Time for another review for an “older” release. This time, the focus is on JO YURI’s Summer comeback which occurred back at the start of June of this year. The song that lead this comeback is titled Love Shhh! and is featured on JO YURI’s first mini-album, Op.22 Y-Waltz: in Major. This comeback follows her debut last year with GLASSY.

One word summarises GLASSY to this day for me – forgettable. As a result, I didn’t have much expectations going into Love Shhh!. My only hope was this new song was not a repeat of her debut. And well, JO YURI definitely hit the brief. It might because I had super low expectations for this comeback, but I think it is more correct to say JO YURI exceeded the brief by a lot with Love Shhh!. Love Shhh! is much more dynamic, energetic and full of vigor that makes the track super bright and animated for me. Its pop dance vibe is infectious and the guitars bring both an explosive and funky element to the song. Even JO YURI sounds livelier in Love Shhh!. I did wish her vocals packed more of a punch and gave us a bit more texture as the song progressed. We were definitely heading in that direction. There was opportunity for the producers to experiment with her vocal tones, which potentially would have Love Shhh! even more engaging and interesting. The hooks are super catchy and helps makes the song infectious, but I think her vocals could have made the impact of these hooks a bit more than what we got. Despite this, however, everything within Love Shhh! (as it is) still makes it an addictive dance track for the Summer season!

The music video shows JO YURI receiving some mean and toxic messages, either from haters (I am thinking this is the case – based on the love hearts and hazardous signs that is coming simultaneously from her device) or a former lover. But instead of being hung up on these messages and self-doubting, JO YURI shows us her confidence and resilience by making the most of her day. This goes hand-in-hand with the actual meaning/message behind her lyrics. That is, it conveys the message of loving and enjoying life energetically and confidently no matter the situation (taken from SOOMPI). Aside from the storyline, I enjoyed all the shots in the video (so bright!!) and JO YURI herself looked amazing throughout the video.

The choreography for this comeback was pretty good. I liked how she shows off her confidence, just like in the music video, in this routine. I also enjoyed the different formations she had in the choreography, particularly around the second chorus where she is the only dancing and the dancers are huddled in the background. JO YURI was also super cute and youthful in this.

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