Jumping from the start of the week to the end, I am now reviewing LE SSERAFIM’s lead single, CELEBRATION, from their upcoming 2nd studio album, PUREFLOW Pt. 1. However, I suspect LE SSERAFIM has more title tracks up their sleeve from their upcoming album, which is due to be released in less than a month’s time. CELEBRATION serves as LE SSERAFIM’s first release since last October’s Spaghetti featuring j-hope (from BTS).

CELEBRATION sees LE SSERAFIM venture back into EDM with a hardstyle approach and melodic techno. I like the bold, powerful energy CELEBRATION brings, as you don’t often get much of this hard-hitting energy in KPOP these days. But while I want to say CELEBRATION delivers on this, the track’s ending says otherwise. It just abruptly ends and stops, leaving you wanting more, but in a very unsatisfying way. I have a feeling the producers kept the song short because of its relatively neutral, repetitive nature, which forced them to limit CELEBRATION. But it was a poor decision to keep us hanging and ultimately put me off the track. What keeps me on CELEBRATION is the members themselves. I kind of wish the dial on their vocals were turned up so they weren’t as soft. But that being said, their vocals were pretty and enjoyable, particularly in the verses and even over the EDM during the choruses. Overall, I did like the direction it was heading in, but CELEBRATION‘s execution fell short.

The music video starts off Halloween-esque, with a Frankenstein-like being peeling off his human mask to reveal his true face after returning home. But LE SSERAFIM comes into his home, kicking down the door, frightening the Frankenstein-like being (whipping something that resembles blood and cutting a cake with a chainsaw would probably scare most people) and running away with LE SSERAFIM and a bunch of others in hot pursuit. He runs as far as he can to get away from the group (through snow or the desert), escaping even to the moon. But LE SSERAFIM finds him in the end, only to hand him a ticket to the Creature Party and reveal themselves (and everyone else) are creatures. And as a happily ever after, they all start partying, celebrating and accepting the Frankenstein-like being as one of their own. Yay! But someone should give LE SSERAFIM a lesson on how to approach people without scaring them off.

Without a doubt, CELEBRATION was intended to be a performance piece. And it served well as one. The head-banging choreography (especially with their hair tied up) looked really cool, and I liked the sassy attitude that some of the members donned during the performance. I also enjoyed the celebratory aspect of the performance, which kept it true to the song’s message.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10