We still have some time to go for another EXO comeback, but in the meantime its members are keeping busy with solo work. Next up is Xiumin, who makes his official solo debut with a mini album (though he did release a fun duet with NCT’s Mark a few years ago and an SM Station solo). Title track Brand New is billed as having a retro sound, taking its cues from the late 90’s and early 00’s.

At the risk of dating myself, I happened to be a teenager during this period of millennium teen pop and skittery, futuristic R&B. That background probably has something to do with my continued love for K-pop, whose boy band/girl group-heavy landscape often nods back to that era. But beyond a few musical touches, I don’t hear these influences in Brand New. It sounds very much like an SM track (which are almost always 90’s-adjacent, btw). The percussion choices are the closest we get to that late 90’s R&B sound, when producers like Timbaland and Kevin “She’kspere” Briggs reigned supreme. Coupled with its catchy post-chorus chant, Brand New makes for some light nostalgia.

What’s missing for me is more oomph in the melody. The verses are largely unremarkable, taking a languid approach at odds with a party track like this. And while the chorus (and vocal delivery!) are incredibly smooth, they lack that indelible hook that would make Brand New an instant standout. If this had actually been released in 1997, it might have struggled against more memorable tracks. Thankfully, Xiumin turns in an amiable performance and sounds particularly great on the explosive bridge.