Album Review: BIGBANG Made

With the second season of the massively popular Netflix series Squid Game making waves around the globe at the end of 2024, a particular character quickly captured the spotlight. Choi Su-bong, known as 'Thanos,' is brought to life by T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyun), the former BIGBANG member.

Who is BIGBANG?

BIGBANG(빅뱅) is a three member (formerly five) member boy group under YG entertainment. Named the “Kings of K-Pop” they heavily influenced K-pop internationally and are considered the most influential act in all of K-Pop to this date. From their debut album BigBang Vol. 1 in 2006, to MADE in 2016, they continue to revolutionize the industry.

With the legacy aside, the group's last full album, MADE(2016) has always intrigued me. Sure, I've listened to the ground breaking song, BANG BANG BANG, but I haven't really heard anything off of this album. I had decided that it would be a good idea to do a whole review off the album and get a deeper feel of the album, more on a critical level.

TRACK 01

(FXXK IT)

4.5/10

Honestly, this song really shows that it was from 2016 with that little build up and beat drop for the chorus. I don't really like songs from this point in time so I'm a little disappointed that this is the start of the album but I will tell you that it isn't bad at all, just not my type of song. I really like Taeyang's first Pre-Chorus (he has such a good voice) and T.O.P's rap after the first chorus.

Track 02

(Last Dance)

6/10

I am not the biggest fan of ballad songs, but this one is most likely going into my playlist. It is actually really good, and leagues better than the last song. This time around, the first Chorus, sung by Daesung, moved me, and Taeyang's “One last dance” at the end of the chorus was just the Je ne sais quoi! The last Chorus was so-so-so good, it had me levitating!! An objectively good song, but I wont find myself playing it every time it comes on, more like once a while.

Track 03

(GIRLFRIEND)

7/10

This song is really cute! As the title suggests, the members are just talking about how much they love their girlfriend. Compared to the last two tracks, this song goes more in a direction that I like, has a little bit of rapping in it but overall a vocal based song (just like the last two). As stated with the last one, I would listen to this song outside of the review, but unfortunately, I might catch myself maybe skipping it a few too many times.

Track 04

(LET'S NOT FALL IN LOVE)

7/10

Feels like a soothing bike ride on a beach. It honestly has that summer night vibe. I think it's also kind of cute too! However, like the first song on the album, I still feel like it has that 2016 summer vibe that I don't particularly like very much. It makes up for it with some very nice verses from both G-Dragon and T.O.P. The chorus wasn't anything to write home about, but it wasn't that bad! I would definitely listen to this more

than the other three

Track 05

(LOSER)

8/10

Call me emo all you want, but I really like this song. I would most definitely have this song in constant rotation. It's not too melodramatic, but just enough for someone to look out of the window of their parents car and look out longingly at the setting sun. The beat is very mellow, making you feel the emotion through the song. Taeyang’s bridge and adlibs throughout the last chorus really made this song for me, besides it just being a stellar listen.

Track 06

(BAE BAE)

9.5/10

I don't care what anyone says, this song changed lives! I really like this one, I instantly got it on first listen. The only reason it isn't too high is for a few reasons. It's wayyy too short and Seungri's verse is…boring to say the least. T.O.P’s verse single handedly changed the trajectory of my life forever with how iconic it is! I really like how the song just captures you in and keeps you in with the steller raps and fantastic verses, (besides Senguri).

Track 07

(BANG BANG BANG)

8.5/10

A consecutive track run where the songs have just blown me away! Everytime I listen to this song, I feel so cool and badass! The only reason that this iconic song is still pretty low is because the ending doesn't fully satisfy me. It's good but, it's like you are yearning for more songs, you know? This song to me will never be bad (Besides the ending) and will always stay relevant in my playlist.

Track 08

(SOBER)

10/10

I wish I could erase my memory so that I can listen to this song again and feel the same mind blowing emotion. The bridge takes me to space and doesn't get me started on the chorus! I just love this song! And having an ending that comes after the BANG BANG BANG ending, which had disappointed me greatly, I was really shocked by how amazing and impactful it was. I even found myself replaying it a second time!

Track 09

(IF YOU)

2.5/10

You know, it might have been because I was so tired or just fed up with music that I ranked it this low, but taking a second (begrudging) listen, I still feel the same way. It pained me so deeply how long this song was compared to the other (better) songs. I don't even have much to say, that how much I actively dislike this snoozefest of a song.

TRACK 10

(ZUTTER)

9/10

This is by far my favorite G-Dragon and T.O.P duo song! It’s so catchy and keeps you hooked on the song. I didn't have much faith after the last track but honestly this song brought my mood right back up. This is the kind of song that I would recommend to anyone who would listen. I think it’s a pretty good song and I would definitely listen to it more often from now on.

TRACK 11

(WE LIKE 2 PARTY)

7.5 /10

To be honest, the guitar threw me off at first! I thought we were gonna get a rap heavy song but it then became a campfire style song, which to me surprised and shocked me. I think as the last song, this is a great conclusion to the album! Nothing in the song is really memorable or stuck out to me but it is a pretty decent listen.

This is definitely my least favorite BIGBANG album out of the three, but by no means bad at all!