House mixes with Latin music on Block B’s comeback for “Shall We Dance,” released on Tuesday (Nov. 7) alongside their sixth mini album Montage.
You only need to look as far as the title to know it’s a dance track.
Block B isn’t the most dance-oriented idol group — with the exception of U-Kwon, who competed on idol-survivor dance show Hit the Stage. But steps are literally built into the track as the hook revolves around the count from numbers one to seven. After all, their choreography incorporates tango elements.
The Latin fusion element is part of a new trend in K-pop — most recently featured in SONAMOO’s Monday (Nov. 6) release of “I (Knew It).”
The track was co-composed by leader Zico and harkens back to the in-your-face aggression of earlier singles like “Nillili Mambo” and “Very Good.” The bass line is deafening and the blaring horns sound more like alarms.
The music video relays the fact that even their most forceful tracks are always accented with a touch of absurd playfulness. B-Bomb hangs out the side of a heavily graffitied car. Then all of the members dance in the the windows of a concrete apartment complex. At one point, the septet is being carried on a loveseat through the streets.
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Watch the music video for “Shall We Dance” below.
Montage is a fitting name for the five-track mini album because it bends genres beyond the point of cohesion. However, Block B has always been fixated on showcasing their versatility.
The album features the official Korean version of “My Zone,” which was originally released as a Japanese track last year, another bass-heavy track that takes on a funk groove. It’s another entry in their canon of aggression — one of the lyrics is literally “we go hard” — but they have a knack for maintaining their fun vibe. And things take an unexpected sonic turn on “One Way,” a frothy pop song adorned with ska-infused trumpeteering. The offbeat rhythm, co-composed by member Park Kyung, taps into reggae.
The boy band takes a break from the overflowing energy of the album on “Like This.” The vocal line — B-Bomb, U-Kwon, Taeil and Jaehyo — shines on a piano-driven ballad as main vocal Taeil’s soaring voice weaves in and out of the symphonic sounds. Then “Give & Take” closes the album on a sultry, EDM-infused note courtesy of co-composer B-Bomb.