Or, as I call them, NUWEST.
Back when the final lineup for Wanna One was announced, I knew I was gonna be hype for all the promotions they would do, along with all the groups rumored and confirmed to debut with the popularity of Produce 101. One of my most anticipated groups was NU’EST.
I wasn’t sure how they were going to go about it, but I had said from the beginning, all they need is one member to be in the final group, and the remaining members could promote NU’EST in the meantime and everyone wins. And I was right.
I did think it would be hilarious if more members ended up in the final lineup, just showcasing how poorly Pledis managed them.
Korea actually loved NU’EST all along, but required a reminder of it. But what we eventually got was Minhyun officially in Wanna One, and the remaining NU’EST members to hold down the fort until his return, waiting.
I think the subunit name is so fitting and simple, NU’EST W. The W standing for wait/waiting. NU’EST literally Waiting for Minhyun to return.
It also had the double meaning of them greeting fans again after fans waiting for their return after inactivity, according to the Wiki.
So what did they do while waiting? Make some of the best music of 2017/2018 of course. Let’s get into some of my favorite songs the subunit released!
If You
When “If You” dropped, I was, for lack of a better term, shook. I wasn’t expecting a midtempo ballad to be released by them.
I thought we’d get the official debut song, which would obviously be upbeat. Granted, “If You” was more of a pre-release, teaser song. Filler while we anticipate the actual group debut. Nothing to analyze too hard.
However, I was hooked. It was released digitally, and peaked at number 2 on Gaon between the 23rd and 29th of July 2017. There’s a live performance of it on MCountdown.
But there really weren’t any additional promotion to go with it. It was never added to an album, either. Like many pre-release songs, find themselves.
It’s soooo good. A great rainy weather day song. Or just chillin in a café. It’s fitting for so many, settings. A bit underrated imo.
It was composed by all the members, Aron, Baekho, Ren and JR. This was one of those songs I immediately hit replay on after my first listen. It’s easily in my top 5 fave NU’EST songs period.
WHERE YOU AT
Ah yes, that’s what I expected. The red suit on Baekho is tattooed on my eyes permanently. The styling in this video was on point for everyone. I don’t remember if I had mentioned it yet, it’s probably obvious at this point, but Baekho is my fave in the group.
He’s also just one of my favorite male idols in general. I love Baekho’s vocals and delivery of “Where You At” in the chorus. I don’t want to say it’s a shout, but kind of? It’s so piercing and attention grabbing.
I’m also a huge fan of the instrumentals and pacing of “Where You At” as a song. Both JR and Baekho have song credits on this song, along with Bumzu (of course).
WHO, YOU
This is my favorite NU’EST W album. So this blog post is now a WHO, YOU album review. More like who knew? Me, I knew, lmao. While revisiting their music, I forgot how much I love this album.
I probably could and should do a separate post for this album, but I decided to kill two birds with one stone. It’d be easier to find all things NUWEST in one post instead of search the whole dang site, I think. So you’re welcome in advance, lol.
Signal
I can’t decide STILL if this one or “Dejavu” is my favorite song off this album. But I have so much love for both. There’s a little bit of autotune here, but it works well. I talked about the song speed in “If You” but the rest of NU’EST W’s songs are similarly paced.
What I mean is, “Signal”, “Dejavu” and “Help Me” all kinda sound the same. But that’s what I love about NU’EST W. It’s the basics of NU’EST. You’re not going to get too experimental in the group songs. You do get some experimentation in the solo songs, though.
Furthermore, you’re not going to get a super upbeat dance track from them. Other than the drops in “Help Me” and “Where You At” for example, that’s about it.
They get loud, but not fast. I don’t know what the next level is from midtempo, slightly midtempo? I guess is what I’m gonna go with.
Dejavu
I love a good do doo do and whoaa in a song. So “Dejavu” is a home run for me on that basis alone. Like I said earlier, I still can’t decide on my favorite between this one and “Signal”. One day I may, but it’s not today, lol.
Polaris
I love this song, but it gets lost in the shuffle for me. This is a song that if I look at the title, I don’t remember it. But once it starts, I do. It’s a slower paced song. A good tune. Perfect if you need something similar to “If You”.
ylenoL
I forgot there was a special video for this song. “ylenoL” or lonely is one of those sad songs that you can still jam to. This is another one I forget I like.
Gravity&Moon
It’s a song. My least favorite from WHO, YOU. It’s fine. Usually I just skip to “Shadow” lmao.
Shadow
A bangerrrrrrr. They have that instrumental that’s also in Hotshot’s Jelly. Taemin’s Want also uses it (towards the end of the song). Idk why it was so poplar to sample. Those are the first two songs I can think of that use it.
I think there are a few others out there if I dig deep enough. Anyway, if I was at Pledis at this time as an executive or whatever, I would have had a difficult time between choosing this, “Dejavu” or “Signal” as the title. I had to double-check that “Dejavu” was the single, lol. Just a solid ending to an amazing album.
HELP ME
The way this song starts!!!! Gives me chills every time. They put crack in this song. The drama, the pacing, the choreography that you can’t see listening to the song, but you can feel the urgency and slight anxiety in the song.
It doesn’t take much to start picturing images to go with this song. “Help Me” just delivers a story in every way you’d expect a title track to bring it.
FEELS
Of all the solo songs, I had to mention “Feels”. I used to listen to Aron’s “Good Love” and “Wi-fi” a lot when they both came out. But now I don’t revisit those as much.
Same with Ren’s “Paradise”. I still love “Paradise” but I have to be in the mood for it. I listen to more house and dance music as I get older. So I think “Feels” just holds up better to my aging music taste, lmao.
I Don’t Care (with Spoonz)
I FOOKING LOVE THIS SONG AND VIDEO. This was made specifically for me. You don’t really get NU’EST in cute concepts other than like brand endorsement deals for like skincare or something.
We were way over do for something like this. It’s also just a different vibe from what they normally make. I guess this was a bit experimental. But not in the oh, they normally do light concepts, so now they’re going dark.
They just don’t really do pop-y, bright songs like “I Don’t Care”. I guess you could say they’ve outgrown that phase.
Wind, stop blowing (OST from Sugar Man 2)
Idk why this song isn’t on Spotify anymore. It’s so good. I don’t usually check for OSTs, but when they dropped this one, I had to check it out. I used to listen to it a lot when it first came out. So I guess now I’ll have to wait for it to be available on Spotify again. Or watch this live version. The works too.
So for a too long, didn’t read version. Here’s my top 5 NU’EST W songs you must listen to/or if you’re new to NU’EST W check these out to catch up:
- If You
- Where You At
- Dejavu
- I Don’t Care
Omggggg it’s done! I’m so so happy to have this completed. When I first started on this, I had finished listening to Needle & Bubble. I can’t wait to share my thoughts on that in my March faves post. But for now, I’m curious about what y’alls fave NU’EST W songs are? Let me know below.
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Take care!
Ash 🦋