“Neighborhood” is a bilingual EP that has a mix of several different genres like pop, funk, soul, and R&B in English and Korean. Jay Chang contributed greatly to this EP as a lyricist and co-producer, helping with arrangements as well as the production. This EP, released on Nov. 22, is supposed to be a fun escape from the troubling things in the present time with the different tracks: “LaSalle Ave,” “Four Seasons,” “Paper Cut,” and “What You Need.”
Chang was introduced to music at a young age because his father was a rock musician in the 80s’. Chang played drums for 15 years before being vocally trained and pursuing a musical career in South Korea.
He was born and raised in New Jersey, USA, making him an outlander in Korea. He is not Korean; his dad is Irish-Hungarian, and his mom is Filipino-Chinese. Despite not being of Korean descent, he was able to enter the industry as foreign K-pop idols have been normalized.
Chang participated in two elimination shows: Under Ninteen (2018) and Boys Planet (2023). Victory would have secured him a spot in a K-pop group, but, unfortunately, he was eliminated.
He has grown so much since starting as a solo artist and joining a K-pop group called ONEPACT in 2023, and finally Korean B.D.U. in June of this year. In 2024, he joined the reality show Build Up: Boy Group Survival, where he and his team formed the group B.D.U.
LaSalle Ave:
“LaSalle Ave” has a fun guitar that adds a touch of funk, and the drums bring a soul element that’s not commonly heard in K-pop songs.
On KBS WORLD Radio, Chang said that this song is about the nostalgia he feels for his childhood. The title of this song is named after the road he grew up on, sending the message to let stressful things go and remember when they were free as a child.
Chang’s soulful but clear voice is perfectly suited for this song, with his impressive ad-libs throughout the entirety of the track, and the choir in the soundtrack giving a gospel feeling. The song gave me a mellow first impression. Even though I enjoyed listening to it, I would have enjoyed a bigger climax to the chorus.
Four Seasons:
“Four Seasons” is my favorite track of this EP, and it seems to be the perfect song to play — no matter the weather, from a nice day to a cold and gloomy sky.
This song is about how there is a reason not to give up something or someone when Covid – 19 struck. That message is shown in the chorus where he sings, “Because with every season comes every reason to start again.”
Four Seasons is a song that Chang had sung at concerts and on live streams, but never fully produced until now, after 5 years, making it a great addition to his album. He wrote it during the pandemic, and made it into a song of hope.
He shows off his talents in this song, as he sings in a higher register and adds a raspy tone to convey the emotions of sadness and hope to his listeners.
Paper Cut:
This song is mostly in English with some Korean words and lines added throughout. It has become common in K-pop to have the key words or the chorus in English, and the rest in Korean with the intention of appealing to foreigners.
This song is about someone who has been heartbroken. I especially love the line where he sings about his shattered heart saying “I should staple it back up, babe.” I think it is a great way to show how a person picks themselves up after getting hurt because they feel no regret in the events that happened.
The chorus has been stuck in my head for days after listening to this song. I love the pace of the melody and how I can sway my head from side to side with the beat.
Chang talked about how he has never been heartbroken, so in order to write this song he watched many emotional films and listened to sad songs.
The guitar is upbeat, and definitely feels like it is being played in person, not in a recording studio. It left me with a cozy and fuzzy feeling despite being a relatively unhappy song.
What You Need:
This song wasn’t my favorite, as it was less original than the rest of the tracks. “What You Need” is closer to the pop sound that the majority of the K-pop industry consists of. Most of the lines are said in Korean, making it harder to understand despite the English sprinkled throughout the song.
It is a fun, upbeat song, featuring a group member from ONEPACT named Tag. The funky base at the intro was a really fun detail that they added to such a lively and upbeat song. This collaboration is about being so in love and wanting to give the person you love anything.
This EP only contained four songs and was genuinely a short but great experience. I loved hearing the different genres and instrument arrangements for every song, as well as his mix of Korean and English.
“Neighborhood” gives me a peek into Chang’s taste as well as his life, especially with “LaSalle Ave” and “Four seasons.” Chang has mentioned before that he listened to various genres while growing up — like funk, rock, and his favorite artist, Bruno Mars. He has reflected on the music he listened to as a child that he still enjoys today, and incorporated it in his album.
I enjoyed listening to the arrangements of the instruments, melody, and lyrics of his songs. I am into the genres he included in this EP and would definitely listen to them again. I look forward to more of his musical releases of his solo work in the future.
