This is ARTMS’ first EP, <Club Icarus>, which follows their first album <Dall> released May 2024.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5h5Ort0gghTn9VgqsUzEvq?si=xG6sLbwsRxeB4qz2YhOfOg
Comments are live reactions.
Club for the Broken
One thing about Jaden Jeong, he will always make a beautiful intro to his project.
WHEN I GO TO THE CLUB I WANNA HERE THOSE CLUB- for the broken.
I’m sat. Let’s see.
Icarus^
I haven’t seen the music video yet so let’s hear it for the first time now.
The stacatto strings mixed with the classical arpeggiated piano… oh what do you have in store.
The chorus… not going to lie… is underwhelming. The melody is nice and the vocals are top-notch but I wish there was a more explosive instrumental that accompanied it.
I’m honestly underwhelmed, sad.
Obsessed
Okay this ambient garage beat is eating. Definitely a glow up from the “Icarus”. The contrast between the moody vocals and the very “pink” garage beat is nice. I do think this is the best song off of the album.
This album is not what I was expecting to be quite honest.
Goddess
Drum and bass?? Okay don’t hurt them.
This song is more production heavy than ARTMS heavy which is understandable given that this is supposed to be a club but… why did we wait a year for an underwhelming title track and project that doesn’t really showcase the girls’ skills?
Verified Beauty
Okay thank you, lets bring it back to real K-Pop.
The song structure is very formulaic and can’t do no wrong. Very bright in contrast to the previous songs on the project.
Burn*
I don’t understand the hate behind this song… is it a little quirky, sure but it still has a solid melody and a nice buildup. The production may not be everyone’s favorite but I was still sat. A little bratty glam I think of it.
*Released as Singles before Album Release
^Released as Singles during/after Album Release
<Club Icarus> is a project sonically designed to cater to the misfits, or in other words, those with a lot of patience. With a misfitted classical art ballad serving as the lead single, a pre-release single you have to Stockholm yourself into liking, and overlooked EDM genres as your b-sides, you have to respect the vision of <Club Icarus>.
For “Icarus” to be the lead single with no hook and no explosive chorus is an interesting career choice; however, I can’t doubt the artistry that went behind the song. The classical elements of the production paired with ARTMS’ top-tier vocals create an artpop piece—that may not be on par with their other artpop song “Birth” from their <Dall> album—but defiantly suggests to listeners and fans of ARTMS to expect the unexpected from here on out.
However, aside from the unexpected “Icarus”, the two tracks “Obsessed” and “Goddess” really focus on the club aspect of the EP. “Obsessed” is a bright garage song contrasted by a moody vocal delivery from ARTMS. The dichotomy produces an eerie and chaotic overcast. “Goddess” is a hyper and mellow drum and bass song that fails to showcase what ARTMS can do, but rather what Jaden Jeong can hit on his beat pad.
“Verified Beauty” is the stereotypical beauty of the entire EP with a formulaic K-Pop song structure. Reminiscent of LOONA’s “#” era, this song feels the safest out of the EP.
Finally, there’s “Burn”: a bratty and chic song that feels fit for a runway except this song is too otherworldly (neutral connotation) to be found on a runway.