From what I can tell, there aren’t that many groups making their comeback this week due to the Chuseok (Mid-Autumn Festival) However, this does not mean I get to take the week off. I henceforth declare this week as ROOKIE WEEK. I will be posting at least one review for a different rookie group each day, so keep your eyes opened!

NATURE is the next band on ROOKIE WEEK. They made their debut at the start of last month with Allegro Cantabile. The group is currently under n.CH Entertainment and consist of 8 members (Lu, Saebeom, Aurora, Chaebin, Gaga, Haru, Uchae and Sunshine).  Originally there were 9 members, however, the 9th member (Yeolmae) left the group just before debuting. The group recently won their first award, the ‘New Artist of the Year’ award at the Soribada Best K-Music Awards, so congratulations to them!

Allegro Cantabile is actually a remake of a song of the same name which featured as part of an anime (Nodame Cantabile) and was previously sung by  Suemitsu & the Suemith. I usually do not review remakes or covers of a song, however, I only knew of this while searching up the information for this review. The song twos are obviously similar but Nature’s version seems to have a few components reduced in volume or stripped away to fit their youthful vocals. I actually thought the vocals were quite nice, taking the Japanese style for their own. It makes the song unique, in my opinion. The piano doesn’t seem to be as strong in this song, as it featured only during the verses but drowned out during the chorus. There were some extra synths in the instrumental break, which I thought makes it feel modern and fitting for KPOP. Though, I was thinking how good some electric guitar would have been (though the girls seem to go in that direction for a few seconds). Overall, I felt the song to be quite strong for a debut and I think this song will fast become a guilty pleasure for me.

The music video is not a remake of the Japanese version. While the original one was edgy, Nature’s version takes the cute route, which is surprisingly very fitting for the song (though I attribute that to their modifications). The majority of the video seems to be set at a school, where some of them are learning about flowers (and how to grow them). It was a nice video to watch despite it taking a cliche route for a female group debut. I didn’t care much for the plot but I was happy to watch either way.  The colours were very bright, which goes back to the song and concept.

I love their enthusiasm on the stage. I have watched a number of their performances for this review and I can’t help but smile at how cute but energetic they get on stage. I really like the dance break and how they let three members come out and have a solo moment. Also, the ending was quite cool with the suspenseful conclusion of the song. I just felt like the end could have been a little more imaginative.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10