<Version Up>

Hello, I'm playback and one hell of an orbit. I'll quickly start with how we ended up here, getting an OEC comeback after 7 years. To summarize, each LOONA member filed a lawsuit against BBC (their company), they won (it's more complicated than that) and 5 of them (Heejin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, Choerry and later Haseul) joined MODHAUS (founded by Jaden Jung, the "creator" of the loonaverse, who lead the loona project for the first couples of years). Kim Lip, Jinsoul and Choerry, members of the subunit ODD EYE CIRCLE, found themselves together and after 7 years, are getting a comeback. The album description got me super excited as Jersey Club and Hyperpop were mentioned, of course, the album doesn't include any hyperpop track but that wasn't so surprising as the K-pop take on hyperpop isn't quite the same as real hyperpop.

--- REVIEW ---
OEC's new album starts with "Did You Wait?". It's the same as in the teaser, so there's nothing new here for fans. Nevertheless, it remains an interesting intro to the comeback, starting with a snippet from "Sweet Crazy Love" (debut song) and LOONATIC, and then with the help of glitching effects, drifting to a darker liquid drum and bass beat. In the end, it smoothly leads us to the title track, so even if I wouldn't consider it their best intro, it's definitely a nice one.

"Air Force One" starts with this muted beat that lets us think we'll later get something reminiscent of the Jersey club influence they hinted at. The first part, all up to the chorus, has a sort of minimalistic feeling to it, and I find it underwhelming compared to the sound I was used to. But when we arrive at the chorus, the synths hit us in the face with the breakbeat. On top we get this repetitive "dara dara dadada dada dada" (got it from the mv lyrics ok) which adds a je ne sais quoi of "slayful / playful but in a super girly way" vibe to it. I don't know I can't find a better term for the moment. I prefer the production of the second verse as the emptiness I felt before is now filled with shuffling rhythms. Up until the end, we stay with this mix of Future Bass and breakbeats and now I just need more. The song gives off a super clubby mood but I need more because for some reason I expected something with a different energy, it's making me hungry for the rest of the project, sure I had an amazing time, but now I want more.

Afterwards, we are welcomed by the colourful opening of "Je Ne Sais Quoi", the synths feel soft and smooth but the plucks give us contrasts and make us feel the deep house inspiration of the track. There's a je ne sais quoi of addictiveness in it that just makes you want to always stay in the song. As I listen to the song, one thing comes to my mind "Is this how happiness feels like?", I know it sounds somewhat cliché to say that, but with the group's situation, there's this feeling of relief that comes when listening to this one and my only hope is that I will find this feeling again later on.

Moving to "Lucid". Just like aespa's "Lucid", we are greeted with a dreamy contemporary rnb track. It's filled with a je ne sais quoi of a lush and glittery colour, just like in the previous song which makes it very pleasing to the ear. I love the feeling of cosiness that comes through the song with the help of the Lofi drums, it brings a moment of calm in between the energetic songs without missing on OEC's synthpop origins.

"Love Me Like" completely changes the mood we were left with. It's a nice upbeat song with a je ne sais quoi of bubbliness to it. I like how the production takes inspiration from bitpop to incorporate a lot of small ear candy, and combined with the nu-disco groove, it results in something super playful without ever feeling like being too much. The instrumental still gives them room to express their vocals and for us to breathe.

Finally, the song I probably was the most curious about came on, "My Secret Playlist". It's supposed to be a song where they reference other songs to deliver us a secret playlist. Just like all other tracks before, there's this je ne sais quoi of playfulness all over the sound, brought by the future bass and Baltimore club elements, and it makes you want to play the album all over again. The bosa nova part from 1:40 to 1:55 brings a short soulful break and I think it contrasts well with the rest of the song.