The Rose “Dawn” Review

The Rose, a South Korean band formed under kpop entertainment company J&Star Company, released their second mini-album Dawn Oct. 4.

Being a lesser known band in Korea, The Rose’s fanbase comes mainly from overseas which lead the band to have a European tour despite the rarity for even popular kpop artists to do so. The Rose also is one of few groups in the kpop music scene to be known for playing their own instruments and focusing solely on a rock sound.

“She’s In the Rain” takes on the role of a title track for Dawn, and had a music video upload on the album’s release yet it was taken down by the streaming company Stone Entertainment. Unfortunately, the music video cannot be found anywhere else leaving fans frustrated. The song falls under the rock ballad genre as the verses are backed by acoustic guitars and other string instruments and the chorus features rock instruments. “She’s In the Rain” delivers a powerful message as the two vocalists of the band, Sammy (Woosung) and Leo (Dojoon), sing about sticking with someone through the darkest times and instead of one person being in the rain, they are “both in the rain”.

“I Don’t Know You” slips into the groups typical soft rock sound as it cheers up the vibe of the album through focusing on wanting to know someone by the little things noticed from a first interaction. Then “Take Me Down” maintains the soft rock sound but changes to a darker subject as Sammy and Leo ask “Can you take me down?” due to how much pain they’re in. The last song on the album, “Insomnia”, returns to the the soft rock ballad and creates a bittersweet ending to the mini-album.

Despite not having as big as an audience as most kpop groups, The Rose produced a powerful mini-album that is sure to impact all their fans with Dawn.