Limits Approaching INFINITE

YOU KNOW HOW LONG US MYUNGJONG SHIPPERS HAVE WAITED FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS? Just let us have our moments, ok.3

—xxoXYouWishXoxx (on youtube)

An In-Depth Review of INFINITE’S “The Chaser”

Infinite’s “The Chaser” is slow to digest, mostly because it takes time to truly appreciate the song’s complexity.  Infinite does gets the great song that they’re chasing after, but they take a couple of detours along the way. 

Note: This review is written by an Inspirit who respects Infinite as musicians and thinks that an impartial critical review is the best display of that respect.  I’m also really open to feedback for these reviews!

Click here for my BTD Review

© http://www.kpoplyrics.net/infinite-the-chaser-lyrics-english-romanized.html for lyrics.

Infinite does their darnedest to make “The Chaser” sound urgent because, well, it is called “The Chaser,” after all.  Admirably, “The Chaser” runs forward at breakneck speed without falling apart, and actually keeps its cohesion quite nicely.  Even in the chorus, where the notes are held and long, the surrounding arrangement and horns keep up the pace of the song.  The rhythms of the verses are quick and easily move from one member’s voice to the next.  These rhythms are also syncopated.  It feels like Infinite is coming in to sing at the last minute each time, “chasing” after the beat, if you will, and lends another layer of excitement to the piece.   With its constant fast beat, “The Chaser” could have easily become boring and redundant.  Infinite makes admirable efforts to avoid this problem, though, and almost fully do.

In general, Infinite seems to follow one of two formulas: Verse-chorus-rap-verse-chorus-rap-etc. (BTD, Be Mine) or Verse-chorus-verse-chorus-rap-bridge-chorus (Paradise, Nothing’s Over).  In an interesting deviation from this formula, Hoya and Dongwoo each get their own verse in “The Chaser.”  I’m always excited to see the Infinite H line get some love, however, I think it’s still debatable if the rappers are strong enough to carry their own verses.  Dongwoo? I’m thinking yes.  Hoya?  Maybe not yet.

The advantage of the verses being rapped, though, is that each verse is new and interesting.  This opens the doors for new song orders and formulas, and although this may initially confuse the listener, it is an innovative and fresh idea.  For future reference, here is the basic layout of “The Chaser:”

1^st Verse (Sunggyu + Myungsoo)

Pre-Chorus (Sungjong + Hoya)

Chorus

Rap (Dongwoo)

Pre-Chorus (Sungyeol + Woohyun)

2^nd Chorus Reprise (Sunggyu + everyone kneeling)

3^rd Chorus Reprise (Everyone joins in)

Rap (Hoya)

2^nd 1^st Verse Reprise (Sunggyu)

4^th Chorus Reprise (Woohyun + Key Change)

5^th Chorus Reprise (Everyone joins in)

 ^3rd 1^st Verse Reprise

This list will be useful for later in this review

Actually, despite the insistent and catchy chorus, the real star of the show is the melody of the first verse.  We’re used to loud, desperate, layered choruses from Infinite, but what makes this song stand out is its more understated moments at the beginning.  The first verse is intense, but also possesses an aspect that the chorus lacks: a true sense of “warmth.”  A common problem, in pop music in general, is that many songs get produced the shit out of them (autotune, anyone?) to the extent that the singer’s voice and heart gets lost in the production.  This is also a common problem in Infinite’s choruses.  There’s a lot going into them being loud and soaring, a lot of voices belting it out, with little harmony to differentiate them.  And the choruses do end up being soaring and moving, but they lose a lot in the process.  They become almost “icy,” not really revealing the character or human touch of any of the singers in the group.  These choruses are one-trick ponies which run the risk of becoming old very quickly.  In contrast, in the first verse of “The Chaser,” Sunggyu and Myungsoo’s vocals taking the lead (as they should).  As a result, the verse is infinitely (bahaha) more interesting than the chorus because the voice behind their lyrics is much more human and complex.  Whereas the chorus is mostly marked by stark desperation, the verses have an interesting mix of warmth and caring, but also resentment and sarcasm:

Don’t be sorry, you can abandon me spitefully and leave
If that’s what you want, yeah, good bye
But that doesn’t mean I have given up too
My love wins

It gives Infinite a little sass, a new element to their voices which is refreshing to hear.  Infinite are no longer just the desperate boys begging a girl to “Be Mine;” they are men with their own pride and feelings to consider.

Throughout this song Infinite repackages the chorus to prevent the song from becoming boring.  The chorus repeats itself 5 times in this song.  Let’s do a little math.  Each chorus is 15 seconds long.  5 times 15 is 75 seconds, or 1:15.  The Chaser, in full, is 3:21 seconds.  This means that the chorus, and its reprises, take up over a third of the song.  To put this into context, the chorus of BTD is also 15 seconds long, but only occurs 3 times in the song, and takes up about 45 seconds of a 3 minute song (significantly less than a third of it).  You don’t have to be a mathematician to notice this, though.  When listening to “The Chaser,” for the first time, I couldn’t help noticing how often the chorus came back, and when a song repeats itself too often it becomes redundant and uninteresting.  With that said, however, Infinite is not simply repeating themselves.  Each chorus has a different feel than the last (You might want to start referencing the list above).  The first chorus is the “original,” it introduces the listener to the template on which all the other choruses are based.  The second chorus is similar, but the horn fanfare drops out, laying the melody more bare, The third chorus is similar to the first chorus when the trumpets join back in, but with different lyrics, etc.  Each chorus being slightly different is good, it prevents the song from becoming boring, however, there must be some sense behind these differences, some progression or thread that makes these changes significant while keeping the song together.  What’s the point of having the horns drop out of the second reprise of the chorus?  It creates a slower patch in the song, but the only reason to create this vacuum would be to use it to set up a faster acceleration later.  This does not happen with the third reprise.  The third reprise only offers a new set of lyrics:

Narrow the streets so I can catch you
I will risk everything to find my person

But these lyrics really don’t have a feel different than what the other choruses have already said:

I will go till the end to the place where my person is

There’s no progress or forward motion in these choral reprises, only lateral motion.  The 2^nd and 3^rd reprises basically unnecessary.

However, the 4^th reprise is a much more successful variation.  It’s preceded by an instrumental drop out reminiscent of the 2^nd choral reprise to set up the reprise of the first verse’s melody, with stronger lyrics, to emphasize and show the growth in Infinite’s desire.

I’m sorry girl, I don’t ever want to let go of the line that is you
But it’s okay because I will turn back your heart
It’s not a big deal even if my heart is ripped apart

The lyrics of the first verse were foreboding, but these lyrics are explicit concerning what Infinite intends to do.  This section also does what the 2^nd choral reprise should’ve done.  It takes this quiet moment and uses it to set up an effective acceleration of synths which precede the fourth reprise of the chorus.  The combination of Woohyun’s voice and the key change really makes this chorus stand out.  It’s significantly different than the other choruses, and it makes sense for why these changes would happen.  The progression from a minor to major key reflects Infinite’s mindset, they are no longer stuck on the girl’s rejection but deciding firmly that they will chase her, no matter what.  This makes the song feel like it’s going somewhere, and gives the listener an effective feeling of catharsis.  Unfortunately, though, this excellent build-up is made less effective because of the prior redundant chorus reprisals.  The first time I listened to The Chaser, I literally said, “Seriously?” when I first heard Woohyun’s chorus.  This was because I had already heard two choral reprisals earlier, and I expected that those were meant to be the climax of the song.  Throwing another climax on top of that only serves to cheapen both and to confuse the listener.  Ironically, by trying prevent the song from becoming boring, Infinite takes too many detours and deadens the actually effective parts of The Chaser.

While most of Infinite’s efforts at creating an effective climax to their song fall somewhat short, they do succeed, unexpectedly, at the very end.  The star of the show is the melody of the first verse, and its reprise at the end of “The Chaser” is the song’s crowning moment.  At this point, the melody has only been used twice before, and is still as fresh and interesting as it was in the beginning.  Even though the lyrics are exactly the same, the presentation is totally different than the first two times.  The ending of “The Chaser” is glorious, it takes everything the listener has heard separately before in the song and mixes it together to for its last message.  The first verse is now accompanied by the same triumphant instrumentals as the choruses and Sunggyu’s adlibs from the raps, and clearly shows the growth of Infinite from the threatening spited lover of the first verse to the determined powerful man at the end.  I just wish they could have made this journey without taking their detours into repetitive refrain land.  In the end, the Chaser is a full, interesting, and powerful song, but it is held back by a too simple and too repeated chorus.

 So the final question is, then: Where does this song leave Infinite?  I can say that the Chaser will definitely make it into my top 5 Infinite songs list (although it is below my two favorites: BTD and Dashi Dorawa).  It is refreshing to know that Infinite tried something new.  2011 was a very good year for Infinite, and it produced my favorite song from them.  However, I have to admit that I was getting pretty tired of mid-tempo songs in the same key signature (BTD, Be Mine, Paradise).  Infinite is a group which has been applauded for keeping a characteristic sound.  However the largest pitfall to this characteristic is that they walk the line between “consistent” and “boring.”  The boys always need to remember the difference between presenting the same song in a different form and creating a new song but with the same touch.  The Chaser, though, has given me confidence in their ability to do this.  Even though not every aspect of it was successful, I think the complexity of this song is a testament to their growth.  The Chaser is not as catchy as Be Mine.  By this, I mean that it will take multiple listens for the average person to appreciate it fully, and releasing this song is a risky move for Infinite to make.  I’m glad, however, that Infinite has chosen to make that move, and hope it pays off for them, because I think The Chaser, although not perfect, is a better song than the safe Be Mine.  

Whenever a new step is taken there’s bound to be an awkward time period while the group adjusts to the bigger shoes it is wearing.  Infinite is still adjusting, but I am optimistic about where they can go from here.

3.5/5