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Review: SHINEE’s Key tells a relatable story in new uplifting track Good & Great

Key's latest EP titled Good & Great contains a total of six tracks. And it follows his "retro trilogy" series.

Zhuo Jia Wen

| September 13, 2023

Key Good & Great — SHINee’s Key recently dropped his latest EP Good & Great. Photo: SM Entertainment

Following the release of his 2nd mini album Killer (2023) in February, SHINee’s Key is back with new music.

Born Kim Ki-bum, the 31-year-old singer dropped his 2nd EP, Good & Great (2023) on Monday (11 Sep). The album contains six tracks, fronted by its title track Good & Great (2023).

The album follows Key’s retro trilogy series. It consists of Bad Love (2021), Gasoline (2022) and Gasoline’s reissue Killer (2023).

Good & Great

First things first, the concept of Good & Great is, well, great. It’s one that the K-pop industry hasn’t explored much: a workplace aesthetic.

While groups like TWICE and Super Junior have experimented with it, it’s not a common concept that’s done time and time again.

But Key is evidently well fitted for this concept, as he grooves to the choreography in an empty office in the track’s music video.

The dance-pop number opens with addictive piano chords and is pretty easy on the ears. The only pity is that it’s too repetitive, and it gets in your head after a while, but not in the most ideal way.

What keeps the track afloat, though, is its all-too-relatable message. Key sings: “I’m good, I’m great/ I work, get paid/ Thank God all day/ I love it, I’m epic”.

It’s not only a way in which Key expresses the pride he feels doing what he’s doing. But it also amplifies the voices of most office workers today.

The album

Other than Good & Great, there are also other dance-pop numbers like Living Without You (2023). If you’re a sucker for breakup tunes, consider Can’t Say Goodbye (2023), where Key sings about the pain of not being able to break up with a loved one.

For a more introspective take, tune in to Mirror, Mirror (2023). The number is Key’s more sombre exploration on being the perfect human, despite having inherent flaws.