[International Song Reviews] STAYC, Jung Kook (BTS), Stray Kids, TWICE

Posted in International Song Review, JPOP, Western POPTagged , , , ,

Welcome back to another International Song Reviews post. Last week, I continued the coverage of 2022 releases, including Japanese songs from ITZY, LOONA and Rocket Punch, and an English from JAMIE. During this week, it dawned on me that we are already in the latter half of 2023 and I haven’t reviewed any 2023 non-Korean releases yet. Pretty behind schedule, if you also just noticed. So, today, I am going to start my coverage of 2023 non-Korean releases (and return to the existing 2022 songs in later posts). In this post, I will be covering two Japanese songs released by trendy Korean artists (STAYC & Stray Kids), one English song from earlier on in the year (TWICE) and one very fresh English-language release that dropped just yesterday (Jung Kook’s solo debut).

Poppy – STAYC

Language: Japanese
Release Date: 23 November 2022
Album: POPPY (1st Japanese Single)

Before you say it, yes, STAYC’s POPPY is technically a 2022 release. But it was not eligible as part of the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, so I am considering it as part of the upcoming 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards (and hence have included in my list of 2023 songs). For me, the strongest aspect of POPPY was its chorus, which was definitely catchy and addictive. I really liked the slightly monotonous and breathy approach that the producers and members utilised in the first half of the chorus, followed up with a very vibrant set of melodies in the second half. Combined with the quirky and bouncy synths, POPPY ended up being a very cool and fun track from my point of view. Elsewhere in the song, we got strong vocals and rapping from the group. Altogether, POPPY is a successful extension of their discography and highlights their pop style. The music video is indeed colourful, which works well with both the song and the Japanese market. It creates a playful atmosphere, which appeals to the latter as well. I did like the retro flair the music video, bringing in a 90s element to the video. But I aloo enjoyed the modern special effects that were used to help fill out the background. The choreography feels catchy and fun, just like the song and music video. There is also a more apparent cutesiness to the choreography, which I don’t find too overbearing to watch.

Overall Rating – 8.4/10

Seven – Jung Kook (BTS) ft. Latto

Language: English
Release Date: 14 July 2023
Album: Seven (Digital Single)

I figured I prioritise Seven’s review, given it is one of the biggest comebacks of this past week and it could potentially take months for me to actually review Seven per the usual schedule. But before we begin, I am genuinely surprised Jung Kook’s solo single would be in English (and that there is an explicit version). It was quite unexpected when I checked out the songs yesterday, but I am not upset about it. There is a lot to like in Seven. I really enjoyed the up-tempo nature of the song, with the glitchy beat really driving the song forward. This instrumentation works really well with Jung Kook’s vocals, with the pairing of these elements feeling well-rounded and balanced. The ‘Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday‘ hook is very catchy and Jung Kook makes this roll along so effortlessly. The verses are very clean and straight-forward. Latto makes an appearance in what is supposed to be the bridge of Seven. While I am not too troubled by this featuring, I was not entirely fond of the sound effects she was adding to the song. I felt that this should be been maintained in the explicit version, rather than the clean version.

As for the music video, it was unexpectedly a funny watch. Throughout the video, we see Jung Kook chase after Han So Hee after the pair had an argument. He wants to make amends, while she is not having it. We see these events transpire over dinner, in a flooded laundromat, on a train and a very stormy day. At one point, Jung Kook supposedly dies whilst chasing after her. We cut to his funeral, in which he miraculously wakes up and Han So Hee reacts by giving him the biggest eye and head roll. In the end, Han So Hee does relent and forgives him, and the pair walks away into the distance. Jung Kook also preformed Seven on Good Morning America, so the comeback does have some choreography to it. It isn’t anything major or epic, but it shows Jung Kook’s stage presence and style.

Overall Rating – 9.1/10

The Sound – Stray Kids

Language: Japanese
Release Date: 28 January 2023
Album: The Sound (1st Japanese Studio Album)

Just like how I said POPPY is a successful extension of STAYC’s discography above, the exact same comment can be applied here for The Sound and Stray Kids. The Sound is your classic Stray Kids track, complete with a full dosage of intensity and ‘noisy’ synths that people have previously described Stray Kids comebacks. I do find that The Sound is a lot more electrifying and the chorus is probably their most in-your-face effort to date. The group nails the vocals and rapping aspects of the song, which isn’t much of a surprise for me. Though, I am appreciative that the members can still be heard over the instrumentation. Otherwise, the combination of intensity and synths could easily drown out the group. If I had to be critical of anything, I am bit disappointed at the short length of the track. it just felt like it was over so soon. But on the flip side, they did pack a lot in and pulled it off. The music video depicts two sides of the group. On one hand, the group lives a peaceful life. But ever so slowly, the members can feel the presence of energy that shows the group’s more intense and powerful side. I liked how the music video depicts the energy as a tornado and intense storm (which they can see in the distance). The special effects were super cool, especially the effects that depicts the sound energy and the moments in which the house is being ripped apart by the storm. Choreography-wise, I like the clock-like formation, the group’s embracement of the song’s intensity by incorporating vibrations into their performance and the group’s command of the stage.

Overall Rating – 9/10

MOONLIGHT SUNRISE – TWICE

Language: English
Release Date: 20 January 2023
Album: Ready To Be (12th Mini Album)

Another reason to why I am looking at 2023 releases now in this segment is that I am slowly getting around to writing album reviews for certain releases which include an English song that was pre-released or promoted as part of the comeback, which is very much a growing trend in KPOP nowadays. And TWICE’s MOONLIGHT SUNRISE is on that list of songs that I need to review before I write the album review. All my thoughts on MOONLIGHT SUNRISE in this review comes after the song has grown on me a lot. MOONLIGHT SUNRISE does indeed sound pleasant and has a decent ring to it. But my craving for something more out of MOONLIGHT SUNRISE still stands. However, it lacks the energy and punchiness that makes it a prolific TWICE track. It feels constricted and limited, which leaves the song deflated and monotonous (but not in a good way like in POPPY). As the song progresses towards its end, we do get a teaser of what MOONLIGHT SUNRISE potentially could have been like, with JIHYO and NAYEON’s soaring vocals and ad-libs really helps bring life back into the song. Had the song mirrored similar energy in its body and gone further in the end, then MOONLIGHT SUNRISE would have been set up to be a much better track. But as it is, even though decent enough, MOONLIGHT SUNRISE still feels lacking. For the music video, it showed off the visuals of the members really well and I enjoyed the purple hue that was quite prominent. The group appears to be appealing to their lover to come by, which we do see happen at the end with the car rolling up by the love heart lock house. Honestly, however, I haven’t really returned to the music video since its release, just because there isn’t too much in it to pull me back. On the other hand, the choreography was a very big positive for this pre-release. The group shows a more mature energy and executed the moves so well. I also enjoyed the synchronisation and smoothness, particularly during chorus.

Overall Rating – 7.6/10