Month: July 2020

[Album Review] Monster (1st Mini Album) – Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi

Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged , Leave a comment

It is time for another album review. Today’s album in focus belongs to Red Velvet’s first unit, Irene & Seulgi. This duo debuted on earlier this month with Monster as the main promotional track. Two weeks later, the duo followed up with Naughty, which wowed fans (including myself) with its awesome sound and jaw-dropping dance. Both Irene and Seulgi also had solo videos, with Seulgi’s solo video also doubling up as a music video for her Uncover solo that is also on this mini-album. All the links to the songs I mentioned are below. And while listening to each song, why not read my deep dive into the album and the side-tracks.

Monster Album Cover

1. Monster (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Monster. (7/10)

2. Naughty (놀이) (Follow Up Track) – Click here to read the full review for Naughty. (9/10)

3. Diamond – I really like the sensual vibes that we get from Diamond. It is that sleek style of R&B that reminds me of their rendition of Be Natural (previously released back in in 2014). In comparison to that song, Diamond has a bit of more energy to it, thanks to the beat in Diamond’s instrumental. While the instrumental is already quite weak, the song gets stripped at the bridge. Its placement really helped prevent the song from being too consistent, which is a common occurrence with R&B songs like this. The vocals from both members were quite nice throughout this song. They really do suit the R&B style as proven by this track. I also like the diva-vibes that come off the ‘Diamond in the rough’ repetition that opens and closes the song. (8/10)

4. Feel Good – Feel Good continues the R&B sound from the preceding track. This one has more of a kick to it when it comes to the chorus. While there is a consistent backbone that runs throughout most of the song, the chorus features a suitable but typical selection of synths. While the choice of style made sense and felt natural, it lacked uniqueness and memorability. And hence, it did come off as a bore to me. This is quite a pity, because I liked the direction in which the verses and pre-chorus was taking, especially the ramp up to the chorus. I just wanted a little more to the chorus. Not too much to throw the song off balance, however. The vocals were good. They sounded emotionless at times, but I felt that was appropriate when I went through the lyrics about feeling indifferent to their ex-lover and ruining their ex-lover’s life. (7/10)

5. Jelly – I expected Jelly to be a lot more upbeat regardless of their choice of genre. And that was delivered. In fact, I find the instrumental to be teasing us with its playful nature. It is subtle, but likeable. Once again, the vocals are quite good. I liked how they bolstered themselves up by singing together. It added a bit more energy to the song. I also enjoyed the use of brass in the song. It adds to that subtle playful nature that I mentioned. But it does so in a refined way that fits the R&B sound we get on this album. I would have enjoyed the song more if had stronger hooks and melodies. I felt the song lacked memorability due to the two lacking components. I did find the high pitched ‘What’ just before the chorus to have a bit of that memorable factor. But it wasn’t enough. (8/10)

6. Uncover (Seulgi Solo) – Uncover was the special track on the album and performed only by Seulgi. A music video was released for Uncover during the same week when we got the Naughty music video (I think was last week). As expected, Uncover takes on R&B. It is an aesthetic song, based on its abstract and choppy instrumental. I really like the small details in the instrumental, which adds to that aesthetic appeal and some textural components to the song. Her vocals are really nice in this song and adds a smooth flair to the song that the instrumental lacked due to those small details I just mentioned. It isn’t the most memorable song the album, but it definitely is a strong one nonetheless based on music and vocals alone. (8.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.9/10

Monster Teaser Image

[Review] INCEPTION – ATEEZ

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 4 Comments

Without a doubt, ATEEZ is one of the groups to look out for during 2020. After a successful year of promotions and non-stop releases, the group rounded out their Treasure series earlier this year with Answer. So what was next for the group? Well, they were meant to embark on their Map The Treasure world tour. But that has been postponed due to the ongoing global health pandemic. And since then, we haven’t heard too much from the group, aside from virtual concerts and some special stages. But that all changed yesterday, after they returned with their fifth mini-album Zero: Fever Part 1. On this mini-album were two tracks (INCEPTION and THANXX) that fans got to vote to become the title track. In the end, INCEPTION was announced as the title track for this comeback.

The entire Treasure series has really built the group a powerful and explosive reputation. That is what I remember and think of the most when I hear of ATEEZ. INCEPTION, to me, felt like it stepped back from this reputation. It felt underwhelming and relatively safe. While it did have a powerful and explosive profile, it neither rivaled or exceeded their past releases, which is disappointing. Take that instrumental break we get after the first chorus. While its placement dared to be a bit different, it felt very weak thanks to the use of unexciting hollow drum synths. That section would have been a great catalyst to amp up the rest of the song and increase the intensity by many magnitudes. But it just fizzled and didn’t really help boost the song. And hence the rest of the instrumental stayed relatively linear and didn’t get exciting as it could have been. The song did have some positive aspects, however. These mainly revolved the members. Its quite a vocally-centric song. The melodies have a pleasant ring to them and I find them to be potentially catchy (I need more listens to confirm this). The rappers did a really good job of increasing intensity in the song. And both aspects come together to form a powerful bridge, which was my pick of best moment. But at large, INCEPTION has all the elements to be their next big track, but it unfortunately underwhelms.

I am confident to say that there is a plot line in this music video, given that the fans got to see story line previews prior to selecting the title track. From what I got out of the lyrics and visuals, it looked liked the members are trying to get back into a dream they once had of their lover. But each time they do so, the setting gets more worse, as if foreshadowing how dangerous this lover is. The music video starts off in a brightly lit classroom (kind of an innocent dream). But later in the video, we see the classroom supposedly ‘lit’ on fire. It gotten so bad that Hongjoong entered a dream of nothing (and from the ending, it looks like he is stuck in that dream). I wonder how the next music video will link up. Everything looked quite good, though I must question whether Seonghwa’s abs reveal was necessary for this particular music video.

Performance-wise, INCEPTION delivered, as well. You can tell that they were extra powerful with their performance given the energy and effort you could see behind each of their moves. I liked how they split into two groups for the second chorus. I also surprisingly enjoyed the dance break they had during the instrumental sequence that I previously described weak. When I listen to the song by itself, it definitely comes off weak. But when you see the moves they put together for that part, it actually helped the sequence come off intense.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

[Review] Waves – Kang Daniel ft. Simon Dominic & Jamie

Posted in KPOPTagged , , 2 Comments

Before I can proceed with any reviews for the newer releases of the week (starting tomorrow), there is still one more Monday release that I need to review. I am talking about Kang Daniel’s pre-release single, Waves, which features both Simon Dominic and Jamie (Jimin from 15&). This is just one of the songs coming our way once Kang Daniel unveils his Magenta mini-album on August 3rd. This comeback is the second of three Colour comebacks that he is embarking on. The first was titled Cyan (and featured the title track 2U) back in March of this year.

Kang Daniel manages to bring together hip-hop melodies and a subtle Latin influence to form Waves. And it is honestly a good sidetrack that really helps grow the anticipation for his upcoming mini-album release. Yes, I specifically mentioned ‘sidetrack’ for a reason. I don’t think the song has what it takes to be given ‘title track’ status, given that it doesn’t have much impact or heft to it. So, its status as a sidetrack is ideal. As mentioned in the introduction to this review, the song features both Simon Dominic and Jamie. It might seem to be a bit much for a song that only lasts three minutes, but Waves is surprisingly balanced and evenly split between all three artists. And each artists had their own thing unique thing to contribute to the track. Kang Daniel kicks off the song with a really cool rap speak delivery of the first verse. He also takes on board the chorus, given that it is his song and that makes the most sense. His vocals seem sleek and matches the sensual vibe of the song. Jamie follows Kang Daniel in the first verse with her nasally voice. She also got an opportunity to rap in the second verse. It isn’t anything intense, but it gives a little teaser of a new side of her that she hasn’t really shown off in her own music just yet. Simon Dominic rounds out the first verse with a short sequence, before returning with a heavier sequence for the second verse and bridge. The deepness in his voice threw me off the first time around, as it contrasted so greatly with the chilled and light nature of Waves‘ instrumental. Overall, Waves is a pretty good teaser of what is to come in less than a weeks time.

The music video is quite good. First of all, I am glad that both Jamie and Simon Dominic are in this music. A lot of the time the featuring artist is not included due to scheduling conflicts or various other reasons. So to see both featuring artists made the video worthwhile to watch. Secondly, how good does Kang Daniel look in this video? His solo shots were very captivating and his outfits (particularly those suit jackets) looked really cool. Thirdly, the sets look unique. Some of the sets look really elegant. Others seemed to be modeled after sewage pipes. Not really a cool place to be. But Kang Daniel, Jamie and Simon Dominic all really make all the sets seems like the place to be. The ending looks a little sinister and might foreshadow next week’s main release.

What I could see from the music video, the choreography looked really promising. I liked how they split off into females and males dancers for the second chorus, while they were all mixed together for the first and second choruses. I couldn’t really focus on a particular move given the unfocused nature of the music video. Though I did detect some attitude mixed into the moves, as I could see from the end of the performance.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Special] Number 1 Songs from July 2019 to June 2020

Posted in Special, Western POPLeave a comment

I knew I have forgotten something. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was at first as I have been quite busy lately. But once I realized that I haven’t done a summary post for the Weekly KPOP Charts for the past year, I set aside time to get it done or else who knows when I will get this post out. Pushing my forgetfulness aside, I just want to send another repetitive thank you message. It has been four years for my Weekly KPOP Charts segment. Crazy, right? It has only felt like I just started it last year. 4 years, 204 post and a whole heap of attention to the segment this past year. I can’t thank you enough! Woo! So without any more delays, here are the top songs from each week between July 2019 to June 2020.

Snapping – Chungha
(1st Week of July 2019)

RPM – SF9
(2nd Week of July 2019)

Time Of Our Life – DAY6
(3rd Week of July 2019)
(4th Week of July 2019)
(1st Week of August 2019)
(4th Week of August 2019)

ICY – ITZY
(5th Week of July 2019)

HIT – SEVENTEEN
(2nd Week of August 2019)
(3rd Week of August 2019)

LALALAY – Sunmi
(1st Week of September 2019)

Devil – CLC
(2nd Week of September 2019)

Fear – SEVENTEEN
(3rd Week of September 2019)

Feel Special – TWICE
(4th Week of September 2019)
(1st Week of October 2019)
(3rd Week of October 2019)

Blind For Love – AB6IX
(2nd Week of October 2019)

Aight – Jung Daehyun
(4th Week of October 2019)

Abandoned – Brown Eyed Girls
(5th Week of October 2019)

Wonder Woman – Brown Eyed Girls
(1st Week of November 2019)

You Calling My Name – GOT7
(2nd Week of November 2019)

HIP – Mamamoo
(3rd Week of November 2019)
(4th Week of November 2019)
(1st Week of December 2019)
(3rd Week of December 2019)

Levanter – Stray Kids
(2nd Week of December 2019)

Psycho – Red Velvet
(4th Week of December 2019)

Thumbs Up – Momoland
(1st Week of January 2020)

Wannabe – Golden Child
(2nd Week of January 2020)

Good Guy – SF9
(3rd Week of January 2020)

Interlude: Shadow – BTS
(4th Week of January 2020)

Without You – Golden Child
(5th Week of January 2020)

Dun Dun – EVERGLOW
(1st Week of February 2020)

So What – LOONA
(2nd Week of February 2020)

Scream – Dream Catcher
(3rd Week of February 2020)

On – BTS
(4th Week of February 2020)

Red Moon – KARD
(1st Week of March 2020)

Wannabe – ITZY
(2nd Week of March 2020)

Kick It – NCT 127
(3rd Week of March 2020)

2U – Kang Daniel
(4th Week of March 2020)
(1st Week of April 2020)

Oh My God – (G)I-DLE
(2nd Week of April 2020)

Dumhdurum – APINK
(3rd Week of April 2020)

Not By The Moon – GOT7
(4th Week of April 2020)

Nonstop – Oh My Girl
(5th Week of April 2020)
(1st Week of May 2020)

Knock – ASTRO
(2nd Week of May 2020)

Can’t You See Me – TXT
(3rd Week of May 2020)

Fantasia – MONSTA X
(4th Week of May 2020)

Wing – Park Ji Hoon
(1st Week of June 2020)

Butterfly – WJSN (Cosmic Girls)
(2nd Week of June 2020)
(3rd Week of June 2020)

God’s Menu – Stray Kids
(4th Week of June 2020)

[Album Review] Sherlock (4th Mini Album) – SHINee

Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged 1 Comment

Last week when I realized that I hadn’t reviewed a particular group in the PAR (Past Album Review) segment, I had a quick search around to see which groups I hadn’t reviewed in this segment yet. And that is how I identified SHINee as the artist to review this week. I wanted to review a studio album from SHINee (as that is what their discography is predominately made up of). But I ran out of time to draft the review up, so today I opted to look at a mini-album instead. And when you think of SHINee, you think of ‘SHINee’s Back‘. So today, I will be reviewing the Sherlock mini-album which was released way back in 2012.

Sherlock Album Cover

1. Sherlock (Clue + Note) – Originally, I gave a 9.5/10 for Sherlock, factoring the song, video and performance. Given its iconic status and very powerful appeal, I have decided to bump Sherlock to that 10/10 rating. Click here for the full review of Sherlock (Clue + Note). (10/10)

2. Clue – For those who don’t know, Clue is one of the tracks that was mashed together with another on this album to form Sherlock. The title track made Clue’s ‘SHINee’s Back’ whisper and instrumental introduction forever iconic. It is also the birth-song of Sherlock’s first verse, the second part of Sherlock’s bridge of the title track and majority of the instrumental. With the rest of the song, the melody of the sections taken to Sherlock was continued. What I didn’t like about the song is that it doesn’t really feature a chorus. You could argue that what served as Sherlock’s pre-chorus was Clue’s chorus. However, I would say otherwise as it just wasn’t memorable enough to be a chorus. Though this might be my favouritism for Sherlock speaking. Regardless, Clue felt very incomplete because of this ‘missing chorus’. Two other aspects (one is positive and the other isn’t so much) of the song stood out for me. The positive aspect was Jonghyun’s adlib in the first half of the bridge. That felt cool and really added a colourful tinge to the song. The not-so-positive aspect was the abrupt ending, which is an element that I don’t like in any song to this day. (8/10)

3. Note – Note is the other ‘half’ of the mashup that formed Sherlock. When it first started, it felt like a completely different track as it had a slightly different instrumental. But as the song progressed, we approach the familiar sequences we can also find in Sherlock, such as the choruses, the pre-choruses, Key and Minho’s rap sequence that follows the chorus, the first half of Sherlock’s bridge and the closing sequence. As this song has a chorus (or the chorus, depending on how you think of it), it felt more complete. And since the chorus is quite powerful in both songs, the rest of Note reflected this by incorporating powerful vocals in the other parts of the song (i.e. the verses). I don’t really have much else to say regarding this song as nothing really stood out for me. But Note was still a good song. (8.5/10)

4. Alarm Clock (알람시계) – The next track on this album delves into the R&B genre and delivers an impressive display of the group’s vocals. Every member sounds superb in their own sections and I really liked how the members came together for the chorus. Their voices also do an amazing job of showcasing the song’s stunning melodies, which in turn helped the song become memorable and quite flowy. I also like Minho’s deep tone rap sequence at the end. It was so suitable for the song’s dramatic and emotional atmosphere. It was also served as an impactful ending for this nice song. I did think Alarm Clock‘s instrumental was a little standard for the genre. But it served as a great canvas for the member’s voices. I also really liked the twirling effect/sound they had going in the background, which added something different to the otherwise straightforward R&B instrumental. (9/10)

5. The Reason – The Reason follows a similar setup to the preceding song, where all the members contribute to the chorus by singing together. But some of the members do get an opportunity to shine amongst each other during the chorus. Regardless, all of these vocals and techniques come together to create one of the best sidetracks EVER. I admit that it has been a while since I have heard the song. But that makes relistening to The Reason so much better as it just blows me away, especially as the song approaches and enters the first chorus. The song is a ballad, but the instrumental is a little more modern with the use of electronic synths on top of a standard classical instrumental. It also features a substantial guitar solo that is just the icing on the cake for this song. I would love the opportunity to hear this song live one day, as I am sure it will be even more blissful in that setting. (10/10)

6. Stranger (낯선자) – From my understanding, Stranger was a single from one of the group’s Japanese album and also served as an OST for a Korean, Japanese and Chinese series. Stranger is okay as a sidetrack. I really liked the nostalgia that the song with how it started with the vibrating synths. The melodies remind me of OST of various dramas that I have watched while I was younger, so there is that sense of nostalgia as well. I also found it to be quite addictive and catchy, as a result of those melodies. But in comparison to the other songs on this album, Stranger feels quite weak vocally. It didn’t have that impressive vocal oomph that the other song had. I know the song may not be suitable for powerhouse vocals. But given that is what I have heard so far on this album, Stranger, unfortunately, feels like the odd one out. (7/10)

7. Honesty – The album ends with an acoustic track that puts the limelight on their vocals. While it isn’t powerhouse vocals, what we get in Honesty suitable for the acoustic nature of the song. And even then, SHINee pushes themselves in that direction. It is a casual song and is a lot lighter compared to the rest of the album. With that mindset, I find Honesty to be a pleasant album ender. It might also be different to the rest of the album as Stranger had also felt. But its placement was well thought out and the song served its purpose wonderfully. I love how the song ends with both Minho’s rapping, Jonghyun’s ad-lib and the fade out of the acoustic guitar. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.8/10

Sherlock Teaser Image

[Review] Lonely Night – Yoon Do Jun (HIGHLIGHT)

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , Leave a comment

It has also been a while since we heard from HIGHLIGHT. That is because HIGHLIGHT has reached that stage of their lives where they needed to enlist into the military, a hurdle that all male KPOP idols have to overcome. Yoon Du Jun finished his enlistment earlier in the year and is currently awaiting the return of his fellow members before promoting under the name of HIGHLIGHT once again. But while he is waiting, Yoon Du Jun jumped right back into music promotions with his solo debut! Today, Yoon Du Jun released his first mini-album, Daybreak, which features the title track, Lonely Night.

Given that Yoon Du Jun has been active in the music industry through his works with HIGHLIGHT (or Beast), I wasn’t exactly sure what direction he would take his solo work with. Lonely Night seems to be a R&B dance track and I have concluded that this really suits him. There is that sleek feel to the song which one would commonly associate with R&B. But the rest of the instrumentation indicates something a little heavier and more upbeat, like a song that you would associate with choreography. And the combination of the two that results in Lonely Night creates a classy atmosphere and an engaging energy that draws my fingers and mouse pointer back to the replay button. What I also really enjoy in this song is his vocals. I never really picked up on Yoon Du Jun’s vocals during his group promotions before. But here, it sounds like he has been the main vocalist of his group since forever and that I have completely overlooked him. His vocals have a subtle husky nature to them that I really enjoyed. During the chorus, his harmonies with his own backing vocals was superb. There was also interesting melodies/delivery, such as the opening sequence to the second verse. Overall, Lonely Night was a great debut track and does Yoon Du Jun’s vocals justice.

The song is about the loneliness that he feels after a busy day. The feeling comes during the night, as during the day he has to pretend that he is okay. Throughout the video, we see Yoon Du Jun throughout the night, all alone. The way I see this video is that regardless of what life he lives, he will always be lonely. The first half of the video makes it looks like he is rich and he gives off movie star vibes. It looks like he was just part of a fight, so I am assuming he is an action movie star. But at night, he goes to the bar and drinks alone, which draws our attention to his loneliness. The people around him looks in his direction because I presume they recognise him due to his movie star status. The second part of the music video shows Yoon Du Jun living a humble ordinary life in his apartment. There isn’t people there to highlight his loneliness. Rather the director chose to have everything around him frozen in midair, while Yoon Du Jun moves about normally. That was a clever way of showing his loneliness in a more profound and explicit manner. The rest of the video showed Yoon Du Jun alone in multiple contexts, all complimenting the song’s lyrics.

At this stage, there is no choreography for this comeback. I am not entirely sure whether he will be promoting his solo debut. I do hope he does and if we get a stage version of this performance, I will come back to update the review accordingly. For now, I will keep the ‘overall rating’ focused on the song and video.

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

[Review] MIL (Make It Love) – Song Ji Eun

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

It has been a while since we have heard from Secret, one of my favourite female groups in the KPOP industry. The most recent news of Secret (as a group) was the unfortunate news of their disbandment, which occurred in 2018 when Song Ji Eun (and fellow member Jun Hyo Sung) left TS Entertainment. Since the news of her departure and the group’s disbandment, Song Ji Eun has been active as an actress. For the most part, she has been absent from the music scene, with her last release being the 2016 Bobby Doll. However, that all changed yesterday with Song Ji Eun returning as a solo artists yesterday with the title track MIL (Make It Love) and her third mini-album, Dream.

If you travel back in time on this blog, you will notice that I was a super duper big fan of Song Ji Eun’s solo releases. My personal favorites have to be Hope Torture and Don’t Look At Me Like That, while Pretty 25 (which I reviewed as a bad song initially) has grown tremendously on me. But that’s a brief trip down my memory lane. With her most recent release, all I can do is yawn at MIL. MIL lacks all character that she had built up previously. Sure, she may have decided that she needs a new sound, since those previous releases are quite dated (going back in 2013). But she could have picked genres that are a lot more exciting and different, as her previous releases have been just that. Instead, she opts for an overused tropical synth based instrumental. It is something that feels very mid to late last decade. On a slightly more positive note, MIL has nice and easy to follow melodies. And the hooks were catchy. However, I do feel that the instrumental weighs these more positive comments down. The most positive comment I can give regarding this song (that is untouched by the instrumental) is that I like her voice. Personally, I miss her voice and MIL gives a nice dosage of her voice.

The lack of choreography in the music video suggests to me that Song Ji Eun isn’t promoting this song. That kind of stuck out at me, as I was hoping to see more of her in the coming weeks (so I can admire her beauty and continually remind myself of the good old days of teenage me fanboying over her). Instead, MIL features a bunch of cute shots of her singing and having a bit of fun. But this music video is a good opportunity to refamiliarise ourselves with the solo artist and her good looks (she literally doesn’t look like she has aged), it felt dry to watch. I wanted more people to be in the video to make the fun look more convincing. I wanted a memorable atmosphere to be created and help compensate the lacking points of the song. For example, a poolside party concept would be suitable. It works with what she already has planned here and it creates a more enjoyable and fun atmosphere. And a poolside party would compliment the tropical synths we had heard in the song. Don’t misunderstand, there isn’t really any issue with a music video of just her. I am just extending the idea of the video to make it go one step further.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Overall Rating – 5.4/10

[Album Review] Equal (1st Mini Album) – WOODZ

Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged , 1 Comment

A month ago, WOODZ (aka. Cho Seung Youn) returned as a solo artist with his first mini-album, Equal. It featured the title track Love Me Harder (link for it down below). And now a month from its release, it is time for its album review. I hope this comeback has not been swept under a rug. Both the song and album (which I can say from today) is very underrated and needs more attention! But for those who may still be unfamiliar with WOODZ, here is a quick introduction. He is a member of UNIQ (the group currently on hiatus, and each member is focusing on solo activities) and was formerly apart of X1 (which has now disbanded). He has been active previously as a solo artist during the time between UNIQ and his appearance on Produce X 101, where he placed 5th overall. But the difference now is that his popularity has skyrocketed as a result to Produce X 101 and X1. And now, here is the review!

Equal Album Cover

1. Lift Up – For an opening track, Lift Up basically holds my attention hostage from whatever I was doing prior to listening to the song. I find that to be a very positive feature of the song, as that is what I want with the first track on the album. The start features a heavily autotuned deep voice, breathy sounds and dramatic strikes of instrumentation. We then move into the verses, which is probably what I want to describe as the ‘calm before the storm’, with the storm being the shouty chorus we get in Lift Up. It might be overwhelming the first time around for some, but I really like the thrilling nature. I liked the rough texture his voice brings to the song and the different textures we get in the background throughout the song, as well (such as the barking dogs and the flute in the second verse). It adds something different and captivating around each corner. I would have liked it if his pronunciation was a little clearer in the chorus. It didn’t occur to me that he was singing/shouting English lyrics until I searched up the lyrics. This was the only issue I had with Lift Up, otherwise it would have been deemed a 10/10 song. (9.5/10)

2. Accident – Accident is a smooth R&B track, placed cleverly after the intense and possibly overwhelming start to this album. It provides relief but does so in a way that continues the R&B momentum of the album. It starts off with a rock sound and it brews with that mindset. But it settles for the R&B as it progresses and loses that idea of going in a rock direction. Sure, this track may not be as powerful sounding song. But the lyrics are definitely quite heavy and may be as abrasive as how the preceding track sounds. Based on what I can understand, it seems like there is a toxic relationship, where pain is inflicted by one side and the other side accepts the pain as an ‘accident’. Not really a good message to put forward but it shows how willing one would go to get to know someone (but alas, in a twisted way). Aside from that, Accident show WOODZ’s vocals in a very memorable and epic manner. You can sense desperation and willingness in this voice, which would suit the twisted message that the song has. (9/10)

3. Love Me Harder (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Love Me Harder. (9/10)

4. NOID – For some reason, the start of this song takes me back to Mamamoo’s HIP. Though, NOID is a lot darker and sinister. Once again, it delves into the R&B genre. But there is a groovy and subtle upbeat energy to the song. What the song does best is it shows off WOODZ’s vocals in an impressive manner. It compliments that subtle upbeat nature that I had mentioned just before as his vocals provide a slight kick to the song as well. And altogether, it is a good song. But in comparison to the rest of the album, I felt NOID was a little safe. This is more of an observation and I personally don’t mind this ‘safe’ connotation. It helps keeps the album grounded and doesn’t overload us with sounds or songs that could overwhelm us. (8/10)

5. Waikiki (ft. Colde) – With R&B being the main genre on this album, I was wondering when the sensual R&B vibes would kick in. Well, Waikiki answers that question. There isn’t much to the instrumental other than the clapping percussion and that very low humming we get in the background. We get more instrumentals added to the song as its progresses, but it isn’t really a massive difference. Despite its minimalist sounds, it is the artists that give the song its sensual vibes. Waikiki is driven by the melody that both WOODZ and Colde brings to the song via their delivery of their lines. I also found the contrast between the two artists to be very intriguing. WOODZ was at a somewhat higher pitch, while Colde stayed relatively low with his autotuned voice. It gives the song stability and really compliments the minimalist vibes. It isn’t my personal cup of tea, but it was very well executed. (8/10)

6. Buck (ft. Punchnello) – Buck is very different to what we have heard so far on this album. It is very energetic and packs a subtle punch. It also feels quite experimental. It takes more of a hip-hop profile rather than the R&B we heard on this album. It feels playful and carefree, in a way. The beat also seems very jabby. Nothing feels elongated or lasts for a substantial amount of time (relative to the length of the track). And I quite like this effect. Buck also features Punchnello and he brings a fast tempo to the song with his delivery, whereas WOODZ sounded mid-tempo. I also like it when they reach the back end of their verses, which featured a little more energy and urgency in their delivery. It adds more energy to the song in a way that compliments their rapping delivery. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I find Buck to be a hidden gem on this album. (10/10)

7. Memories – WOODZ continues the divergence from the heavy R&B nature of the album with Memories. It is a ballad, as I had somehow expected from the title. I just had a feeling with such a sentimental title. What Memories (and this album, at large) has proven to me is how versatile WOODZ is. And this isn’t an observation of the songs. Even his voices have changed in each song, showing that he is fitting for many styles. In Memories, he sounds very blissful and his harmonies are breathtaking. Especially since he is rapper in both his previous groups. The instrumental is a little typical, going with a piano and drum set up. What I also enjoyed is the use of electric guitar throughout. It doesn’t make Memories unique, but I find it as a centerpiece to be quite refreshing. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.9/10

Equal Teaser Image

[Weekly Chart] 4th Week of July 2020

Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

Today is Sunday and therefore it is time to look back on the past week via the Weekly KPOP Charts segment. It has been a relatively light week in terms of releases this week. I had plans to write reviews for some releases that I have missed out on. I even tweeted about it. I did make a start but didn’t get too far. Hopefully, I can continue into this week. Don’t worry, I will get to them eventually.

Before we get to the Top 5 and the actual charts, I would like to point out a number of big jumps on the charts this week. I like to draw attention to these as the jump signifies that the song is growing on me or attracting my attention (It may also provide evidence against my erratic listening patterns as well, but let’s not talk about that :)). The biggest jump we saw this week was GreatGuys’ RUN, which leapt a massive 59 positions from one end of the charts to the other end. Jumping 54 spots were Hwasa’s sidetrack, LMM. SF9 (Summer Breeze), Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi (Monster), BLACKPINK (How You Like That), N.Flying (Oh Really), Moonbyul (Absence), DONGKIZ I:KAN (Y.O.U) and D-CRUNCH (Perriot) also experienced big jumps.

Now with that out of the way, here is this week’s Top 5. Earlier this week, I expressed my amazement for Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi’s Naughty. And that amazement continued throughout the week, which helped land the song in the top spot this week. Following the subunit this week is last week’s number 1 song, Apple by GFriend. TOO’s Count 1,2, SF9’s Summer Breeze and WOODZ’s Love Me Harder each rose into the Top 5 this week as well. And thus, this ends the Top 5 wrap for this week. For more of the charts, scroll down below.

  19th Jul – 25th Jul 2020
Title Artist Status
1 Naughty Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi (new)
2 Apple Gfriend (▼ 1)
3 Count 1,2  TOO (▲ 3)
4 Summer Breeze SF9 (▲ 28)
5 Love Me Harder WOODZ (▲ 2)
6 Left & Right Seventeen (▼ 4)
7 RUN GreatGuys (▲ 59)
8 Play Chungha (▲ 22)
9 What You Waiting For? Jeon Somi (new)
10 HOLO Lee Hi (new)
11 Say Yes Jeong Sewoon (▼ 7)
12 Fantasia MONSTA X (▼ 1)
13 LMM Hwasa (Mamamoo) (▲ 54)
14 R.o.S.E BLUE Dream Catcher (▲ 17)
15 God’s Menu Stray Kids (▼ 3)
16 AWay Jeong Eunji (APINK) (▲ 12)
17 The Answer AB6IX (▼ 8)
18 Easy Stray Kids (▲ 7)
19 Thunder VERIVERY (▼ 3)
20 Maria Hwasa (Mamamoo) (▼ 3)
21 ONE (Lucid Dream) Golden Child (▼ 16)
22 Monster Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi (▲ 41)
23 How You Like That BLACKPINK (▲ 26)
24 Wayo Bang Ye Dam (TREASURE) (▲ 13)
25 Oh Really N.Flying (▲ 22)
26 Bedlam Lee Jin Hyuk (UP10TION) (▲ 15)
27 Absence Moonbyul (Mamamoo) (▲ 40)
28 Y.O.U DONGKIZ I:KAN (▲ 36)
29 Perriot D-Crunch (▲ 24)
30 pporapippam  Sunmi (▼ 12)

Songs leaving the charts this week include:

  • Pierrot – D-CRUNCH
  • Angel – OnlyOneOf
  • Lovely – Minzy
  • Candy – Baekhyun (EXO)
  • Red Moon – Kim Woo Seok (UP10TION)
  • Wing – Park Ji Hoon
  • End Of Spring – ONEWE
  • FANTASIA – MONSTA X
  • Absence – Moonbyul (Mamamoo)
  • Linger On – Roy Kim
  • yaya (ME TIME) – Yubin
  • Still – DKB

Thank you once again and I will see you shortly in the next review.

[Review] RUN – GreatGuys

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

Earlier this month, GreatGuys made their comeback with Run, which is the title track of the group’s third mini-album, We’re Not Alone_Chapter2: You&Me. I am not familiar with GreatGuys at all. The only song which I have reviewed from the group was their 2019 release, Be On You, which was the title track off Chapter1 of this We’re Not Alone series. Based on a quick Google search, the group is made up of nine members (Jaei, Uiyeon, Horyeong, Daun, Baekgyeol, Donghwi, Hwalchan, Haneul, and Dongin). They are under DNA Entertainment and have been around since 2017. Chapter2 also features the remake track In Summer, which also serves as a title track for this release. I haven’t decided whether to review it yet, but if I find time, I will try to. In the meanwhile, here is my RUN review.

Despite being an unknown group to me, RUN was an enjoyable track. I prefer it without the horse neighs at the start and throughout the song. But I will give the producer some points for using that unorthodox way of drawing/keeping the attention of listeners into the song. What I really like about the song is its intensity and its fast-pace. The trance-like instrumental just continues to come at you while the members are singing or rapping. It packs a punch when it matters most, such as when the members are singing and during the very important chorus. But it also knows when to hold back on the punches, such as the stripped back pre-choruses. The instrumental also has this thrilling side to it. Replay it a few times and you will probably hear what I mean. It felt like the music you will get in a thriller or action movie when the character is running away from death or the antagonists. This is probably intentional, given that the song is titled RUN. Vocally, the group had some really good moments. But overall, I thought it was decent, at best. I just wanted a little more to the song in the vocal/rapping department so it can go that additional mile and pull in some more listeners. Overall, it is a really cool track that is exhilarating. It is safe to say that RUN has put the group on my radar.

For a music video from a smaller company and an obvious low budget, this one was pretty good. Their company didn’t opt to use any of those overused music video sets. The water fountain background that they shot majority of their choreography shots and some solo shots actually looked very unique. I am also glad that they didn’t have outfits that intentionally expose their bodies like in their previous comeback. Though, some abs were shown towards the end of the video. Overall, everything looked quite good in the video. However, I am going to picky with one particular element. The post production addition of flames during the second verse rap sequence looked really cheap and unnecessary. As far as I could remember, that was the only appearance of it throughout the entire music video. Glad it didn’t make its way to anywhere else in the video, as that would really lower the quality (which should be avoided given that the video already does have a ‘low budget’ feel).

It was an okay performance, overall. I felt that the moves could have been punchier, refined and cleaner. This would have matched the intensity of the song quite well, but also give off the impression of being in sync. I am quite sure we all know the reasons for the latter. It just looks better.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.6/10

[Album Review] VIVID (2nd Mini Album) – AB6IX

Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged Leave a comment

Despite the departure of their leader just prior to their original comeback date, AB6IX has managed to adapt well to the sudden change in their lineup. While they did delay the album release to re-record their songs and alter their choreography to fit the current four member lineup, the group pulled through this comeback without any issues. It looks like they have wrapped up their promotions already, but it is never too late to have a deeper drive into their album. Today, in addition to talking about each VIVID side track individually, I will be discussing the promotional potential of other tracks. What do I mean? Keep on reading to find out!

VIVID Album Cover

1. Red Up – Kicking off the album is the hip-hop influenced Red Up. During my initial listen of the song, the hip-hop influence during the verses and the inclining buildup we get in the pre-chorus gave me an impression of a really strong and impactful drop when it came to the chorus. But I was caught by surprised once we reach the chorus. Rather than being a hard drop, I found Red Up’s chorus to be sleek and trendy, thanks to the subtle impact brought on by the horns. It is very unexpecting, but I liked it quite a lot. I would have enjoyed the ending more they have incorporated something to add a little excitement and resolved the ‘repetitive’ issue that hindered the song’s appeal. The song itself was quite rap heavy, all of which was delivered by Woojin. He had big shoes to fill and he managed to do it all quite well. (8/10)

2. VIVID – If I had my way, VIVID would have been promoted on stage and potentially have taken over Surreal’s position as secondary promotional track. I really liked the whispers at the start. It was memorable and definitely got me intrigued to continue listening to the song. The song is quite punchy and had a decent level of excitement to it. VIVID answers one of my desire for the title track. It isn’t a direct continuation of that house sound we got from their earlier works, but I would say it is still in the vicinity. Each member also shined, which makes complete sense to promote the song. Woojin’s deep raps, Dae Hwi’s vocals, Woong and Donghyun’s falsetto in the chorus are just prime examples of them shining in this song. (9/10)

3. THE ANSWER (답을 줘) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for THE ANSWER. (8/10)

4. Surreal (초현실) – Under my imaginative plan for AB6IX’s promotions, Surreal would have served as the title track for VIVID (the album). Overall, it was a smoldering song which would have suited a mature look. And I believe that AB6IX really had that potential to nail such a concept and song. I really like the pounding nature of the instrumental. It is unique and very refreshing. I liked how they didn’t lose the song’s intensity, keeping it going throughout the entire song. I like the huskier and raspier vocals that the members had to bring to the song. This really compliments the darker atmosphere of the song. I would have liked the song to have a little more to it towards the end. It lacks a powerful climax to really bring the song to a close. It just continued going with the momentum from the start and to me, it just doesn’t feel finished. (9/10)

5. Midnight Blue – The song starts and ends with some acoustic guitars in the background. But the instrumental for everything in between just went with a pop sound and lost that acoustic guitar touch. It does peek through the instrumental at times, but it wasn’t the prominent feature to give that song a ‘dynamic’. I would have liked for the song to continue with that acoustic touch. It would have been an interesting appeal and Midnight Blue could have played with some cool dynamics. I did like the vocals and rapping in this song. Each member really shined in this song, like the rest of the songs on this album. (8.5/10)

6. Hold Tight (끈) – Hold Tight feels like it is the most typical track on this album by today’s standards. But this doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. I didn’t necessary get any special feelings towards the song. But there was a really good energy that makes it suitable for a dance club or party like environment. There was some decent intensity throughout, and I felt that the song really fits into AB6IX’s discography. Vocals and rapping were pretty good as well. I just found the song to lack that uniqueness that separates it from the rest of the pack of side-track releases from other artists. (7.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.3/10

VIVID Teaser Image

[Review] HOLO – Lee Hi

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

Like all YG artists, past or present, Lee Hi was heavily under-promoted during her time under the widely known company. It made complete sense for Lee Hi to move to a different company once her contract with her former company was up for resigning. The company she ended up moving to was AOMG (the home of some of the biggest Korean hip-hop and R&B artists). This was only announced yesterday despite it being heavily rumored over the last few months. And the day after the announcement (i.e. today), Lee Hi makes her grand comeback with her first AOMG single, HOLO. Hopefully it is the start of countless others from the popular soloist.

Lee Hi’s HOLO goes down the ballad route. It is a breathtaking song that left me speechless when I listened to it for the first time earlier today. And that speechlessness remains each time I have listened to the song since that initial listen. When I am not speechless, I am admiring all the fine points of HOLO. The song starts off with a nice piano melody. It is simple, yet it is prominent enough to really set the momentum from the first second. Lee Hi’s vocals come into play alongside this piano melody. You get a sense of emotion during the verses, but it is subtle. And note that it isn’t really a saddening emotion. Instead, I find a soothing and comforting emotion coming from her voice. She doesn’t dive right into it and overwhelm us, though. She restrains herself and doesn’t let her powerful vocals off until we reach the chorus, where she amps up her vocals alongside the song’s instrumentation. And from that point onward, her vocals just keep on building. This inclining climb is something that I don’t ever remember Lee Hi doing before and it is because of this that I find the song refreshing. The song had stunning melody and it pretty much had me swaying along to the music the entire time. I really like how the backing vocals help lift the song and added a golden tone/definition to her vocals. Overall, HOLO is one beautiful song that you cannot afford to miss.

It seems like Lee Hi takes the role of a guardian angel in this video, which makes sense since her vocals are comforting and soothing. It seems the young girl in the music video is depressed and alone. When she tries to take her life, Lee Hi is seen swimming to her to get her out of the water. There are a number of scenes that depict Lee Hi with wings, which further proves this. The ending is a little more cryptic. At the start of the video, we see Lee Hi leaning over a person in a black and white dress. At the end of the video, we see Lee Hi standing in the exact same dress. I think the ending suggests that Lee Hi was the one being saved. We don’t see the figure at the start to identify the figure as the young girl, despite seeing the young girl clearly throughout the rest of the video. Why keep her identity hidden? It only makes sense if the young girl was Lee Hi when she was younger. The song is about ‘convey[ing] a message of consolation to herself for overcoming a period of solitude and to those who are living in a confined environment’ (Taken from Soompi). So this theory of the young girl and Lee Hi being one person makes total sense.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 10/10

[Review] AWay – Jeong Eunji (APINK)

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , Leave a comment

It has been a while since we have heard from Jeong Eunji as a solo artist. Her last solo release was titled Be There and this came out in 2018. However, we have seen her more recently through APINK’s comebacks, such as %% in 2019 and Dumhdurum a few months ago. A few days ago, Jeong Eunji made her comeback with her fourth mini-album, Simple and the title track, AWay.

Jeong Eunji’s solo releases have shown us her ability to be versatile in the ballad realm. If I remember correctly, her solo debut track and first solo comeback (Hopefully Sky and The Spring) were folksy ballads. Her most recent solo release was more acoustic based. And now, she takes on a momentum-heavy pop sound approach with AWay. One may argue that this isn’t a ballad and I understand what you mean. But given the lack of choreography and how it is vocally-centric, I would say it is coming from a ballad root. It just has a different instrumental style to the more typical ballad. As mentioned earlier, there is some heft to the song that adds impactful energy and an epic vibe to the song. It also feels refreshing and suitable for the Summer season. It carries her vocals and forces her vocals to soar (which she handles really well). This, in turn, adds even more momentum to the song. The chorus had good hooks that helped made the song somewhat memorable. I felt that the hooks had to compete with the instrumental to be the standout memorable element of the song. In the end, I felt that the instrumental, due to its nature, nudged ahead of the other. Overall, all the elements in AWay works neatly with one another, forming another great song to go under Jeong Eunji’s name.

It is a pity that this comeback isn’t being promoted. This song really needs to be out there on the music shows for it to gain attention. I just don’t want this to be another forgotten song. But I guess we just have to settle for a music video. The song is about wanting to escape the feeling of being lost. Majority of the music video was essentially seeing Eunji being stuck in this lost feeling. Despite her life changing around her (i.e. the change from the green fields to the yellow sand), that lost feeling remains. We don’t see her resolving this predicament that she in by the time the video wraps up. She sings about charging back up to help escape that feeling, which I assume she does through the video’s happier moments. Apart for that lack of explicit resolution, it is a fine video that compliments the song well.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Review] What You Waiting For? – Jeon Somi

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 1 Comment

Jeon Somi was one of the most anticipated solo debuts of 2019, given her status as the number 1 trainee during the first season of Produce 101 and her promotions as part of I.O.I. And I felt that she exceeded my expectations with her solo debut single, Birthday. But she just disappeared after that and she did not release anymore songs in 2019. In fact, it has taken her over a year to return with What You Waiting For?, her comeback single released just today. Since her solo debut, Jeon Somi has been busy with variety shows and her own reality series, which I believe captured the preparation for this comeback (which ended up being delayed due to the ongoing health pandemic).

Described as a R&B dance track, What You Waiting For? is a definitely step up from Birthday. The first reason for this ‘step up’ is also the only flaw to the song. The melodic wooden xylophone-like synth that the song features during the verses really stood out to me due to its prominence. I liked its freshness and vibrancy in the first verse. While I did enjoy it in the first verse, it didn’t sit right with me in the second verse. I know they tried to keep the momentum going by having part of the chorus continue in the second verse. But the combination of said momentum from chorus and the wooden xylophone-like synth just didn’t blend with with one another and this unharmonious sequence just stuck out too much. But apart from that detail, everything else in this song was really good. I liked how they switched up the instruments for the final part of the song, opting for a metal xylophone-like synth and cow bells. It had that familiar melody of the start, but also an added level of freshness that made the song even more exciting. Somi’s vocals were fabulous. Autotune was used but it was balanced and not over the top. I also liked how the chorus brought a club-like atmosphere to the song. Definitely another memorable aspect the song.

I am not sure if I follow the story line of the video. The song is about waiting for love. So basing everything off this, Somi is waiting for her prince charming to come and save her from being trapped in that room. But instead of her prince charming, alter egos of Somi break her out. These include Black Somi, Hotel Somi, Boat Somi, Singer Somi and Dress Somi. I just love that credit sequence. My favourite part is when Singer Somi (I think) takes the industrial digger to the wall of her apartment. That was pretty epic.

[Updated] I am not exactly sure that I like this performance. The moves were plain and just didn’t fit in with the song. Maybe this is why they decided to omit it from the music video? It is hard to put my thoughts into words to explain myself. I do have to emphasise that I am no choreographer, so I can only speak about how the performance looks visually. It just looked like the focus was put on Somi looking good and not really on the music.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 5/10 [Updated]
Overall Rating – 8.2/10 [Updated]

[Album Review] And & End (6th Mini Album) – T-ARA

Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged Leave a comment

Since T-ARA’s last comeback in 2018 with What’s My Name, I have not review another T-ARA album. Given T-ARA’s dynamic and robust discography, I am surprised that it has taken me three and half years to revisit this group. The whole point of this ‘Past Album Review’ segment is to go back in time and revisit albums from current and previously active groups. With that, I will promise I will definitely keep T-ARA in my mind and hopefully comeback to review another album before the end of the year (I already have the next album in mind!). But until then, here is my review for the group’s 6th mini-album, And & End, which was released back in 2014, which was lead by Sugar Free.

And & End Album Cover

1. Sugar Free (Title Track) – Please note that this review is for the BigRoom Version. Click here to read the full review for Sugar Free. (10/10)

2. ORGR – It was smart that ORGR was placed right after the intense nature of Sugar Free and before the softer songs on this album. It is like a bridge that connects the polar opposite songs on the album. There is a bit of edge to the song thanks to the hip-hop influence during the chorus, which connects well with the title track. The song is quite melodic and flowy in other parts, such as the pre-chorus, which goes hand-in-hand with the softer tracks. What I enjoyed about song even more is that sense of nostalgia that the song brings, reminding me of other previous female groups such as 4MINUTE, who easily would have thrived with a sidetrack like this. But this is a T-ARA sidetrack and I felt that the group executed it well. Their vocals were smooth and the rapping really helped give the song some additional sass. The song’s hooks including the ‘Na Na Na’ were quite addictive, helping make this song even more appealing. (9/10)

3. I Don’t Want You (남주긴 아까워) – I Don’t Want You stands out for its Parisian and artisan feel, based on the opening sequence. It is a very interesting and different sound to what I am used to. And it isn’t a sound that I would really be excited about. But I liked how they kept it going in the song. Nowadays, such influences would only last a short while. But in I Don’t Want You, it lasted for the entire 3 minutes. It adds a layer of elegance and gives the otherwise soft song unique colour. Vocally, T-ARA sounds very standard here. I did like how Qri’s rap sequence in the bridge was mixed into the song. It isn’t expected, but somehow the producers made it fit in without questions. Overall, a very nice song. (8/10)

4. Last Calendar (지난 달력) – While I was deciding which T-ARA’s albums I would review today, I noticed that their sidetrack discography was very ballad dominant. I hadn’t notice this before, which was rather odd. I do like my fair share of ballads. Last Calendar is nice ballad and one that I would put onto my ballad playlists for when I want to listen to slow music (or get lost in some feels). The instrumental is pretty standard overall. It has really soothing piano that starts off the song. And there is some guitar as well to add a little more zing to the ballad. The members bringing that swaying and flowy vocal melody that you know I like. It isn’t their most groundbreaking song, but it was still quite good. (8/10)

5. If I See Her (그녀를 보면) – If I See Her brings together interesting vocal melodies and a plain repetitive instrumental. You can probably tell which element that I enjoy more of. The vocal melodies really help boost this song and made something that I would have easily passed a little more attention grabbing. So good on the members for this song’s execution. Out of all the members, I find Jiyeon fits this style the most, as the song brings me 1 Minute 1 Second vibes (which, for those who don’t know) was Jiyeon’s solo debut track. Hyomin’s rapping was a little disappointing. I wished it was brought in differently and made to fit the song, rather than have it layered on top. That would have made the song more interesting. (7/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.4/10

And & End Teaser Image

[Review] Naughty – Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , 1 Comment

You may know that I have been withholding a few reviews as the corresponding music videos were released after I already covered them in my album review segment on this blog. And as promised, those missed music videos reviews will be out soon. But I do still watch them! Today, I had a listen and watched Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi’s latest music video release for Naughty and just knew that this needs its standalone review. And that is why we are here. I have yet to review their Monster mini-album but I have previously reviewed the Monster title track, which you can read after this review.

With Irene & Seulgi’s mature and dark turn with this Monster unit debut, Naughty‘s presence on the album felt appropriate, but also a missed opportunity. When I first listen to the album, Naughty seemed to be the most logical choice for the title track over Monster. Monster had a dullness to it, which let down the chosen title track. Naughty, on the other hand, had a level of dynamism and hypnotic appeal that just clicked. And this helps overtake that dullness that I was disappointed with in the actual title track. This song takes on deep house and features many crunchy synths to give Naughty a wonderful sense of texture. I really liked the sassiness that started the song and stayed in the background during the verses. I liked the bass that comes along with the song, adding to the already mentioned dynamic atmosphere of the song. I liked how the chorus had a chant-like delivery, which was thoroughly interesting and helped with the said appeal. The vocals during the rest of the song was quite good. I still do think Naughty could have used something more, like a rap sequence to add some further edge to the song or add an additional layer of intensity. But what we got anyway is already enough to satisfy me. And given how positive my thoughts on the song were, Naughty is obviously a superior track on the album.

The ‘Episode 1’ in the title of the music video confuses me. Does that mean that the unit will be releasing music videos for all side tracks? Or is something else coming our way? No one knows. I guess we just have to wait and see. In the meanwhile, I thought the music video for Naughty was terrific. It is more of a performance video, given its focus on the choreography and it strays away from the use of closeups. I felt the start and end of the video where the two are walking towards and away from each other felt a little unnecessary, unless they are what connects the ‘episodes’ together. I would have been fine with the choreography centered shots as they had really good post-production and its simplicity with the grey-scale tones made it aesthetic. I really liked the solo shots where the member in focus is dancing opposite the member behind the camera. It definitely looks like we are doing the performance and adds a unique depth to the video.

The performance for Naughty definitely leaves a wowing impression. The mixture of voguing (Not too sure if this is the right category of the moves as the tempo doesn’t necessary match what I associate with voguing, but given their use of their arms) and tutting in this performance looks very cool and hypnotic. It will definitely be a stand out routine of the year given its visual appeal.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.2/10