On June 8, 2015, K-Indie artists The Solutions released their six-track album NO PROBLEM! as a four-member group for the first time. This time, Park Sol and Naru are joined by Park Han Sol and Kwon Oh Kyung to provide fans with a summery album full of The Solutionsâ unique sound. While The Solutions usually sing in English, for this album, they decided to cater more to the Korean audience with more Korean tracks.
The album opens with âNo Problem,â an instrumental track with a nice 1980s beat. Throughout the short track, you can hear different voices saying âNo Problemâ to where it almost sounds futuristic and like a computer is talking to you. The spoken elements feel distracting to some degree because it interrupts the music. However, it does work well as a transitional song.
âLove You Dearâ picks up the beat from âNo Problem.â âLove You Dearâ covers one-sided love, but in a cheerful way. The song sounds like itâs straight from the 1980s, creating a song thatâs fun and almost reminiscent of days gone by while feeling new. The combination of both nostalgia and newness makes the song feel like it could last a few decades to make it a go-to summer song for years to come.
While they work for the album, âStageâ and âSing and Flowâ feel better suited for The Solutionsâ Movements album because they have a stronger, in-your-face quality. However, âSing and Flowâ does maintain the albumâs summery vibe. âStage,â though, is a great introduction song to show potential fans how well The Solutions can transition between English and Korean. At times, the transitions are so smooth that a listener may still think theyâre singing in one language because it isnât like some K-Pop songs where a random word or phrase is thrown in for the heck of it.âSing and Flowâ is synth-heavy, but itâs a great party-starter.
The fifth track, âL.O.V.E,â lures listeners into thinking itâs going to be a ballad just by looking at the title. However, itâs a nice mid-tempo track thatâs mellow and almost peaceful. The softer side of The Solutions is nice and different and shows dimension. Itâs a shame this actually wasnât the last song on NO PROBLEM.
The album closes with the Miami version of âLove You Dear.â The song is completely English. When listened to side-by-side with the original version, there are differences that can easily be picked up. The Miami version has more of a party vibe in terms of bass and added instrumentals, whereas the original focuses more on vocals. With the Miami version, vocals arenât as dominant. With that said, play both songs at the same time with one in the left ear and the other in the right; it creates a cool impact and will help in noticing the different nuances.
NO PROBLEM is a nice album to usher in summer as it has a good amount of rock and nostalgia. It will please fans, and while a fun album, Movements is still the best one to introduce new fans to The Solutions.
NO PROBLEM earns a 3/5.
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—-Joelle Halon
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