Yerin Baek - 2nd Full-length Album [tellusboutyourself]

There are 14 tracks. While the number has decreased compared to 2019's [Every letter I sent you.], it is still a considerable volume considering the current climate where album production is often avoided. This is likely the product of a desire to prove that there is still much left for me to show and let you hear. The tracks are consistently decent, and the craftsmanship of each is distinct. It is nearly accurate to say that the contours have become clearer compared to [Our Love Is Great] and [Every letter I sent you.] from a year ago. The album encompasses R&B, house, dream pop, and modern rock. It knows how to push forward with a powerful progression after being dreamy, and it smoothly shifts the atmosphere by exquisitely changing gears. To use a metaphor, centripetal and centrifugal forces coexist paradoxically within Baek Yerin's world. In other words, she knows how to draw out different textures for each song while maintaining consistency. This is not merely due to the volume of 14 tracks. Listening to the new album [tellusboutyourself] is essentially an act of enjoying diverse textures. How should I put it? It is a level of mastery that only a musician with a firm center of their own world, yet one who is adept at transformation, can achieve. Even so, there is nothing that stands out as jarringly provocative. Baek Yerin is clearly the type of musician who rides the flow and enjoys it. Listen to the first track, 'Lovegame.' After uttering a powerful line, she steps back to let the performance flow, repeating an echo-like chorus, and it is precisely here that she plants the highlight of the song. In this section, she evokes a small gasp of admiration through a method of gradually and subtly layering the sound. What about 'You’re so lonely now, so you need me back by your side again'? It is a song that progresses as if the sound is diffusing through a dreamlike sound spectrum. A solid foundation is laid with an ultra-low frequency bass at the bottom, and three-dimensionality is realized by adding a guitar solo and sound effects reminiscent of the wind. By any measure, it is a different song, yet one that is not alien to 'Lovegame.' There is one more thing. Through the drum performance of 'I am not your ocean anymore,' which bursts out immediately after 'You’re so lonely now, so you need me back by your side again' ends, we can see that [tellusboutyourself] is a product thoroughly planned within an album context. Above all, it is a song where the charm of the chorus, highlighting the harmony between powerful vocals and saxophone performance, is substantial. The lead singles are said to be two songs: 'Hate you' and '0415'. While '0415', rooted in house, focuses on creating a unique vibe through phrases that repeat contraction and expansion like a bellows, 'Hate you' reveals the most popular accessibility, even if the intensity of the lyrics is strong. There are no points that feel unfamiliar. Her songs always blend naturally into the whole within a range that does not lose their individuality. At this point, I will write about the musical changes. The core seems to lie in the emphasis on dynamics and bold song transitions. If there is one decisive difference from the previous work, it is this. The break part of the aforementioned 'Lovegame' and the section after 2 minutes and 30 seconds in 'HOMESWEETHOME', which raises the listener's concentration by segmenting the sound, are representative cases. However, in terms of the intensity of the twist, first place must unconditionally go to 'Mr. Delicate.' In particular, I hope you pay attention to the climax in the latter half of the song, where Baek Yerin's vocals paint a dynamic picture. In the case of "Hall & Oates," which proceeds with a fluffy piano performance, the influenced music was engraved directly. Along with Hall & Oates, artists such as Light and Salt and The Bird & The Bee are among them. Among these, The Bird & The Bee once released a cover album consisting almost entirely of Hall & Oates' music. I recommend listening to it if time permits. If Baek Yerin is your favorite, this album could easily become your second favorite. Now it is time to talk about the lyrics. Since it has already been proven through [Every letter I sent you.] that English is not an issue, let us set that aside. The depth lies instead in Baek Yerin's vocalization. Or, to explain more accurately, it lies in the "way her vocal tone is implemented alongside the sound." First, (with a few exceptions) Baek Yerin's music basically does not have large variations in melody. This point is important. Next, we must mention the arrangement of sound, namely the sense of space. Baek Yerin's voice does not rush toward excess by overestimating its excellent deliverability. She aims for a vocal that resonates clearly but does not protrude. The grounds are all set. Based on these two directions, she enchantingly creates the impression of singing as if speaking to the listener. According to interviews, [tellusboutyourself] means asking the many selves within her to tell her about herself. In this respect, the album serves as something like a diary that preserves memories. However, this should not be misinterpreted as simple past-remembering. This is because remembering is not a task of merely restoring memory by objectifying it, but a process in which the realization of the remembering subject permeates. Think about whether that is true. The past does not create your present. Rather, it is your present that (re)constructs your past. This album is exactly like that. Each song represents a different self, and into them, Baek Yerin has melted the various experiences she had to endure over the past year through delicate lyrics. Therefore, interpreting the lyrics is essential. As explained so far, the scope of change is not small. Nevertheless, I believe that what must always be prioritized is finding out "what has not changed." Thus, Baek Yerin's new album [tellusboutyourself] becomes a record that dreams of change while remaining unchanged. The fact that Bang Min-hyuk joined as a new co-arranger, in addition to her existing partner Cloud, serves as precise evidence of this. There is something else that remains unchanged. Having grown on the platform of YouTube, Baek Yerin once again delivers music that perfectly suits the YouTube generation—that is, the coordinates of the 2020s. For example, this is music that does not require you to separately create or search for a playlist. This is because playing this album provides more satisfaction than accessing YouTube. [tellusboutyourself] will be remembered as a result that has "once again" succeeded in capturing the symbolic expression of the current era. In conclusion: it is an album where the position she stands upon remains the same, but her vision has widened and her range has lengthened. Indeed, one who sets their gaze on the future must not ignore the past. From now on, beyond expressing the diaries of the past through the lens of the present, she will begin to flip the calendar of the future. Written by Bae Soon-tak (Music Critic, Writer for Bae Cheol-soo's Music Camp)