Also making his comeback yesterday was KANG DANIEL with the song SOS and his fifth mini-album REALIEZ. It follows the release of his all-English pre-release single Wasteland, another single from REALIEZ mini-album. This KANG DANIEL’s first Korean comeback since the release of his repackaged version of his first studio length album last year, The Story: Retold, which was lead by the singles Upside Down and Nirvana.

SOS is an interesting mix of grungy rock (when it comes to the choruses), and trippy and unconventional trap elements (when it comes to the verses). The former brings a dramatic flair to the song via its drumming and the electric guitar work we hear is continues the momentum with ease. The bridge of SOS is a great showcase of the grungy rock influence – my personal favourite segment of SOS. I did want a bit more to this side of the song, however. As the song returns to the choruses, I wished the backing became more electrifying, just to give SOS something more and this would have cohesively bind the song further with the trap elements. Nothing too wild is required, just something to make the grungy rock pop out a bit more and give some more flair to the choruses. As for those trap elements, they are a bit more untraditional compared to other trap based songs and KANG DANIEL’s past work that has a similar combination (i.e. PARANOIA). Based on how they sound, I would say they are more of an experimental touch to the song, but they give off such a unique vibe that I really enjoyed. KANG DANIEL’s vocals are quite nice. I like how they are sound muted, but retrospectively they somehow give off a lot of character at the same time. The repetition of the hook was also quite catchy. Altogether, I thought SOS was a strong piece that showcases KANG DANIEL’s niche and sound quite well. SOS could have done more in some areas, just to give it more edge. But the final product is great as it is.

The music video for SOS had a Mad Max type of concept to it and this was quite cool. The production value of this music video is definitely up there and it made the whole video amazing to watch. The song has conveys the message “of not giving in to the chaotic situation and fighting firmly against it” (taken from Soompi), and we see KANG DANIEL never backing down and fighting against the chaos around him. I am not entirely sure what the game and later scenes of the music video were about, but they do show how KANG DANIEL is unfazed around the figures that represent death and the hell setting we see him in. Even as the sky starts disintegrating at the end with the credits, KANG DANIEL continues on his journey forward.

As for the choreography, KANG DANIEL and the dancers showcase their talent in this department in the performance for SOS. There is a definitely cool factor to it and I liked the intensity he brings with his presence to the choreography. Nothing stands out individually, but the whole performance was riveting to watch, as always.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.9/1`0