No one has beautifully embraced the ballad genre as much as EXO’s CHEN has been doing in recent years. With Last Scene, we welcome CHEN back and get lost and lulled by his ballads and soothing and powerful voice.
CHEN is back with his third mini-album, Last Scene. This long-awaited release comes two years after Dear My Dear (2019). Last Scene is a six-track EP that contains a variety of moods and atmospheres and will get listeners into their emotions while listening to CHEN’s calm yet emotionally powerful vocals.
The EP starts with the title track ‘Last Scene’, an emotionally heavy track whose story is beautifully narrated by CHEN’s voice; no matter if listeners are not able to understand the lyrics, CHEN’s artistry is capable of delivering the song’s message and its emotions. ‘Last Scene’ has a beautiful and impressive harmony, backed by a piano and string melody. On top of this, CHEN’s vocal power express the heartbreaking emotions of the lyrics – “Can’t you see how this breaks me? / Behind your back, slowly fading / I stand, holding broken memories / Holding back tears”.
Not only is the song a blessing but the music video too. For the music video, CHEN has entrusted acclaimed Korean actor Park Hae-soo, who has been praised for his outstanding acting skills in a number of works, including the global hit Squid Game, to deliver the lyrics’ emotions. In the music video, we see Park Hae-Soo driving his car while reminiscing about his now ended relationship. Park Hae-Soo perfectly translated the emotions in the song through his facial expressions while we see scenes of his partner walking on the beach and in other settings. When he gets to that same beach, his partner is no longer there, so the idea of that being their last scene together.
The mini-album keeps its flow with ‘Photograph’, another instrumental piano song that matches CHEN’s lower yet soft vocals. For ‘Traveler’, CHEN picks up the R&B genre and creates a lovely and uplifting R&Ballad; CHEN’s smooth vocals and ad-libs are simply amazing, and the groove of the song eases listeners into a chill and vibey mood.
‘I Don’t Even Mind’ is a stylish song with an interesting guitar melody and a more constructed and strong arrangement. The pauses that give room for CHEN’s voice to be highlighted are what make this song a great song. ‘Reminisce’ brings us back to the seasonal ballads – the end of autumn and the beginning of winter in this case. The orchestration is superb and it does the job of making us feel all the feelings.
This excellent mini-album closes with ‘Your Shelter’, a Ballad – with the genre’s classic instrumentals and melancholic feeling. CHEN is pouring all his emotions into this song, giving us a beautiful last scene to close the mini-album.
After its release, Last Scene topped the iTunes Chart of 31 countries – including Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Poland, Egypt, Poland, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, Laos and Peru.
CHEN‘s third mini-album Last Scene is available across all streaming platforms.
