Song Review: from20 – Beat It

As one of my favourite discoveries of the past year, from20 and his accompanying label, The Faker Club, have been firing on all cylinders as of late, consistently delivering some of the strongest and most satisfying k-pop singles in recent memory. April’s Bad Revenge was a certified smash which makes it an even bigger surprise that I’ve never written a full post dedicated to him on the blog yet. However, new single Beat It almost forces me to change that, taking an already impressive sound down an even more immense and transcendent route.

There’s just something so satisfying about an artist grabbing hold of a signature sound and develop it over the course of a number of singles. And that’s something from20 has cultivated very well. Beat It very much feels as though it’s cut from the same cloth as Weol, Chemical and Bad Revenge but harnesses a grittier more aggressive soundscape that does wonders. From its creeping opening to explosive centrepiece, the track is immaculately produced, perfectly balancing its dynamics to deliver the ultimate musical sucker punch at every repetition. The choice of synth textures is also outstanding, giving an additional sense of depth and majesty to a production that holds its own weight. The chorus especially, resounds with additional dramatics that elevate it over so many other 80’s inspired dance tracks. In many ways, it struck me as a direct contrast to the progression of Weol‘s post-chorus. The aggressive synths here work exactly like the vocal melodies in that song, powering much of the soundscape while the vocals (Beat it) or instrumentation (Weol) take more of a backseat. This lends to a wonderful sense of continuity that I just adore.

But while I adore the production, it would be a crime not to mention from20’s work on the track. I adore his vocals and his performance here is just sublime. He imbues every single twist and turn of Beat it with the necessary aggression and grit it needs to deliver the intended musical sucker punch. Compare this to his performance on Chemical and you’ve got one hell of a versatile performer. Even so, I will say that Beat It could have truly become something special given an extra chorus. As many have said, the climax, though utterly magnificent feels much more in line with a bridge. It’s no doubt a thrilling finale to a thrilling song but it only makes me wonder just how resonant Beat It could have been with that final push. Turning this already incredible song into something that would easily contend for a potential song of the year title. I can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us.

Verses: 9

Chorus: 9

Production: 10

Performance: 9

Final Rating:  9.25 / 10