Another album review for you all. LOONA made their comeback back in June of this year with FL!P that, a special summer mini-album. The release features the title track Flip That and the single POSE, alongside another 3 side tracks and an introductory instrumental track. The latter named single was released as part of the group’s participation in Queendom 2, which they finished as the runner-up (after WJSN).

FL!P that was a standard length mini-album, but it just felt short. It doesn’t feel like a six track mini-album, for some odd reason. I kind of wished there was more to it. But still, a catchy title track and one of the side tracks might be able to sneak away with the title of best side track of the year. Read on to find out which one song that is, and let me know if you agree with me.

1. The Journey – The Journey sets the scene for this special mini-album. It first starts off very ethereal natural sound, as if you are looking into a mystical forest in a fairytale. The synths build from here into quite a bass-heavy and boisterous piece that brings a whole heap of dynamic flair to the track, but the incorporation of the Flip That instrumental in the background (and more upfront and whole in the final moments of this instrumental track) hints at more delicate and sweeter undertone to the mini-album.

2. Flip That (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Flip That. (8/10)

3. Need U – I quite enjoyed Need U’s chorus, which felt very minimal but also fulfilling at the same time. I also liked how the minimalism also comes through the members’ vocals and melodies, which made the chorus speak much louder than how it sounds. The verses, whilst less memorable, also had a minimalistic vibe. But every time I revisit them, I find they set up the choruses quite well. My only gripe about the song is the cutesy spoken line ‘You make me shine’ you hear in the chorus. I don’t agree with its presence, as it just stuck out like a sore thumb for me and detracted from the rest of the song. (8.5/10)

4. POSE – Click here to read the review for POSE. (7/10)

5. Pale Blue Dot – The bass that opens up Pale Blue Dot really pulls you in. And I am so happy that it did. The bass leads you to a thumping verse backing that is so pretty thanks to LOONA’s delicate yet vibrant vocal work and melodies of the song. The pre-chorus builds the song up in an epic fashion, yet also keeping the LOONA touch. What you don’t really expect the simplicity of this song’s chorus. But somehow it works and I am loving it. The ‘Ooh Ooh Ooh’ was super catchy and fun. The second run at the chorus incorporated more instrumentation, building the liveliness of the song. The drumming in the bridge and Chuu’s soaring vocals was definitely an amazing peak for (you guessed it) my favourite side track from this mini-album. (10/10)

6. Playback – Playback brings us back to a more typical sounding mid-tempo pop ballad. The melodies were on the plainer side, but there was still a decent swaying motion/effect coming out of this song. Unfortunately, Playback wasn’t as riveting as the producers had intended to be. I think this is partly due to the fact that Playback follows on from Pale Blue Dot. No matter what song that comes after the preceding track, it all would have felt plainer and dull. But at least the synths in this track gave it a more vibrant feel, which allowed to feel and sound suitable as a follow-up track. (7/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.1/10