[Review] 2PM - My House

The boy band train keeps moving forward. The last stop is JYP Entertainment and the beastly 2PM. Last time around they came back with long English title releases in "All Day I Think Of You" and "Come Back When You Hear This Song." Now, we've got "My House," which will prove to be a nice change of pace.

Compared to past releases, "Come Back When You Hear This Song" was playful and almost childlike while "ADTOY" was perhaps overly sexual. "My House" seeks to hit the elusive sweet spot. The middle ground, staying mature, classy, and sexy simultaneously. The song overall doesn't stray from the 2PM formula. Wooyoung and Chansung sing verses, Junsu and Junho share the chorus, Taecyeon raps, and poor Nichkhun is left with support roles. There's nothing new, nothing special. If the song's nature was like any of past 2PM songs this would be a very forgettable song but there are a few distinct differences.

The first is the hilarious chipmunk section after the first chorus. I think it's safe to say that it not only caught everyone off guard, but is a funny break in the song. I don't really know why this was included, but I am not gonna question it. Simply brilliant, though I didn't prefer the use of a rabbit (I understand the fairytale theme, more on that later).

The 2nd is Taecyeon's rap is surprisingly decent. Taecyeon was always considered by many to be the laughingstock of Kpop rappers, myself included. However he does what needs to be done and potrays a sly but aggressive rap here. By the way, Taec, the fancy contact lens in one eye ordeal was already done by T.O.P. You're a little late.

The last is the choreography. It's just more fun this time around, while still maintaining the mature vibe that the song deserves. There's a variety of moves. Grabbing hands, head shaking, hip swaying, groin rotating, 2PM's doing it all. Probably the most "natural" choreography we've seen out of them in a while (looking at you, "I'll Be Back" and "ADTOY"). The "dance" in the final chorus is even freestyle, at least that's what it appears to me. Plenty of variety and some technical work earns the dance a high grade.

In contemporary years, this is the 2nd 2PM video with underlying theme. "CBWYHTS" had the seven deadly sins, and "My House" houses (sorry) some fairytale characters. It's interesting because not only are some members' characters not made very clear, some of the gender roles get reversed in the process. For example, Taecyeon and Chansung are obviously the big bad wolf and a / the beast, respectively. Junsu is either Romeo or Juliet, I'm confused since the balcony scene is usually for Juliet, if I'm not mistaken. Wooyoung is also the witch from Snow White, tempting the lead lady with the apple. But Nichkhun and Junho's roles never get clearly established. I'm not entirely sure who they are supposed to be. Whoever the actress is, though, is very pretty and plays her role pretty well.

On paper, there is nothing special about "My House." Standard 2PM song structure continues to waste Junsu's glorious vocal potential, while Chansung's voice hasn't progressed in years, and poor Nichkhun gets relegated to awkward English bridges. All that said, the dance is a highlight of the song, the MV is another creative and substantial video, and Taecyeon's improvement is evident. Perhaps I haven't really enjoyed the past 2PM releases since the days of "Without U" or something, but "My House" is a catchy and welcome addition to the 2PM library.

[ Overall: 85 / 100 ]