Onew's second album DICE showcases the SHINee member's variety

But SHINee, the group Onew hails from, are masters of reinvention and experimentation, their extensive discography showcasing the best of a wide range of genres. In this vein, the group’s leader is aiming for diversity across his career and DICE sets the tone.

The title track compares love to a game and the heart to dice. Onew sings that he is destined to lose the game but that he can’t stop himself from rolling the dice anyway. The delivery is refreshing and immediately attention-grabbing, with a bouncing chorus that keeps you hooked. Equally, "Sunshine" shows off the singer’s vibrancy with a light, colourful song about escaping the grey monotony of everyday life. In Korean, he sings “what are you waiting for?”, a delicious invitation to close your eyes and imagine being somewhere else when a holiday isn’t quite on the table.

Conversely, "On the way" is jazzy and romantic, a declaration of desire that is at once tender and punchy. Sonically, it’s this and "Love Phobia" which are the album’s major highlights, the latter an alt-pop epic that voices the simultaneous need for love and fear of messing it all up. "Yeowoobi (여우비)", meaning ‘sunshower’, is a cool, melancholic moment that sounds made for live performance. It’s one in which Onew’s expertise as a vocalist is most apparent, as he deftly weaves through subtle tempo and emotional shifts.

The album’s closer, "In the whale" is one the singer penned thinking of his fans. Of the song Onew says that “we’re inside this dark, damp space where daunting adventures await us, [but] at the end of it all, we will go out together”. It has a dream-like quality, created by the soft drum beats and warm vocals. It’s a song that feels like being quietly held and leaves the album lingering on your mind long after. Like a dice has six faces, these songs showcase that Onew is an artist of variety. There’s no predicting what he’ll roll next, but we’ll be waiting with bated breath.