Beloved SM Entertainment K-pop boy band SHINee have released an eighth album following a brief hiatus. HARD marks their first full-length since 2021, the completion of the quartet’s mandatory military service, and the 15-year anniversary of Onew, Key, Minho and Taemin’s debut. Naturally, it feels like a celebration, from the brassy bass and ascendent R&B hooks of the title track and the big drum fills and sultry synth of “Sweet Misery” to the hardened bravado of “JUICE” and the funky retro-pop of “Identity” and “Satellite”. If there is a unifying sensibility to the release, it’s found in the band’s matured vocal melodies and their relentless dedication to reinvention, across genres and beyond.