Pentagon is back, and with the group’s exemplary 11th mini-album out now, they continue to inspire.
After the previous album, Pentagon achieved their impressive first place win on a music program – and in doing so, showed hard proof that work ethic and diligence can turn dreams into reality. The group has fluently journeyed across a spectrum of genres since debuting in 2016, and we can’t help but appreciate Pentagon’s overarching story of success – a justifiable result of their natural abilities.
With their new release LOVE or TAKE, we were able to attend the group’s debut media showcase where they performed new tracks from the mini-album and reinforced their reputation as a revolutionary act. Initially hitting the stage, Pentagon introduces this new era with a comforting sense of playfulness – donning pastel suits for their first song “Baby I Love You.” The song maintains an infectious pop-hit charm that is noticeably a perfect fit for Yanan (also acknowledged by fellow member Yuto, to who Yanan graciously returned the compliment.)
The song and stage performance set the next phase of Pentagon as a springtime necessity – a change of pace from their equally impressive last album cycle WE:TH. From that first moment upon listening to “Baby I Love You,” it’s obvious that this is a crucial piece of the album, representing the optimism and uplifting messages that Pentagon is welcoming into their lives. Wooseok does acknowledge the absence of Hui (in addition to Jinho now) and wants to work harder for those unable to participate – and much to our excitement, Shinwon later expands by stating they’re all invested in continuing keeping the group together for a long time.
Pentagon has always been viewed as a brotherhood of performers, and while taking every moment to respect and appreciate those unable to perform alongside them, Pentagon is always represented with excellence. From their individual interactions to the way they appear excited to hear the group’s songs, Pentagon is genuinely having fun with their artistry, and that makes every release that much more fulfilling for fans and the artists themselves.
The group introduced their second song, “DO or NOT” opening with an overtly-bubbly whistle from Wooseok (who jokingly struggled to replicate the moment.) The song has an almost early ’00s band sound that compliments Pentagon extremely well for a group that likes to switch it up. The chorus has the group shout out “so what I don’t care” with the band backing the group in unison that becomes enamoring upon a first listen, and for that, it’s a total standout track on LOVE or TAKE. However, in its entirety, LOVE or TAKE is an album that I confidently can say deserves to be played from beginning to end.
With the song “1+1” the subtle introduction kicks off, and immediately Hongseok can’t help but embrace his desire to move to the R&B style beat that is one of the best-kept secrets of their discography. The group next played a snippet of “Baby I Love You” causing Wooseok to silently mouth the catchy lyrics while others teased the track’s intricately constructed choreography from their seats. The following song, “That’s Me” provides a retro future-funk blend that had Yanan and Kino hyped from the first note, and the sixth song translated as”Sing-a-song” had every member moving, and collectively giving an impression that the group has a shared love for each and every piece of music they create together.
The last track comes from the group’s own Hui, a slow, piano message that feels like a follow-up to Jinho’s pre-enlistment song on the previous album. Labeled “Boy in time” the soft melodic stylings of Hui are delivered with a heartfelt ballad that’s all the more reason to appreciate the group’s depiction of authentic life changes told through music. With this new iconic era of Pentagon upon us, we’re now getting to see that there’s no stopping this talented group of men – and we’re ready for anything they are prepared to share with us.
What are your thoughts on the new Pentagon album? Check out the video above, and make sure to stream their new album LOVE or TAKE, available now!
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