The album and music video were released on Aug. 2, 2021. This comeback has already been well received by AROHA (ASTRO’s fandom). ‘After Midnight,’ has become the most viewed ASTRO video (within 24 hours) taking over the record set by their previous title track ‘ONE.’
Concept
This album contains a mixture of ASTRO’s past, present, and future. They have walked the path together and wanted to show it off in their latest comeback. It contains the different emotional aspects of 6 different members who have come together to create something. ASTRO’s past was emphasized when they pre-released ‘Footprint’ to add to the hype of their comeback. The lyrics speak about AROHA taking ASTRO’s hand and walking down a road that they’ve already walked down. It is about reliving ASTRO’s memories.
ASTRO had a lot of fun spoiling this comeback. They hosted a live session on Jul. 31, on NAVER NOW, called “Before Midnight.” The members completed missions given to them by fans and even released a self-produced teaser. They made the teaser for their title track ‘After Midnight,’ by just using their facial expressions. They also muted the highlight of the track ‘Waterfall,’ and played one note of the highlight for ‘MY ZONE.’ These were only a few of the things that got fans amped for the comeback!
— NOW. (@kr_now) July 31, 2021 This comeback sets a new trend by creating a ‘refreshing fantasy.’ MJ mentioned that this album’s goal is to “SWITCH ON” on the world with ASTRO’s music. There are two versions of the album: the “SWITCH ON” and the “SWITCH OFF” version. The on version has a twinkle on the album jacket and the off version does not. ‘After Midnight,’ is a disco-funk up-tempo song that highlight’s ASTRO’s energy and the summer mood.
You can watch the full music video here:
Fashion & Appearance
This comeback is all about lightness and brightness. The members wear lots of white and bright colors. Most of the members also have pastel and bright hair colors, except for MoonBin and Cha EunWoo who changed their hair back to black. MJ especially rocks flushed makeup, giving him more of a youthful feeling as this comeback’s honorary maknae.
Dance
The choreography reflects the funky feeling of the ‘After Midnight,’ beat. It is exciting and gets you moving. JinJin said that he personally enjoyed the switch dance as a killing point of their choreography. Rocky described the move as making a clock shape with your arms then letting the arms turn on both sides, afterwards you press down on a switch.
Watch the full performance from their comeback showcase here:
Songs
“SWITCH ON,” has 6 tracks. The members participated in the production stages of every single track on this album, including writing and composing. Cha EunWoo wrote the lyrics for the first verse and bridge of ‘After Midnight.’ The song guide was initially in English and he had to interpret it and write from that version. MoonBin worked on the lyrics for ‘Footprint.’ JinJin assisted with the lyrics for ‘Waterfall.’ MJ helped with the writing and composition, whilst JinJin and Rocky made the rap for ‘Sunset Sky.’ For ‘MY ZONE,’ JinJin helped write the lyrics, rap, and compose it. Rocky was also part of the rap making and Yoon SanHa was part of the composition process. It has a bit of a darker atmosphere than the other tracks on the album. For ‘Don’t Worry,’ Rocky co-wrote the lyrics, rap and even helped with the composition. JinJin worked on the rap making and Cha EunWoo worked on the lyrics and composition. Rocky mentioned that the song is a message to AROHA to not worry too much no matter how hard it may be during the current global climate.
Episodes & Fun Talks
ASTRO’s industry senior JYJ’s JaeJoong played ‘After Midnight,’ on his NAVER NOW show “Neighborhood Youth,” keeping a promise that he made to ASTRO. He encouraged AROHA and other K-Pop fans to support ASTRO’s comeback with extra effort because their promotion period is short. He then bopped along happily as he listened to the song.
He congratulated them on their new album and said their (comeback) activities are really short, but he asked everyone to support them more passionately! He’s really the sweetest ☺️ pic.twitter.com/BxIMNSulvh — 힐링보이스 ✨ (@healingvoice86) August 2, 2021 Fans are looking forward to ASTRO’s Arcade Pang content that will be released on Aug. 5, 2021. The photos of MJ, Rocky, and MoonBin in pajamas with cute smiles on their faces, already have fans thinking that the episode will be a lot of fun to watch. Be sure not to miss it!
울 아들램들 사진 먼저 뿌린다 💜ㅋㅋㅋ ㅇㅏ 사진만 봐도 웃겨 ㅠ 8월 5일.. #아스트로 아잔다하는 날..✍🏻👉🏻 https://t.co/19Y7zSHEnh#아빠안잔다 #After_zzZ #ASTRO pic.twitter.com/Kg8MGhT0tO — 오락실 팡 Arcade Pang (@ArcadePang) August 1, 2021
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