WayV takes off, but gets lost in space

In this Album Ranking, we will be judging WayV's <Take Off>'s presented Artistry, Production, and Longevity, first on the level of the individual song and then on the level of the album overall.

_{^{*Note: The Album Ranking is based off of my own grading scale known as the 'Song Quality Index'. I developed this system in an attempt to accurately and fairly represent my opinion in a fair and consistent manner. The following results do not solely reflect my personal opinion as a casual listener, but rather as a musical critic. I hope you keep this in mind when proceeding forward.}}

_{^{**ALSO NOTE: I will not be factoring in tracks "Regular" or "Come Back" for obvious reasons.}}

^{***For Reference: The Grading Scale (S > A > B > C > F) = (Stellar/Superior > Art > Balanced/Blossom > Commercialized > Flop)}

Take Off**

• Artistry [B]
• Production [B]
• Longevity [B]
• OVERALL: B for Balanced/Blossom.
  

Comments: A solid B-ranked song through and through. I struggled with this one because once again, SM has presented us a song that only their artists can pull off well. However unlike a traditional SM title track, "Take Off" lacks that creative flair that really comprises an SM artists' core aspect... While it does successfully manage to do enough in the production to avoid the C-grade labeling, it isn't by much. In fact, that weirdness of the track (which is usually a good thing more or less) might be the detrimental factor in the lifespan of "Take Off". It all depends on the fans, hence the blossoming aspect.

Say It*

• Artistry [C]
• Production [B]
• Longevity [C]
• OVERALL: C+ for Commercialized.
  

Comments: I am a firm believer that most artists should avoid an EDM-heavy track unless they've honed their own personal sound first, and WayV hasn't proved me wrong with this. Nothing new is presented in "Say It" (besides the curious, yet unexplored, synth-descending, post-chorus anomaly), which is why artistry and production both received the grades they did. Besides that, because of the preponderance of EDM in commercial charts, the longevity is left at C-grade as well.

Let Me Love U

• Artistry [C]
• Production [C]
• Longevity [C]
• OVERALL: C for Commercialized.
  

Comments: The first measure is all you need to place this song. You can't get more commercial than a simplistic, acoustic pop track.

Dream Launch

• Artistry [A]
• Production [A]
• Longevity [B]
• OVERALL: A- for Art.
  

Comments: Much more typical of an SM artist, we see the emergence of a sophisticated presence when there's R&B involved. A solid, urban contemporary production that tells a story on its own; WayV merely builds upon that foundation by lending their own voices in harmonious chorus and heartfelt rap. It's a union that works for them, and the result, although possibly particular for non-fans of the genre, seems to embody the true essence of WayV in a way its sibling tracks have not.

ALBUM FINAL SCORE: [?]

^{***For Reference: The Scoring Scale (S > S- > A > B > C > F+ > F) = (11 > 10 > 8 > 5  > 2 > 0 > -1).}

^{****NOTE: S- is the standard. Perfect S's are bonus. Absolute F's are negative.}

The Math: [B / C+ / C / A-] = (5 + 3 + 2 + 7) = (17). Since there are four songs in total, the "maximum" score WayV's 1st Mini Album <Take Off> can receive is out of 40 pts. 

(17 / 40 = .425) = (43%).

In other words, WayV's 1st Mini Album <Take Off> ultimately receives a Percentile Ranking of 43% (or 43/100), thus placing it in the B Minus Grade Zone.

Final Thoughts...

WayV's <Take Off> is arguably one of the worst boy group EP's I've heard come from SM, and that's simply for the fact that 2/4 of the "new" tracks are blatantly commercial, and the other two are packaged with songs that have been out for months. Obviously, it's apparent that SM Entertainment wants WayV to enter the Mandopop/C-Pop market as quickly as possible, but the neglection of artistry and unique (AND NEW) production leaves WayV in an ambiguous cloud void of a clear and distinct identity. With SM's artists generally being known for their original sounds, WayV's lack of any is disheartening and disappointing to say the least. Now, do I feel that this EP will do bad? No, not at all. Being a B-grade, <Take Off> has the potential to blossom into somewhat decent success for the group; all that's needed is the right conditions--and for all parties (cough, SM, cough) to play their proper roles.

But only when SM, and by proxy WayV, realize that the secret to touching the moon does in fact lie within masterfully crafted works like "Dream Launch" will we see a new age of fantastical space exploration ushered upon us. Until then, though, it's stargazing and Youtube for us.

This has been TheNatureKing! Thank You for Reading!

_{^{(Want to see me do an Album Ranking of your choice? No problem! Just comment or message me here or on twitter!)}}