After listening to Hayeon‘s Fever Dream a few times, I wonder if the mixing and mastering was a struggle. The debut EP is very strong, the six songs highlighting Hayeon’s unique perspective but there’s a slight numbness to the tracks.
I like the melodies on “Fever Dream.” I think the percussion arrangement is garbage and detracts from the song. It gives the song an aged pop style that makes it feel old. I feel like there was something great in the original demo that’s been subtracted with this version.
In the album notes, “xstx” has “emotional vocals [that] blend seamlessly with the sound of alternative rock bands.” This is less alternative rock and more a mainstream pop ballad with a live band. “xstx” is too polished and misses presenting Hayeon’s vocals and emotions.
“sunburns” is the first track with some attitude. It sounds more unique than the first two tracks. “sunburns” also finally lets Hayeon have a signature voice that breaks out from the muddled mastering. The songs so far are missing any real volume difference to make an impact on the listener.
“wish you had cheated” sounds like an off-the-shelf indie pop R&B song. It has a lot of great ideas but the delivery is off. Up to this point, I really wonder if Hayeon was able to properly record her vocals because everything sounds muted. “here you were” is a demo with a GYE0M at the helm. Even as a demo, it gives Hayeon the ability to finally showcase her vocals and an honest delivery. “Forget-Me-Not” is a R&B-light song. Take it or leave it.
I think Hayeon has talent that’s essentially not shown enough on Fever Dream. There are a lot of decent ideas but none of them successfully present themselves in the end. A lot of the EP is muted and too even and doesn’t give Hayeon the space to show off and impress a first-time listener. Fever Dream is scratching the surface of her potential but could need a different team behind the boards.
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Written by Chris P for Korean Indie.