Month: February 2022

[Review] Ghost Town – Moonbin & Sanha (ASTRO)

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Last month, we saw the debut of ASTRO’s latest subunit, JinJin & Rocky, who partied it up with their Just Breath single. It was later confirmed following JinJin & Rocky’s unit debut that ASTRO’s first subunit, Moonbin & Sanha, would be make their comeback in March, with a pre-release single dropping in February. Well time flew by as we waited, and Moonbin & Sanha’s pre-release single, Ghost Town, officially dropped yesterday. Now, we will be counting down to the day that Moonbin & Sanha returns as a duo, making it their first release since Bad Idea, their debut single from 2020. In the meanwhile, let’s have a deep dive into Ghost Town.

Ghost Town is another stop along the mature path that Moobin and Sanha has sent us on with Bad Idea. It is not a grand stop of any kind, as there isn’t anything big or groundbreaking within Ghost Town that gets me excited or is a ‘must see’ attraction. It is just more so like a rest stop you stop at before going on with the last leg of your trip to the real destination (that is, their March comeback). After all, that is the purpose of a pre-release single. Ghost Town is pretty straight forward track with a pleasant blend with its acoustic instrumentation and trap/hip-hop beats. There was potential at the start, however. I found the acoustic guitar to be quite striking, but it was soon lost to the heavy hip-hop beats that is heavily present throughout the rest of the song. In the end, it does make Ghost Town repetitive. But not to the unbearable extent where it drains out the energy of the song. This is why I still found it pleasant. As for the duo, I don’t have much else to say other than that Moonbin and Sanha sounded quite satisfying throughout Ghost Town. They fitted in nicely with the instrumentation, and complimented the hip-hop vibes. The melodies were quite pleasant as well, but as mentioned at the start, not memorable. Overall, Ghost Town is basically your typical side track/pre-release single that just isn’t title track material. I sure do hope that whatever Moonbin & Sanha unveils in March, it is ‘title track material’.

The music video is pretty basic and isn’t too fancy. This felt right for the song, which was of a similar nature. All of the video was the pair in front of a screen that was showing static, red tinge cloudy backgrounds or was simply off some portions of the video (these parts were extremely dark and it was hard to see the two of them). The pair interacted with the camera in a way that reminded me of 90s R&B music videos. I personally thought the video was a bit dry and isn’t something that I would find myself revisiting. It is a fitting video for the song, but not my cup of tea.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Overall Rating – 6.6/10

[Review] Can’t Live Without You – Ha Sung Woon

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Ha Sung Woon also made his comeback on Wednesday with a special mini-album, You. Leading this mini-album is the title track Can’t Live Without You. This is Ha Sung Woon’s first release since he departed Star Crew Entertainment (his company for the past seven years) and his first since the release of Electrified and Electrified: Urban Nostalgia (which dropped late last year). Interestingly, this isn’t his first release under his new company, BPM Entertainment (the home to VIVIZ who also debuted on Wednesday). Not entirely sure why that is the case, but Can’t Live Without You and You are a nice treat nonetheless.

Can’t Live Without You is a light and mellow ballad, suitable when you want to take it easy, with a nice warm beverage in hand. It isn’t the most riveting song out there, nor does it gain points for being innovative. Nor is it the type of song that I usually steer to, as well. But it was extremely pleasant and nice sounding, and there is always time and need for a song like this. I also found Can’t Live Without You to be very warm and inviting, which I am sure was Ha Sung Woon’s intention for the song given that it is a song for his fans. As for Ha Sung Woon himself, he definitely sounds splendid. I like the husky tone he provided the song, which adds a nice texture to Can’t Live Without You. The softness and lightness of his vocals compliment the instrumental, but also at the same time, manages to pop out in a fitting manner. The melodies of this song are relatively simple, but definitely bring forth that swaying measure I look for in ballads and adds to the pleasantries of this song. Altogether, Can’t Live With You is a neat track that just feels perfectly soothing and comforting, for his fans and the casual listener alike.

That warm and comforting feeling was definitely well portrayed in his video. It was the main feeling that I got from the video, despite the surroundings seemed cold and chilly throughout the video. It seems like Ha Sung Woon spends all of the video alone, but it appears that we are by his side for parts of the video. He interacts with the camera at various points to give off the impression that we are with him. This indeed compliments the idea that this is a song for the fans. It is a fine accompaniment to the song.

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

[Review] BOP BOP! – VIVIZ

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I flagged late last month in the review for Yuju’s Play that we will be seeing more of the former GFriend members in the near future, and the day has arrived. Eunha, Sin.B and Umji, who all signed with BPM Entertainment following GFriend’s unexpected disbandment, formed a brand new female trio group and made their re-debut yesterday under the name VIVIZ. For those who are wondering, BPM Entertainment is a relatively new company that is home Soyou, Huh Gak. Ha Sung Woon and Samuel. Back to VIVIZ, they kicked off their new chapter in their careers with the single BOP BOP! and mini-album Beam of Prism.

BOP BOP! is another groovy disco-esque retro track to add to the list of similar songs that we have heard recently. While it is oh so familiar sound to us listeners (and a relatively safe sound as well), this doesn’t really dampen the song’s initial impression – fun, lighthearted and bouncy. The verses (and bridge) in BOP BOP! were very forgettable for me and I personally felt like they left a big gaping hole in the song. Thankfully, BOP BOP! starts gaining momentum thanks to the pre-chorus that changes the direction and builds quite well towards the chorus. For the chorus, we are treated to a concentration of that funky disco-esque retro influence, but initially as an anti-drop-like sequence and then as a more substantial filled out chorus. For the first half of the chorus, I am not exactly a fan of it, but I don’t hate it (I kind of enjoyed it more the second time around it pops up). But I quite liked how satisfying the latter half of the chorus felt, which helped boost the entire chorus and made it more promising and memorable. Following the second chorus, we are treated a super fun and likeable dance break sequence. I just love the background ‘Bop Bop‘ that we get, which adds a dynamic touch to the rush of energy we get in this sequence. We get a different post-chorus sequence at the end, a bit meatier but also more typical. I wished they had kept the first post-chorus hook we got and added a few additional elements to end off the song in a more exciting stance. As for vocals, I think VIVIZ did a decent job. Was it the best effort ever? I don’t think so, but it was a nice reintroduction to the members whom we haven’t heard from in over a year. Overall, BOP BOP! is a decent debut track. I do hope they explore more unique sounds in the future.

Not entirely sure what is going on in this video, but I guess they are preparing for some party in outer space? And they run into some trouble from the command centre? But all is well, as they make it to the party and party it up at the end? That is my best guess and it is pretty boring if that is the case. Apart from the lackluster plotline, the music video had really nice lighting and decent sets. But nothing memorable to get me back to replay the video several more time.

The choreography for this release was quite nice. There is a youthful touch to it, and a cutesy vibe on top. But it isn’t overly saturated in either, which makes it easy to watch and enjoy. I do like the post-chorus sequences and the ‘Bop Bop‘ moves in the chorus.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 6.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.3/10

[Review] Heartbreak – Minho (SHINee)

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Another comeback that occurred in December 2021 that I have not yet reviewed is Minho’s Heartbreak. It is Minho’s SM Station single release, I’m Home, from way back in 2019. Since then, he has enlisted in the military and completed his two year mandatory enlistment. He also participated in SHINee’s Don’t Call Me and Atlantis comebacks last year. But apart from that, it has been fairly quiet from Minho. That was until December 21, when Minho’s dropped his first solo single, Heartbreak.

Dipping into the R&B genre, Heartbreak was a decent release back in December (and remains as is even today). There is a lot to like in Heartbreak, but it didn’t feel enough for me. Maybe it is because Heartbreak is not a full fledged release, with an album to sink into. Or that Minho’s solo career has yet to deliver the same impact as his fellow members have and Heartbreak doesn’t really have momentum to give us said impact. Or that Heartbreak is a relatively simple and straightforward song that doesn’t really offer anything new in the grand scheme of things. Regardless, I am left wanting more. Anyhow, Heartbreak has such a smooth atmosphere to it that really pulls me into the song each time I am listening to it. The bass and synths were pretty simple, but they definitely gave Heartbreak substance and meat to the song. And together, they have a straightforward backing piece. There is nothing wrong with this, but it isn’t the most innovative piece. However, it works splendidly with his vocals. Minho is more well known for his rapping sequences in SHINee’s releases, so to hear an entire song of just Minho’s vocals is very rare. I like how well suited his voice is for the R&B genre, with his husky vocals making Heartbreak so much more alluring and seductive. I wouldn’t mind more of this. His ad-libs were also quite decent as well. Like the atmosphere., the melodies and hooks are very smooth as well. Overall, an overall great return to the solo scene for Minho (though I think more is definitely needed!).

The music video is the most promising aspect of this comeback. In the video, we see two timelines. 2021 and 2049. From what I can tell, 2021’s Minho is manipulating the future to communicate with 2049’s Minho. This leads to 2049’s Minho to travel back in time in his car, to which he is told to torch it. I presume that the original 2049 version of Minho was still heartbroken over a relationship since the year 2021, and the 2021’s version is giving 2049 a chance to go back and move forward with his life. That’s my take on the video. Other than that, I liked the Matrix-like computer coding effect we get and overall futuristic concept. Minho also looks very cool and charismatic throughout this video.

Performance wise, I felt Minho looked a bit tense for the performance. Not too sure why that was the case, but it made the performance look a bit rigid for me. Other than that, it was a decent performance with some good moves. It could have been more, like the song. More seductive, more alluring. But it was nice to see Minho back on stage.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Review] Voiceless – WONPIL (DAY6)

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Over the last year or so, we have gotten solo releases from each of the DAY6 members (aside from Sungjin, who was the first member to enlist into the military and prompted the band to focus on solo promotions for the time being). Jae has collaborated with other artists (but more recently left JYP Entertainment and is currently on a break from DAY6). Young.K made his solo debut with Guard You, and Dowoon also debuted with a collaborative single, Out of the Blue, with Song Heejin, before both enlisted into the military. This leaves Wonpil as the remaining member of DAY6. He has also flagged his intention to enlisting to minimise DAY6’s hiatus. But before that, he made his solo debut (like his fellow members) today with his first solo single, Voiceless, and studio length album, Pilmography.

Voiceless comes in the form of a stunning ballad. It is an interesting ballad, as it is not your typical emotional ballad style that is heavy on the emotions within its music or dramatically orchestrated as we have come across before. Instead, the instrumental behind Voiceless was striking, prance-like, folksy-like and upbeat in an unusual manner but a fitting way. This can be attributed to the waltz element that Soompi has pointed out to be in the song, alongside some bluesy elements. It makes Voiceless dynamic for me and kept me captivated. The instrumental also ticks that swaying motion that I find myself doing while listening to really great ballads. Even though Voiceless has such an instrumental, this does not shortchange the emotion impact of the song, as Wonpil sings about a ‘heartbreaking story of ending a relationship in order to lessen pain for the other person’ (taken from Soompi). And you can tell that Wonpil pours his emotions into the song as he sings. Talking about vocals, I really enjoyed how pronounced his vocals got, building as the ballad progressed. It helps make Voiceless more striking (as already mentioned) and it is hard to tear your attention away from the song. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of his softer moments, mainly because he went with a nasally effect which I wasn’t a personal fan of. I feel that the nasally approach this time around made the lyrics sound a little unclear. But apart from that, Voiceless is a fantastic ballad and title track that definitely makes me want to dive into the rest of the album.

My understanding of the music video is that Wonpil is in love with this mermaid. So in love that he writes a story about her. At the start of the video, he see him read the story he wrote about the mermaid. But over time, we see him pick up another story and another story, suggesting that he is tired of the mermaid story (and hence mermaid). As he does this, the water in the apartment rises. Once the apartment is completely filled with water, the mermaid appears in front of him to deliver the breakup news. The water drains and we can see the events preceding upsets him. We see him slip further into sadness (i.e. the water), whilst reminiscing of the days when they would swim together (I believe this is all in his mind however). We are then treated to a mini reunion on the beach, where she joins him above water (much to his surprise) and they have a nice stroll along the beach before he confess his love. But she lets go, and leaves his life, as the lyrics states. We get a emphasis on the fact that she leaves his life when she turns to sand, whilst Wonpil in on that small golden island. At the end, however, we see Wonpil sitting along the beach in a completely different outfit (something that makes him look more mature and possibly suggests a time jump). From afar the mermaid looks at him, knowing that while the breakup did hurt him, he emerged as a better person from it. A very aesthetic, well executed music video and heartbreaking story.

Song – 9/10
Music Video -10/10
Overall Rating – 9.4/10

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 1st Week of February 2022

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The week that has just passed was a very quiet week in the KPOP industry due to Lunar New Year holidays. With that major holiday out of the way now, next week is shaping to be a a slightly busier week with comebacks confirmed already! But as usual, I need to post this Weekly KPOP Chart segment for the past week before we can progress onto the new week.

Despite it being a quiet week, I managed to write a few reviews for some releases over the last two months that I should have reviewed when they were first released. I am hoping the few I did write reviews for helped make a dent in the backlog, but I haven’t checked to be sure. But make sure you check out those reviews on my home page when you have the time!

New releases of the Week

In addition to Mark (from NCT)’s Child, here are the other releases of the week:

  • Don’t Stop – ATEEZ
  • Stuck On You – Changjo (Teen Top) ft. Xbf
  • Pity Party – Jamie
  • Will Be Fine – Kisu

Throwback Corner

This week’s throwback corner song was actually featured a few week’s back in this segment. It is Dream Catcher’s Scream, which I have been revisiting constantly in the weeks following its inclusion in this corner of the blog.

Non-Korean Release of the Week

The highest ranking non-Korean song this week is WOOZI’s mixtape single, Ruby, which was released early January. I am glad that I finally am able to feature this song in this corner since the change in the rules (i.e. highest rank song on the album). It is a good one! More on Ruby in the future!

The Charts

Congratulations to fromis_9 for rising to the top spot of KPOPREVIEWED’s Weekly KPOP Chart with their latest single, DM. For more of the charts, keep on reading!

1st Week of Feb 202230th Jan – 5th Feb 2022
Pos.SongArtistStatus
1DMfromis_9(▲ 7)
2Feelin’ LikePENTAGON(▼ 1)
3PlayYuju(▲ 18)
4TNT (Truth&Trust)TRENDZ(▲ 35)
5LUNATICMoonbyul (Mamamoo)(▲ 5)
6SmileyYENA(▼ 2)
7ATHLETIC GIRLH1-KEY(▲ 72)
8Catch The Starswoo!ah!(▲ 38)
9BOBBIN’BLITZERS(▲ 33)
10Who Are YouBamBam (GOT7) ft. Seulgi (Red Velvet)(▲ 72)
11ShutdownMoonbyul (Mamamoo) ft. Seori(▲ 42)
12TANG!♡Mino (WINNER)(▲ 66)
131, 2, 3AB6IX(▼ 7)
14HeartbreakMinho (SHINee)(▲ 41)
15The Real (Heung Version)ATEEZ(▲ 23)
16LOVE ME LIKEOMEGA X(▲ 50)
17DessertKim Yo Han (WEi)(▼ 2)
18WA DA DAKep1er(▲ 11)
19RubyWOOZI (SEVENTEEN)(▲ 9)
20All Eyes DownLUMINOUS(▲ 31)
21Slow DanceKangta(▲ 57)
22ANOTOKIENIK(▲ 56)
23ChronographVICTON(▼ 21)
24UnthinkableFT ISLAND(▲ 17)
25ChildMark (NCT)(NEW)
26Crazy About YouUP10TION(▲ 39)
27VillainDRIPPIN(▲ 13)
28AnymoreJeon Somi(▲ 50)
29Plus n MinusYein(▲ 49)
30Blessed-CursedENHYPEN(▼ 13)

Songs leaving the charts this week

The following songs have left the charts this week as they have wrapped up their nine week run in the charts system:

[Review] Shutdown – Moonbyul (Mamamoo) ft. Seori

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Like my last post, there is another track that fits the brief (solo artist, song released in the last few months, and should have been covered before I reviewed the main title track) from last year. That track is titled Shutdown, a collaborative single from Mamamoo member Moonbyul and Seori, released at the end of last year as well. Shutdown is one of two pre-release singles (the other being G999) that is featured on Moonbyul’s latest mini-album, 6equence, which is lead by the single LUNATIC.

Shutdown is a smooth mid-tempo R&B track with one of those swayable melodies that I love. One of the things that stuck out at me (and to a lot of listeners as well) were the lyrics, which had two key chrematistics – they promoted inclusivity and were a bit erotic as well. Essentially, Shutdown is a song about a relationship between two women and Moonbyul has been receiving praise for this. Moonbyul has also confirmed the erotic nature behind the lyrics. Good on Moonbyul for breaking boundaries with this song, as it is pretty rare sight in KPOP. Aside from lyrics, we also have the amazing vocals of both Moonbyul and featuring artist Seori in Shutdown. Moonbyul’s natural lower tone is well utilised in Shutdown, keeping the song grounded. As for her rapping, I kind of understand its presence in this song to make the song a bit more interesting and not as repetitive. But I felt it was a bit too heavy, and should have adopted a softer approach to compliment the rest of the song. Seori brings a higher and lighter tone. I really enjoyed the airness that her vocals brought to Shutdown, and helped made the chorus more prominent. This is also why I feel Moonbyul purposely used her lower tone to ensure Shutdown isn’t too light and airy. Both artists balance each other and creates such a good track. The best part of Shutdown definitely has to be when the two vocalists alternate with each other the lines of the pre-chorus. Definitely the most memorable part of Shutdown. I also found the bridge to be stunning. A beautifully pre-release overall.

The music video is pretty nice looking as well, which compliments the song well. The golden hue we get from the lighting and colours is very warming and comforting. The video depicts the relationship between two females as mentioned in lyrics/song portion of the review. But instead of being erotic like in the lyrics, the music video shows a sweeter side of the relationship. At first, it appears like Moonbyul is alone and Seori is like a ghost. But at the end, I liked how they transitioned it so that Moonbyul and Seori are seen interacting with one another (whilst also lip-syncing to the song).

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

[Review] Who Are You – BamBam (GOT7) ft. Seulgi (Red Velvet)

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As mentioned yesterday, I will be reviewing solo releases over the last few months which I had not reviewed yet. To start, I will be looking at the solo pre-releases that I should have reviewed before I reviewed the official main title tracks. BamBam (member of GOT7) is one of the solo members that come to mind. He recently came back with the single Slow Mo and second mini-album, B. Also off the B mini-album is the single Who Are You, which features Red Velvet member Seulgi, and was first revealed to listeners at the end of 2021. Who Are You is the focus on this review post.

While it has been over a month ago since both news of and the actual release, I could remember thinking that a collaboration between BamBam and Seulgi was unexpected and surprising, but also exciting and refreshing. And both BamBam and Seulgi proved with Who Are You that the latter points were the most correct. Who Are You is a very light and smooth R&B track that felt just right. While I don’t listen to the song every single day, I thoroughly enjoy its presence every time I do come across Who Are You. There is so much to enjoy in this song, despite there being so little to the track. Who Are You has a minimal atmospheric instrumental, kicking off with a low hum, before bringing in the simple strumming of guitar and then the later addition of a slow soft piano melody in the verses. For the chorus, the piano element is relatively heavier, and we also get some simple percussion, to help kick the song up a notch. But everything from start to end can be described as light, simple and minimalistic, as described initially. What also makes Who Are You so good are the vocals from both artists. The set up of them echoing each other is so impactful and added a profound colour to the song. It made the song so interesting. Individually, BamBam really surprised me with his softer and gentle vocals in this song. It suits him so well, and the textures that his raspy vocals brought to the table helped made Who Are You so good. As for Seulgi, her light and higher tone balanced out the song, making the entire track more pleasant and smoother. Overall, Who Are You is an amazing single, and BamBam and Seulgi pairing is perfect.

For the music video, I liked it. I felt the different scenes were aesthetic and artistic. I liked the idea of both set and outdoor scenes. The video didn’t feel confined or restricted in anyway as a result, which gave a lot of breathing space to me as a viewer. I am sure there are meaning behind some of the individual scenes, but I don’t have the intelligence to break it down and decipher it this time around. My main gripe about the music video is some of the scenes appeared too dark and it was hard to see what as going on. It was probably done for an aesthetic or artistic reason, but it distracted me and hindered the process of me trying to take everything in.

The choreography routine, performed by both BamBam and Seulgi, is a contemporary piece that is both smooth and captivating to watch. It definitely highlights both BamBam and Seulgi’s skill set as performers and shows them off in such a mature lighting. They also perform in a very harmonious manner, which boosts up the routine to the next level.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.1/10

[Review] Child – Mark (NCT)

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I will continue my focus on lesser known acts on Sunday (I was unfortunately ill last night and had to take the night off from the blog). As for today and tomorrow, I will be focusing on a number of solo acts, as I feel they have been neglected over the last few months, as well. There are a few in mind that I really want to cover. But tonight’s review is actually a new release from none other than Mark from NCT. Mark has been a busy artist from the day he debuted as an NCT member, boasting the most extensive resume out of the all the members of his group (i.e. one of the two most recurring members in the various NCT units, had debuted more times than other artists – just to name a few). So it comes with little surprise that he is the first NCT artist to release a single under the new NCT Lab, a new SM Station series that focuses on solo tracks from the NCT members. Mark’s single is titled Child and it officially dropped today.

Child takes on the hip-hop genre, which comes as no surprise, as Mark is a rapper in his group activities. What did come as a surprise was how much I enjoyed the track upon the first listen. I know I sound like a broken record when I say that the hip-hop genre isn’t something that I enjoy. But there are a few elements within Child that really stands out for me. The deepness of Child stood out for me. Even before considering the lyrics, you could feel the heaviness of the song. When you read through the lyrics, you can get a sense of the deep thoughts that were put into Child. And from these lyrics you can feel his struggles as an artist and being lost as a person. Aside from the emotional side of the song. I really enjoyed the instrumental for Child. The song starts off with electric guitar riffs, before completely changing up the dynamic for the chorus with a heavy thumping beat and trap-like synths. This continues into the second verse, before opting for a much more energetic and upbeat tempo for the second half of the verse. Mark then takes Child back to the thumping chorus and the same electric guitar at the start for the bridge. When you think the song had wrapped up, Mark brings back the thumping chorus to close out the song on a more dynamic note (which works well with the conclusive endpoint in the lyrics). Mark himself was quite impressive with his delivery. His rapping was very captivating, while his vocals touches to the song were melodic and soothing. Overall, Child is a solid launching pad into this new NCT Lab series. But it also serves as an insightful view into Mark, his thoughts and experiences thus far as an artist.

Like the song, the music video has a lot of meaning behind it as well. Mark spends a lot of this video running away from hooded figures. My guess is that these people represent the hardships that Mark is experiencing in his life currently (i.e. the people putting pressure on him to be a certain way), as expressed in his lyrics. Honestly, this can be a range of people, including his company, managers, members, family, fans etc. Mark just wants to find himself and express himself freely. And him running away means makes a stand for himself, as he mentions at the end of his song. The ending where he is running in the darkness might suggest that he doesn’t see himself escaping these pressures anytime soon, but he is still making an effort to stand up for himself. Other than my proposed meaning behind the video, I liked the urban look of this video, which matches up with the hip-hop influences behind the song.

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

[Review] Catch The Stars – woo!ah!

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Next up is woo!ah!, who made their comeback with the single Catch The Stars at the start of this year (January 4). This is also my first time reviewing a woo!ah! release. They are currently a five member female group from NV Entertainment who debuted back in 2020, and the group consists of Nana, Wooyeon, Sora, Lucy and Minseo. There was originally a sixth member, Seonghee, but she left the group a few months after they debuted with their self-titled song, woo!ah!. The group then made two comebacks since then – Bad Girl and Purple. But today, I will be focusing on that January 4 release, Catch The Stars.

Personally, I am not familiar with woo!ah!’s singles. I do remember they were on my Weekly KPOP Charts segment, but I didn’t really pay much attention to them. Fortunately, their latest single did not lead to the same outcome. Instead, Catch The Stars really caught my attention due to its vibrant and upbeat funky pop energy. The guitars are just so good in this song! I can’t help but stop whatever I am doing and mouth along to the song (because me singing would be very embarrassing and might even ruin my day). A bit of a dance might also ensue if I am in an especially good mood, which Catch The Stars steers me down as well. It is also a cute and fun track. Cute songs aren’t usually my style, but it is hard to not remember the old days when KPOP was built on these cute tracks, and Catch The Stars reminds me of that era. What also sells Catch The Stars to me even more are the addictive hooks. The ‘Woo lah la la‘ hook in chorus was super catchy and very memorable. Vocally, this is a very strong showing from the members and I really liked how the rapping came naturally to this song (i.e. it didn’t get its own specific instrumental sequence). Overall, Catch The Stars earns woo!ah! two wins – an awesome song that I very much dig and it puts the group on my radar now!

The music video goes down a typical school girl concept, but the members have very vivid imaginations daydreaming about adventures into space. It compliments the lyrics. I found the cuteness of the members and the video to be quite refreshing in this current era. That says a lot, given that cutesy concepts aren’t my thing either! I did like how the video highlighted the hook/some of the English phrases in the song, by having the actual wording appear on our screen.

The choreography for this comeback was pretty good. Nothing that impressive, but it fits the bill for the song. I also found myself smiling whilst watching their performances, which tells me that the members did an amazing job bringing such a fun and energetic vibe to the stage.

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

[Review] BOBBIN – BLITZERS

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Today and tomorrow’s reviews will be focused on groups or artists that are not as well known and had released music throughout December 2021 or January 2022. This is a great opportunity to do so, given the slow week. First up is BLITZERS, a group who I reviewed their debut track but had forgtten about their existence until earlier this year. For those who may still be unfamiliar with this group, BLITZERS is a seven member male group who debuted in 2021 under Wuzo Entertainment with Breathe Again (May 2021), and subsequently made a comeback last year with Will Make a Mistake (October 2021). The group’s lineup consist of members Junhan, Jinhwa, Sya, Lutan, Wooju, Go_U and Chris. This review will focus on their early 2022 / January 3 release, BOBBIN.

BOBBIN continues the rock sound that the group had channeled from their first day. BOBBIN seems to take a more loaded approach, with a bolstering instrumental that really gets the energy pumping. I really enjoyed this song’s rock instrumentation, simply because it was amped up to a very satisfying degree, didn’t hold back, had a great electrifying energy. It was also quite abrasive, rough and grungy, which made it even better! To compliment these stylistic choices, BOBBIN opts for autotuned vocals and rapping. Some of it was very fitting for the rock style, like some of the yelling we get in the verses, chorus and the vocal parts in the bridge, and I have no issue with this. It roughens up their delivery, which works with the broader picture that is BOBBIN. However, some parts were a bit too autotuned. A good example is the final few lines in the pre-chorus. It felt a bit much and stuck out for me for the wrong reasons. As for the hooks for the song, I didn’t think they were as memorable as they could be. They were decent at best. Maybe roughening up the vocals and the abrasive nature of the instrumental took away from this. Despite those elements though, I am sure they could have gone with a bolder and more memorable hook, so that it gives me even more reasons to revisit BOBBIN.

The music video was pretty simple, which allowed the music to do more of the speaking for this release. I liked this approach. In my mind, the music compensates for the simplicity of the video. The setup of the messy wires around the choreography area was pretty cool and fitting for the rock sound as well. It also felt a bit industrial at the same time. I did wish there was more to the video in terms of sets and such to make it a bit more dynamic. I think there was two sets in total for this music video, and the colour palette was a bit one-dimensional and cliché. Additional sets would have worked, or different lighting would have been fine. It isn’t the dynamic type that I am usually after, but it would have made the video worth going back to.

I really appreciate that the group did the performances for this comeback with live vocals. Unfortunately, I feel that the actual choreography was lackluster and didn’t really encapsulate the energy from the song. This makes the performance disappointing to watch, even though live vocals were on display.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] ATHLETIC GIRL – H1-KEY

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The next group and rookie on the reviewing block is H1-KEY, who debuted on January 5 with the single ATHLETIC GIRL. H1-KEY is a four member female group under Grandline Group, with their lineup consisting of Seoi, Sitala, Riina (Produce 48 participant) and Yel. What has drawn my attention to this female rookie group is that just under a month after their debut, the new group has amassed over 10 million views for their music video on YouTube, which is an uncommon feat for a rookie group. So let’s check out what ATHLETIC GIRL has to offer.

ATHLETIC GIRL is another decent debut track. But unlike the song I reviewed earlier today, ATHLETIC GIRL fairs a lot better and has a lot more reasons that enables it to stand out. One of these reasons has to be the confident attitude and vibe that the song exudes, which goes hand-in-hand with ATHLETIC GIRL‘s self-confidence and self-pride messaging that the lyrics have and their delivery through in some parts of the song. Other reasons include both the vocals and rapping. On the rapping front, I liked the boost of energy the rappers gave the song. On top of that, I felt momentum and dynamism were well delivered and presented, which shows me huge promises and potential for this group. The rap-speak parts of the song were quite captivating and was a subtle yet powerful manner of showing that self-confidence and self-pride messaging from the lyrics. On the vocal front, there was some strong showing of their vocal capabilities, particularly in the post-chorus sequence that followed the second and final choruses. This post-chorus sequence also doubles up as a mechanism to prevent ATHLETIC GIRL from going down the repetitive path, which I was thankful for. Elsewhere, stronger melodies would have made the song memorable, but what we got was pretty good already. Now, I have to admit that ATHLETIC GIRL does fall in one aspect – the hip-hop instrumentation. I felt the background for ATHLETIC GIRL was lackluster and not innovative. I felt it could have been more dynamic and amped up. If this was the case, I think (in conjunction with everything I have mentioned already) would have made ATHLETIC GIRL more compelling.

The common stereotype in KPOP when it comes to music videos is that if you come from a small company, your music video isn’t going to be high quality. H1-KEY comes from a company that I have never even heard of, but this music video nowhere near the low end of the quality spectrum. I was astounded by the crisp quality of the video. I really liked the changing background of that concrete room. It was a subtle detail that I almost missed, but it definitely made the music video appear more dynamic. The sets were definitely well constructed, and looked really modern and cool on screen. The closeups for this music video showcases the members visuals, which is no doubt a great selling point for a debut music video. Great jobs to the members and the producers of this video!

I quite like the inclusion of the various exercise moves they had in the performance, even though I felt it was a tad too heavy handed (made the performance feel a bit repetitive). A few stretching, crouching and lunge poses and the showing of biceps (probably the most global way of showing how fit you are to the world!). I also enjoyed the confidence the members brought to the stage – quite refreshing. But the rest of the performance was a bit ordinary.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

[Review] TNT (Trust&Truth) – TRENDZ

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As mentioned the other day, this week is shaping to be a slow week for KPOP releases. This means that I would be able to review some releases from January 2022 or December 2021 that I haven’t done so yet. First up (and the theme for reviews today) is a rookie group. TRENDZ made their debut at the start of the year on January 5, with the single TNT (Trust&Truth) and the mini-album Blue Set Chapter 1. Tracks. They are a seven-member male group (consisting of members Havit, Leon, Yoonwoo, Hankook, ra.L, Eunil, and Yechan) under Interpark Music Plus (which is also the current home of LABOUM).

As a first step out of the gate, TNT (Trust&Truth) is not a bad debut track. But a lot of the track offers nothing new to the male group landscape in KPOP. There were very small parts of the song that I liked. But for the most part, the song falters and doesn’t feel as explosive as the title suggests (more on this in a bit). Let’s start off with the positives of TNT. I liked the smooth swipe that the initial line of the chorus (‘We can blow it up like TNT’) brings to the song. It rings on in my head once TNT wraps up, and something memorable gave me an excuse to come back for more. The rappers in this group are pretty good and give TNT a lot of additional oomph. The rapping at the start held strong promise for the rest of the song (though the instrumental could have been bit more dynamic here to really kick off the song). Their follow-up to the second chorus gave the song a much needed boost of edgy energy and was one of my favourite parts of the song. The deep-autotuned voice and the rapping in the bridge was also impressive and added a big kick. For the negative aspects of the TNT, I want to put down the instrumentation and vocals. If there is something that needs to be nailed, it was the instrumental. It is such a missed opportunity to produce a song titled TNT (i.e. an explosive chemical) and not have an explosive backing. A really good example of this lacking feeling is the rapping in the second verse, which felt lost and empty with an absent instrumental. As for the vocals, the vocal line didn’t really offer anything impressive like the rappers and felt very plain for the most part. The verses were forgettable and the rest of the chorus (aside from that initial line mentioned above) just didn’t pack a punch as it should of. Overall, it is clear that I wanted more from TRENDZ and TNT (Trust&Truth).

The music video takes on a dark and edgy look, which works well with the song. My issue with the video is that it was really hard to focus on the video, given the different shots the editors had jammed into parts of the video. Sometimes this technique does work and the music video can look impressive as a result. But other times, it just doesn’t and I feel that this music video falls into the ‘does not work’ category. In addition to that, I didn’t find anything memorable in this video and this combination makes it a blur.

The performance for this debut was quite impressive and I felt this was the strongest aspect of TRENDZ’s debut. I really like the intense energy they brought to the performance, which also unlocks hidden intensity in the song that I didn’t get from just only listening to the song or watching the music video. I like the powerful nature behind their execution of the moves, particularly in the chorus, where they gave it their all.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6.4/10