''Sailing'' () is the third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by South Korean brother-sister duo

AKMU AKMU (; ), formerly Akdong Musician (; ), is a South Korean duo consisting of siblings Lee Chan-hyuk and Lee Su-hyun signed to YG Entertainment. As prominent figures of South Korea, their musical impact in their native country has earned them ...

. It was released on September 25, 2019, through

YG Entertainment YG Entertainment () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and conce ...

. All the tracks' lyrics and music were written by member Lee Chan-hyuk. The album was supported by the single "How Can I Love the Heartbreak, You're the One I Love", which reached atop on the

Gaon Digital Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based on ...

and ''Billboard''s K-pop Hot 100. ''Sailing'' received generally positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

, many of whom complimented AKMU's stylistic shift from their previous releases to more musical maturity.

Background

In September 2017,

member– Lee Chan-hyuk–went on hiatus to enlist for his obligatory military service; he was discharged in May 2019. On September 5, 2019, AKMU's agency

released a poster notifying their comeback in two years and two months, since ''

Summer Episode ''Summer Episode'' (stylized in all caps) is the first single album by South Korean brother-sister duo AKMU. It was released digitally by YG Entertainment on July 20, 2017. The single album features two title tracks – "Dinosaur" and "My Darling" ...

'' in July 2017. Next day, disclosing a teaser video, YG Entertainment announced the release of AKMU's third full-length album, titled ''Sailing''. On September 9, YG Entertainment informed that the album would be released on 25th, and unveiled a teaser poster.

Critical reception

In an article for ''

Korea JoongAng Daily ''Korea JoongAng Daily'' () is the English edition of the South Korean national daily newspaper '' JoongAng Ilbo''. The newspaper was first published on October 17, 2000, as ''JoongAng Ilbo English Edition''. It mainly carries news and feature ...

'', Kim Eun-jin wrote that AKMU "takes a sharp turn from the bright and bubbly tones that characterized their earlier music. ... With lyrics that discuss topics like freedom expressed through sentimental melodies and acoustic sounds, ''Sailing'' is an album that reflects the depth and maturity." In the album review, ''

IZM ''IZM'' () is a South Korean online magazine that publishes pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Stre ...

''s Park Soo-jin gave a four-star rating out of five, and said that "this album backslashes genres and expresses them without boundaries," and concluded by writing that ''Sailing'' "will be the pinnacle of broadening AKMU's spectrum." Tamar Herman of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' said that the "album features songs that show the pair's artistic development, exploring a variety of new genres all the while still incorporating their distinctly vibrant, soulful folk-pop sound." The publication additionally ranked "How Can I Love the Heartbreak, You're the One I Love" number 7 in their list of 25 Best K-pop Songs of 2019.

Accolades

Track listing

Charts

Sales

Release history

Notes

References

{{Authority control AKMU albums 2019 albums YG Entertainment albums 2010s Korean-language albums