Joining the comeback rush this week is a new group. Rocket Punch comes from Woolim Entertainment, the same company that houses Infinite, Lovelyz and Golden Child. They are a six-member girl group who debuted yesterday with BIM BAM BUM. The lineup of the group is as follows: Juri, Yeonhee, Suyun, Yunkyoung, Sohee and Dahyun. Based on their profile (link here), Juri is a former member of AKB48, who also participated in Produce 48. Earlier this year, she graduated from the Japanese group after deciding to pursue a KPOP career. Suyun and Sohee also participated in the show but were eliminated from the survival show.
I am on the fence when it comes to this track. BIM BAM BUM serves as the debut track for Rocket Punch and it attempts to tackle the bright and cutesy side of KPOP that majority of KPOP girl groups debut with. And it is because of that, the song comes off as generic and standard. I found the verses to be very dull. The instrumental doesn’t really add much to the verses besides being a light background piece. Their voices just don’t sound captivating. The slowdown that they incorporated into the bridge wasn’t that great. If anything, it dulled the song down a little. Once we get towards the end of the song, I noticed that the sound was rather repetitive. But as I said, I am on the fence. I cannot deny how good the hooks are in this song. I could see it growing on me. There are two different choruses, which later morphs into one for the final chorus. I thought this was interesting and played with the structure in a slightly unique way. And the chorus had a nice kick and colour to it, which makes the hooks even more addictive. Though that was interesting. Apart from that, it looks like the disappointing side of the track is winning.
With a track like this, the music video is exactly how I had expected it. The video features a fair bit of colour. It seems like the girls are like aliens, based on the way they interact with the cheetah while eating their popsicles and the fact they have some sort of ray shooting out of their hands when they do gun formations. And maybe they are on a different planet, as when they shoot things, candy comes out. Other than that, I found a bit plain. The story isn’t much and the rest of the video was just closeup and choreography. There really isn’t anything dynamic to talk about.
The chorus is pretty nice. Nothing that impressive. But I did like the various formations they pulled off and the hand movement they did when they sang the title of the song. I also liked their energy and they seemed to handle their performance well despite being newly debuted.
Song – 6/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.2/10
KPOPREVIEWED 
“The chorus is pretty nice. Nothing that impressive.” you mean 2 choruses right? that alone is impressive. Woollim always have a unique sound for their artists.
“The instrumental doesn’t really add much to the verses besides being a light background piece.” A certain element that you will always notice and recognize to every song. Just like in INFINITE, LOVELYZ and Golden Child. There’s nothing generic in this music nor this song. And Woollim is all about vocals and live performances not so much on the MVs because their artist are really bad at lip syncing. It’s even hard to pin point who is the main vocal just by watching this MV.
But I understand, this is the common reaction/ review of people who are not really familiar with Woollim music. It’s really hard for many to appreciate this kind of flavorful music especially if they’re used to listening to generic songs of trendy idols. I know this is your review and opinion, but there are points that don’t sit right.
I highly recommend you listen to Woollim artists songs before you make another review for one of their artists again. Even producers have good reviews to this song technical and composition wise.
P.S. I realized it’s the concept of this blog. Your reviews are very superficial and are all about the initial visual and audio reaction. Nothing in-depth. So I understand now why this is how you reviewed this MV
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Yep, my reviews are not that technical. I am not from a music/film background, so i am unable point out the more musically or visually technical techniques that producers use. And yeah, I try to review songs as soon as they come out. However, my feelings towards songs do end up changing as time progresses, so that is why I wrote that comment about their hook. I want to introduce a segment where I write another review of a comeback that I initially didnt like. I just dont have the time yet.
As for the “The chorus is nice..” comment, that was in regards to the choreography. I break up reviews into four segments (introduction, music, video and performance/choreography). Reading back, I think I should have been more explicit regarding it was for the choreo, as I was confused for a second to where you got that line from. Hahaha…
I am a fan of Woolim artists actually. Well, mainly Infinite. But Lovelyz and Golden Child has had a few good tracks before. I guess I never noticed that light instrumental in the verses in their songs, which thinking back has always been there (Lovelyz in particular). But it seems like a typical method for other artists to do to make their choruses pop out.
As for your music video comment, I find that Woolim places a huge emphasis on music videos. Maybe not too much recently. But Infinite’s earlier work such as Destiny, BTD, Be Mine, The Eye always had very visual videos that caught my attention and a story to varying extents. Similarly, Lovelyz music videos have been aesthetic to match their concepts (Destiny, Wow!). I find that music videos play a huge role in attracting my attention, as it adds a visual component to their comeback, alongside their stage performances. And yes, Woolim are defintiely big on performances. Their groups are really good dancers.
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