After reviewing all of Monday’s releases, I can finally move onto releases from this week that occurred after Monday. One of these releases is DRIPPIN’s comeback single, Young Blood, which is featured on their latest mini-album, A Better Tomorrow. They are a relatively new group and this is their official comeback since their debut with Nostalgia. So for the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with DRIPPIN’, they are a seven-member male group under Woolim Entertainment. And here is a reason to why you should familiarise yourself with the group. They were overwhelmingly voted (44%) as the Best Male Rookie Group of 2020 in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. And if that it the attention they garnered within two months of their debut, the future for DRIPPIN’ is looking very bright. Let’s see what they are doing with Young Blood.

Young Blood reminds me of some of AB6IX’s early works. From the vocals to the upbeat yet straightforward nature of the instrumentation, it takes me back to those 2019 releases by AB6IX. What I did like about Young Blood that stood out for me was the groovy tinge to the song. Once again, this is another song to add to the ongoing trend. But this is who DRIPPIN’ made the song theirs. AB6IX’s releases did have a similar tinge, but it was not as satisfying or fulfilling as Young Blood. The electronic synths and energy come together to make a quite dynamic dance track that I am sure meets the expectations of fans. I find the pre-chorus slow down to be quite nice, especially with the piano coming through. It also helped make the launch into the chorus more exciting and impactful. The rapping in the song’s second verse was probably its weakest moment. Compared to the rest of the song, the instrumental strip down felt as simple as a blank canvas. Some synths can be heard, but they were used sparingly. The rapping just didn’t do enough to fill in that ‘blank canvas’ for me. The song then returns to the chorus, pulling the song back up to the thrill that was heard before the second verse. The bridge was short, but it was decent. I enjoyed the thumping beat that dominated the bridge. It added more to that thrill that just mentioned and threw in a bit of suspense. I also enjoyed the instant launch back into the final chorus, reinforcing that idea of being straightforward and not messing around. Overall, Young Blood was very energetic and dynamic, aside from its middle core.

I am not entirely sure about what is happening in the video. The start looked intriguing with one of the members going about his day as a convenience store clerk. During his usual duties, the power goes out and he notices a light behind the refrigerator. He looks into the light and this takes us to a world with no restraints (this is my assumption). The members look like they are having fun. But at the same time, they are seeking something (which I assume is in the box that they found the key for). What is in that box, I have no idea. It does give the video an air of mystery. But at the same time, it was lackluster and I don’t think there was enough in the video to decipher whatever was going on. Aside from that, I really like the use of multiple scenes throughout the video, which gave us some variety in the visuals of the video.

I really like the energy and drive behind their moves. It matches the dynamism and momentum of the song. No moves or not any moment stood out to me on its own. Rather I felt the entire choreography routine was a solid package. If I had to point out one part of the choreography that did at the very least elicit some sort of reaction from me, it was the spinning leg move they did at the start. The choreography just quickly moved on and so I didn’t really have much time to really think about it.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 6.5/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.4/10