For CIX, Groove Comes Naturally: “THUNDER FEVER” Review

Quite like wrapped chocolate, with CIX, you know what you’re going to get. The well-rounded four piece make good use of what they have. Their voices sit nicely next to each other like siblings on a bench in a family photo; there is no standout timbre, but rather always a comfortableness to their sound. Cinema and Movie Star were enough to tell you the boys like sticking to a feel-good groove, bar the odd experiment like 458. The mood is a given with the band at this point, but recently they’ve been turning it up several notches.

Bad Moves reminisces the peak of feel-good tunes a decade ago. Very present finger snaps sink into a bass you could hear even on cheap crispy-sounding earphones held a metre away from your head. Every element of the song’s production is loud it would seem; the thick synths follow a euphoric melody as the boys plead: “I don’t like it, when you move like that”. Its message is an ironic spin on the straightforward; they shouldn’t go back to an ex, but temptation has other plans. Seunghun, Yonghee and Hyunsuk’s voices are bright and well-projected in the choruses. The song is a bit late to the trend, but the boys pull it off well.

CIX are in their second installment of Justin Timberlake-levels of groove with the title track THUNDER. Hard, intentional beats drag the song out of pop-funk oblivion. They really whipped out the thesaurus when writing the lyrics, with hooks such as: “Feelin’ it deep inside of me, your love is like electricity / It’s shockin’ the way you’re bringin’ me to life (Back to life)”. A rather clever play on words – in a language not primary to the singers or the song – transforms THUNDER into an engaging hit for fans both international and local. The last minute is the most Daft Punk a Daft Punk-influenced tune that has ever sounded. The electronic legends were certainly on the vision board with this one, and for good reason; it takes the song from an 8 to a 10. This, alongside BX’s rap, are the best parts of the song by a mile. We also get to see the boys dancing in studded getups and streetwear in the track’s music video, in the backdrop of a geometrically tipsy metropolis, so bonus points for that.

Cupid’s feeling nostalgic in Lovers or Enemies. The adorable tune makes way for some impressive vocal feats, especially in the line “Love or hate, it can be ugly” in which its respective singer makes a smooth high jump followed by a limbo of notes. The chorus’ layers pile gently on with time, and you’d genuinely believe it if this song were written on Valentine’s Day.

It serves as an airbag of sorts for the mandatory album insert ballad My Name is Shadow which has no flaws except for being a bit uninspired. Luckily, this only makes the EP’s goodbye tune My Everlasting Sun sound even more beautiful. Melodic broken chords introduce soft vocals, leading to a powerful chorus that feels well-earnt. The post-chorus strings are heavenly, too. This song could probably water your plants.

Besides from one miss, it’s a surprisingly good feat from CIX who are evidently quite comfortable in their own skin. After all, not every band is hell-bent on revolutionising the industry.

Written by Maddie Armstrong

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to films, music, and arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. With rich content already available to our readers, we aim to expand our reach and grow alongside our audience by delving deeper into emerging platforms such as K-pop and Asian music more broadly. At the same time, we remain committed to exploring the vibrant and ever-evolving global landscape of film, music, and the arts, celebrating the immense talent and creativity that define these industries worldwide.}