Only five months after their last release, PENTAGON has dropped their 11th mini album “LOVE or TAKE,” a reflection of their growth as a group and as individuals as they explore the true meaning of love. At 6PM on March 15, 2021, seven of the nine-member group held an online media showcase to update their fans, UNIVERSE, and chat about what makes this mini album special. The album gives an early taste of spring with tracks penned by the members that reflect the complementary album concepts of romantic, sporty, and mild. Each version of the album embodies these concepts, and YEOONE hopes UNIVERSE enjoy these three different versions of the album.
PENTAGON opened up the media showcase with a refreshing performance of one of the album’s tracks called “Baby I Love You,” taking the stage as though they were characters straight out of a webtoon. The easy-going choreography that included finger hearts and cute interactions complimented the song’s sweet bubble-gum lyrics, soft melodies, and peppy vocals. Breezy, bright, and fun, this performance reflected what YEOONE later described as the “popular theme of innocence” found in so many popular webtoons.
After this performance, MC HARU invited the seven members on stage for introductions. SHINWON delivered an extra dose of adorable as he introduced himself as “Happy, cute, crazy? SHINWON” while HONGSEOK thanked UNIVERSE for waiting five months for them, hoping to make hearts race. Next, MC HARU caught up with the boys. YANAN talked about the family-like experience of acting in a drama while KINO and SHINWON discussed being fixed guests on “Kiss The Radio” every Saturday. The other members teased them about their voices that are so well-suited for radio. KINO also talked about his new podcast on Dive Studios’ unboxing program with ASTRO’s JINJIN called “UNBOXING w/ JINJIN & KINO.”
Before the next performance, PENTAGON gave a sneak peek of the entire album, explaining a bit about each track along the way. HUI and WOOSEOK contributed to the lyrics and composition of “10 Seconds Ago (10초 전).” WOOSEOK explained that the song is like a countdown through memories that lead back to love, which is mirrored by the slow buildup in the intro of the song.
The mini album’s title track, “DO or NOT” sits second on the tracklist and is a witty, pop-rock song about desperately wanting to know how the other person feels about you while pretending like you don’t care. HUI and WOOSEOK also participated in creating the song that emulates 50s jukebox tunes with WOOSEOK whistling to a wicked beat. The music video reflects the old school vibe of the track. A tube TV displays an image of HUI crooning into a mic with his 6-pack of PENTAGON backup vocals right behind him. Quickly spinning off into an 80s prom flick vibe, the members fawn over the lead girl throughout the video that sports fast cuts, scene changes, and plenty of cuteness. At the end they wake up, and turn on the tv. Was it a dream? Only PENTAGON knows.
What we now know is that WOOSEOK’s whistle in “DO or NOT” is amazing, but when he tried to whistle during the showcase, he couldn’t and laughed at himself. We also know that they used salt during the filming of the music video to recreate snow and YUTO snuck himself a taste.
Up next was the sneak peek of “1+1” that embodies composer LDN Noise’s legendary dance beats. WOOSEOK contributed to the lyrics that the members explained meant “buy 1 get 1 free” like PENTAGON and UNIVERSE. You can’t have one without the other.
“Baby I Love You,” co-written by KINO and WOOSEOK, quickly recapped their opening performance followed by “That’s Me,” which was co-written by HUI and WOOSEOK. What can only be described as a “super bouncy dance track” is the song that YEOONE hopes to dance crazily to with UNIVERSE at their next concert. The first time he heard it, the tune made him want to groove.
The last two album sneak peeks were “Sing” and “Boy in time” (or “A boy’s feelings/소년감성”). While “Sing” is a bass-driven, driving track penned by both WOOSEOK and HUI, “Boy in time (소년감성)” is a bonus solo track left for UNIVERSE by HUI before he left for his military duty. Even just a few moments of his smooth voice definitely calls for more.
“LOVE or TAKE” is the group’s first album release since HUI’s military enlistment back in February. Although he was unable to participate in the media showcase, HUI played a key role in composing most of the mini albums’ tracks and participated in the “DO or NOT” music video filming. When asked how they will promote as a seven member group, WOOSEOK admitted that it’s strangely empty without him around as he was such a strong leader. YANAN promises that they’ll do their best while HUI and JINHO are away.
When asked about who represents the album’s concepts best, YANAN and YUTO both nominated each other as the people who best suit the cool, refreshing concept. KINO, while quite the jokester throughout much of the showcase, grew a little more serious when explaining that he spent a lot of time thinking about how to best portray PENTAGON’s style to UNIVERSE and the world.
The boys actually surprised MC HARU at one point when they explained how their frustration turned into a fountain of creativity. While they were working on penning the album, they got stuck. They decided to stop and take a break. One member began to freestyle to a beat, and the situation was so much fun that the team felt their creative juices coming back.
Just before they gave their final greetings, the boys took the stage to perform their title track “DO or NOT.” As though they materialized out of their webtoon-like music video, they wore their colorful outfits and danced to the song that is tailor-made for catchy fanchants. In HUI’s absence, YANAN flawlessly covered his opening lines while KINO, WOOSEOK, and HONGSEOK filled in for HUI in the chorus and bridge. The central choreography features finger hearts in front of their lips, which is sure to be a favorite of UNIVERSE everywhere. During the last power anthem-like chorus, the members dance across the stage in colorful chaos before coming together for a powerful ending.
Even though PENTAGON didn’t have UNIVERSE with them, they still managed to keep smiles and energy high. Their final greetings were full of heartfelt wishes to meet soon and for fans everywhere to enjoy “LOVE and TAKE.”