Year: 2017

Yesterday, I wrote and posted one-half of the review for Psy’s latest comeback with his 8th album, 4×2 = 8. That review was centred around I Luv It. This particular review is for the other title track of Psy’s comeback, New Face.

Right off the bat, the brass catches your attention. The synths then kick in to transform it into one damn good song. Like most other post-2012 Psy songs, the level of addictiveness and catchiness for this song is quite high. However, the song makes me want more. It lacks bass, which could have transformed into a more impactful and strong song. The different segments feel like the song had multiple sounds smashed into one. But they give an interesting and dynamic appeal to the song, which makes me going back for more. His voice must be noted mainly because it showed different sides to the artist. He has a clear and strong rap voice. But his raspy pre-chorus vocals add to that dynamic feel as I mentioned before and that did make me go “Woah” in a good way when I first listened to the song. While I enjoyed most parts of the song, I felt the “anthem” of the song, where the dance break kicks in and Psy repeats “New Face”, didn’t necessarily have enough hype around it, leaving it feeling a tad dull and empty.

Like I Luv It, this music video also features Na-Eun, the youngest member of A-Pink. She joins the list of female artists who have joined Psy in the filming of the music video, which includes Hyuna, Gain from Brown Eyed Girls, CL from 2NE1 and Ha Ji Won (an actress). And she does a spectacular job with her presence in the music video. She features all throughout, joining Psy in his many costumes. They do act a while, while Psy lip syncs, but when that amount approaches in the song, they both dab for the camera. Honestly, I thought the video was of a great standard, joining the memorable music videos that Psy has released. I did think that the filter or colour of the video was a little off, but it didn’t ruin the video for me. I find the scene where they are on the escalator quite interesting. I wondered what happened when they got to the top.

Like yesterday, we have yet to see a full dance performance of New Face. That being said, the music video features (what I think is) enough to say that this is a pretty cool dance. It looks tiring, but Psy will manage somehow to pull it off, like he has done so with all of his dances. While the dab combo could potentially become another dance hype, the dab seems a little outdated (I sound like an old grumpy person, I know).

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10

Psy has finally returned with his 8th album, 4×2 = 8. For those who don’t remember who Psy is, he is the guy behind the worldwide hit, Gangnam Style. His last comeback was in 2015, where he promoted Napal Baji and Daddy (ft. CL). His latest album features two title tracks, I Luv It (reviewed today) and New Face (review for this will be released tomorrow). He had also enlisted artists Bobby (iKON), B.I (iKON), Taeyang (Big Bang), G-Dragon (Big Bang) and Zico (Block B) who either featured or participated in the production of Psy’s latest album.

I have to be honest, but I Luv It is a really groovy song. It’s another one of those songs that you feel the need to get up and dance. The song falls very nicely within the KPOP sound. The synths in the song are pretty good and they come together to give you an addictive song to listen to. The one thing that I am starting to notice but it follows up from Psy’s past hits. It attempts to deliver something new, but rather it feels very traditional and ‘done before’ (if you know what I mean). The one reason why everyone was drawn to Gangnam Style was because it was different. But here, from the sound (to even the other aspects of the comeback), everything felt similar and ‘done before’. However, that probably won’t stop me from replaying this song over and over again. I honestly did enjoy it and I loved that small Michael Jackson “yoo hoo” in the chorus, which did catch my attention the first time I heard it. Not entirely sure about the changeup of the song where the bridge is usually found, but overall, a truly funky song.

The accompanying video felt like a very Psy centred music video. Mainly because there were a million carbon copies of Psy in the video. But there is that Psy vibe to music videos that appear every single time. And that made it feel like it was ‘done before’. Which is a little disappointing, because I thought he would do something a little more different. That being said though, he invited two big names to this particular music video. Lee Byung Hun, a very famous Korean actor (who has starred in a few Hollywood movies) and the Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen guy, Pikotaro (still don’t know why that became a meme though). Overall, I thought the video was fitting for the song and it was also a pretty good video.

While there is no live performance yet, I think just watching the music video could give me a good enough glimpse into the dance routine. I personally think it has the potential to become another big dance hype. Joining the music, it seems the moves and the song were meant to be. However, I don’t think it would ever reach the level of his other famous dance, mainly because this one looks a little more complicated.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Score – 8.5/10