Hello everyone,

This is my official album review for Taemin’s ETERNAL. I was very excited to see what Taemin would present to us now that he moved to BPM Entertainment. As a long time Taemin and SHINee fan, I was interested in what Taemin would decide to include on his debut solo album now that he had more creative freedom of his concept and music. I have loved many of Taemin’s previous songs, in fact “Guilty” was my most replayed song of 2024. I even got to dance with Taemin at the KCON LA 2024 DREAM STAGE. With all of this in mind, I still decided to write my unbiased, yet opinion-filled review of Taemin’s ETERNAL album. I hope you enjoy!

Original song order:

1. G.O.A.T

2. Sexy In The Air

3. Horizon

4. The Unknown Sea

5. Crush

6. Deja Vu

7. Say Less

Ranking+Review (video ranking linked as well):

1. Sexy In The Air

This song, featuring composer credits from Taemin as well as hit maker “Dem Jointz,” is one unironically not centered on “sexiness.” The song, sensual and intriguing in nature (typically Taemin’s vibe), seems to be more so centered on self-identity and making oneself complete. With lyrics like, 

“I want to ignite a new version of myself” 

and 

“‘Cuz I’m desperately

trynna find my fake and real

Time to reveal it all,”

the song adds a personal, self-discovery element, along with the sexy, enticing element, 

“Trap in my loophole babe

Sexy Is In The Air.”

One favorable element of the song for me is its use of “mashup.” I like how the song has an earlier electronic, rock vibe and then transitions into a more hip hop centered beat. Taemin’s music and voice often have this mysterious character to it and it really is brought out in this song. As mentioned earlier, the “mashup” of both sexy and personal adds another layer of depth to the song and makes it less surface level than many would describe it. Overall, over the past few months, this has easily become one of my favorite tracks from Taemin and makes me feel like I’m on top of the world. 

2. Deja Vu

This song, with both lyrics and composer credits from Taemin, is one mysterious and r&b in vibe. The song seems to describe this person being taken through wormholes which present different times of their life (past, present, and future). The timelines kind of become mashed together. It ultimately seems like a distorted sense of self, where “memories are scattered and stained.” 

This easily, from the first listen, became one of my favorites. When I think of Taemin, I often think ”mysterious” and “dream-like”. This song matches all of those descriptions. I really like the vibe of the song and love how Taemin’s voice moves you through the song. I’m happy to see he both wrote lyrics for the song and composed as well. It adds even more personal elements of Taemin to it (especially considering how his career and life changed by this point). I really enjoyed the song and will definitely be listening over and over again.

3. Horizon

This song, once more featuring Taemin as a composer, is a song reminiscent of the 80s. I’d say it most instantly reminds me of “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd in style. The song is said to be of the synth-pop genre, and is an upbeat dance song. The song is really about feeling stuck in familiarity and breaking free from it to explore something new. I interpret it as feeling stuck in this creative bubble and wanting and choosing to go beyond what you’ve always done and moving towards the unfamiliar and slightly scary unknown (but learning to be unafraid of it). 

My favorite thing about this song is the thoughts it puts in my mind. This song instantly makes me feel like I can go rollerskating and just have a fun time. It also, in meaning, reminds me of my artistic journey. At times I feel stuck in redundancy and just want to be unafraid of exploring the new. This song feels like my journey as a creative and honestly makes me like it all the more for that reason. 

4. The Unknown Sea

This song, featuring composer credits by Taemin, is a rather emotional, acoustic, almost ballad-style one. I really like the emotional journey this song takes. It goes from being so stuck in the familiar to one finding the unknown, and taking the leap to discover what it has to offer. It details a progression rather than a closed-minded journey. It’s beautiful how it goes from,

“After circling through countless days

I stand again at the starting point,”

to

“After passing through countless days, here I am

Standing at the end and the beginning.”

It really details that growth and strength to take a chance. The song also shows the awakening from the “blurry” to the “clear.”

5. Crush

This song, featuring composer credits from Taemin, is an electric-pop genre number. The song is very groovy and almost reminds me of Michael Jackson (stylistically). The song details what seems to be a moment of passion between Taemin (presumably) and this person of interest. Space bubbles are non-existent, touching is ever-so present, and interest is heavily shown. I quite enjoyed this song. It is definitely one that can be danced to. I immediately envision colorful lights and a dance floor. 

6. G.O.A.T

This song, which Taemin has composer credits on, is a song about how Taemin is a G.O.A.T (Greatest of all time). More specifically, it details how he grabs the attention of others, how he is the talk of the town, and how he is enticing you. As he says, “O-M-G-R-E-A-T-N-E-S-S” is what he is.

I like the hip hop vibe of the song and the self-confidence in it. As talented as Taemin is, he’s very much aware of it in this song and also is confident in the fact he can entice you. The hip hop beat in this song reminds me of the 90s in style and is a nice addition to the album. 

7. Say Less

This song, also having lyrics and composing credits by Taemin, is said to be an electronic pop number that is a lot slower than the majority of the songs on the album. The song seems to be like this self-analysis. Taemin, or the character in this song, is looking at himself and while he’s alone he analyzes his life. He feels like he’s come far, but also not far enough. He makes sure to try and comfort himself and realize that his journey moves forward regardless of others going ahead. His comfort ultimately seems to be “you” and this makes him feel “relieved” and like he “can do anything.” 

I think this is the perfect closing number for the album. It is nice and slow, but also makes you feel like it is the wrap up of a great album. It gives me the same feeling you have at the end of a concert (grateful and complete). I really enjoyed the uplifting nature of the song, although it seems that there is a process of accepting your specific journey, in the end sometimes someone can make you feel complete and like you can conquer the world. 

Overall thoughts on the album: 

I like how this album is very different between the songs, yet also similar. I saw themes of familiarity, the unfamiliar/unknown, the horizon (and what that entails), self-identity and discovery, and human connection (romantic), throughout the entire album. I really like how this felt like Taemin’s second coming. From one company to the next, Taemin managed to keep his previous identity, and show a new side of him we have yet to see. I really enjoyed all of the songs on this album, and truly think I could call this a “no-skip album”. I’m so excited to see what else he will show us in the future. Please keep supporting Taemin and SHINee! Thanks for reading my review of ETERNAL!

~K.C.