The next rookie group to be covered is TAN, who one day I will revisit to review their more recent releases such as Louder, Walking On The Moon and Beautiful Lie (which will be released later this week). But for now, I will be focusing on their debut single, DU DU DU, which was released way back in February of this year. TAN is a project group, formed through the MBC survival shot, The Wild Idol. From the show, the final lineup of TAN consists of Changsun (current member of 24K), Taehoon (participated in CAP-TEEN), Jiseong (member of NTX), Sunghyuk (former member of RAINZ), Jaejun (former member of C-Clown, under the stage name Maru, and TREI), Hyunyeop, and Jooan (former member of We In The Zone).

TAN’s debut essentially has what I want in a debut song. There is a uniqueness to the song that allows DU DU DU to stand out from the pack, and this should do wonders to TAN as a strong foot forward. The unique aspect of the song is the acapella start and feature throughout the song. It is different to the reliance of synths nowadays and there is also an intriguing vibe at the same time coming from it. The acapella itself is rather low, and so the rest of DU DU DU is built around it. We get a groovy bassline (as pointed out with the deep voice uttering ‘bassline’) and a deep/thick vibrating synth as the backing of the part of the first verse. Interestingly, the acapella we get at the start of the song returns as a backing to the raps. This is quite unique and different to how acapella has previously be utilised in KPOP (from the top of my head). When we reach the chorus, we get more acapella in the background, a smooth and sleek melody made possible by the falsetto vocals and a more substantial beat that is in line with the groovy bassline. The second verse continues the groovy underlay of the song, but with more riveting vocals and rap. I am very into the opening line of the second verse, where the line is delivered without any instrumental backing. That was a cool moment in DU DU DU. There is also a bit of extra detailing in the instrumental in the second verse, which builds on the momentum of the song. In the bridge, we get a more focused piece from the main rapper and I liked how the instrumental changes into more of a hip-hop piece here. After that, a well done high note and a further change in instrumental without changing the melody or tone of DU DU DU. And after that, DU DU DU closes with the same acapella that opened up the song. With a solid showing of vocals and rapping from the group, and a song like DU DU DU, I am now confused to why I had put off reviewing this song earlier on in the year.

I am not entirely sure what to make of the music video. It begins with a member falling into the unknown, which raises a few questions. But the music video doesn’t really answer those questions. Instead, we get a bunch of different sets for the choreography and solo shots. It all looked good and artistic, but I wonder if there was a thread in which everything is connected. It feels like there is, given that artistic nature to it. But I can’t really pinpoint the connection. But aside from that, I liked the two colour tones of the video. One is the darkness that features heavily as the unknown I mentioned earlier. The second is an earthy brown (like the one we see in some of the choreography shots and the set of the featured image). An earthy brown isn’t my first pick of a core colour, but it definitely looks cool.

What an alluring performance piece. I never really paid attention to the live stages for DU DU DU, but watching it for this review tells me I have been missing out. They were quite charismatic and had stage presence. The synchronisation was top notch. I liked how the main members during the chorus snapped from non-choreography to the actual choreography within a blink of an eye. There is definitely potential for the group on the stage, and I can’t wait to review to see if their later releases reach/exceed this potential.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10