'lose control' turns into 'full control' by the end: KickFlip's 'Kick Off The Wall'

Today's NONOL PICK is 'Kick Off The Wall (Feat. iann dior)', the second title track from KickFlip's fifth mini album 'KICK OFF THE WALL Pt. 1', released October 6. The album notes say that if '미완성' ('Incomplete'), released first, is the question the members asked themselves, this song is the answer the 20-year-old KickFlip arrived at after a long night. It keeps a band sound and pop punk at the center, layered with distorted synths and a heavy 808 bass. An 808 bass is a deep, floor-shaking low sound that comes from an old drum machine. Members Kyehoon and Donghwa took part in writing the lyrics, and American singer-songwriter iann dior is featured. Times follow the official music video.

0:01 · No more waiting, from the first line

There's no intro: the song starts right away at 0:01 with 'No more waitin' on the right time'. The first 4 seconds are just one strand of backing and the voice, then the drums join at 0:05 and the bass at 0:11. For 7 seconds from 0:13, 'Skate 바퀴는 삐걱대' ("skate wheels creak"), everything but the drums and bass drops out, leaving only the low end and the voice.

0:43 · 'Kick Kick Kick Kick'

The drums pull back once at 0:34, '어차피 정답 없는 Question' ("a question with no right answer anyway"), then swell again for the chorus at 0:43. 'Kick' is shouted four times in a row before 'Kick off the wall', and at 0:46 comes 'Jump on the board and now we lose control'.

1:28 · Three seconds of empty sound

After 'Yeah I'm movin' through' at 1:28, the backing and the voice drop out for 3 seconds, leaving only a fading drum sound. In the music video, glass shatters at 1:28, and at 1:29 a single skateboard lies on the floor of an empty, sunlit room. At 1:31 the sound comes back all at once and runs into '설명은 필요 없어 Action' ("no explanation needed, action"), as security guards rush in on screen.

2:05 · iann dior's 21 seconds

From 2:05 to 2:26 comes iann dior's English rap. In this stretch, the rest of the backing, like guitar and synths, pulls back by more than 20dB. That's a drop the ear hears as about a quarter of the loudness, so the rap rises clearly over the drums and 808 bass. At 2:20 comes the line 'It's Me 'n' Kick, Money Flip', which puts the 'Kick' and the 'Flip' of the group's name into a single line. The credits show iann dior also listed under the legal name Michael Olmo for lyrics and composition.

2:40 · 'lose control' becomes 'full control'

The last chorus changes the lyric in the same spot. 'and now we lose control' at 0:46 becomes 'I'm in my zone and I'm in full control' at 2:40. The line that let go of control ends up saying everything is in hand. In this scene of the music video, a member skates along a building's wall as if it were the ground. Seen through the "skater's eyes" the album notes describe, even a wall becomes a new line to ride. The song ends at 3:01 with every sound stopping at once. Apple Music

The credits list producer team LDN NOISE on arrangement, drums, keys and programming, and Bad Robot on guitar. The story behind the '미완성' ('Incomplete') music video, released first, is in our detail story.