Dimension: Dilemma

After forming in 2020 through Belift Lab's survival show I-Land, seven-piece boy band ENHYPEN swiftly became one of the year's most talked-about new groups. Their debut EP, Border: Day One, secured an impressive number two position on the Gaon charts. Now, having topped the charts with sophomore EP Border: Carnival, the group look to consolidate their artistic intentions -- and though their debut album is a little on the short side, it makes up for it with quality anthems. Titled DIMENSION: DILEMMA, the group's first LP puts them at a point of decision: taken aback by the wide possibilities of youth, ENHYPEN are striving to find the right ways forward. These decisions come in many forms -- the conflicting romance of "Just a Little Bit," the decisive impulse of "Go Big or Go Home," the "main character" energy of "Blockbuster" -- but all remain compellingly anchored in the group's emotive lyricism. Under the thumping, Daft Punk-like bassline of lead single "Tamed-Dashed" comes a distinctly candid plea: "Scorching sun, show me the way -- my compass, please don't leave me now."
ENHYPEN's choice of production proves equally engaging. The wind-tunnel adrenaline of "Tamed-Dashed" is full and lively; "Upper Side Dreamin'" and "Just a Little Bit" are tinged with a warm, autumnal nostalgia; and "Attention Please!" pulls no stops with its main-stage guitar riffing. "Blockbuster," perhaps the most ambitious of the album's six full tracks, begins like an early-2000s Celldweller track before folding cleanly into the melodic rock fusions typical of the genre. The only real miss here is "Go Big or Go Home"; Jay and Heeseung's infectious refrain feels wasted on such a generic deep house cut. With only six songs and a runtime of just over 22 minutes, DIMENSION: DILEMMA perhaps oversteps by billing itself as a full album -- but the project nonetheless proves another solid instalment in ENHYPEN's climb to the top. ~ David Crone