this. Nice switch up, and why does the beat sound slightly retro to me? I love songs with finger snaps, and the chorus is beautiful – “Touch me after midnight…I like it better after midnight.” This seems to be “Love Talk” part 2, and I am here for all of it. Also, I noticed that the rappers are singing, but since this a more vocal track, they got fewer parts. “After Midnight” is a BOP, and it is climbing up to be my favourite. The instrumental is pure bliss. WOW, the production is impeccable. You all need to listen to those harmonies during the chorus and the high note at the end. WHAT?… WayV did not come to play with us.
5. Interlude: Awaken The World – I wonder what the second half of the album is going to sound like, and I do love the beat for this interlude.
6. Only Human – Things are getting soft and sentimental with this one. I’m guessing that this song has only the rap line. It is officially their time to shine, and I love the rap-singing style they are using. Plus, Winwin’s singing voice sounds lovely. He needs to be added to the vocal line, Lol. Yangyang is a whole king. Among all the rappers, Hendery and Yangyang are the ones that always call for my attention. Also, the rap line stays, giving us solid sentimental bops. Last time it was “King of Hearts”, and now we have “Only Human”. At this rate, every song on this album will end up on my playlist, and I am not complaining.
7. Domino – The intro is catchy, and whoever started this song is too good? That voice…I need to confirm who it belongs to. I checked, and of course, it’s XiaoJun. At first, I thought it was Ten, but something didn’t feel right. Ten’s voice is slightly softer. YESSS, Lucas is the best hype man for all their songs. I live for the way he leads into the rap sections. Oh, I wasn’t expecting the chorus to be this way, but I like it. They are giving me harmonies and good background vocals, as always. The bass on this beat kind of hits hard. This album is made up of hip-hop influenced tracks and some sexy R&B grooves. A perfect combo if you ask me.
8. Up From Here – The drum beats are epic, and the vocalists are reigning on this track. Hendery is giving me life, I am here for his energy. Oh, what is the weird beat that comes in when they start singing as if they’re counting each word? Whatever it is, I LOVE IT. The chorus is perfect, and I love the progression during that section. The instrumental feels like very smooth rhythmic claps. The production is insane. Lol when they sing, “Love me like do,” I feel like they are about to continue with, “Love me like do, what are you waiting for?”😂😂😂 “Up From Here” is another solid track.
9. Electric Hearts – This seems to be more of a bubbly pop song. Okay, I can tell for sure that Ten is the one starting this song. I love that “Ah ah, oh, oh.” That was a beautiful falsetto right before the main verse entry. I really like the instrumental progression, and the EDM infusion is perfect for this song. “Electric Hearts” is such a classic dance song. The switch with the rappers during the bridge section is heavenly, and the build-up is pure fire. I need to blast this song on my speaker tomorrow. The ending is beautiful. I love how the stripped away the heavy instrumental and ended with just raw vocals.
10. Stand By Me – They always end their album with this kind of casual tracks, so I was expecting this vibe. The melody for the chorus is lovely and very catchy. Whenever they sing in unison, I get chills from their harmonies. “Stand By Me” feels like something I would have heard at the ending of a 2000s Disney movie. I am getting major nostalgic waves while listening to this song.

Final Thoughts: 

Overall, I am pleased with this album. Good job, WayV👏👏👏👏👏👏. At first, I was skeptical and nervous about the sound, but I came to love it a lot with each new song. The boys truly brought their A+ game, and I love seeing them grow as artists. I already added the ten tracks to my playlist because although I have my faves, everyone was equally enjoyable and could fit what I like listening to when I’m in a very chirpy mood.

Therefore my rating for WayV’s first full-length album – Awaken The World is a 10/10.

Before I close this post, I want to speak a bit about the fashion accessories issue with Kun and Winwin teaser outfits. Now I know this caused the delay of WayV’s music video today, and also the release of their physical album has been postponed. Label V wants to make the needed corrections to the printed photos of Kun and Winwin –

I’m glad that Label V took people’s advice and are actually working to make corrections before releasing the physical album. I noticed that they already made changes to the digital photos, so kudos to them for being responsive to the risen concerns. Moving ahead, I hope that Label V and the stylist properly cross-check everything before putting them on the boys because such mistakes could quickly escalate into more prominent scandals. I want my babies to succeed and stay problem-free.

That’s my piece on the fashion accessory issue. I hope you all continue to support WayV and keep streaming Awaken The World because it is available online. Love you all.💕

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