Must is the seventh Koreanstudio album by South Korean boy band2PM. The album was released on June 28, 2021. It is the first release by 2PM since all of the group's members were discharged from theirmandatory military service.
It was announced in January 2021 that 2PM would make a full group comeback later in the year afterJunho completed his military service.[1] On March 20, 2021, Junho became the final 2PM member to be discharged.[2] On the same day, South Korean news outletIlgan Sports reported that the group's comeback was scheduled for the summer. JYP Entertainment confirmed that 2PM was working on a new album while noting that “the exact timing of the release will be announced later on."[3]
On June 7, 2021, JYP Entertainment posted a video titled The Hottest Origins on its official social media channels. It revealed that 2PM's seventh Korean studio album, their first in almost five years since Gentlemen's Game, would be released on June 28, 2021, with the titleMust.[4]
During the group's hiatus, "My House", the title track of the group's 2015 albumNo.5, climbed back to the top spots of multiple music streaming charts. The members said that the success of the song impacted the production ofMust.[5]
The album's lead track, "Make It", is a pop song withjazz andsoul elements written and composed by memberWooyoung. "I started my work by asking myself two questions ― what should I say if I get to meet my true love and what should I do if 2PM has to make its comeback right now?" he said, explaining the inspiration behind the tune.[5] It opens with a retro guitar riff and lays its foundation within classic string bass and synth.[6]
The album's ten tracks, seven of which were written by 2PM members, borrow elements fromjazz andpop while maintaining 2PM's signature sweltering electronic sound. The tracks "Moon & Back" and "The Cafe", on the other hand, utilize a pulsating 808 drumming for a familiar R&B inflection.[7]
Must was released on June 28, 2021, alongside amusic video for the title track "Make It." It opens with a meteor colliding with the surface of the Earth, and the storyline revolves around the members being captivated by a beautiful woman while ignoring the apocalypse around them.[10] A TV comeback special of the same name premiered globally on the cable channelMnet and the digital channel M2 an hour after the album's release.[11]
For two weeks, 2PM performed the tracks "Make It" and "OK or Not" on TV music programs to promote the album, starting withM Countdown on July 1, 2021.[12]
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