Returning today is MIRAE, with their new single and third mini-album, Marvelous. The new release comes after MIRAE wrapped up 2021 with their debut single KILLA and first comeback single, Splash. The group have been receiving nominations for Best New Male Group or Best Rookie Group throughout the current award season, with them also receiving a nomination for the equivalent award in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. I will be announcing the winners in the near future. But until then, here are my thoughts on Marvelous (the title track).

Marvelous is a bold dance track that just really jumps right out at me. The boldness and ‘jumps right out at me’ part can be attributed to the catchy hook at the song begins with (i.e. the ‘Ma Ma Ma Mars‘ and the ‘Na Na Na Now‘). And this alone is quite addictive. Otherwise, Marvelous is a strong dance pop genre song. It is on the more typical side, but it is still a clean and upbeat dance track. The catchiness of the hook adds a vibrant tone to Marvelous and takes the song to the next level. The verses were pretty good, with solid vocals/rapping from the members and an intense instrumental buildup paired with some slightly monotonous yet powerful rapping for the pre-choruses. Said pre-choruses were actually another highlight in Marvelous for me. As for the bridge, it was the most interesting part of the song. There are two halves to it. The first half features vocals that seemingly adds a bit of flirty attitude and flair to the song. I quite enjoyed it. The second half of the bridge is more so an EDM break, where a shrilling texture is added to the song. Some vocals remain here, but the melody is lost in favour for the instrumental. This was a more dynamic change, but it added a different flavour to the song. Overall, I appreciated how the bridge kept the charge and momentum of the song, despite changing Marvelous a bit. It also added excitement to the song, which is a common theme across the board throughout Marvelous.

I am not entirely sure what is happening the video, but I might have a theory. It opens up with Dongpyo running away from someone. He is also coming from the direction of Mars based on the ‘To Mars’ sign on the door, which might indicate his origin as Mars. Anyhow, he later wakes up and looks into the space via his telescope, before donning an astronaut’s helmet and appearing in front of the other members (which I am guessing are on Earth). His presence intrigues the other members (and also felt slightly creepy during certain parts) and they follow him to the room with the big telescope and planets around them. I am not entirely sure what the significance of this big room is, but my big guess is that the room awakens everyone (they had no idea who he was at first, but at the end seemed to know him quite well). It appears like the entire mission was Dongpyo to reunite with his friends who also used to be on Mars as well (based the scene we get of them on Mars and the existence of the photograph), but they were somehow taken to Earth and their memories were wiped. In the end, the friends reunite. A slightly confusing storyline, but overall a good concept.

The routine looks dynamic and energetic, fitting the song quite well. The bridge section of the routine also adds to the powerfulness of the choreography. It is a bit hard for me to make further comments as we are limited based on what we got in the music video. But for now, I think what we saw is good enough for a 8/10 rating.

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