EPIK HIGH achieve catharsis and articulate emotions of struggles and success in Epik High is Here Part 2 – Album Review

South Korean Hip-hop trio EPIK HIGH [Tablo, DJ Tukutz, and Mithra] have made their long-awaited comeback with Epik High is Here (Part 2) which is a follow-up of their last year’s release Epik High is Here Part 1. The album was released on February 14, 2022, just in time for Valentine’s Day, a day that celebrates love in all its forms and glory. The album is composed of 12 tracks, including two previously released tracks Rain Song (Feat. Colde) and Face ID (Feat. GIRIBOY, Sik-K, JUSTHIS)

 

EPIK HIGH achieve catharsis and articulate emotions of struggles and success in Epik High is Here Part 2 – Album Review

 

The difference between Epik High being ‘here’ for the listeners is vast. In part 1, the tone was of understanding, whereas Part 2 expands further feels more like ripping one’s heart out and laying it bare. The tone of Part 2 is laid back, sometimes sad, sometimes lonely, sometimes cocky, and sometimes celebratory. The songs sketch a raw and honest picture of the human psyche once again, and in doing so, the trio sends out a signal that they are here for their listeners as a source of comfort in their hard times and the loudest cheerleader in their success. Throughout the years, their lyrics have held deep-lying meaning, often in layers, that bloom like a flower upon listening. We find the same in Epik High is Here (Part 2) as well. Let’s walk the journey of love, loss, and celebration with EPIK HIGH.

 

HERE

 

Here is a simple 41-second track that starts with just one word ‘Here’ and soon paves the way for lyrics that feel like one is looking into a mirror. The track begins slowly and progresses into a full-blown raw confession.

 

PREQUEL

 

‘Prequel’ traces the hip-hop trio’s journey from 2001 to the present. The song chronicles how the group began with a $10 paycheck and $300 rented apartment and succeeded in life. The rap-heavy song features classic techno hip-hop beats, replete with DJ disk slides. The song asserts the group’s struggles and dominance in the music industry – “We've fallen, but have never given up / We went beyond the limits the world set for us at the beginning/ No matter how many times I rewrite it, on the last page of my life / The last sentence is—/’I was here’.”

 

 

SUPER RARE (Feat. Wonstein, pH-1)

 

‘Super Rare’ is a track that is unapologetic, and cocky. Featuring Wonstein and pH-1, this hip-hop rap song is a treat to the ears. The artwork video features a mishmash of designs, colors, and words, thus creating a vibe that there is so much to map out that it has all become organized chaos. The title Super Rare is quite apt for the song is all about celebrating all things that are rare, be it food, music, or one’s own self (Now throw your hands up in the air, yeah / If you know you're super rare, yeah) The rad-ness drips from every second of the song, and we’re here to witness their success in all its glory!

 

 

GRAY SO GRAY (Feat. Younha)

 

Despite giving the vibe of a heartbreak song, ‘Gray So Gray’ is much more than the romance. It is an honest confession of the way someone has become. It encapsulates the raw and vulnerable feelings that are not easy to confess. Younha’s soft vocals accentuate the feeling of love lost whereas Tablo and Mithra Jin use rap and vocal verses to further the sentiment. The guitar strings and synth beats cast a soft yet sad glow in the song. The sentiment of self loathing is expressed vividly with lyrics like – “It's just that the world made me swallow countless thorns / And as I tried to push them out of my body / I became a cactus.” The Korean and English titles of the song are a good case of wordplay, and both express an emotion in the song. The Korean translates to a feeling of failure of change, and simply accepting things as they are, whereas the English title colors the feelings which that failure brings.

 

 

BRB

 

BRB is a track that expresses the desire to be free – of the past, of the present, and of oneself. The rush to keep going ahead in life without a backward glance or a pause has finally taken a toll. This has rendered the person looking more for himself above everything else – “As time passes, there are more things I want to avoid than things I want to do / I wonder if I'm now getting older.” The mellow piano strums clubbed with static music feel as if watching an old washed-up film reel.

 

I HATED MYSELF (Tablo’s World)

 

‘I Hated Myself (Tablo’s World)’ is a rap song through and through. It is one of the most endearing songs that expose the innermost workings of one’s mind. All of us, at some point or the other, have felt misunderstood and also hated ourselves for being the way we are. The trio plucks out those emotions from that thorny flower and lays it bare in the rap verses. The lyrics are quite hard-hitting, and relatable for many. “Is anybody out there? Out there?/Will anybody care when I'm not here? / Tell me who can love me when I hate me?” The soft reverb of cello matched with violin strums adds to the helpless feeling expressed in the song.

 

RAIN SONG (Feat. Colde)

 

EPIK HIGH collaborates with Colde for ‘Rain Song’. This ballad track carries tunes of drum beats and indie music, underscoring the intensity of missing one’s loved person. The song chronicles how the floodgates of memories are opened upon slight provocation – “When it rains / And I can't sleep/And sad music plays / Like the lyrics to an old song/I think of you.” Younha also makes a cameo in the track.

 

 

RICH KIDS ANTHEM (Feat. LeeHi)

 

‘Rich Kids Anthem’ is a classic diss-track towards the superfluous luxurious lifestyle that a certain section of society follows. The song calls out the insensitive behavior with lyrics like “Livin' like the rich kids / The one who's falling behind / You put him on your shit list / Because you're the one who needs to kill to live / Hundreds of thousands pieces of hearts / But they broken and you're friendless.” The electro-synth beats echoing throughout the song add a perceptive depth to the words.

 

FACE ID (Feat. GIRIBOY, Sik-K, JUSTHIS)

 

‘Face ID’ is a track with sick beats and drips. The song is a raw hip-hop rap song, calling out all the naysayers. The artists are high on success and fame, and they won’t stop anyone from letting them feel any less. The lyrics are self-proclaiming - “Don't care about the charts / Been through the roof already, so what more is there?” The cymbal beats are like a buzzer that rings each time one scores.

 

 

PIANO FOR SALE

 

‘Piano for Sale’ is a one-minute-long piano instrumental with steady progression in the tone. Just as the song comes to a peak, there is a rest and the sounds of a toy key clicking are heard. The last few segments pave the way for the next track ‘Family Portrait’.

 

FAMILY PORTRAIT (Feat. Kim Feel)

 

‘Family Portrait’ is a song that will bring tears to your eyes. The song begins with Tablo’s verse in tune with the sound of a children’s toy. The song is a ballad of longing for the family. Kim Feel’s verse expresses the alienation – “I don't like who I've become / I don't know who I've become / It's just that I'm so lonely because I'm the only one who understands me”, whereas Mithra Jin and Tablo’s verses explain how the situation came into begin. Family Portrait concludes with a symphony of heartfelt string instruments, and the child’s toy once again.

 

CHAMPAGNE

 

The album comes to a stunning conclusion with ‘Champagne’. The bubbly golden drink is often seen as a symbol of celebration of hard work and success, and EPIK HIGH translates that symbolism in beautiful lyrics. The song samples a recording of their first-ever live performance from their first-ever album. It gives a nod to their two-decade journey from no one to the one in the music industry. The music feels orchestral and exemplifies the celebratory nature of the lyrics.

 

Epik High Is Here (Part 2) once again proves that when it comes to lyrics, EPIK HIGH is one of the best artists out there. The trio majorly dabbles into hip-hop and rap but doesn’t shy away from experimenting with other genres. The album stands true to its title, for EPIK HIGH is here for the listeners in many ways than one. The album is critical of oneself with tracks like ‘Gray So Gray’ and ‘I Hate Myself (Tablo’s World)’, but in doing so, these songs lend a hand of understanding. Tracks like ‘Champagne’, ‘Face ID’, ‘Super Rare’ celebrate the success unapologetically. The roots and the struggles are not forgotten, but the success is celebrated on a new high. They look into the pensive thoughts of their own self and jot down the words as they flow. In doing so, they put down their most vulnerable and tender moments bare for the world to witness. They don’t pray to a deity but instead ask for understanding in a mad, mad world. If you want to feel understood, listen to EPIK HIGH’s Epik High Is Here (Part 2).

 

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