When Taemin released his single Veil last week, I was surprised it wasn’t paired with a music or performance video. After all, he’s one of K-pop’s premiere visual artists, with choreography and sheer star presence often elevating the songs themselves. It turns out we just needed to wait a few days before that video materialized.
Of course, this blog isn’t often concerned with the music videos. I watch them all and I watch some of them many times, but I’m much more liable to enjoy the music on its own merits. When it comes to Taemin’s solo work, I have a harder time getting into his moodier works. These are often considered “performance pieces” above all else, so rather than focus on sharp melodic hooks they’re much more concerned with the overall performance package.
Veil doesn’t skimp on theatricality. It’s stuffed with choral vocals and thumping percussion. It’s like a Broadway show performed in hell. You can practically smell the brimstone emanating from the claustrophobic instrumental. It’s a vibe that works well as “music to perform to,” but as a song there’s not much that really compels me here. The melodies are circuitous or sometimes nonexistent, making Veil feel like an extended monologue rather than a tightly constructed pop single. This is all by design, and if you simply enjoy watching Taemin do his Taemin thing you’ll surely enjoy this.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
