WRLD by The Rose – Album Review: A Healing Sound That Feels Like Home

K-Rock band, The Rose, released their album "WRLD" on May 30, 2025.

Hitting the play button on "WRLD" can lead you to two roads. 

It either becomes your welcoming "escape" from the harsh realities of life—a warm hug that brings you comfort, knowing there's actually someone out there who views the world the way you do. Or it becomes your “epiphany,” restoring your faith in the universe because it becomes clear there are others who dream the same dreams as you: living life in peace, breaking down walls with your voice, melting away twisted lies, and finding a place that you can truly call home—all without having to let go of the pieces of your soul. 

Rather than “escaping” reality, WRLD by The Rose might actually make you want to “stay” in this world after all and take a shot at making those dreams a reality.

Nothing’s set in stone when it comes to music—the words are open for interpretation. We could be right or we could be wrong, but here’s our take on how each song can be that healing band-aid to those who give it a spin:

WRLD by The Rose album cover from officialtherose.com

1. Breathe

Introducing us to the chapters of WRLD, “Breathe” is a soft, acoustic-driven track that faintly echoes repetitions of “I'm running back to you” and finally crosses the finish line with “I'm running home to you.”

With the world being humanity’s only home, shouldn’t it be the one place that we come running back to in order to feel safe and to finally breathe easy? But why does it often feel like a place you want to run away from instead?

From another perspective, it reminds us of that one person, place, experience, or time we’d go running back to in a heartbeat if we could. Whether it’s that feeling of love, home, belonging, happiness, or nostalgia that you’re chasing back, why is it that humans frequently have that constant, lingering feeling that we’re running after something in our past that will make us feel whole again? 

This song might just remind you to “breathe” as you run and go through this long journey of figuring out exactly what it is you’re chasing after. And when you reach your destination, hopefully it’s been waiting for you to come back all this time, too.   

2. Nebula

Arguably the most melodically powerful and cryptic track of WRLD, “Nebula” is an alternative ballad that reels you in from that very first guitar strum. Its 33-second instrumental intro speaks volumes that somehow magically flips a switch in your soul. It hasn’t even said anything yet—but deep down inside, your core tells you that it can’t wait to hear the story it has to tell.

And the lyrics that you have to stick around for half a minute to hear? They’re worth the wait for anyone who’s chasing dreams, feeling lost, struggling to find their place, and dealing with rejection & failure—but despite it all, they still stand firm in their beliefs and values. And when the enchanting vocals kick in, it’s goosebumps from head to toe. 

The lyrics go: 

Let’s decode it a bit:

Maybe you’re looking at your own dreams, wondering what it truly takes to get you there. People might tell you cliche quotes and hand you a map featuring the same old roads, but you still feel lost as you navigate this journey—it’s nothing like you expected at all. Instead, you think of paving your own way. But when being yourself isn’t enough, society has a way of pushing you into a corner until you fit the mold of who they want you to be.  

But here’s the truth this song wants us all to know: not all of us are willing to lose who we are in order to become who we want to be. It’s okay to refuse to let go of what you value most and the years that shaped who you are. There’s nothing wrong with holding on tightly to the pieces of your soul that give you strength and make you “you.”

Every step you take toward your dream can feel unfamiliar—that’s because you’ve never been there before. But even if you feel like you’re rising up and getting closer to where you want to be, why does it still tend to feel lonely somehow? And yet, you keep pushing forward—because you’ll never know how the story will unfold unless you flip to the next page. 

At some point, you just feel like you’re stuck and drifting in nothingness once again. The stars are right above you—it’s the exact place where you dream and deserve to be, but you just can’t seem to reach that level, no matter how hard you try. You might even start to blame it on the things that make you different, thinking they’re casting a shadow that dims your light. But maybe your energy is just too unique, and the stars that you wish to shine among refuse to accept that. 

Science tells us that a “Nebula” is a vast, diffuse cloud of gas and dust in space, often acting as a "stellar nursery" where new stars are born—and it couldn’t be more of a perfect title for this track despite the word itself not even making a single cameo in the lyrics. 

Here’s why: Becoming who you want to be and putting in the work to get to where you want to be can feel like a cloudy journey of just floating endlessly in space. Just like newborn stars, you’re still figuring out your way. But as long as you hold on to that moral compass of who you really are and keep taking steps forward, you’ll grow into the bright star that you’ve always dreamed of being. And when the right time comes, you’ll finally leave behind that Nebula’s cloud, find your rightful place in the galaxy, and shine the way you were meant to. 

If you ever need a reminder that who you envision yourself becoming and your true self can co-exist, track #2 on WRLD understands exactly how you feel. 

3. O 

In case you were wondering where the missing “O’ is in the album title “WRLD,” it’s right here. 

With lines like “Imagine all the people living life in peace” “Some may say that I’m dreaming,” and “We are the world,” references to icons like The Beatles and Michael Jackson are “O” so alive in this track—and the messaging continues to be completely relevant today. Because even if it’s been decades since these life-changing lyrics were put out into the world, let’s be real: not much has changed. 

Humanity still faces the same age-old problem: peace is almost nowhere to be found, people young & old live in fear, and the leaders we put our faith in to unite us often end up being the ones who prevent us from rising above it all. And the clever lines “Until the day the king resigns, let kingdoms fall for dreams to rise” deserve a standing ovation. 

But “O” is a whimsical and sentimental anthem that successfully tugs at emotions you’ve likely buried a long time ago. It tells you that maybe, just maybe, this world is still worth fighting for. When we can’t find any good around us, it reminds us that these storms can be the “spark” that brings out the “good” in us to fill the world. It can be what ignites us to come together. Our voices have the power to break down these walls that divide us—we just have to let them be heard. In this little sphere (or O, rather) we call our world, we really are just one. And if we “come as one” and “go as one,” we bloom into a powerful force that can conquer anything. 

Maybe the genius lines “Some may say that I’m dreaming. Something we have forgotten how to do” will help you remember that all good things in this world started as nothing but a mere dream—and that’s a super power we shouldn’t forget to use.  

4. Tomorrow

Isn’t everyone even the tiniest bit afraid of tomorrow? Who wouldn’t be when we clearly remember many yesterdays being filled with “twisted lies” and had a front seat to watching humans “chasing gold while hearts are being sold?” While the greedy people never seem to get enough, we’ve had enough of these cruel ones who do wrong as they please “without hesitation.”

Being curious about whether the road ahead will be okay can get so tiring. But all worrying does is give you something to do, without it actually getting you anywhere. Remember when you were younger and spent more time living than worrying?

This endearing song is like a call to your inner child to come out and play, hoping it can help you get through the game of life. It could inspire you to choose the road of love, hope for the better, and keep dancing to the tune of your own music—tomorrow and every day after that. Just like how our brave younger selves used to. 

Featuring all four members in the choruses, the perfectly blended harmonies of Woosung, Dojoon, Hajoon, and Taegyeom make this nostalgic indie-sound track feel like a road trip through your favourite times with your favourite people.

5. Nevermind 

Nevermind switches up the tone a few degrees—a colder rock track that pulls you a bit closer to a contrasting yet relatable reality: We can’t be patriotic saints 24/7. Sometimes, we too can stop caring.  

Simultaneously, it’s your neon sign reminder that not all battles are meant to be fought—so choose yours wisely. The witty play on words “What’s left if you are right? Who’s right if you are left behind?” highlights how even if you “win” at proving your point, it can sometimes leave you standing all alone without anyone by your side. And if this causes you to be left behind entirely, does anything about that feel right at all? Note to self: it’s fine to say “NVM” when your gut tells you to.  

6. Slowly 

“Slowly” and “Nevermind” sit at the same table—the one that’s labelled “I’m here to take a break from the insanity that surrounds me.” 

With lyrics like: 

Kicking off with phenomenal guitar riffs, it's impossible to hear this bluesy, retro-rock inspired track and not crown it as the most artistic way to say “I’m so done with life.” 

As the song goes, “Slowly, slowly, slowly I'm dying, it's okay,” it gives us a fresh take on this universal feeling of dealing with the mundanity of this world—minus the drama of resisting it all. 

The things we used to love now exhaust us. No matter how many people we surround ourselves with, it’s still just you and your thoughts all alone at the end of the day. And your thoughts tell you, “Sure, we’re alive. But we’re not really living.” It’s sad. It’s unfair. But slowly, you’ve actually become totally cool with it—and you’re accepting that day by day. 

But the post-chorus’ ultra-witty line “Let me slowly take my breath away from here to a better place” makes one thing very clear: 

It’s not that we’re done with “living” entirely— we’re just so done with living in this world, particularly. We don’t want our breath to just be taken away. We want it to be taken away from here, as we hope it lands us in a place that finally feels like home. And let’s be real, is that too much to ask for? 

Ultimately, home can mean many things. It can be a place, a person—or maybe even an entire album called “WRLD.”

7. Ticket to the Sky

The world might be a work in progress that often puts you on the brink of giving up, but nonetheless, there are still some people on this planet who lift us up when we’re down—much like an actual “ticket to the sky.” With them, we have a special connection so strong, it almost seems mythical. You share secrets and you share dreams. They’re the ones who make you feel welcome and loved, something you’ve wished for all along—and they automatically come to mind the moment you hear this song. 

This soft, wholesome lullaby is an ode to these treasured people who make life worth living. It sings you to sleep while waking you up to the fact that when we think of these people, the world doesn’t seem so bad after all. 

The Out Of This World Vocals

When it comes to The Rose, there’s no questioning their distinct, unmistakable vocals that never try to sound like anyone or anything— they use their real voices and just sing. It’s gripping. It’s perfectly controlled. And each note is sung effortlessly—yet you can feel every ounce of their emotions being poured into each word at the same time. 

For the tracks “Nebula” and “Slowly” in particular, new vocal ranges are hit that listeners might not have heard on previous records, proving that there are still so many sides of the band that we are yet to hear.

There’s Woosung’s signature icy vocals that you could recognize anywhere in a heartbeat—from the texture to the charisma, we’re yet to hear anyone in the industry who sounds even the slightest like him. As raspy as it is smooth with those signature trails—or as some would say "cursives"—his voice could exist as an emotional, melodic masterpiece on its own, no accompanying music required. What’s so extraordinary is that even when a strained roughness makes a rare appearance in those sky-high notes, it just echoes “art” and actually becomes a highlight of the track.  

And then there’s Dojoon’s skyscraping vocals that sound like they’re passing through a perfectly paved tunnel with no rough edges whatsoever right before they reach your soul. Warmth and nostalgia envelope every note. With those naturally embedded retro-esque tones, there’s a level of classic sophistication that’s uniquely his—like you’re being taken back in time and you simply don’t want to go back to the present. You’ll easily see why the name “Parclassic” (which he also goes by) couldn’t be more fitting.    

The contrast between Woosung’s and Dojoon’s vocals forms such a balanced synergy that’s hard to match—almost like fire and ice. Add the flawlessly blended harmonies of Hajoon and Taegyeom that bring irreplaceable depths to the mix, and you’re pulled even deeper into the song. In the music industry’s vocal department, The Rose is taking the lead—even the most mainstream acts could try to equate to it, but they’d have to try really hard to live up to this band’s unique abilities. 

WRLD by The Rose promotional photo | Image from @official_therose on Instagram

WRLD by The Rose: An Album to Root For

Written, composed, and arranged by the band itself, “WRLD” is 100% The Rose—and it’s 100% a Grammy-worthy masterpiece. It’s an album that feels like it’s rooting for you and one that you’ll be drawn to root for in return. With so many aspects in the world that deserve to be addressed in a song, audiences can trust The Rose to do just that through these profound, emotionally intelligent works of art. Brilliant vocals, fearless & empowering lyrics, gripping melodies, and tangible sincerity, there’s nothing missing from this equation. 

Whether it’s someone who’s 7, 17, or 70, The Rose has succeeded at bringing together people of all ages. And yet, while well-loved by millions across the globe and having a solid fanbase of Black Roses, this band is still sometimes called one of the more “underrated” acts in the industry.

Given their distinct artistry, thought-provoking messages, and impressive discography, it makes you wonder why in the world The Rose isn’t flooding into the mainstream scene and collecting Grammys like they deserve to. 

But when we look at the amount of healing and unparalleled masterpieces that The Rose has brought to the world through their music, they've already won. A Grammy would likely just be a shiny accessory to this success, much like a crown they deserve to wear—but they would shine perfectly fine even if they didn’t have it. 

Unafraid to be themselves and break free from cookie-cutter standards, they continue to bloom into the type of band the world needs to hear. Switching back and forth between genres without losing their identity is something they pull off flawlessly every time, and “WRLD” was meant to be a journey back to their root sound. And it’s definitely made one thing clear: The Rose has planted roots so strong in the music industry, even the strongest winds can’t make them fall.  

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Lyrics from: genius.com