Making their comeback on Wednesday of this week was VIVIZ, their official first comeback since their debut as a trio earlier this year with BOP BOP!. Leading the group’s second mini-album, Summer Vibe, is the title track LOVEADE. This comeback also follows the group’s participation on the show Queendom 2, to which they placed third. Fun fact – VIVIZ is the fourth competitor from the show to comeback following the show’s end in May of this year.

Let me start by affirming that LOVEADE is genuinely a decent song. It has all the elements it needed to be a fantastic summer track. LOVEADE had an upbeat and energetic funky retro pop instrumental with a fun beat. There was an undeniable refreshing and bright atmosphere that is brought to life by both the instrumental and higher pitched vocals. Though the description is most accurate for the latter during the chorus’ and the more powerful moments such as the bridge (which was a showstopping section of LOVEADE). And there were light melodies that I find to be a catchy aspect of the song. All of this ticks the many boxes for a great song. But unfortunately, a part of me also feels that LOVEADE was constricted, confined and limited. I wanted the song and the members to go the extra mile with LOVEADE. One of the prime examples of this desire to go the extra mile can be applied to the main hook, the repetitive ‘I love it … love it, ice loveade‘. Admittedly, it has caught on thanks to multiple replays of the song, but it did feel flat to me at first. The same feeling emerges when the main hook is repeated at the end of the song every time I play it. Had there been a bit of a different backing other than the stripped instrumental, or they approached in a slightly different manner (all of which I would consider to fall under the ‘going the extra mile’), I think the main hook would have faired better. Similarly, the vocals in the verses were just dry and plain. They don’t really offer much to the song, and this is quite disappointing. I wished more was done in regards to this, just to give LOVEADE an overall equal level of flair and colour to make the song more exciting and enjoyable.

The accompanying music video for this comeback was quite pretty. It felt summery and bright. The song likens a couple’s love to a refreshing ade beverage (taken from SOOMPI), but I got more of a ‘make the best out of a situation’ with a side of a crush from the music video. But that’s fine, as it is still refreshing and enjoyable. I found the idea of a guy pierced with the arrows that Umji shot (and subsequently missed) to be quite funny. I really like the dance set with the mirrored walls. The different ways of styling made it feel different every time, and this would help cut down on costs. Quite a clever tactic.

The small heart shapes and motions they make with their hands was quite cute and a memorable aspect of the performance. I also really like the triangle formation just before the final chorus, where the members just did small swings while standing in one spot but the camera did the moving, so it felt like there was a fair bit of movement. Adds another clever tactic to the performance side of this comeback.

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