Vernon’s Kpop persona with “Knock Knock Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” in Seventeen’s _World turned punk with his first solo mixtape Black Eye‘s “Knock Knock, Is There Anybody Out There?”, dropping on, December 23, 2022, an early bruise-eyed Christmas gift for CARATs (fandom). Following in suit after Hoshi’s Spider release last year and Woozi’s Ruby seeing the light of the day earlier this year, he’s become the third SEVENTEEN member to come out with a mixtape.
Personally, I was always attracted to the concept of Kpop artists releasing solo non-profiting projects, presented as ‘mixtapes’ instead of them taking up a playlist or a conventional solo album packaging. Not only does it allow them to tap into their unscratched potential, but in Vernon’s case it has also resulted in the justification of the mixtape format. For the first time in a long time, this presentation takes us back to its roots with a pop-punk tune, reminding millennials and the early Gen-Z of a sound they grew up with.
The ’98 liner Korean-American artist’s taste in music had already been pre-established with the announcement of him gravitating towards Green Day and Avril Lavigne, the OG early 2000 sound that made us bang our heads to the groovy musical instruments on the outside, and filled our solemn, angsty void on the inside. Having previously charted into the rock genre as well with fellow band member Joshua in Attaca‘s bonus track 2 Minus 1, it’s safe to say that Vernon knows how to play with our heartstrings in the best way possible.
The track itself picks up the pace with a rather laid-back indie tune, followed by the tunes of a constantly playing breezy guitar riff, which soon builds into an emo-pop track about his angsty frustrations which find ground in the lyrics. With words like, “I can’t stand the quiet”, “I f***** hate this world”, “Wake me up from this nightmare”, “Can’t stand this reality”, “You can’t save me from my sadness”, “Put a muzzle on me, I’ll spit in your mouth”, the song extends a cathartic relatability about dealing with the loud silence of solitude contrasted with his blaring expression.
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Black Eye: The Music Video
The pop-punk subgenre of rock music is all about voicing out one’s racing anxieties and insecurities that one can’t get rid of or vent out easily otherwise. The same sensibility of choking emotions is translated into the video. Starting off by letting out his inner frustration trapped inside the constricting vessel that is one’s body, his screaming growl pours out the feeling that will always be lost in translation as one struggles to find the right words to explain it.
A character-driven rush is depicted in the video with the focus completely on Vernon and the controlled violent intensity of his true feelings about solitude. Running now and then, and being caught up in flashing lights, the video’s visuals take up the ideal route of portraying the emo side of lyrics. No matter what kind of shot is visualised, the video hands out a symmetry with Vernon always being at the centre, head-banging into the camcorder footage, portraying his tough and free countenance.
Black Eye: Stream It or Skip It?
The all-English track is a gift, not just for CARATs, but also for the old fans of American artists/bands like Paramore, Simple Plan, All Time Low, Jimmy Eat World, Yellowcard, Blink 182, Dashboard Confessional, Fall Out Boy, and the recent releases of Machine Gun Kelly, YUNGBLUD, Against The Current and more. This song will push you to revisit those classics while also standing tall as a testament to Vernon’s growth as a songwriter.
People who are still apprehensive of dipping their toes in the Kpop arena should definitely give this song a chance because it portrays an entirely new and revised personality of the artist prevailing therein. Although language is never a barrier when it comes to art, still, this song being a full-on English release should act as the extra push for you to finally devour this music.
In an age led by manufactured songs, Vernon quenches the aching pain of our emo hearts by taking a classic turn with his mixtape, which further establishes his fluid artistic repertoire even outside of SEVENTEEN. And, as the song states confidently, you will want to turn the volume up, “till your eardrums explode”.
Tune into SEVENTEEN and Vernon’s solo music on Spotify!
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