It’s ‘Golden Child comeback’ time again, which means a track-by-track review of their new mini album, Aura! Check back each day of the week as I make my way through the five new songs.
1. Aura (Intro) // 2. Replay // 3. Knocking On My Door // 4. 3! 6! 5! // 5. Purpose // 6. Miracle
Knocking On My Door
Apparently, this song has been kicking around the Woollim vaults for awhile now. This makes me question why it wasn’t already chosen as a single, because it’s certainly strong enough to be one! Of course, I could say that about most of the songs on this album.
One of the things I covet most about Golden Child is their strong roster of vocalists, and it’s satisfying when their material takes advantage of this. Knocking On My Door is an upbeat pop track in the vein of many K-pop releases, but one that thrives on vocal inflection and power. It has an incredibly optimistic, healing quality, fueled by bright synth tones and anthemic melody lines. It borrows slightly from our current synthwave trend, yet feels much more timeless in execution. This warmth makes a nice contrast to the prickly, confrontational Replay.
I adore the arrangement of this track. It blooms as it goes, snowballing as more elements are added. This keeps the flow dynamic and interesting. We’re always building toward something fresh. it’s like a wide-open journey to adventure. But more than anything, Knocking On My Door is anchored by its beauty of a chorus. The melody lifts here in an irresistible way, delivering a mini-climax several times throughout the track. This is the kind of euphoric pop songwriting I live for, and it’s harnessed by a group who know what to do with it. Main vocal Y takes the lead on most of the song’s most thrilling moments, including a series of power notes during its finale. It all feels so effortless, which matches the natural progression of the song itself.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 10 |
| RATING | 9.25 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
This might best out Lately as my favourite Golden Child track ever. Time will tell!
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That’s huge! Lately is mine, too. I’m not quite there, but it’s an excellent song.
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ok, now this is a rating that I can agree with. This song is AMAZING. This was a rare occurrence of me liking a song on the first listen.
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Dammit, I love this song even more than the title Replay. Also, for me it sounds much more title track-worthy, though both of them are still great. Mid-9’s for me.
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This song sounds extremely fantastic but imagine if Daeyeol was here, he killed songs like these!
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This song is really fricking incredible, it reminds me so much of B1A4. Those Full8loom guys are geniuses man!
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Is it just me or is this very similar to Highway to Heaven?
I would decrease the rating to 8.5, solely because I can’t bear what they did with the rappers’ voices.
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Yeah, there are patches where the rappers sound extra gravelly and it is distracting from the pure tones of the high vocal. It is not a pleasant contrast.
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Just dropping by to say that I haven’t quite committed to a favorite B-side yet (I do think Replay was the correct title choice though), but this album is an absolute joy to listen to.
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Update: I think I might like this one best after all. Replay is probably a better performance piece (while still being a strong song on its own) but the melodies and vocals on this song are top-notch. That chorus is a stunner. I’d say high 9s for me, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it eventually settles into a 10, because I like it that much. If it’s competing with Starlight, Cyberpunk, and Euratcha on my playlists, it’s probably on its way there. A standout on a very strong album.
My album rankings: Knocking On My Door > Replay > Miracle > 3!6!5! > Purpose
Still, every song on this record is a winner (some of these songs are separated by less than 0.25). Between this and the ATEEZ + CSR albums + KB’s great solo from last month, I think I might be invested in K-Pop again.
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All the melodies are so gorgeously smooth here. Seriously, the whole album is reminding me why I love K-pop.
but the high note at the end though-
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pls the pingback from the copied review that was fed through a thesaurus T_T golden baby HELLO???
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also i gotta add that my phone wallpaper is my photo with y and it lights up my life
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There’s a fucking Golden Youngster now lmfaooooo
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Nick, I don’t remember the last time I saw THREE different sites stealing your review (just look at the pingbacks). I am alarmed tbh.
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There might be a 4th one. Idk what it is because McAfee tells me the site is dangerous, so not risking it.
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Once upon a time, I got a horrible computer virus from Kpopalypse and haven’t been back since.
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i think this song is fantastic, but why do the verses melody remind me of that “the middle” song?
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If you’re talking about the Zedd/Maren Morris song I definitely hear it! I think this one has a better chorus, though.
[On a side note, when I read/hear “The Middle” the first thing I think of is the Jimmy Eat World song from 2001. I had assumed at first this what you meant and was confused. But when I looked it up I found this one. I did know the song, but I never knew the title, because my knowledge of Western pop music beyond 2013 has a ton of holes.]
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It’s between this and 3!6!5! for my favorite song on the album.
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