album rating - nmixx : fe3O4 forward

Fe3O4: Forward (2025)

NMIXX

Description

(song meanings are from my own interpretation!!)

nmixx have described the message conveyed through their music, specifically the fe3O4 series, as breaking free from traditions of society. fe3O4:forward breaks the stereotype of nmixx themselves, coming back with a very experimental album different to anything else theyve made before. the songs on this album describe moving their lives forward quickly with no doubt.

high horses lyrics describe being sick of the ‘cramped frame’ of the sad, monotonous day to day life and wishing to break free from whats familiar and ‘ride to the front line’. 

know about me describes the feeling of wanting to be bold and different and get rid of the fear of being judged for doing so; quickly ‘diving’ into it. 

slingshot’s lyrics tell the story of the diving through, bravely cutting through like a slingshot to 100%. 

golden recipe talks about experimenting with their new boldness, talking about “mixing ingredients that interest me” and not having a “middle ground”. 

papillon talks about taking care of problems instead of thinking “thats just how it is”, pushing themselves as far as they can go without stopping. the word papillon is the name of a dog breed, literally meaning ‘butterfly’ because of its ears that resemble butterfly wings. this suggests that papillon is about breaking free like a butterfly and taking care of problems they may have been too scared or slow to as a catepillar. 

ocean is quite different to the previous tracks that detailed fast paced movement in their lives. ocean is more of a slow love song; it talks more about floating on a ‘tide with a calm rhythm’ and ‘drowning in the ocean of your heart’. this is a great ending track, the slow lyrics matching the slowness of high horses lyrics. however, ocean feels like a more peaceful slow as they are falling in love, and high horse feels more like a stuck in the mud slow as they are stuck in slow boring lives they are unhappy with.

Tracklist

Key:

🩵 - favourites

⭐️ - claimed before the album released

1. High Horse (9/10)

2. KNOW ABOUT ME (7/10)

3. ⭐️ Slingshot (<☆) (6/10)

4. Golden Recipe (7.5/10)

5. 🩵 Papillon (9.5/10)

6. 🩵 Ocean (10/10)

My Thoughts

favourite: ocean. this song is so heavenly, it deserves more hype. i just wish it was longer!!

least favourite: slingshot. maybe because i havent listened to this one as much but i dont really vibe with this one as much as the other tracks. i thought it would be a cute song because of star thing in the title but im not disappointed with how it came out.

overall thoughts: i love this album so much! id say this album is very musically consistent which is a rare thing in kpop these days. high horse is beautiful, i usually dont like nmixx ballads but this is so good. id say know about me itself isnt very title track material , but for the message this album was trying to get across its perfect. golden recipe gets too much hate. shes catchy. papillons been on repeat ever since this album came out. that intro,,,omg. i dont think anything couldve prepared me for it. overall, even though i like the album heaps, i feel like theres still room for it to grow on me even more (but maybe thats because its barely a week old..). this is definitely going on my list of favourite albums.