Review: Melting Point by Zerobaseone

Prior to their debut mini-album “Youth in the Shade” in July, the nine member South Korean boy band Zerobaseone already built up a large fandom after participating in the survival show “Boys Planet” that formed their group based on a fan voting system. The survival show hosted 98 male contestants from both Korea and other countries including Canada, America, China and Japan.

Throughout the show the contestants competed against each other, showed off their skills and were trained and critiqued by well-known Korean artists. After voting, the top nine out of the 18 participants were chosen to debut in the group.

On Nov. 6, Zerobaseone released their second mini album “Melting Point.” From where they started, this new album shows that the members have developed their skills.

The album presents a mixture of calming yet energetic songs, like “Take My Hand” or “Good Night.” The track “Melting Point” opens the album with a soothing melody and an almost cricket-like sound in the background. The song’s lyrics emphasize the experience of having feelings so intense for a person that you are overcome by emotions. It’s in the chorus when the song title comes into play, with the lyrics “Rush, rush, I melt away.” 

The new album shows a stronger presence of maturity than the band’s previous releases, seen in songs like “Crush.”

Compared to earlier track “In Bloom”, which focuses on a youthful and lovestruck interpretation of pursuing someone, “Crush” has a different and darker feel.  In “In Bloom” the lyrics sing, “Taking my first step wasn’t easy/but even if it becomes staggering/I can’t stop me for you and me.” 

In “Crush” the lyrics “Crush me/break me, but I’ll protect you/crush me/strike me down, but I’ll stand on/crush me” take a different approach that expresses a stronger and more determined love.

The song “Take My Hand” offers the listeners a unique combination of both fast and slow paced beats overlapping, and occasionally overpowering, each other. The music itself encompasses a strange yet hopeful vibe.

“Kidz Zone” stands out with a nostalgic ambiance that left the fans wanting more. The lyrics include the line “We’ll be kids forever” and the members display higher pitched vocals.

As an ending to the album, the group departs with the song “Good Night.” Unlike the other songs in the album, it includes the piano as a prominent instrument, complimenting the members’ vocals to make for an almost perfect song to fall asleep to.

“Melting Point” brings an exciting collection of new songs to listen to, however, it lacks some variety of instruments. Despite this weakness, what was released shows that the members have come a long way in their abilities since their debut. “Melting Point” has proven that fans can only expect the group will continue to grow.