If boy band SHINee are the princes of K-pop, then youngest member TAEMIN is the most evocatively commanding of the bunch. In Guilty, his comeback following his return from mandatory military service in April 2023, the artist doubles down on the power of his sultry earnestness, releasing six tracks that remind listeners just how good he is at pushing the boundaries of what is deemed “acceptable” in K-pop. From the seductive theatricality of synth-pop title track “Guilty”, which incorporates a 30-piece string ensemble to tell its story of forbidden love (“Poison apple/Spellbound, you wanna take a bite?”) to the dreamlike delicateness of final track “Blue”, which explores feelings of hope in the grasping of long-sought-after freedom (“The moment I entrusted myself to the wind/My oppressed heart rises”), TAEMIN recommits to his hypnotic brand of artistry.