Month: October 2020

[Review] HOME;RUN – SEVENTEEN

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Unfortunately, at this stage, I only have capacity to write up 2 reviews per night. Please be patient, I will get through all the releases eventually. NCT U and LOONA reviews will be published tomorrow.

SEVENTEEN is the next group to be making their return today! After the highly successful release of Left & Right, which was featured on their million-unit seller album, Heng:garæ, the thirteen member male group has returned today with HOME;RUN (the title track) and Semicolon (the title of the special album that HOME;RUN is featured on). Tipped to be their next million-unit seller, SEVENTEEN seems to have already exceeded the bar set from their last comeback with over a million pre-orders already made prior to its release. Definitely great news for SEVENTEEN, who once again, has proven themselves to be a force to be reckoned with.

HOME;RUN is a pretty exciting and fun song. It features a swing based style instrumental that is loaded with energy and retro vibes thanks to its 1920s roots. It is also a form of retro that SEVENTEEN has never done for. While I have enjoyed pretty much all SEVENTEEN releases to date, HOME;RUN‘s energy is definitely something you should not overlook or underestimate. It might not be as energetic and vibrant as AJU NICE, but it definitely up there. I really like how it just kept on going and it felt like a song that never really takes a break. It also enables SEVENTEEN a chance to show off some moves, as it contains a profound showtime influence from how I hear the song. Another aspect of the song that I liked was the instrumental. It kept true to its 1920s influenced swing form and didn’t contain any noticeable synths. I love the piano in the bridge and the brass throughout the song, particularly in the instrumental/dance break that followed the bridge (or formed part, not too sure). For the vocals and rapping, both elements were really good. I was shocked that there wasn’t more of a high note to bring HOME;RUN to a climax. I think that would have suited the song pretty well. Mingyu’s vocals in the first chorus was probably the standout moment for me, followed by the catchy melodies and hooks that the song had. Overall, a swingin’ track that really proves SEVENTEEN’s versatility and performance potential.

I really like how the video started off with where Left & Right‘s video was left (i.e. S.Coup’s car crash). Here he discovers a diamond (or a Carat – hey I see what you guys did there!) and it becomes the primary focus of the music video. It seems like each member is out to get it for themselves. It definitely creates an exciting music video to watch, which matches up with the song. I just wished it showed how each members got their hand on the diamond throughout the music video. And how the diamond ended up being locked away behind that glass panel in the wall, opposite S.Coup’s crash site. As you can tell, I like a good story and I felt like this one would have been one hilarious, twisty and clever one to watch. I liked how the video also stayed true to the 1920s swing vibes with its setting and outfits. Definitely cool and very sleek looking. I also really like the golden colour that the video had, which definitely shouts out ‘showtime’, which is highly relevant.

Best part of the music video has to be the ending with The8’s kneeling spin, bringing the performance to a close. The music video shot that part so well. I also like the musical stage vibe that the final chorus brought, giving the performance a very stage compatible climax. Aside from the final chorus montage, SEVENTEEN hits the woah during the earlier choruses and I will be interested to see how SEVENTEEN pulls off the integration of all the members following Hoshi, Jun and Chan’s unit moment earlier on the video (which looks cool nonetheless).

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

[Review] Like A Movie – B1A4

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It has been a while since we have heard from B1A4. Their last comeback was in 2017 with Rollin’. Since that last comeback, the group mainly focused on solo activities domestically and in mid-2018, Jinyoung and Baro both chose not to resign with WM Entertainment at the conclusion of their contract and thus left the group. With this significant lineup change and the members are at the age for military enlistment (however only CNU has enlisted), I did not expect to hear from them so soon (or at all!). However, B1A4 has managed to defy all expectations and made their official comeback as a trio with Like A Movie and Origine today.

Like A Movie is a soft pop track, intended this way to make it feel like we are watching a silent movie. The song’s music at times do remind me of that iconic silent movie soundtrack that we hear quite often in popular culture. B1A4’s return with this soft track adds to their maturity and this feels right up their alley. If you cast your mind back to their early days, B1A4’s music was very bright and bubbly. Over the years to 2017, the group has definitely matured with this sound, meaning that Like A Movie fits into their discography portfolio very nicely. Rather than being a sad emotional song, which I felt is what B1A4 has been known to side with, Like A Movie expresses hopes for a happy ending, and it is a lot more brighter and hopeful with its sound. Made up of strings and piano, it is a nice soothing piece of music that gives a slight classical appeal of a musical. There are also some synths in the instrumental to help modernise the song a bit. As for their vocals, CNU, Sandeul and Gongchan each captivates and complements the soft style of the music. And everything together comes nicely to help create melodies get you to sway along to the music, which you know I really like in ballads and soft songs like this one. Overall, it is definitely an enjoyable and pleasant listen.

As mentioned above, the music video depicts the members falling in love. And given the title and description that indicates some linkage to the film industry, we see it all play out in various movie settings. Some of these settings present storylines that provide a problem for the characters to solve so that they can be together. For CNU, his street scene depicts an action movie (I am guessing), where he has to encounter a few hurdles to get to this lover. Gongchan is in a romantic movie to two lover in a building and find a way to communicate one another (as they are separated by a single lift). Sandeul has a part in a zombie movie, with his lover coming to save him after he sacrfice himself for her. I thought it was a nice video to watch over. I see that WM Entertainment is heavily using green screens for this music video. So far, it is looking good. But hopefully it doesn’t become too much of a permanent fixture.

I wondered with such a soft pop song, how the members would be able to showcase a captivating performance. Needless to say, B1A4 delivers in this aspect. It isn’t anything overly impressive or ground-breaking. But I liked how they break away and have their solo moments with the dancers. In addition to that, I liked how the moves match the musics. The moves are a lot graceful when it come to slower and softer parts of the song, while more dramatic and energetic when it came to the heavier parts of the song. A good mix overall.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

[Review] Zig Zag – WEEEKLY

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I just realized I spelt their name wrong in their Tag Me review. Apologies to WEEEKLY and Daileees.

If we are discussing the topic of female debuts of 2020, WEEEKLY will be a point in that discussion. To me, they are the most notable new female artist of the year so far, with Tag Me pretty much outshining majority of debut songs by a female artist this year. And it seems like many listeners are jumping on board the WEEEKLY train as their latest comeback (the focus of this review), Zig Zag, has managed to garner over 14 million views in less than a week since its release. Just continue reading (literally the opening sentence of my next paragraph) to see whether I think WEEEKLY managed to out do their debut track.

WEEEKLY had a massive effort to upstage their debut track and I felt that Zig Zag fell short of that achievement. I felt the song was a lot more straight forward with its upbeat energy and delivery, whereas Tag Me was built on really addictive hooks and refreshing instrumentation. Zig Zag had those elements as well, but they weren’t as profound. The chorus’ hooks were catchy and pleasant at best. The instrumental was nice and enjoyable. I particularly liked that the slight rock influence that was brought in during the chorus. It added some oomph to the song and added some extra energy to the chorus. And it felt refreshing. However, the instrumental for Zig Zag’s verses were pretty much forgettable. Actually, while we are on the topic of the verses, I thought they (as a whole – including instrumentals, vocals and melody) weren’t as memorable as they could have been. And I feel that the pre-chorus was more well suited for another song, as a complete slowdown just didn’t hit the mark. Same thing can be said about the bridge of the song. The wow factor for this song has to be that impressive high note. It caught me off guard the first time around and I look forward to it each time I listen to the song. Overall, a decent follow up to their debut single. It exactly isn’t a smash out of the park. But it is still quite enjoyable.

Zig Zag is all about the emotions that a teenager goes through. I also feel like the group targeted the lyrics towards the idea of self-discovery, which is an important part of growing up. We see that the in the video, where the members are part of the WEEEKLY School and are picking up skills. What leaves me confused is the glowing green spinning block towards the end of the video. Was that meant to represent something that I should already know about? I also felt the video could have been a little more colourful, as what we got was slightly dimmed. It wasn’t the end of the world, but I think a colourful video would have been more visually appealing.

I really enjoyed the use of those blocks in the choreography. They instantly made the entire performance more captivating. I like how they infused some bubbliness (is this even a word?) into the performance to make it more cutesy and fun. There wasn’t anything impressive in the actual performance. But the whole choreography routine comes together quite nicely.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Album Review] THE ALBUM (1st Studio Album) – BLACKPINK

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Given the long awaited wait for BLACKPINK’s first studio album and its success so far, I decided to fast track the album review for THE ALBUM. Otherwise, I think we are looking at a end of October or possibly even November publish date for the album review! THE ALBUM features of BLACKPINK’s 2020 releases including How You Like That and Ice Cream (with Selena Gomez). It also features the current track that the quartet is promoting, Lovesick Girls, as the title track. In addition to these three songs, THE ALBUM five side-tracks, all of which will be reviewed below. But before we proceed with this album review, can I take a moment to comment on the really plain and boring name of the album? Anything other than THE ALBUM would have been more exciting and appealing. Mini rant over. On with the reviews!

THE ALBUM album cover

1. How You Like That (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for How You Like That. (5/10)

2. Ice Cream (with Selena Gomez) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of Ice Cream. (9/10)

3. Pretty Savage – Pretty Savage is a pretty bland song. I feel like this is will be an unpopular opinion as I know many people enjoyed Pretty Savage. The song just underwhelmed. With a title like Pretty Savage, I would have expected something a little more hard-hitting and impactful energy. Instead, we got something that felt like hip-hop in neutral gear and the energy that the song started off with dwindled down as the song progresses along. Aside from the song’s roots in hip-hop, which the song nails perfectly (and hence I found that the song had a lot of potential – if only the producers ended up going with a little more impression rather than flair), there isn’t much to the song. None of the member’s lines or the chorus was memorable. Overall, a skippable track. (6/10)

4. Bet You Wanna (ft. Cardi B) – Like Pretty Savage, Bet You Wanna underwhelms once again. Unlike Pretty Savage, however, this song is much better that in comparison to the former track. The energy in this song doesn’t dwindle. Rather, it stays pretty much consistent throughout (more on this in a bit). The song’s lyrics and chorus could potentially become catchy and memorable if I am willing to continually press replay. The harmonies were pretty strong. However, I am not too inclined to replay the song because of the consistent energy. It felt repetitive by the time we got to the end of the song and it felt like the members were stuck, preventing the song to cultivate to anything climatic. And as much I am enjoying many of these international collaborations, Cardi B’s featuring in Bet You Wanna doesn’t amount to much. (7/10)

5. Lovesick Girls (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Lovesick Girls. (9/10)

6. Crazy Over You – I personally felt that Crazy Over You would have better placed before Lovesick Girls. To me, Crazy Over You lies on the halfway point of just right (i.e. Lovesick Girls) and underwhelming (i.e. Bet You Wanna). The instrumental is definitely livelier and energetic thanks to the use of sound effects such as the squeaky scratching. The deep thumping and flute in the instrumental also add to the aesthetic of the song. When it came to the chorus, I expected a beat with a little more heft and energy. Something like what the end of Crazy Over You ended up becoming. As for the members, they all sounded good, though still on the underwhelming side of that spectrum. (7.5/10)

7. Love To Hate Me – Love To Hate Me has a very beautiful instrumental. I found the start of the song to have this subtle intensity and the synths created a pulsing sensation which I totally found captivating. The bridge featured a bit of piano. Different to the rest of the song, but it works extremely well. I enjoyed the pre-chorus buildup, leading us to expect an epic drop for the chorus of the song. But Love To Hate Me’s producers throw us a curveball and pushes for an unexpecting and stripped minimalist beat that really made Lisa’s lines more impactful. It was only a brief turn though, before the song returns us with something a little more ‘pop traditional’ and a bit more melodically catchy to further drive the song into us. The members don’t really flourish in this song, but they do sound great! Definitely one of the better side tracks on this album. (9/10)

8. You Never Know – You Never Know is a pop ballad that I thought did a pretty good job of showing off the members’ vocal. I also sense a bit of emotion to their voices in this song, which is always a good sign in the ballad world. The song was pretty easy to follow, with simple melodies being one of the driving forces in this song. I liked that the instrumental for this song was more classical (piano, strings etc.) and there has less reliance on the synths (though it was still a thing). This makes the song a little more epic and theatrical sounding, which I really enjoyed. Personally, these elements all come together to create my favourite (and what I believe to be a standout) track on this album. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.8/10

Lovesick Girls / THE ALBUM Teaser Image

[Weekly Chart] 3rd Week of October 2020

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It is time for the Weekly KPOP Charts. Nothing much happened this week, so I won’t dwindle on this part of the review. One song review and an album review is coming your way today. So keep your eyes open for those! I will not sleep until I get those out! But before we can get to those, here is the Weekly KPOP Charts for the 3rd Week of October 2020.

Not many big jumps this week (that is, jumps of more than 30 positions). The biggest jump this week was UNVS’ Sand Castle. Other big jumps were experienced by Weki Meki’s Cool and Super Junior-D&E’s No Love.

And one of those big jumps landed the respective group and song into this week’s Top 5. More on that in a second. But from the bottom of the Top 5 (going up), we have Stray Kid’s Back Door. In the fourth position, we have last week’s top song, Golden Child’s Pump It Up. In the third position, we find The Boyz’s The Stealer, while Weki Meki’s big jump landed Cool into the Top 5 (as just mentioned). And finally, the top song for the 3rd Week of October 2020 is Pentagon’s Daisy. For more of the charts, scroll down below.

  11th Oct – 17th Oct 2020
Title Artist Status
1 Daisy Pentagon (new)
2 Cool Weki Meki (▲ 31)
3 The Stealer The Boyz (▲ 5)
4 Pump It Up Golden Child (▼ 3)
5 Back Door Stray Kids (▼ 2)
6 Make A Wish (Birthday Song) NCT U (new)
7 G.B.T.B VERIVERY (new)
8 La Di Da EVERGLOW (▼ 4)
9 Hello Chen (EXO) (new)
10 Twilight WEi (▲ 1)
11 Feel Good (SECRET CODE) fromis_9 (▲ 8)
12 I LOVE YOU TREASURE (=)
13 Lovesick Girl BLACKPINK (▼ 11)
14 Shine Together SF9 (▼ 4)
15 Bon Voyage YooA (Oh My Girl) (=)
16 Sand Castle UNVS (▲ 36)
17 I Believe Bae Jin Young & Kim Yo Han (▼ 11)
18 Light UP10TION (▲ 3)
19 One (Monster & Infinity) SuperM (▲ 18)
20 Umbrella H&D (▲ 11)
21 Whale Kim Sejeong (Gugudan) (▼ 14)
22 Bad Guy JENYER (▲ 26)
23 No Love Super Junior-D&E (▲ 30)
24 GUNSHOT KARD (▼ 2)
25 Where The Sea Sleeps Even of Day (DAY6) (▲ 24)
26 RIDE KNK (▼ 3)
27 Hmph! WJSN CHOCOME (▼ 22)
28 Crinimal Taemin (SHINee) (▲ 2)
29 Bad Idea MOONBIN & SANHA (ASTRO) (▼ 1)
30 Helicopter CLC (▼ 13)

Song’s leaving the charts this week are:

  • Not Shy – ITZY
  • BOCA – Dream Catcher
  • TO BE OR NOT TO BE – ONEUS
  • One Summer – D1CE
  • Beautiful – DONGKIZ
  • nanana – MCND
  • Whale – Kim Sejeong (Gugudan)
  • Say My Name – Hyolyn
  • Movie – Kang Daniel

Thanks once again for visiting the blog and I will see you all shortly in the upcoming reviews!

[Album Review] IN生 (In Life) (1st Repackaged Studio Album) – Stray Kids

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Stray Kids kicked off their domestic promotions this year with the release of God’s Menu and GO生 (Go Live) in June. After three months, the group returned with the repackaged version of GO生, now titled IN生 (In Life) and headlining the new album is Back Door. The group has since spent the last month promoting Back Door on the weekly music shows, earning two trophies along the way. On top of that, the group also managed to top my personal Weekly KPOP Charts three weeks in a row. Big feats, if you ask me. And per my usual horrible timing, as Stray Kids is about to wrap up their Back Door promotions, I slide in with an album review for IN生. I have a lot to say about each song, so without any further delays, here are my thoughts on IN生.

IN生 (In Life) Album Cover

1. The Tortoise and The Hare (토끼와 거북이) – The repackaged album starts with an extended version (or full-length version) of the Go Live intro track from the original album. In that version, however, there was no references to The Tortoise and The Hare fable. In this version, the entire song is extended to feature that fable and this makes the track so much more fun. Following the lyrics and having that context really made the song a lot more captivating. I am unsure if that was the intention of the inclusion of the well-known story, but that is what I got from it. This bumps up the song’s appeal slightly, so I am willing to increase the song’s rating. However, majority of my comments from the Go Live review still stands. Click here to have a read of that review. (8/10)

2. Back Door (Title Track) – Given how much the song has grown on me throughout the one and half months since its release, I do feel that the 8/10 rating that I gave Back Door originally is not representative of my current thoughts about the song. I will bump it up to a 9.5/10 and update the review in an upcoming segment (sometime next year). Click here to read the full review for Back Door. (9.5/10)

3. B Me – The group tones down the energy with B Me. However, the group maintains the heaviness of the song preceding it so far thanks to the electronic instrumental. While that might be a good thing (as Stray Kids has definitely shown us that they can be versatile with heavy sounds), the instrumental for B Me lacks excitement for the majority of the song and this unfortunately drags down the song for me. It is without a doubt that the song’s instrumental was toned down to low excitement levels for the sake of the vocals and raps, which were posed with this emotive hip-hop style. Personally, I don’t mind the vocals and raps. The issue remains with the instrumental. For some odd reason, the song picks up suddenly infusing the ending with all this energy that could have been distributed throughout the earlier sections of the song. The energy and excitement rises exponentially out of nowhere and it is wasted as it has nowhere to go to. (6/10)

4. Any (아니) – As a person who doesn’t like autotune as much as others, you might expect me to dislike Any. But I don’t. The autotune in Any is quite appealing and one of the song’s strongest selling points. Take Bangchan and Felix’s ‘Blurred lines yeah yeah yeah, So many so many any anything ani aniyaya’ for example. It is the one line that is really keyed into my memory (and I am sure it is also keyed into your memories as well). Without the autotune, that one line (and the song in general) would be completely different and potentially not as dynamic or memorable as it was with the autotune. Similarly, the same can be said about the chorus. Unfortunately, the other parts of the song (verses and bridge) aren’t as memorable and were largely forgettable. (8/10)

5. Ex (미친 놈) – From the top of my head, Ex is probably their most emotional pop ballad release so far. The lyrics and the impression that Ex leaves on the listener definitely feels that way. I will say that this was probably my favourite side track on the repackaged album as the instrumentals feels quite soothing and calming. That is an odd description for a song about remembering one’s Ex and the slight angst that you do hear in some parts of the song (i.e. Changbin’s ‘yok yok yokhae’ post chorus). But that was what the instrumental felt like to me. The song also puts forward the group’s vocals, with all members singing or rap-singing. It definitely highlights the fact that Stray Kids is also a group full of vocalists which they have shown previously in the last. Sure, they are strongest with their heavy and more loaded dance tracks. But Stray Kids do have potential in the ballad realm of music. (10/10)

6. We Go (Bangchan, Changbin, Han) – I am sure that many fans are excited for a 3RACHA song. And boy, do they go in a very different direction to what they produce for Stray Kids themselves. We Go goes for a hip-hop vibe. It feels dark and very intense from the get-go. Jisung and Changbin’s rapping during the verses were both breathtaking (and I am sure it also took their breath away as well!). Chan brings some vocals to the mix, going with the more classical autotuned effect to fit in with the song. And his parts provide us with some opportunities for relief, so that we can recover from the slayage the other two members’ rap sequences dealt to us. (9/10)

7. Wow (Lee Know, Hyunjin, Felix) – To me, Lee Know, Hyunjin and Felix were the subunit that I had no expectations for. Mainly because I don’t know what to expect from these three members. This track had no input from the 3RACHA members, which left me more in the dark about what to expect. What Wow ended up being was another intense dance track that feels like it could easily been passed off as a Stray Kids track. There is nothing wrong about this, as the trio do end up infusing some of their own personality into the song that is all about developing feelings for someone they have known for a while. Felix’s ultra-deep and rough voice adds an additional depth layer to the song that really grabs your attention. The contrast between the impact that Hyunjin’s raps and the smoothness of his vocals was very cool. Lee Know’s promotion to main vocalist for this track is also a blessing! My favourite bit has to be when the three members sing the line ‘Just wanna be with you’ just prior to the final chorus. (9/10)

8. My Universe (Seungmin & I.N ft. Changbin) – It was expected that Seungmin and I.N’s unit track would be something vocally centric. It would have been quite a surprise if they went for something else. The vocals were quite vibrant and taps into their youthfulness. It radiates positivity energy, even though I couldn’t understand the lyrics upon first listen. The pop ballad and synth mixed instrumental isn’t anything that special. But I am glad that there is still room for relief from the harshness and intensity that the previous two songs brought to the album. My Universe also features Changbin, who brings some rapping to the song. It was a nice touch and adds something extra to an admittedly one-dimensional track. But it is still a great listen. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.4/10

I have previously reviewed the rest of the IN生 album in my GO生 album review. Click here to have read that album review!!

Back Door / IN生 (In Life) Teaser Image

[Review] Hello – Chen (EXO)

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Chen made it onto the headlines of the KPOP industry and related media for his surprise announcement of marriage and (at the time) upcoming entrance into fatherhood. A little later into the year, Chen got married in a private ceremony and also became a father to a young girl. Congratulations to Chen and his wife! Since the shock announcement until now, Chen has been absent from the industry (though I do remember him popping up in the congratulatory video for BoA’s 20 year anniversary). However, a week ago, SM Entertainment announced the (another!) surprise comeback for Chen with Hello, which dropped today. This is his first solo comeback since the release of Shall We? and his first music release since EXO’s Obsession.

Within a matter of seconds (yep, not even a full listen to the song), I was admiring Chen’s voice and the song (in general). Hello is such a beautiful sounding song. It falls into the realm of britpop, taking on more of a ballad profile, which is expected for Chen. I really love the combination of the piano, drums and electric and acoustic guitars throughout the song. Very traditional instruments, but they all blend together spectacularly for Hello and in a very wholesome type of way. I also love how the britpop aspect of the song gives the chorus a kick, which makes the song so much more appealing. Chen’s vocals effortlessly delivers the song’s melodies and you can definitely hear the emotions in his voice. Hopefully, I am selling the idea that I enjoyed Hello. This reaction was pretty much guaranteed, given how Chen had previously impressed me with Shall We? and even more so with Beautiful Goodbye. Before I proceed with the rest of the reviews, I think I need to address the lyrics of Hello here (and not in the music video portion of the video). The emotions we hear in his voice during stems from the lyrics, which is pretty much his fears and concerns that experienced whilst wanting to say hello to fans since (what I would assume) the announcement. It actually made me emotional and Hello just felt so much more impactful, as a result.

For a ballad like this, the music video needs to be slow to compliment the song. And that is exactly what the pace of the music video was. For the first half of the video, we simply find Chen pacing around his apartment. Other than a lighting change, there wasn’t much to it the first half. My guess this was some time after leaving a lover. The world went on (i.e. the lighting changed signifying that time went by) and for whatever reason, he didn’t take action (though clearly, he still remembers this lover). In the end, he decides to write a letter to express interest. However, when he starts to write the word ‘Hello‘ to say hello to his lover, time starts to slow down due to his hesitation that he expresses throughout the lyrics of the song. The second part of the video see his possessions in his apartment start floating around. I am not exactly sure what this means exactly, but my guess is that time is coming to a definite as we shortly see those items break apart. This tells us time has stopped completely. However, Chen makes to the end of the pier at the very end, where life is quite sunny. This might signify that he moved on to continue writing the letter. However, the very end shows him in a greyscale world, similar to the greyscale we got when time came to a stop earlier on in the video, and the final few lines indicate that he did not move on from the word ‘Hello‘ that was the start of his letter. This is just my take on the video though, so I may be wrong.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10

[Review] G.B.T.B – VERIVERY

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Once again, I have taken two days off from the blog. Back on the review grind!

VERIVERY returns rather unexpectedly with their third installment of their FACE it trilogy, which they started at the very start of the year, with the release of Lay Back (the promotional track) and Face Me (the group’s third mini-album) The group then released Thunder (the promotional track) and Face You (the group’s fourth mini-album) after their participation on Road To Kingdom. Now, the group returns with G.B.T.B (Go Beyond The Barrier) and their fifth mini-album (and third overall this year), Face Us. It is definitely been one busy year for the group.

When I heard the teaser for G.B.T.B, one thought I had was that VERIVERY and their company kept the most epic sounding track for their last installment of this trilogy. And I am glad they stuck with this epic sound, instead of misleading us with the teaser (which has been done before). G.B.T.B‘s main selling point is its powerful and intense sound, as evident when we approach the chorus. Admittedly, it took a few listens to get into it, especially since it initially felt like it went over too quickly. The entire chorus revolves around a two chanting hooks (the initial one being more shouty) and an instrumental that you could call clickity clackity ‘noise’. Maybe that last description isn’t the most appealing way to go about it. But that is what I had in mind whilst listening to the song the first time around (and it kind of stuck with me). I am a little torn when it came to the verses. The first verse should have continued the energy and momentum opening chorus. But it just straight up ignored the preceding chorus that started off the song. For the second verse, it contained one of the most impressive rap sequences I have had heard this year. Hats off to Dongheon and Hoyoung for rapping at that speed. Regardless of whether he was comprehensible or not, going at that speed takes a lot of skill and confidence. For the pre-choruses, the members bring a nice smoothness to the song, acting as the ‘calm before the storm’ (that is the chorus). The vocals return for the bridge and then it is followed up with a EDM styled dance break. I wished the dance break had a little more substance and meat to it, as this felt a little too airy and isn’t as satisfying. Overall, VERIVERY impresses once again with G.B.T.B, though it still had its flaw.

The music video featured a slightly different version of the song. The chorus at the very the start of song appears slightly muffled, as if the members are singing with something blocking the sound waves from getting to us. We get a similar effect just prior to the second chorus of the song, which is then followed up with a member running into and breaking the glass barrier allowing the song to be heard at full volume once again. It is a very intriguing start and definitely hooked me onto the music video. As for the rest of the video, the post-production was cool especially when it came to the floating glass shards. I also like their spaceship-like set. I wished we saw more of it.

Without a doubt, the performance for G.B.T.B is super powerful. It seems like they definitely picked up on some refinement and powerful skills during Road To Kingdom and it is all paying off. They don’t hold back in any part (aside from when the music smoothes out for the vocals). When it comes to the smoother parts, I really liked the movement of the hands right at the end of the vocal parts of the bridge. A small detail, but something that spoke volumes. Just like the powerful chorus did in terms of energy and intensity.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

[Review] Daisy – Pentagon

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After appearing on Road To Kingdom, each male group that participated in the show has managed to make a comeback (unlike the Queendom counterpart – Park Bom has yet to make a comeback after her appearances on the show). Some made their comebacks right after leaving the show, whilst others took a bit of time. Pentagon is part of the latter category, becoming the final group part of the Road To Kingdom lineup to make their long-awaited comeback. Today, the group returned with member Yanan (and without Jinho, who has enlisted into the military) with Daisy and their 10th mini-album, We:th.

One listen to Daisy and I am already hooked to the song. It is an alternative rock track, with a bit of a upbeat zing to it. This upbeatness is quite refreshing and makes the song quite unique in its own way. Because of this, Daisy feels pretty much like a Summer track when it comes to the verses, before the rock kicks in when it comes to the chorus. What I really like about Daisy is how vocally driven it is. The rappers do a good job as well, but they aren’t the main stars of the song unfortunately. That title is given directly to the vocalists. Interestingly, I don’t find that one member sticks out over the other. It is very hard to find the vocalist that really stands out the most. But each member does an neat job of emotionally rocking out with their vocals. Hui and Hongseok each bring a raspy nature to their parts of the chorus. The other members bring a nice huskiness to their parts. The song is super catchy, especially with the post-chorus hook. The singing-chant that forms the bridge was also a really epic sequence, adding to the song’s power, intensity and energy. I do feel that the members missed an opportunity to throw in some high or power notes into Daisy, particularly when it came to the end to give the song a more fulfilling climax. However, the final chorus that we got managed to showcase even more of that power, intensity and energy that I mentioned before in its own way. I just feel that it could have been enhanced even more with that high/power note.

I mentioned above that the song feels like a Summer track during the verses. That is a very optimistic outlook, which isn’t shared with the lyrics. Daisy was all about the emotional feelings one experiences after an heartbreak, which is polar opposite to ‘sound’ that I got from the song. However, I felt the music video nails the emotional side of the song, whilst also channeling some of that rock energy that the song actively pushes out. The music video’s lighting is quite dark, which would be the type of feelings one would be experiencing after heartbreak. Their acting was pretty good and I felt like the anger portrayed during their individual scenes (where I am guess they are dancing) were really good. We see a glimpse at the end that these dark and emotional feelings do not stay forever and the passage at the end says that ‘In the end, we return to your most innocent state, which can lead to another beginning. Sorrow lasts a second, but what we share in our universe is eternal‘. I think that these final lines really wrap up the story neatly and creatively, even though it was simple.

I love that even though the song is quite emotional, the rock sound still enables the powerful performance that we know Pentagon is capable of. What I really like was how they passed around the daisy (i.e. their hands) at the end of the performance, representing an ending similar to the music video (i.e. Kino’s hand blooms).

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

[Review] Make A Wish (Birthday Song) – NCT U

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It has two years since we saw a full group comeback from NCT. And during those two years since that comeback, we have seen NCT’s lineup grow with the debut of WayV (the group’s Chinese subunit) and the addition of Shotaro and Sungchan (who both have been confirmed to debut in a future subunit). Now with 23 members in total, the group have banded together to release their second full group comeback and album, NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1. The first promotional track from the album is Make A Wish (Birthday Song), which features Taeyong, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Lucas, Xiaojun, Jaemin and Shotaro.

It has been very clear that NCT’s releases have been more experimental than any other SM group. This gives the group and its subunits a slight edge, as we would never know exactly what we should be expecting with each comeback. Make A Wish (Birthday Song) pretty much confirms this logic. It is unlike any other song put forward by NCT before. It has been described as a dance pop track with a hip hop beat and an addicting whistling sound. And you can hear each part of that description throughout the song in some capacity, as they don’t mess around with any of those components. And yet, Make A Wish manages to still twist and turn in a manner that results in the song coming off as different and at times, quite unexpecting. Personally, it isn’t my personal taste in music. But like the group, I would like to say that my taste for hip-hop centric releases have grown considerably over the years, and I can appreciate Make A Wish‘s sound. The NCT U members for this song manage to show off great vocals and raps. And each infuse a bit of unique style, adding to the appeal of the song. Unfortunately, when I turn my attention to the song’s main hook (i.e. the chorus), the infusion of hip-hop instrumentation and the drawn own style of vocal delivery just doesn’t work for me. It drowns out the energy and momentum that the song had built during the verses. As a result, the chorus feels sluggish. Maybe my taste for hip-hop hasn’t really grown that much. But I felt that something a little more dynamic and punchy would have been a better chorus.

Make A Wish features a Middle Eastern flair in the visual department. While it did add a nice colour pallete to the music video, I didn’t think the Middle Eastern flair was particularly necessary. I personally do not have anything against the Middle Eastern influence. I just felt most of their outfits were more suited for an urban concept and think an urban influence would a nicer choice. SM Entertainment wows me with their post-production, once again. The holograms of the members appearing on the platform in which the hooded figures are dancing around, along with the disappearing members right at the end looked so cool. Set-wise, I really like the chandelier that the members were hanging off from, as well.

The performance suits the music, which was expected. I like how the moves are slower during the more drawn out moments of the song and faster when they aren’t bounded by the music. It also seems like the members are given a chance to be a little more personable and fun towards the end of the performance (based on what I say in the music video). I feel this more carefree style matches up with the song neatly and provides a way for the performance to not be purely serious.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] COOL – Weki Meki

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Sorry for the many days late review.

Making their comeback this past Thursday was Weki Meki, with their fourth mini-album, New Rules. Leading Weki Meki’s attempt to write some ‘New Rules’ in the KPOP industry is COOL. This is also Weki Meki’s third comeback of the year, following Dazzle Dazzle released back in February and Oopsy, which was released back in June.

Their 2020 tracks have been a mix bag thus far. Dazzle Dazzle was probably my pick for one of their best title tracks ever, while Oopsy stepped away with a more generic release that ended up being quite forgettable post-review. COOL steps back into the area which Dazzle Dazzle lies on the spectrum of Weki Meki releases, which is definitely some good news for this group. The song has this edgy club beat opening that is quite promising. It is a very strong part as it left a strong impression on me. I really like the rap-singing that occurs during the first verse. It gives COOL a unique spin. The song takes a bit of a melodic detour for the pre-chorus, before going back to the club beat for the first part of the chorus. The chanty style of their delivery workers really well with the chorus. The vocals that follow the chant sequence of the chorus really pop out and show off some vocal flair from Suyeon (‘Keep It Coming Baby~’) before we proceed to some settled down vocals from other members. The second verse was more vocally centric, allowing it to become different to the first verse. Many songs these days have pretty repetitive verses, which dulls out the song. Suyeon, once again, shines for her vocals. For the bridge, the members returning to rapping with a stripped instrumental backing before we are launched back to the final chorus, which just pops even more. Overall, COOL lives up to its name and can be accurately described as one of their coolest songs yet!

The music video comes off fierce, which it fitting for the song. I really enjoyed it. I really like their white jumpsuits on the black/dark background. The minimalist vibes from those choreography shots were so strong and powerful. I really like the other ‘dark’ scene, when the members are dancing on individual platforms. That looked really cool and took the video to a whole new edgy level. Their individual shots looked awesome and I liked how the shadows on the wall behind them (earlier on, in the video) were not of them, but of the object they were holding. That probably has symbolism. But that imagery alone looked cool.

I like this performance. Not only do we see some attitude, but it seems like Weki Meki fully embraces their mature side, which is 100% fitting for the song. I really like the powerful direction of their moves, which really made the performance captivating to watch. I also liked the energy, which also fits in with the club vibes of the performance.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.9/10

[Album Review] Never Gonna Dance Again: Act 1 (3rd Studio Album) – Taemin (SHINee)

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The next album on the reviewing list for this weekend is Taemin’s latest and third Korean studio album release, Never Gonna Dance Again: Act 1. The album was also released a month ago and Taemin has since ended promotions for the new album, which include the release and promotion of Criminal as the title track, and 2 KIDS as the pre-release single. Taemin has also been quite busy with promotions as part of SuperM, as the group has just released their first studio album as well. Some have said that SuperM’s album release cut short promotions for Never Gonna Dance Again: Act 1, but that isn’t something we are here to discuss. Rather, we are going to have a deep dive into the side tracks on the album.

Never Gonna Dance Again: Act 1 Album Cover

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

2. Black Rose (일식) (ft. Kid Milli) – Black Rose isn’t as intense as Criminal, but it has this subtle epic factor to the song that makes it very worth listening to. The subtle epicness of the song comes from both the main artists of the song (Taemin) and the featuring artist (Kid Milli). Kid Milli adds what I like to think as ‘hype’ to the song, similar to what we used to hear in R&B and rap songs from the Western industry back in the 00s. It isn’t an energetic sequence, but he keeps it rather subtle. You can feel that it is there and that it was the intended direction of Kid Milli’s featuring. Taemin adds a velvety smoothness to the song that makes Black Rose that more captivating to listen to. And pulling the two parts together is this dark, theatrical and almost gothic sounding instrumental, which is stunning to listen to. Criminal may have started off the album strong, but Black Rose following the title track makes the album’s start even better! (10/10)

3. Strangers – Taemin does aesthetics like no other artist. Strangers is testament to that. Strangers is another captivating song. The instrumental for this track is just on another level. Haunting, clever and engrossing are three different terms to describe one item, but three very suitable terms for this song. The simplicity makes it haunting. The use of footsteps to match with the lyrics is clever. And everything comes together to engross you. I really like how the song builds up. It never reaches a climax, but its this lack of climax that makes the song’s momentum to be aesthetic. Taemin once again is smooth with his vocals and the melodies are super catchy. (10/10)

4. Waiting For (해몽) – Not only is Taemin known for aesthetics, but his solo releases always have a flair to them that makes it hard for any other artist or group to pull off. For Waiting For, the instrumental has tango-influenced instrumentation. It is a unique flair, sexy and just another captivating drawing point to another song on the album. And this is a song that I would love to see a live performance for. It is perfectly crafted to remind us that this is a KPOP song once we get to the chorus, but still has the ability to pull us back to the tango instrumentation. Unfortunately, the song lacks strong hooks to really make that KPOP-aligned chorus memorable and catchy. But that is the only flaw of Waiting For. (9/10)

5. Famous (Korean Version) – I have previously reviewed the Japanese version of Famous. Click here to read that review of Famous. (8.5/10)

6. Clockwork – Clockwork is the type of song that takes you places when you close your eyes whilst listening to the song. It is a ballad that really shows off Taemin’s vocals (those high notes at the end were unbelievable). And like any good ballad, you can hear Taemin’s emotions as he sings about missing someone all the time. The instrumental is haunting, but it isn’t posed as dark like the previous songs on the album, which makes it stands out. The use of the ticking clock as part of the instrumental was, once again, clever. And so were those barely noticeable synths used to bring the song to its climatic point. (9/10)

7. Just Me And You – Just Me And You opens the album to an upbeat final chapter. Aside from changing the album up, Just Me And You attempts to be impactful with its slow paced thumping and pop sound overall. Unfortunately, I don’t think the song hit that mark perfectly. It gets to that level, but the slowness causes any momentum created to fizzle out. The song’s pop genre alignment is also nothing that special, it makes the song more typical. The trap elements make the song slightly messy, stealing the attention away from Taemin’s vocals. And top it off, the song lacks any strong hooks to really help bolden the song. I feel that Just Me And You is the weakest song on the album. One that I would frankly skip over. (6/10)

8. Nemo (네모) – Nemo features the R&B genre. Taemin has done R&B before but has done so in a fashionable manner. Nemo comes off more as more of your typical R&B release from any other artist. There are a number of elements in this song that bump it ahead of Just Me And You. The first has to be Taemin’s vocals, who sounds effortlessly amazing. I feel that there was some smoothness to his voice that wins me over. The 90s vibe of the instrumental was also quite nice. I also really like the start to the choruses in Nemo, which adds a bit of excitement to the song and feels like an end-goal that I would definitely sit through the song for. (7.5/10)

9. 2 KIDS (Pre-Release Track) – Click here to read the full review for 2 KIDS. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.7/10

Never Gonna Dance Again: Act 1 Teaser Image

[Weekly Chart] 2nd Week of October 2020

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As promised today, you have an album review and song review post coming you way today. In addition to those reviews, we have the Weekly KPOP Charts, which is obviously this post. I know I have been promising to catch up on some reviews that I have missed. They will eventually come, though I don’t know yet. I have been growing tired a lot earlier lately. I am also working on some other posts, such as OST reviews and International Song Reviews that should be out some time in the near future. We will see in a couple of weeks whether I have been too ambitious. But in the meanwhile, more reviews, album reviews and this Weekly KPOP Chart post!

Per the now regular format, I will quickly run through the songs that have had a big jump. The biggest jump this week belongs to J.Y Park and Sunmi’s When We Disco, which is in its final week on the charts and jumps up 41 spots. Other songs experiencing a big jump (i.e. more than 30 positions) are ONEUS’s To Be Or Not To Be and UP10TION’s Light.

For the top five this week, we start again from the bottom of the top end of the charts. WJSN CHOCOME’s unit debut single, Hmph!, debuts in the fifth position. EVERGLOW’s La Di Da rises from last week’s fifth position into this week’s fourth position. Stray Kids’ Back Door, which has been sitting on the top of the charts for three weeks now, has moved down two positions. BLACKPINK’s Lovesick Girls rises into the Top 5 into the second position this week. And the newest addition to the top ranking song of the week is Golden Child’s Pump It Up! For more of the charts, scroll down below.

  4th Oct – 10th Oct 2020
Title Artist Status
1 Pump It Up Golden Child (new)
2 Lovesick Girl BLACKPINK (▲ 18 )
3 Back Door Stray Kids (▼ 2)
4 La Di Da EVERGLOW (▲ 1)
5 Hmph! WJSN CHOCOME (new)
6 I Believe Bae Jinyoung & Kim Yo Han (▲ 23)
7 Whale Kim Sejeong (Gugudan) (▲ 7)
8 The Stealer The Boyz (▼ 4)
9 When We Disco J.Y. Park & Sunmi (▲ 41)
10 Shine Together SF9 (new)
11 Twilight WEi (new)
12 I LOVE YOU TREASURE (▼ 10)
13 BOCA Dream Catcher (▲ 28)
14 Flame CRAVITY (▼ 6)
15 Bon Voyage YooA (Oh My Girl) (▼ 5)
16 TO BE OR NOT TO BE ONEUS (▲ 33)
17 Helicopter CLC (▲ 10)
18 Shoot The Moon BDC (▼ 6)
19 Feel Good (SECRET CODE) fromis_9 (▲ 29)
20 Think of Dawn GHOST9 (▲ 1)
21 Light UP10TION (▲ 37)
22 GUNSHOT KARD (▲ 4)
23 RIDE KNK (▼ 6)
24 Obliviate Lovelyz (▲ 11)
25 Goblin (Favorite Boy) A.C.E (▼ 16)
26 Beautiful Scar Lee Eun Sang ft. Park Woo Jin (AB6IX) (▲ 2)
27 Sukhumvit Swimming ONF (▲ 13)
28 Bad Idea MOONBIN & SANHA (ASTRO) (▼ 9)
29 MADE FOR TWO VAV (▼ 22)
30 Criminal Taemin (SHINee) (▼ 24)

Songs leaving the charts this week are:

  • Sacrifice – Han Seungwoo (VICTON)
  • Sukhumvit Swimming – ONF
  • When We Disco – J.Y. Park & Sunmi
  • 100 – SuperM
  • We Ride – Brave Girls

Thanks all and see you in the next post later today!

[Album Review] Bon Voyage (1st Mini Album) – YooA (Oh My Girl)

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Sorry for the absence from the blog for the past few days. I have been a bit tired and had some personal stuff to deal with. But I am hoping to get back on track with one album review, one Weekly KPOP Chart post and one review tomorrow. In the meanwhile, here is an album review which I should have written one month ago when it was first released. I am talking about YooA’s debut mini-album, Bon Voyage. The album features the title track of the same name, which has wowed me for its uniqueness and refreshness. And while the feeling still remains for her title track, the rest of the songs on the album are as promising as the title track. So, without any further ado (and before I fall asleep again), here is my deep dive into Bon Voyage (the album).

Bon Voyage Album Cover

1. Bon Voyage (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Bon Voyage. (9.5/10)

2. Far – Far instantly stands out for me for YooA’s crisp vocals. And that is a very strong selling point. Far features a bouncy tropical EDM instrumental. For me, I find it relatively nice and light for an EDM track. There is some intensity when it comes to the chorus, which I really liked (though I wouldn’t be surprised if some people mistook it for just plain old simple ‘noise’). I like the inclusion of the metallic xylophone in the verses, helping pose the song (with the tropical EDM) as refreshing and suitable as a Summer heat (and also to follow Bon Voyage). To me, it isn’t the strongest song on the album, but it isn’t too far from that title. (8/10)

3. Diver – YooA adds both funky pop and some attitude to the album through Diver. It might not be an intended infusion of attitude, but her vocal style in Diver comes off like so and this is more of the YooA that I am used to when it comes to performances. I really like the energy that comes from the song, instantly picking up from the more subdued energy from the previous two songs. The chorus stands out for its catchiness and the instrumental is quite colourful in its own way. Overall, Diver is a fun and strong song for YooA and her album. (9/10)

4. Abracadabra – You will be kidding yourself if you don’t agree that Abracadabra’s chorus is its main drawing point (or the weakest point in the song, depending on how you perceive the song). YooA literally is the driving force in the chorus, with the instrumental more so just a background piece and doesn’t amplify the melody (which isn’t present in the first half of the chorus – as the song’s main hook is more spoken than sung). It is definitely an intriguing yet risky style that draws me in and ends up working out perfectly. The second half of the chorus is more vocally driven, with a melody brought in to ensure that the song is balanced. We also get a bit of YooA as a rapper in this song, which pushes her boundaries effortlessly. (10/10)

5. End of Story – Ahh… the mandatory ballad on any KPOP album. For YooA, it comes in the form of a beautiful piano piece. Her vocals are husky and very innocent sounding. I would say it is almost child-like. I really like her harmonies with the backing vocals, which adds an extra level of depth to the song. I do feel like her vocals in End of Story might be overpowering, covering up the beautiful piano which I think should have had more moments to stand out. But still, a very nice song to end the album with. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.9/10

Bon Voyage Teaser Image

[Review] Pump It Up – Golden Child

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The next group making their comeback this week is Golden Child, with Pump It Up! This is the male group’s third comeback this year, following the likes of Without You and One (Lucid Dream) this year. Golden Child also participated in Road To Kingdom, but was unfortunately the first group to be eliminated from the show. They also held an online concert (due to the ongoing pandemic) and also participated with their labelmates as With Woolim for a special single, Relay. Phew! That is quite a lot of work for Golden Child, who continues to push themselves with each activity. Let’s see what Golden Child has in store for this comeback.

Pump It Up is an upbeat pop track and return to Golden Child’s more youthful sounds and roots. If you weren’t a fan of their more mature and serious change up over their last three comebacks, then I am sure you will be glad with Pump It Up‘s sound. Coming from those mature sounds, however, does make this new song feel more powerful. And this additional oomph to their song pretty much works in their favour. The instrumental is quite lively and energetic, with the guitar riffs and slight retro touch (there is a bit of the song that reminds me of Jackson 5’s ABC 123) definitely helping to bring the song to life. There are fantastic vocals during this song. The chorus and bridge were very solid sequences, while the final moments of the pre-chorus contained harmonies that I thought were a fantastic addition to the song. The rapping had the right amount of energy to them and felt fitting for their lively sound. I would have liked more rapping, but I am fine with the serving they have provided to us. Aside from that, I wonder why Pump It Up was released in Autumn/Fall. It feels more aligned for the Summer season, given its energy and refreshing change back to their original sound. I also reckon that Pump It Up would have been a hit if it was released this past Summer. I am not sure how the song would play out in Autumn/Fall, but I am definitely on the side of it being another Golden Child hit nonetheless!

The members of Golden Child break up into smaller groups for this comeback for majority of the video. And there was quite a bit going on that made me laugh. Some members were watching a horror movie at the cinema, others were filming the movie. There were some getting ready for a upcoming live broadcast over the radio waves, while others were eagerly awaiting a meal, just to be disappointed with a mini meal (this reaction made me laugh). Video games and scratchy lotteries were also played. The members reconvened as a group to work hilariously in an office and also were pilots for brief moments throughout the video. It was a fun and exciting video worth watching. I love the splash of colour that the video had, with the red in one of the choreography shots and the yellow on vibrant blue shopping containers in another set of choreography shots.

The choreography looks as vibrant and fun as the music video did. The opening looked fun. As I also mentioned the song section of this review, I noticed how much more powerful this lively sound was and how this would be advantageous for the group. And that perceived powerfulness was definitely apparent when it came to the chorus of the song. Their mature concepts/sound has refined their synchronisation and made their performance look more polished. I also really like the cascading effect they did with their formations when it came to the harmonies just prior to the choruses.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.5/10

[Review] Hmph! – WJSN CHOCOME

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I somehow missed the announcement that WJSN would be making a comeback as a quartet subunit and the subsequent releases of the teaser images for this following unit debut, so their comeback pretty much came out of the blue. I only caught on once I saw the first music video teaser over the weekend. But nonetheless, I am glad to see WJSN back, even though it is just Soobin, Luda, Yeoreum, and Dayoung. The unit is named WJSN CHOCOME and their debut single is titled Hmph!.

As soon as I heard the Hmph! today, the disco pop that is heavily featured in Hmph! reminded me of Orange Caramel’s infectious singles. And I am loving it. It has been a while since we had an Orange Caramel comeback (their last release was in 2014 with My Copycat and I personally doubt that the unit will ever return with both Rania and Lizzy now signed to different companies), so this release definitely tickles my fancy – one could say!. Hmph! has a similar infectious appeal and the song is definitely quite addictive. The verses had a healthy amount of autotune to their voices. Usually I am against the use of autotune and have only liked it certain cases. Humph! seems to be one of those ‘certain cases’ as each of the four members actually sound quite nice throughout the song and it was (mostly) unnoticeable. The chorus brings the cutesy repetition of the title at the start, before the saxophones are brought into play, bringing more of that Orange Caramel appeal to the song. By far the best part of the song, in my point of view. I will be completely honest that the bridge did dull out the song for me, as I think they could have continued the song’s momentum with a more dynamic touch for the bridge. But I am glad that we ended up returning to the catchy chorus once again before Hmph! concluded, repumping the energy and infectious appeal back one last time.

The opening of Secret (one of their best songs ever!) started off the music video for Hmph!, so the video intrigued me from the very start. The music video can be described as a blast of colour. This isn’t an issue, as that is expected with a cutesy sound like this. And boy, WJSN CHOCOME doesn’t mess around with this cutesy concept. It is as if they have been holding back whilst promoting as WJSN! It felt natural to these members, unlike some other cutesy concepts where the members are just horrible at acting cute or overly exaggerating to the point where it just becomes cringy. To be critical, I would like to have them tone down the outrageousness. For example, I would not recommend waking anyone up with three trumpets and an iron. That blow up the person’s ear drums and give them significant burns.

For the choreography, I thought the cutesy twist on the Hmph! was really nice. The entire chorus routine seems fun. There isn’t much else from what I saw in the music video. But basing on what I saw, I think the performance would be suitable and fitting for the song.

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