Welcome back to MAMAMOO! It has been four years since MAMAMOO’s last group comeback with ILLELLA. Since then, the members have been focused on unit and extensive solo careers. But as confirmed late last year, the group will return with new music and embark on a world tour. The first of the two events occurred last week with the release of the special single album 4WARD and its title track, 4 Flowers. The second of the two events (i.e., the world tour) will start later this month.

Given we have been deprived of MAMAMOO material for the last four years, it wasn’t going to take much for me to like the new song. I did have some concerns that the release could have been similar to some of the later songs in their career, which I agree aren’t among MAMAMOO’s best tracks. But upon hearing 4 Flowers, I am reassured that the track focuses on MAMAMOO’s greatest asset – their vocals. Their vocals just elevate the track, giving it some really stunning, enjoyable melodies to sink into. I enjoyed how graceful everything sounded, and then, when it came to the bridge, the members added some punch to the song through their delivery. I also liked how they sneaked some of their powerful vocals through ad-libs, and the shared harmonies between the four members at the end brought the track to a wonderful and touching close. On the instrumental side, 4 Flowers is more of a pleasant mid-tempo pop song, with beautiful piano and classical elements, lovely guitar work and nice drumming. Altogether, MAMAMOO’s grand return after four years, through the track 4 Flowers, is a nice reflection of what MAMAMOO does best.

It is very clear from its lyrics that 4 Flowers expresses their strong bond as a group over time. With lyrics such as “Even scattered, we share the same root“, “Flowers bloom, and flowers wilt away again,” and “After parting, we love even more“, you can definitely hear and see the everlasting bond that connects them together. In the music video, we see solo shots of the members in the sterile set, feeling empty and isolated. When they come together in the group shot, as in the featured image above, and as they hand outside in nature, the set becomes less empty and the colour in their world returns. Also, with the lyrics centred on flowers, the nature scenes felt logical and natural.

I used the word graceful earlier to describe their vocals, but I feel I must extend this out to their performance as well. I liked how they included choreography to embrace the more upbeat moments of the routine while maintaining their vocal focus, which is a nice throwback to their earlier stages that always did the same.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10