[album review] romantic punch - it's yummy

Romantic Punch - It's Yummy
released: august 16, 2011

1. RP Addiction
2. 야미볼
3. 커튼을 닫아요, 에이미
4. 치명적 치료
5. Appointment
6. 야미볼 (inst.)

★★★☆








Romantic Punch, like Black Bag whose EP I reviewed few posts ago, is another band I discovered through watching Top Band 2. And boy, I was so wrong to not check them out sooner! I knew they existed, I just never really bothered - and they're really great. They have a pop rock sound that's fun, fun, fun. Their songs seem to bounce, and coupled with the vocal Bae In Hyuk's voice, they are a hell of a ride to listen to.

I've only checked out their latest EP, It's Yummy so far, but I could really get a clear sense of their style with the 5 original songs. RP Addiction is a great opening song. It's upbeat, and its anthem-like lyrics ("Romantic Punch! Romantic Punch! We will rock them all!") get you really pumped up for the rest of the album. And the rest of the album doesn't disappoint at all. The second track, 야미볼 (Yummy Ball), is a kickass song that's just a lot of fun. Bae In Hyuk is an amazing vocalist; the song is good, but his vocals make the song so, so, so much better. His ad-libbing is simply fantastic, and even from just listening to this track alone you can feel his high energy oozing through. The next track, 커튼을 닫아요, 에이미 (Close the Curtains Amie), is a mellow song that's slower than most songs on the EP, and seems to be heavily inspired by gospel music. Bae In Hyuk's voice shines again in this song, as he shows off his amazing range while sounding very confident with each note he sings. 치명적인 치료 is a song that just emits sexiness. It's very jazzy in its execution, and the vocals are low and at times whispery, which adds to the attraction of the song. Appointment is a more traditional pop rock song. The melodies are actually quite generic and this is probably my least favourite song on this EP, but it sounds like a song that'd be much better live.

Bae In Hyuk really makes this band what it is. His singing mixes different styles like gospel, rock and even jazz, and it works extremely well with the rest of the band. And oh god, he is just so charismatic on stage. And he has such a personality, and a crazy fashion sense. Basically he's already up there high on my bias list.

Romantic Punch is the band I am rooting for the most on Top Band 2 at the moment. They're not too popular like The Koxx, Pia, Super Kidd, Transfixion or Daybreak (seriously, if one of them ends up winning, I won't be too pleased...), and I really feel like Romantic Punch have what it takes to become huge, as their sound is quite easy on the ears. And because Bae In Hyuk is such a cutie, haha.