Here are my credentials (again): I don’t know much about Infinite. I’ve heard a few of their biggest hits and a couple songs by Woohyun, who’s also a soloist. I have a friend who’s a huge Inspirit, though, and so I figured this would be a good time to give them a chance (and also to use him as a fountain of knowledge).

(Part One)

Album #2: Season Two

We return with Last Romeo, which I was incredibly excited to hear for the first time. The blend of racing synths, brassy interludes, and solid guitar underpinning it are just great, and I adore how they just absolutely go for broke, no hesitation. The “light my way!” hook that starts the chorus sucked me in immediately, and by the time the bridge with its softer piano came around, I was bracing myself for the outro to smash back in the best way. And it did!

Back is another song of Infinite’s that I’d heard of in passing before, but I’m always wary of tracks treated like the 2nd coming of Christ, so I was trying to manage their expectations. It has a surprising opening; it’s quite melancholy, just focused on their voices and a piano…and then the EDM kicks in for the first chorus and everything starts spiraling. I mean it when I say I haven’t seen a build-up so good since Dreamcatcher’s Deja Vu, and that’s a compliment of the highest order. Back is like a three-act opera, and keeps one-upping itself with each new verse or chorus that adds another layer of instrumentation or vocals, until you have no choice but to see the whole thing as a masterpiece. Also, the music video is so over the top that I was dying of laughter. 

From the album, Season 2, I enjoyed the smooth strings and jaunty piano of Diamond, the tense atmosphere of Suffocate, and the choppy beat of Crazy. I had two hidden gems: the fantastically dramatic, soundtrack-ready Follow Me, and the punchy disco track I Need U Back. Also, shoutout to the intro, Season 2 and its lead-in to Last Romeo. 

EP #5: Reality

Bad starts with Infinite’s trademark tense strings, before its first verse opens with more of sing-talk than their past songs have before. It wasn’t until the chorus kicked in that I realized I’d actually heard this one before, and maybe that’s because, when stacked up next to releases like The Chaser, Last Romeo, or Destiny, it’s just not that memorable. The “bad, bad, bad, bad girl” hook is alright and definitely will remain stuck in my head for the next few weeks, but not out of desire for that.

From the EP, Reality, I enjoyed the sentimental, wintry Love Letter and the hints of jazz in Up To You. This album was less my style than the others were, but I still liked it.

EP #6: Infinite Only

I wasn’t certain what to expect from The Eye. Would it be more of a ballad like Back or rely on hooks like Bad? Turns out that it kind of does both, starting slow and orchestral but being centered around a few repeating lines in the chorus, that thankfully are more developed and interesting than Bad. There’s also a couple new elements, like a spoken word interpolation in the middle and an instrumental post chorus, which bring some interest into a tried and true formula. It never quite reaches the heights that Back does, but comes close in its final, beautifully over-the-top moments. Also, this may just be me reading too much into it, but why did such a sad song have such a randomly homoerotic music video? Was tackling each other to a bed and having tender staredowns in the rain really necessary, guys? Guys?

From the EP, Infinite Only, I enjoyed the interesting distortion of Air, the pitch-perfect electric guitar outro of Monologue, and the soaring vocals of Zero. Quite honestly, the intro may have been my favorite, despite being only a minute and a half long. Its strings are just lovely.

Album #3: Top Seed

There’s a large gap in time between The Eye and Tell Me, which is very much felt in the solidly late-2010’s sound of Tell Me. It’s more similar to Bad than any of their more dramatic, sprawling tracks, but I like this one better. Though it’s simple and dancy, it has a better payoff than Bad did, and it had me nodding along. Again, it’s not a bad song, but it doesn’t hold up compared to their best.

From the album, Top Seed, I enjoyed the pulsing beat of Synchronize, the swaying, heartfelt instrumental of Why Me, the great electric guitar riffs and rocky vocals of I Hate (my hidden gem), and L’s quietly powerful vocals in his solo Reminisce.

EP #7: New Emotions

Clock is a special single for their fans, I believe, and it certainly feels like one. It may be overly sweet, as they tend to be, but the great, warm vocals and the gentle piano instrumental help balance all of that out. I’ve always been weak to a soaring chorus. And it’s delivered with such heart that I couldn’t help but be won over. It’s not something I would listen to every day, but it was still nice for something a little different.

New Emotions  is from last year, and like Tell Me, fits right into the landscape it came out in. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. It has a good build up, as their tracks almost always do, and a decent pay off, I like its minimalistic beat and confident vocals, and I’m sure it would be a great workout song. But it’s just not very memorable. And it’s very, very short, clocking in at just under three minutes, which doesn’t give it the time for a more expansive sound like they excel at.

From the EP, New Emotions, I enjoyed the laid-back dance floor beat of I Got You and the heartfelt delivery of Find Me.

Single #3: Flower

Flower just came out as a special single to mark Infinite’s 14th Anniversary, and given that this anniversary was originally the whole reason for this review, it felt like a nice full circle moment. Fan songs like this are often very same-y, so it’s not that surprising that this one follows the upbeat, heartwarming, sweet sound. I will say, though, I enjoyed the background strings and pulsing beat, since they made it sound much more like one of their classics. Also, their voices are so solid that that put them above the average too. 

EP #8: Like Infinite

INFINITE have experimented with so many different styles in the last decade and a half; there’s the more subdued sound of Flower and New Emotions and the more sprawling one of earlier hits like Back or The Chaser, of course, but Dangerous takes a middle path. I like the way it mixes funk and synth with a more laid-back beat, and the music video is great too. As a true gay theater kid at heart, I’m always a fan of MVs that feel like mixed-media art projects, and the way this one utilizes sets and pops of color is so much fun. (Was having Sungyeol be shirtless for a whole-ass minute necessary? No. Was it very entertaining? No comment.)

I have to admit that the song itself is a touch forgettable for someone who listens to as much kpop as I do, I’m afraid, and if it had come on the heels of more unique releases I may not feel this way about it, but here we are. It’s definitely my favorite of their recent work though.

From the EP, I enjoyed the acoustic, tropical sound of Way You Are, and the spacey synths of Umbrella, the latter of which was probably my hidden gem. I really like the way it builds, and I honestly wish it was the single instead. It’s the closest they’ve come to the sound they excel at.

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this. INFINITE’s been on my list to cover for a while now, and only partly because of my friend. From the few songs I’d heard, I had a feeling I’d be discovering something special, and I was right! They’re incredibly talented, and I love how much they lean into the melodrama in the singles, rather than trying to distance themselves from it. I watched their Killing Voice and saw how much fun they had performing, and I watched Hoya’s interview on the Get Real podcast too.

My Top 5 songs are The Chaser, Last Romeo, Back, Paradise, and As Good As It Gets, with I Need U Back and Inconvenient Truth as honorable mentions. Infinite gets an 8.75 out of 10 from me. I’m a huge fan of melodrama and when Infinite delivers, they absolutely deliver, offering tracks full of catharsis, power belting, and interesting, unique instrumentals that just hit perfectly. But on the same token, when they don’t live up to such a high standard, it’s hard not to be disappointed, even when the songs themselves are still good. I worry that they sometimes sacrifice what makes them stand out from the crowd to fit in with the trend, and I hope that they keep making the music that they’re so good at. Anyone can sing a pop song. Not everyone can do what INFINITE does.

Next time, we’ll be covering a group I’ve been meaning to do for a while. Tschüss!

(Part One)