Jackson Wang, “Magic Man.”

Known as the face of K-pop group Got7, Jackson Wang is no stranger to success. His sophomore album, MAGIC MAN, follows an alt-rock pumping lifeline that reverberates throughout. The theme of each track is about letting go and giving into seduction. Exploring another side of his artistic prowess, Wang shows that he can stand alone as a solo artist—leaving the glossy sheen of K-pop behind.

“Blow” starts the album off with an isolated guitar and punk-like drumming. Wang’s raspy, whisper-like vocals breathe new life into this post-punk-influenced song. His subtle yet sensual lyrics evoke feelings of a growing addiction to something bad for you, yet intriguing.

“You taste like cigarettes/ I’ve got a problem/ I think I’m into it,” Wang croons.

The sultry and sexy bass of “Champagne Cool” drives the carefree confidence displayed in its lyrics. The lyrics bounce to the playful rhythm, which maintains a groovy pace.

The vaporwave-like, neo-R&B-influenced introduction to “Go Ghost” allows the 28-year-old to show another shade of his artistry. Wang delivers with airy rapped lyrics. “Drive Like You Stole It” follows a similar creed of synthwave pop influences and maintains the head-bobbing, upbeat feeling.

“Cruel” starts with the pitchy echo of distorted guitar screeches. The desperation of Wang’s raspy vocals intensifies the rawness of the grungy, bluesy beat. The song sounds a bit like the Black Keys, with the guitar playing and drumming (live, not electronic) up front. These two elements are typically buried—if at all present—in K-pop. Wang’s Got7 bandmate, BamBam, has also gone solo, but the latter has thus far stayed true to his K-pop roots. Wang’s album is mostly a polar opposite.

“All The Way” opens with a wobbly distortion of fingerpicked guitar but immediately takes a sharp dive into a strong heavy riff with a new-age pop twist. “Come Alive” emphasizes the high points of Wang’s poignant falsettos. Wang maintains the alt-rock tone of the album; however, there’s some repetition of previous styles and missed opportunities to experiment further. It’s a successful but safe approach.

The ethereal reverb of the layered vocals on “Just Like Magic” gives an otherworldly vibe to the mid-tempo pop song. With three distinctive beats, the track is strung together to make a cohesive piece but misses the mark lyrically as Jackson Wang struggles to paint a clear story of a former flame.

“Dopamine” trades the alt-rock undertones for an uplifting R&B flow reminiscent of Wang’s work on mixtape Lost & Found, which he released last March. With “Blue,” a contemporary ballad, Wang’s soft yet rough vocals float, slowly lulling MAGIC MAN to an end.

Jackson Wang shows a slice of his ever-evolving artistic mind as a soloist. MAGIC MAN starts off with a heavy focus on expressing the rawness of grungy and blues-rock-inspired sounds, but struggles to add to the genre. Fans of Got7, called Ahgases, will nonetheless see that Wang’s departure from his familiar sound paints a picture of growth for the Chinese artist.

Follow photographer Onome Uyovbievbo at Twitter.com/byonome and Instagram.com/by.onome.