As mentioned in Monday’s review for ONEUS’ Life Is Beautiful, ONEUS would be making their comeback the very next day (a.k.a. yesterday!). Well, yesterday, ONEUS returned with their 6th mini-album, Blood Moon, and the title track LUNA (the focus of this review). This is the group’s first comeback since the release of Black Mirror in May of this year. Between their May comeback and now, the group has been super busy with a return to the Japanese pop music industry with the Japanese version of Black Mirror, released two songs as part of their ONEUS Theatre series (Shut Up 받고 Crazy Hot! and Life Is Beautiful), and held an online/offline concert for the first time in nearly two years!

As soon as LUNA started for me, I was practically on board with the song. The traditional Korean instrumentation at the start was so beautiful, making it a promising start to the song. The first verse was pretty good, working well with the tone of instrumentation. The synths present give you an indication that LUNA would be much more than just traditional elements. We have previously heard traditional elements from ONEUS through the release of Lit. There, the traditional elements contributed to a much bolder sound, whereas in LUNA, the traditional elements are used in a much smoother way. The build in the pre-chorus was quite satisfying. The chorus is where the song is strongest, with a well-delivered chorus. The instrumental has this continuous momentum to it, which made it satisfying as well. The emphasis on some of the syllables of their lines was quite subtle but impactful at the same time. Both instrumental and melody resulted in a chorus that I could not stop thinking about once LUNA had wrapped up. For the second verse, I really enjoyed the idea of a ‘traditional only’ backed rap sequence. But the follow-up vocals were probably the most lacking aspect of the song. For the second chorus, I enjoyed how they added textures via the jaggered backing in the first half. The dance break was awesome, with a really good blend of traditional and contemporary delivering a bold and powerful sound. I really enjoyed the lead-out of the song, from Leedo’s rapping to the folksy ad-lib that we were greeted to the textural touches brought on by the synths. I would have liked more folksy ad-libs in the background, but I guess the producers were short on time. Overall, LUNA is a very strong song with a beautiful and bold blend of instrumentation, creating a very unique sounding track.

I thought this was a really cool video, simply due to the fusion of traditional and simplicity. The traditional aspects were quite obvious, from the outfits, some of the backgrounds, the styling of some of the sets. The simplicity aspects come through the colour scheme used in the sets, the way the camera was focused and the way the sets were styled. This resulted in a visually stunning video. The members’ visuals are also showcased really nicely in the video, showcasing their handsome profiles. I am quite sure there is some sort of story or message from the video, and I will presume that it surrounds itself around that image of the sky we saw one of the members painting. Just a wild guess.

Choreography-wise, I really liked how it channelled the song’s beauty, through the use of the fans and the coloured/white scarves. I liked how they really emphasised the sound of the fans opening throughout certain parts of the choreography in the stage version of the music, which really draws your attention to their fans. That being said, the group still manages to show off their dance skills throughout the more modern sequences of the song (i.e. the chorus and dance break), creating a well-balanced routine.

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