Mark’s solo debut album is notable in that it isn’t truly the primary album he wrote. He had a draft he introduced to SM’s A&R, however after the discharge of “200,” he scrapped it and began over for his music to be extra weak and reflective of his id. The ensuing work, The Firstfruit, is honest and private, rewarding a number of listens.
The album is organized by metropolis, with the tracks “Toronto‘s Window”, “Flight to NYC”, “Raincouver”, “+82 Pressin’” delineating every part. The sequence displays the place Mark has lived all through his life, starting with Toronto and ending in Seoul (with “+82 Pressin’” referring to South Korea’s nation code). With this construction, The Firstfruit ostensibly tells an autobiographical journey from beginning to maturity. Within the album opener “Toronto’s Window,” Mark delivers spoken phrase English over acoustic guitar, “Now that I can see the previous with a brand new set of eyes / My life makes a lot extra sense now.”
The expectation for a straight autobiography doesn’t maintain up, nonetheless, as turns into clear from the New York part, with pre-release single “Fraktsiya” (that includes Lee Younger-ji) boasting, “Title any person who can juggle three groups / Nonetheless provide you with one of the best solo album”. The narrative of the album is much less of Mark’s chronological life story than varied musings about his life and profession. Every location represents a special sentiment, with the brash confidence related to New York Metropolis mirrored within the heavy bass and lyrical bravado in “Righteous” and “Fraktsiya.” In distinction, the Vancouver part, with “Raincouver,’ “Loser,” and “Watching TV,” really feel softer, extra acoustically pushed, and extra introspective, becoming a wet day.
In the meantime, the funky title observe “1999,” the only real full track from the opening Toronto part, looks like a celebration. Within the refrain, Mark states, “In the present day, I really feel so new, looks like ninety 9” — the yr of his beginning. The complete instrumentation, notably the strings within the intro, bridge, and outro, underscore Mark’s renewed drive and conviction. He additionally makes daring vocal selections, together with singing the refrain in falsetto, that he has hardly ever displayed as one in every of NCT’s foremost rappers. Beginning anew as a soloist, Mark asserts, “Let me present you I used to be born to be.” Branching into a special path in vocals and manufacturing, “1999” fulfills the promise for a brand new model of Mark.
It’s then a bit perplexing that he instantly returns to rap and acquainted kinds within the subsequent full observe, “Righteous.” With a gap chant much like the refrain of NCT 127’s “2 Baddies,” the track feels essentially the most “Neo” out of the album. Sonically, the observe association on The Firstfruit can really feel haphazard, as within the style change-ups from “Watching TV” (R&B) to “+82 Pressin’” (hip hop) to “200” (rock). Mark might have confronted the problem of incorporating already launched singles (“200”) and beforehand written songs into this extra private mission, making the album much less musically cohesive.
The fragmented listening expertise of the album, nonetheless, appears intentional to an extent. Within the ambient interlude “Flight to NYC,” Mark rasps, “I feel I want a circle,” suggesting a want for wholeness. Later, in “Journey Mercies,” he laments, “My life is in items.” In mild of this thematic via line, the shifts within the album appear to duplicate Mark’s expertise.
At instances, Mark feels wholly glad with and immersed in his profession, as proven within the infectious baseline and synergy with Haechan in “+82 Pressin’.” At different instances, he grapples with insecurity and loneliness. In “Loser,” Mark croons over acoustic guitar and spare instrumentals, enjoying off the same sounding “loser” and “lose her” as he displays on a fading relationship. The repetition of “I don’t desire a loser” initially looks like a defensive stance, and by the top, as his vocals develop extra intense, Mark questions precisely who the loser is within the relationship.
Different songs Within the Vancouver and Seoul sections of the album additionally mirror a eager for connection. “Watching TV,” that includes Crush, refers to fictional pairs like Thelma and Louise and Bonnie and Clyde out of want for companionship and journey. With its layered vocals and mixture of tinkling piano and storage beats, the track is immersive just like the expertise of watching a compelling present. Mark then brings ethereal vocals to the tender “Journey Mercies,” which declares to the item of his affection, “I would like you to be my every thing.”
Mark discusses romantic relationships, however The Firstfruit can also be overtly Christian, each in references and sound (closing observe “Too A lot,” for instance, calls his life a “blessing” and resembles a gospel track, even culminating with a choir). The album title not solely refers back to the first outcomes of Mark’s solo endeavors, but in addition to the providing of the primary harvest in Christian follow. He ties each collectively in “Toronto’s Window”:
However to really dream intimately
For one thing that’s larger than my very own life
After which to place that dream and drive
And cause as the bottom of every thing that I do
That’s life, no?
The firstfruits of all of your crops
For Mark, his religion underpins his private drive, and is key to who he’s as an individual.
Mark’s varied influences coalesce on the finish of the album. “Mother’s Interlude” overlays a dialog between Mark and his mom over gentle piano. Mark’s mom commented about The Firstfruit, “I used to be grateful that I didn’t have to fret about you anymore…it looks like your id is simply set for you.” In “Too A lot,” Mark expresses his gratitude for others’ love and assist, whether or not from the individuals in his life, or God, or each. Incorporating piano, electrical guitar and synths, and alternating between rap and emotive vocals, ”Too A lot” strives to be all-encompassing, reflecting what Mark has obtained in abundance.
The realizations in “Too A lot” appear to attach again to the primary observe “Toronto’s Window,” through which Mark declares he sees the world with a brand new set of eyes. Mark created the circle he had been looking for in “Flight to NYC,” and his journey is full.
With The Firstfruit, Mark has delivered an affecting solo debut that maps his private evolution. Although generally fragmented, his considerate album development successfully mirrors Mark’s personal journey of self-discovery. Mark had framed the album as a strategy to get to know him higher, and it’s fascinating to hint how he learns extra about himself too.
(YouTube [1][2]. The Hollywood Reporter. Lyrics by way of Genius [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Pictures by way of SM Leisure.)
