After overcoming their inner darkness in their SERIES ‘O’ releases, Jellyfish Entertainment‘s VERIVERY embarked on a new journey to find “Elements of Happiness” with their Liminality series. In their previous album, Liminality – EP.LOVE, Dongheon, Hoyoung, Minchan, Gyehyeon, Yeonho, Yongseung, and Kangmin explored the theme of love as one of the first “Elements of Happiness” and earned their first music show wins with the feel-good, pop-rock title track, “Tap Tap.” Now, the members (sans Minchan who is on hiatus) embarked on their own individual journey to make their dreams come true in their seventh mini-album, Liminality – EP.DREAM.
The album showcases two different approaches VERIVERY takes to pursue their dreams. The first approach, represented by their “PLAY” concept, emphasizes their joy and happiness in living out their dreams in the present moment. On the other hand, the second approach, represented by the “PLAN” concept, highlights the members’ mature and sexy sides as they strategically plan out their next steps in order to achieve their future goals.
When Dongheon first learned about the album’s “dream” theme, he immediately thought of his members and their fans, VERRERs. “In this process of working to achieve our dreams in the K-Pop industry, I can never leave out the members and the fans,” Dongheon shared during a roundtable with members of the media. “So the songs are like my journal entries, like writing letters to my fans and the members.”
“We were like colleagues and close friends right after our debut,” Yeonho reflected on their group’s team dynamics. “I think the secret behind our teamwork is the leadership of our leader and the rest of us following him. Another thing is that we try to talk a lot amongst ourselves.”
Kangmin added, “We tried to understand each other in times of trouble and it allowed us to build a solid relationship as a group.”
The album kicks off with the title track, “Crazy Like That,” VERIVERY’s own pop interpretation of UK garage and industrial techno genres. Boasting a laid-back, chic melody ideal for summer playlists, the song encourages listeners to wholeheartedly chase after their dreams without any hesitation or doubt. “Deep inside a fire keeps on heating up like crazy / It’s now our time to light / Light the embers and wake me up / Take off higher and higher.” In the accompanying music video, the members are shown as free-spirited individuals driven by their burning passions to make their dreams a reality. Each member also has their own, distinct solo parts in the song’s choreography, allowing each of their personalities to shine.
The second song, “Juicy Juicy,” is a bubbly fusion of hip-hop and R&B that sings of the heart-fluttering sensation that one feels when in love. Like drinking a cold glass of ade in the summer heat, the song’s refreshing delivery creates a laid-back soundscape, leaving listeners immersed in its lazy summer vibes.
The album’s tone switches gears with “Raincoat.” Led by bold, boom-bap drums and powerful chants, the sentimental track carries VERIVERY’s message of their ability to weather any storm as long as they have each other. Dongheon commented, “The song, “Raincoat” is about the path that we have taken together as a group to achieve our dream. In that sense, I think this track really fits the concept of the album, ‘Dream’, well.”
The following heartfelt ballad “Smile With You ( )” is a soothing message from VERIVERY to VERRERs to bring comfort between promotional periods. “It is about our hiatus as well as the message that we want to send to our fans,” Yeonho shared. “The lyrics tell how we spend our time in between comebacks and how we hope our fans to feel about our hiatus.” No matter how much time passes, VERIVERY vows to stay by their VERRERs sides, just as they have done the same for them throughout their career.
Through their heartfelt lyrics and dedication to their craft, VERIVERY instills a sense of love, hope, and companionship within their listeners. Although fans will need to purchase the physical album to hear the fifth track, everyone can stream the rest of the Liminality – EP.DREAM tracks and check out the music video for “Crazy Like That,” below: