Life Listens: New music from IVE, Metallica, Rainie Yang, Morgan Wallen and Abangsapau

In this weekly column, The Straits Times curates the most buzz-worthy music you need to know about now.

Ace Album: IVE – I’ve IVE

K-pop girl group IVE are, without a doubt, one of the hottest new groups of the moment. The sextet have enjoyed momentous success since their debut in December 2021 with the earworm Eleven, following up with even bigger hits like the chart-topping Love Dive, which was awarded Song Of The Year at multiple South Korean music shows in 2022.

It is little wonder then that their first full-length album is a sales sensation. Within a week of its release on April 10, it has sold 1,102,107 copies, making them the third K-pop girl group after Blackpink and Aespa to become million-sellers in a week.

And the IVE fever will hit Singapore soon too, as they are slated to

hold their first fan concert here on June 30.

The 11-track I’ve IVE is anchored by I Am, a big, confident pop song not afraid to be loud. It is bolstered by an addictive hook and powerful high notes.

Kitsch, which was unveiled prior to the full album, is weighed down by a repetitive chorus, but there are other tracks that explore different sounds and feel new to the group.

The noughties R&B vibe of Cherish is definitely in keeping with the Y2K revival trend, while Not Your Girl is a straightforward vivacious pop song made for dancing with friends. 

Blue Blood, which opens the album, is a battle cry. It is declarative and strong, a fitting introduction to a group that have achieved so much in such a short time. – Jan Lee

Stream This Song: Rainie Yang – Eternal Future With You

Trust Rainie Yang to combine both soft femininity and steely determination on her latest ballad.

It is a lovely balancing act which the Taiwanese singer has showcased many times before, on hits such as Take Me Away (2008) and We Deserve Happiness (2014). The challenge is finding a fresh angle to tell a love story and, here, the obstacle to love is timing.

After all, Eternal Future With You is also the theme song of the upcoming Chinese romance movie Yesterday Once More, opening in Singapore cinemas on May 11. It follows two childhood sweethearts who meet and fall in love again after many years, but whose fates are rewritten when an accident causes them to fall into a cycle of time and space.

Lyrics such as “too fast too slow too much torture” express the heartbreaking agony of missed connections, but Yang’s spirited delivery inspires with its resolve to make things work. – Benson Ang

Must-See MV: Metallica – 72 Seasons (Official ASL Interpretation)

American quartet Metallica are set to go down in history as the first major rock act to release American Sign Language (ASL) videos for all the songs on an album.

The band’s first video, the title track of their new album 72 Seasons, was out in conjunction with National American Sign Language Day on April 15.

It features American sign language interpreter Amber Galloway, who made her name in recent years interpreting songs at concerts and music festivals.

Galloway, sporting her trademark pink mohawk, is a live wire, running through not just the lyrics sung by Metallica frontman James Hetfield, but also the song’s instrumental parts.

The series of videos is a collaboration between the band, non-profit group Deaf Professional Arts Network and Galloway’s Amber G Productions.

72 Seasons is the 11th album from Metallica, a release that sees them dive back into their classic thrash metal sound from the 1980s, chock-full of thick guitar riffs and pummelling drums. – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Chart Champ: Morgan Wallen – One Thing At A Time

American country star Morgan Wallen is shaping up to be a new chart juggernaut in the United States.

His third album, One Thing At A Time, has been at No. 1 on the Billboard charts for the sixth week running, and it does not look like it will be dethroned any time soon.

It is the singer’s first album since he was embroiled in a controversy in 2021, when a video of him using a racial slur went viral. He has since apologised.

The release is a whopper of an album, with 36 tracks in all. His versatility is on display and it spans several genres – mostly country, but also classic rock and R&B.

Still, the former contestant of reality singing show The Voice (2011 to present) cannot seem to run far from taking on the music genre’s usual topics when it comes to lyrics, namely drinking and heartbreak.

Sometimes, the two are combined in one song, like in Man Made A Bar, featuring fellow country star Eric Church, which is about the drinking that comes after a heartbreak. – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Singapore Scene: Abangsapau – Cahaya

Home-grown rapper-singer Abangsapau’s newest single is a Hari Raya number that eschews the holiday’s celebratory mood for pensive contemplation.

Cahaya, which means light in Malay, is a wistful and melancholic track that sees him reminisce about his late father and ageing mother.

The ballad is a departure from the sarong-wearing artiste’s usual trap beat-driven tunes, a sign of his expanding creative palette.

Abangsapau, who sang in the 2020 National Day Parade show, says in a statement that he hopes the song gives comfort to those who have experienced loss.

“The lessons and experiences in overcoming mistakes and dealing with grief and depression over the last few years have given me a lot more perspective.” – Eddino Abdul Hadi