Thailand has been making an ambitious push into the global music scene — and honestly, that’s not a bad thing.

Riser Music, one of the key players in this effort, boasts an impressive roster of artists including Nanon (นนน, also known as Triple.N), Fourth (โฟร์ท), Gemini (เจมีไนน์), and several equally talented groups such as LYKN.

This five-member group — Nut, Hong, Tui, William, and Lego — was formed through Project Alpha, a competition series launched by GMMTV (Thailand’s largest entertainment conglomerate) to discover the next wave of idol talent. LYKN officially debuted on May 5, 2023, and since then they’ve released a steady stream of singles, two of my personal favorites being:

｢HUI LAY HUI｣ featuring the now disbanded girl-group SIZZY

｢CHARM｣ – featuring Joong Archen & Pond Naravit of JASP.ER

My interest in LYKN really took off after learning they would star in the BL drama ThamPo: Heart Skips a Beat, which turned out to be one of GMMTV’s standout series last year. Since then, I’ve bought every track they’ve released, including their debut album DUSK & DAWN.

Now, while DUSK & DAWN is a solid album — and the guys are undeniably talented — it’s hard to ignore that out of the twelve tracks, only one ｢Feel Like Me｣ wasn’t previously released as a single — though song also dropped as a stand-alone the same day as the album, leaving little in the way of fresh content for fans who’ve already been following their music.

There is a physical box set available through eThaiCD that includes some fun extras, but at $115, it’s a steep ask for what amounts to a repackaged collection.

LYKN is a great group — really great — but this release plays more like a scheme by the label to get fans to purchase old stock.

It feels lazy, and the group doesn’t deserve that.

There will be more music reviews soon so…

Stay Tuned!