Laboum has returned with a brand new song and mini album. 2016 was a big year for the band as they released multiple songs such as Journey to Atlantis, Shooting Love and Winter Story (didn’t get around to reviewing this song, unfortunately), which all help grow their fan base. Now the girls have returned with their second mini album, Miss This Kiss and the title track Hwi Hwi or 휘휘.

Laboum, in the past year, has consistently put out great songs. And they continue that level of success with Hwi Hwi. Just listening to the song for the first time, I could tell it is a part of another league. No, it doesn’t have a new sound or an element to make it stand out. To be honest, it uses very generic and traditional pop sounds. But what makes it sound so good is that it is done right. It ticks off all the boxes as a fun, addictive and fun song. The whistles and level of brightness that the track starts off with really sets the tone of the song from the very start. I love the overlapping between the raps and vocals just before each chorus. Oh, and don’t me get started on the chorus. It is the definitely the part of the song that shines the brightest, especially with the “Miss This Kiss” part. There may not be anything new in the song, but the song manages to cement itself in being one of the top songs of the years. And as a final plea, do not sleep on this song. I recommend it to anyone who wants to listen to a bright song, that actually also prepares us for the coming Summer months.

The music video is pretty good. The video is shot in a similar style to Shooting Love (i.e. camera angles and cinematography made the video look more amazing than if it was shot with a camera moving back and forth). While I do want something more to the video that really grabs people’s attention, the video’s level of brightness and colour really does fit the song’s vibes. The sets look pretty ordinary, but somehow they managed to make it all look good. Watching the girls perform the song in the video alone brought a massive smile to my face. The song did as well, but not to the extent of my grin after watching the video. Some of the props they used did remind me of a few videos released by other girl groups. I don’t know if I overemphasised them in my mind or if it was intentional, but it seemed like a clever.

The dance is also quite simple, but it goes a long way. I am totally in love with it, as I am with the rest of the comeback. It is cute but it doesn’t overdo it, which is a mega plus. It doesn’t necessary standout, but it compliments well with the song.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 8/10
Dance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 9/10