CURRENT #16: IU- Eight (FT. SUGA)

Released: May 6th, 2020

It's been a while since we have seen collaborations between idols who are on top of their games right now. At the same time though, you couldn't have asked for a more talented duo as each of these 2 idols have something significant to contribute. You have the nation's little sister who has held a voice unlike any other for more than a decade. You have a member who is the musical mastermind behind arguably the most popular boy group in the world right now. The result of this powerful collaboration is a song that plucks across our heartstrings and emotionally delivers both lyrically and musically.

When I first looked at the song details, I was quite surprised at how short Eight is, at just 2:48 song. This would make it one of the shortest K-Pop promotional tracks I have ever heard. Although I usually don't care whatsoever about song length in general, I do prefer the ones that are on the longer end of that spectrum, as those ones take the time to mature and naturally progress throughout, taking advantage of every single track section. However, Eight surprisingly progresses well throughout the verses to where it never felt too short, with its amplitude distinctively rising to a crescendo. We hear a solicitous melody of both acoustic and rock guitars along with a sprinkle of synths in the intro to add that touch of tranquilness, before IU's vocals and the drums take over. As to no surprise, her singing is just soothing, and I appreciate the addition of each instrument as Eight travels further along the verses, swooshing layers on top of the rich melody.

When I heard the chorus, I was blown away. I have never heard these kind of vocals from IU ever before, and I am still in great shock, because she knows how to introduce a chorus with attitude. The rock guitar remains the sharpest instrument in the song and is put into great use here, blending in well with its low-pitch sound to strike a nice balance with IU's high-pitch vocals. Her high notes truly define the song's climax, before gradually calming things down with a simple but effective "oh-oh-oh" hook. As the main composer of Eight, it would make sense to Suga to make an appearance here. Although quite short, his rap part elegantly picks up where the post-chorus left off, carrying forth the song's rhythm without making too much noise. The bridge is brief, but it does what it needs to do to pick up the pace for another climax in the end.

Suga truly is a mastermind for somehow being able to fit in all of the defined sections in a song and make each of them sound distinct, in just 2 minutes and 48 seconds. Song length aside though, Eight is a magnificent track piece that exhibits studio song-writing at its finest. No instrument was ever louder than the other, and it's always a charm to reflect on life with a track that doesn't need to rely on synthesizers to ascend to a crescendo. That's because the brilliance of IU takes care of that, and I hope we continue to see more releases from her with top-notch artists.

RATING: 7.5/10