Casual reviews of KPOP songs, music videos & dances
Author: kpopreviewed
Hi, my name is Tony and I am the man behind the site, kpopreviewed. Currently an university student who wants to introduce people to KPOP and if you are already into KPOP, different groups and bands.
Today, I am going to get the Weekly KPOP Charts post for this past week out early so I can focus more on the reviews that I had planned to write. A few of them are coming next week (starting Monday), so keep your eyes peeled for those. With that being said, there is a bit to get through (i.e. big jumps and Top 5 breakdown) today in this post, so let’s get moving along.
This past week has been a bit of an odd one. With the limited amount of releases (I only recorded two new chart entries this week), I ended up listening to a lot of songs that I didn’t listen to much in the previous weeks. Hence there were a lot of big jumps in the charts this week (that is, more than 30 positions). MAMAMOO’s Wanna Be Myself experienced the biggest jump this week by 54 positions. Other big jumps include Kim Sejeong’s Whale, ATEEZ’s THANXX, D1CE’s One Summer, ONEWE’s Parting, CHECKMATE’s DRUM and Bae Jin Young and Kim Yo Han’s I Believe.
For the Top 5 breakdown, we have Stray Kids’ Back Door sitting firmly in the top position for the third week in a row. They are followed by TREASURE’s I Love You, which sits in the second position for the second week in a row. Rising into the top 5 from out of the last week’s Top 30 is CHECKMATE’s DRUM, which I reviewed earlier in the week. The Boyz’s The Stealer also rises into the Top 5, though it didn’t jump as much from last week. EVERGLOW’s La Di Da drops down one position into the fifth position this week, thus completing the Top 5 this week. For more of the charts, scroll down below.
Kicking off the intense month of October is BLACKPINK, who makes their third return of the year with their long-awaited first album! With the group’s success since the start of their career, fans have been actively pursuing a studio album for the group for the past four years they have been active. Prayers and requests were answered earlier this year when YG Entertainment confirmed confirmed the album for September (though I personally was in a ‘see it before I believe it’ mindset), but it was later pushed to October. Lovesick Girls headlines the album, which was been titled as The Album, and features alongside BLACKPINK’s How You Like That (released back in July) and Ice Cream featuring Selena Gomez (released in August).
Lovesick Girls is a great changeup to the group’s (and YG Entertainment’s) usual style of music. More recently, the company’s artists have been exploring new sounds and genres, though most of these releases do opt for some of the usual YG tactics. Lovesick Girls seems to be the biggest step away from the usual style, by opting for a dance pop profile rather than the hip-hop roots associated with BLACKPINK and their company. It also doesn’t include the usual chant-like chorus and drop chorus, nor does it build up to an anthem-like final chorus (in an attempt to changeup the song in its final moments). No doubt, all of this is quite refreshing. To me, Lovesick Girls is an impressive display of BLACKPINK’s vocals and rapping. The pre-chorus is the prime example of the great vocals, before the group joins forces with an all-in approach and catchy hummable melody. I do have some minor complaint about the chorus vocals though. I didn’t like how the slight echoey nature of the chorus. I felt that the producers had a strong opportunity to make this part dynamic, but opted for a much weaker approach. It didn’t ruin the song for me, but it did strip away the energy that was building towards to the chorus. The rapping that features briefly in the first verse and more prominently in the second verse gives the song more heft and depth, with Lisa and Jennie incorporating a brief hip-hop touch to their delivery. What really made the rapping better was how well it complimented the instrumentation. If the instrumentation was the cake, then Jennie and Lisa’s rapping would be the icing. In addition to that sequence, I really liked what the acoustic guitars brought to the verses, further complimenting that dance pop styled-chorus. Overall, Lovesick Girls is definitely a great song!
What a stunning music video. For once, BLACKPINK is not in a built set. I think we have seen BLACKPINK out in the open air before, but it has been a while if I remember correctly. The music video shows the members in a happy relationship one second and the next second are in an argument or in tears over their relationship. It works well with the lyrics, which is all about them wanting to love someone forever but only knowing the pain of heartbreak. The most captivating part of the music video belongs to Rose during the bridge of the song. The way she throws black paint across the pink wall (subtle BLACKPINK reference?) and is later seen covered in black paint and crying in the bathtub is such an impactful sequence for me. Her acting was superb. I had to rewatch that sequence a few times to properly take it all in.
The choreography looks good. The chorus starts off simple but it slowly builds in complexity as the routine involves moving about. The way they got into formation for some parts (as shown in the music video) looks quite clever as well. Other than that, I don’t have much else to say.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8.8/10
The next album on the reviewing list is A.C.E’s third mini-album, HJZM: The Butterfly Phantasy, which was released early September (exactly one month ago, to be precise). It is also my first album review for the group, so I am excited to dive into A.C.E’s side tracks. Featured on this album is the title track, Goblin (Favorite Guy), and the pre-release track, Stand By You (which was released back in the middle of this year). Alongside those two tracks that I have previously reviewed, there are three additional tracks to dive into. Let’s get going!
HZJM The Butterfly Phantasy Album Cover
1. Golden Goose– Whilst Golden Goose sounds different to what A.C.E usually releases, Golden Goose aligns with the intensity that we know and love from A.C.E’s title tracks. However, the members manages to infuse a little more character into the song through the hip-hop delivery of their vocals and rapping, similar to how A.C.E’s latest title track differed from the usual highly intense EDM we get. Likewise, Golden Goose opts for strong trap beats and instrumentation. It was undeniably powerful, promising and kicks off the album with a highly energetic track. The track did remind me of SEVENTEEN’s Getting Closer (a song which I really enjoyed) at certain parts. And if it manages to encapsulate that song, then Golden Goose is doing something right. (9/10)
3. Baby Tonight (황홀경) – Baby Tonight opts for a R&B track. I really like their vocal direction, with raspy and husky vocals being employed by all members. Altogether the song comes off as wholesome and quite warming. It felt like a decent song for the Autumn season. The main chorus hook was catchy and helped make the song quite appealing. It doesn’t stand out as much as the other songs on the album given that it was a more typical sound that we hear often in KPOP. But it was a good showcase of the member’s talents away from the EDM genre of music. (8/10)
5. Clover – For the first 20 seconds, the opening instrumental was totally my style. It felt so calming with the acoustic guitar. It felt refreshing and very appropriate for the Summer season that Korea was coming out of. I liked how Clover‘s instrumental became mixed with modern EDM synths. Typical, but still worth listening to it. The pop ballad is enhanced when the members start singing. Their vocals are nicely displayed. Jun’s hoarse voice was just amazing. The rapping was nicely tweaked to fit into the pop ballad genre and didn’t stray away from the main backbone to be its own thing (which tends to be the case with some songs nowadays). The melodies were nice and catchy. Overall, Clover was just a nice to ride out on. (9/10)
The second debut of last week that I want to cover today is GHOST9’s. The group hails from MAROO Entertainment, which is also the home to Park Ji Hoon. GHOST9 contains nine members (Junhyung, Dongjun, Shin, Kangsung, Junseong, Prince, Woojin, Taesung and Jinwoo), with the latter three also part of the TEEN TEEN project group lineup that made their debut last year with It’s On You. Other members of the group come from MIXNINE and Produce X 101 backgrounds as well. The group made their debut last Thursday with Think of Dawn as the title track.
When I checked out Think of Dawn last week, I didn’t think much of it. And unfortunately, it seems like that statement still stands true a week after it was released. It takes on the noisy side form EDM, with some of the instrumental becoming slightly overwhelming when the focus should have purely been on the member’s vocals and rapping. There are a few examples of noisy EDM that I liked this year and I felt that I would have enjoyed Think of Dawn if the producers mixed the song a bit better, so that the members would have been more of the focus rather than the instrumental. But aside from that, it features a strong instrumentation that is extremely powerful to see on stage (more on that later). And their vocals and rapping were of a good standard. I did like how smooth the falsetto vocals in the pre-chorus and chorus felt, contrasting nicely with the intense and almost-erratic nature of the EDM instrumentation. I feel that the song could have been enhanced with some individual flair. To me, Think of Dawn could have been released by a number of other male groups active this year. It was pretty much a ‘heard before’ sound throughout majority of the track. The instrumental dance breakdown was a pleasant surprise. I liked the inclusion of it and its overall intensity, but this would have been a great opportunity to have gone down a unique route. Overall, a decent debut track.
It seemed like the music video didn’t have much to it other than that choreography and closeup formula (I really need to decide which order the two C’s should be in and stick with it). However, at the very end, we see one of the members flip a switch, revealing the massive cyclops robot that follows the members at the very of the music video. The presence of this robot raises questions, some of which are answered in the prequel video ‘Cinematic World‘. However, how did the members get stuck in the set of this music video? And what did the ending of the prequel video mean? I guess we will find out in their next music video/comeback. Story aside, I find such a robot to be very eerie (how fitting for the month of October) and the suspense at the end really sets the bar for the next comeback. I wished they included some of that suspense throughout the earlier parts of the MV. That would have made the video a little more captivating to watch.
As mentioned earlier, the song enables the performance to be very powerful. And that is exactly what we get. I quite like that. But they could have gone for something a little more impressive at the start. It looked cool but compared to other stunts that we have seen this year, it falls short. The performance climaxes during the instrumental dance break, which looked awesome.
Song – 7/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 7.5/10
Today, I want to focus on the debuts last week. First is the debut of an extremely rare CO-ED group. It is a very small niche within the KPOP community, with only two active groups (KARD and Tiger-K ZERO from the top of my head), so there is definitely more room for CO-ED groups in the industry. Coming from GRACE COMPANY Entertainment, CHECKMATE is a five-member group consisting of Sieun, Suri, Nason, Yongseok, and Noah. They debuted last week on the 21st with DRUM.
Unlike what the song’s title suggest, DRUM lacks dynamism from the get-go. To me, drums (the instrument) symbolisms power and depth in music. We don’t really get much of either in the song, which is a pity as I feel like DRUM was going in all the right directions. It did have some catchy energy and flair through the moombahton influence embedded in the instrumental. Both of these could have been enhanced to the next level by somehow incorporating power and depth within the music. Aside from the instrumental, the members attempt to put their best foot forward through their vocals and rapping. There was some catchy vocal melodies that the female members brought in the pre-chorus sequence and the chorus. As much as these melodies were catchy and easy to get into, I found all their vocals to have this certain dullness to them. They just weren’t interesting and didn’t have much individual colour. (On the flipside, it is quite refreshing to see the male members take on a vocalist role as well). Likewise, the rapping just didn’t have momentum to grab my attention. It should of as the song had some flair that would have enabled for the rap sequence to gain some edge, which occurs in some groups (i.e. in such songs, the rappers manage to outshine the rest of the group). It seems like whatever CHECKMATE is doing, it is definitely in the right direction. It just wasn’t executed as well. If the song proved anything, there is some potential behind this group, which makes me hopeful for their next release.
Apart from taking on that close-up and choreography setup, the music video doesn’t elicit much from me. The sets were pretty ordinary and they had some good closeups that captured their visuals well. I am a little surprised that there was no images of drums flashing throughout the music video. I think some coloured dusts bouncing off the drums would have worked in this video and added an additional element of fun. The producers may have thought this was a cliche idea, but I reckon it would have been fine.
To me, the performance was a highlight for this debut package. I liked the drum imagery they had incorporated during the chorus and the body rolls. Their movements helped made the song seem a lot more lively than what it really felt without seeing the performance, so good on them for that!
Song – 6.5/10 Music Video – 6/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 6.7/10
Let’s begin the influx review with just one review, two tomorrow and a few more each coming day!Might be ambitious for me, but a challenge I am willing to take.
After a break from the industry, VAV is back as a six-member group dropping their new release earlier, MADE FOR TWO, this week. Baron enlisted just last week prior to the official release of MADE FOR TWO. He features in the music video, but is unable to participate in the promotions for this comeback for the obvious reason. MADE FOR TWO is the group’s first comeback in 11 months after Poison dropped in October last year.
MADE FOR TWO is a very unique song. It is a new type of minimalist song in my point of view, opting for very little instrumentation. I say ‘new type’ because I don’t think I have ever used the saying ‘less is more’ to describe a song in general, let alone a minimalist song. MADE FOR TWO is a testament to this saying. It strikes a fine balance by going down this very aesthetic minimal route, but not spilling into the area of music that underwhelms. There were moments that I found the song to have an epic vibe, such as the orchestral final moments that the song takes. What really drove the dynamic nature of the song are the vocals and rapping. They pretty much helped give the song that extra kick. I really like the backing vocals which added some depth to the vocal front of the song, whilst the main vocals by the members really helped propelled the song forward. When it came to the harmonisation of both the backing and forefront vocals, I was pretty much blow away how silky and smooth they felt. But it is the rapping that really gave the song some impact and helped give the song a bit of zing. The faster nature of the rapping (relative to the vocals) were really a highlight and memorable moments of the song for me. The instrumental complimented, but it maintained that minimalist vibe. Overall, MADE FOR TWO is pretty much up there as one of the best VAV songs I have heard (Gorgeous still takes the title for best VAV song). And with that statement, it is safe to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this comeback track.
The music video shows each member hanging out with a lady, before we see them alone reminiscing about those times, complimenting the lyrics. What makes the music video a little bit more captivating (as the idea can become quite dull) are drone shots that make the video look quite epic. It is a little flair to add some more appealing points to the music video. Those scenes when the members are on the rocks, and the drone captures the waves crashing into the rocks and also zooming by the members are probably strong examples of how appealing and aesthetic they made this video.
Unfortunately, the comeback suffers in the performance domain. I had expected this when I heard the song. It would have been extremely hard to pull off a captivating performance with a song of this style, when there isn’t much of the music to build the performance from. They do a good job, but it just doesn’t impress as I wished it had.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 6/10 Overall Rating – 8.1/10
Starting from this Past Album Review (PAR), I will be posting these PARs once a fortnight (as opposed to weekly) so that I can focus more on reviews and manage my time better 😊.
The next PAR that I wanted to do was an F(x) album. It took me three weeks to write it up, since there was so many songs! But after many delays, I have finally completed my album review for F(x)’s third studio album, Red Light, which features the title track of the same name. What was quite surprising was the realisation that this album was released 6 years ago in July 2014. Definitely a long time since 2014, but it is scary how quick time has flown by. It is also the last album to feature the late member Sulli, who left the group the year after its release.
Red Light Album Cover
1. Red Light (Title Track) – I do not have a breakdown of 8/10 rating I gave the entire Red Light comeback. Given how much I have enjoyed he song since its release and the original review, I have decided the song was worthy of a 10/10 rating. Click here to read the full review for Red Light.(10/10)
2. MILK – MILK is one of those odd tracks that F(x) is quite well known for. It definitely feels that way if you are listening to the song for the time, as it mixes a Bollywood sound with traditional pop. Personally, I dig this song due to the amount of times I have heard it (as this song was also promoted alongside Red Light). It is less heavy, allowing F(x) to show off some innocent and cutesy charms without the full commitment to the cutesy concept. I also enjoyed the vocals throughout MILK, being one of the song’s charms. (9/10)
3. Butterfly (나비) – To me, Butterfly’s instrumentation has a Britney Spears type of vibe to it. But as we progress away from the start of the song, Butterfly transform into a neat pop track. Typical pop at the very best and it is a whole lot lighter in tone and has less attitude (which is quite synonymous with Britney Spears). That is thanks to F(x)’s beautiful vocals, which brings that lighter tone to the song. As a whole, Butterfly is quite pleasant to listen to and frankly, underrated with the lack of attention it got. (9/10)
4. Rainbow (무지개) – Despite being released for 6 years now, Rainbow is one of the few tracks that I just cannot get used to. And I blame the very start of the song that overwhelmed me. It has been a while since I listened to the song and it actually surprised me (more like scared me as I had my volume on full blast) when I listened to the song to write this review. It attempts to infuse a hip-hop sound, which I personally don’t mind. But I don’t think it is a perfect fit with the pop direction that the vocals ended up opting for throughout the song (though the group does execute the hip-hop/pop sound later on in the album). (6/10)
5. All Night– There are two things that still amazes me even after all these years with the very retro All Night. The first is the pleasant melodies. They were so easy to get into and they just made the song so smooth to listen to. The members do the heavy lifting with the melodies and I commend them on that. The second thing has to be the 80s style instrumental. It is pretty straightforward for the most part, but I love how the synths accented a lot of the instrumentation, giving the song some depth. I also really liked Amber’s raps, which fitted in quite nicely. (10/10)
6. Vacance (바캉스) – Vacance is the group’s attempt of pop rock on this album. While I liked the instrumentation and their vocals separately in this song, I actually did not enjoy them together. It just felt oddly incompatible. The instrumental was slow and weighed down, but it was quite funky. The vocals leaned towards really high falsetto and her effortlessly smooth. However, the pairing of the two just doesn’t blend together as nicely as I had hoped. Maybe if the funky instrumental was a little faster, the vocals would have fitted a little more nicely. (6/10)
7. Spit It Out (뱉어내) – Spit It Out is no doubt one of the group’s wackier tracks. But it is tracks like this that gives F(x)’s discography and singles that unique spark. I can see why some people might not like Spit It Out. Its instrumental is quite obnoxiously chaotic and may overwhelm some listeners. But moving past the crazy and chaotic nature of the synths and instrumental, the intensity is very thick and I find this to be an appealing point of the song. I also enjoyed the feeling of having everything just coming towards you at once, which is how I would describe this song. Their vocal and rapping work was quite solid in Spit It Out. (8.5/10)
8. Boom Bang Boom – Once again, Boom Bang Boom may also overwhelm the listener with its energy, especially when it comes to the explosive chorus, which may be a bit much. But as you can tell from the preceding track, I quite enjoy this technique and it really draws me in. To me, Boom Bang Boom is a lot simpler in terms of instrumentals and hence I don’t find it to be as chaotic and crazy like above. The fast tempo vocals and rapping does seem like a blur, but they compensate with an undoubtedly powerful and memorable chorus. And as per Krystal’s commentary at the end of the track, I love this song. (9/10)
9. Dracula – Dracula is my pick for the hidden gem on the album. It is a cohesive track that I just cannot fault. There is a lot of elements to enjoy in Dracula, so I am going to pick my favourites. I really like the hip-hop vibes that come from the song and the eerie yet soothing vocals that precede the chorus. The chorus was super catchy and addictive. I don’t have much else to say about the song, but it definitely one you all should have a listen to if you want a taste of F(x). (10/10)
10. Summer Lover – I think coming off a number of energetic and upbeat tracks, the thumping beat in Summer Lover comes off rather slow. Maybe Summer Lover could have been more effective as a track if it was placed prior to some of the above tracks. Despite that, Summer Love is a decent pop track. It feels wholesome and a return to normality. I really like how they sing the chorus together and the bright energy that comes off the song, which makes it suitable for … you guessed it… Summer. (7/10)
11. Paper Heart (종이 심장) – F(x) ends the album with a mellow and light acoustic pop track. It is a nice track to end with. It is also one of my favourite side tracks, thanks to its simple melody and catchy chorus. It also features the beautiful vocals of each of the members. But Amber really stands out the most. It is actually the first track that drew my attention to Amber back then and the fact that she could sing. I know I missed out a lot prior this to revelation, but I am glad it did! (10/10)
The next album on the reviewing list is Lovelyz’s latest mini-album release, Unforgettable. And the mini-album lives up to its name as it is quite unforgettable, despite the title track being Obliviate (the forgetting charm from the Harry Potter universe). Every song (including said title track) on this album is stunning in their own way and every song is near perfect. Lovelyz has really killed it with this mini-album and it sucks that the group/release is underrated. That is just a very brief overview of this review. For a little more detail and what I really liked about each of the song, continue reading below!
3. Dream in a Dream(자각몽) – Maybe it is because I have been on a horror binge lately, but the music box instrumental pieces give me creepy vibes. I wished that the lyrics reflected that somehow as it pretty mundane. In addition to the creepy vibes that the music box instrumental pieces provide the song, I also really enjoyed the contrast it also brings when paired with the synths in the chorus. Furthermore, the melodies and hushed style of the vocals in the chorus was also quite a highlight. But the biggest highlight in Dream In A Dream are the trio of high notes we get from Baby Soul, Sujeong and Kei. That was a genuine surprise that I really enjoyed. (9.5/10)
4. Never, Secret (절대, 비밀) – Never, Secret is beautiful song that is brings about a nostalgic Lovelyz sound that we associate with the group. It took me a while to register the song as a ballad, as the uses of synths alluded towards something different. But once you hear more of the stunning vocals, they don’t really stray away from the ballad genre. I love how the instrumental, while it doesn’t pick up at all, manages to incorporates various guitar pieces to ‘change up’ the song as it progresses. This doesn’t dry out the song and makes it more interesting. Overall, a soothing and calming ballad from the group. (9/10)
5. Memories(이야기꽃) – We move to a more upbeat pop track titled Memories. And it is another captivating track from Lovelyz. It starts off with a reggae influence, before building up to a dance pop sound that features much of the sounds we associate with Lovelyz (beautiful piano work and uplifting synths) for the chorus (with sdome brief rock influence). It is a little odd to describe in words. But once you hear it, it will make a lot more sense. To me, the best part of the song is Kei’s part in the bridge. That got a wow out of me and I had to go back a few times to relive that experience. (9/10)
6. Worry Dolls(걱정 인형) – Ending the album is Worry Dolls. It starts off simple with acoustic guitars and vocal work from the members. The song picks up instantly once it enters the chorus, amping up the sound of this ballad with a band and classical instrumentation. The song retains much of the energy that the chorus infused effortlessly for the second parts of the song, before we are given an electric guitar solo and returning briefly to acoustics. What makes Worry Dolls a really great song are the lyrics and harmonies that really make song wholesome and beautiful for fans and listeners alike. (9/10)
Another week has gone by. It was an intense past week with multiple comebacks and debuts occuring, which is commonly expected during the week before Chuseok (or the Mid-Autumn Festivals in other countries) based on previous years. This compensates for the lack of releases during the week of the holiday as many Koreans (including some idols) return to their hometowns to be with their family. As you can tell I haven’t covered all the comebacks and debuts from the past week, so I am hoping I can use the upcoming week to catch up. It will be a mammoth task, but I am sure I can knock out a few reviews this week. In the meantime, here is the Weekly KPOP Charts for the past week.
It is time to look at the high jumps for this week. Not the sport, but the giant leaps that we can see in the Top 30. Kang Daniel’s Who U Are, Yoon Dujun’s Lonely Night (the song with the biggest jump this week), APRIL’s Now or Never and (G)I-DLE’s DUMDI DUMDI were this week’s biggest jumps this week.
With that business out of the weigh, we turn to the Top 5. Starting from the bottom of this arrangement is fromis_9’s FEEL GOOD (SECRET CODE). In the fourth position is EVERGLOW’s latest single, La Di Da. In the third position is MOONBIN & SANHA’s Bad Idea. Treasure’s I Love You rises into the second position, while Stray Kid’s Back Door remains steady in the number one position for the second week in a row. For more of the charts, scroll down below.
20th Sep – 26th Sep 2020
Title
Artist
Status
1
Back Door
Stray Kids
(=)
2
I LOVE YOU
TREASURE
(▲ 5)
3
Bad Idea
MOONBIN & SANHA (ASTRO)
(▼ 1)
4
La Di Da
EVERGLOW
(new)
5
Feel Good (SECRET CODE)
fromis_9
(▼ 2)
6
The Stealer
The Boyz
(new)
7
Light
UP10TION
(new)
8
Open Mind
Wonho
(▲ 10)
9
Sacrifice
Han Seungwoo (VICTON)
(▲ 8)
10
NOT SHY
ITZY
(▲ 4)
11
Criminal
Taemin (SHINee)
(▼ 6)
12
RIDE
KNK
(▼ 4)
13
Bon Voyage
YooA (Oh My Girl)
(▼ 9)
14
Ice Cream
BLACKPINK ft. Selena Gomez
(▲ 6)
15
Helicopter
CLC
(▼ 9)
16
ARISONG
cignature
(new)
17
FLAME
CRAVITY
(▼ 8)
18
Who U Are
Kang Daniel
(▲ 39)
19
One (Monster & Infinity)
SuperM
(new)
20
TO BE OR NOT TO BE
ONEUS
(▲ 9)
21
Obliviate
Lovelyz
(▼ 8)
22
Bird
Kim Nam Joo (APINK)
(▲ 12)
23
Lonely Night
Yoon Du Jun (HIGHLIGHT)
(▲ 42)
24
nanana
MCND
(▲ 3)
25
MADE FOR TWO
VAV
(▼ 10)
26
BOCA
Dream Catcher
(▲ 27)
27
Now Or Never
APRIL
(▲ 32)
28
Dumdi Dumdi
(G)I-DLE
(▲ 30)
29
NUNU NANA
Jessi
(▲ 6)
30
When We Disco
J.Y. Park & Sunmi
(▲ 19)
Songs leaving the charts this week are:
Make It Love (MIL) – Song Ji Eun
Lonely Night – Yoon Du Jun (HIGHLIGHT)
Waves – Kang Daniel ft. Jamie & Simon Dominic
Gotta Go – Soyou
Paradise – Ravi ft. Ha Sung Woon
Now Or Never – APRIL
Inception – ATEEZ
Paradise – Eric Nam
NUNU NANA – Jessi
Thanks again and I will see you in the next review!
This is a problem with big gaps between releases. Groups can be easily be forgotten. In the chaos that is 2020, BDC has unfortunately become one of the forgotten groups, despite me enjoying their debut track. They made their debut in the later half of 2019 with Remember Me. Since then, we haven’t heard much from the trio that hails from Brand New Music (the home of AB6IX and Lee Eun Sang). That changed this week, however, as the trio returns with SHOOT THE MOON.
SHOOT THE MOON doesn’t play around with its sound this time around, unlike Remember Me. Right from the start, you could tell it was going to be a dance track. I really like the acoustic guitar and flute synth at the start. They make up the main basis of the verse. Nothing too harsh here. There are some solid work in the verses from the members, but it comes off rather plain and generic. The song instantly gets better once the chorus kicks into gear. The acoustic guitar at the start makes sense, as the song segueways into a fitting synthwave piece for the start of the chorus. Smooth and sleek are words I would describe this part of the chorus. The second part of the chorus features a harder drop, bolstering the chorus and giving some oomph to the song (all at the same time). The synthwave and harder drop carries over into the third part of the chorus, creating a heavy yet dynamic instrumental piece that comes off as quite memorable. They pretty much follow the same formula for the second verse and chorus (though it omits the harder synthwave piece). For the final chorus, the song opts for just the harder synthwave piece that I had outlined as the ‘third part of the choruses’/omitted from the second chorus. That was a smart move, as it embeds the climax within the boundaries of the song that they had set previously. It allows the song to come off as clean and simple. The vocal and rapping work in SHOOT THE MOON is solid. They do feel a little simple in hindsight, but I understand the music doesn’t get them much chance to delve into something a little more different. Overall, SHOOT THE MOON is a enjoyable track.
I am not too sure what the music video is trying to tell us. There obviously a storyline about shooting the moon, but I don’t know if they are actual cause of it as the moon blows up earlier on in the video, whereas the members cause the blue light to occur at the end of the video. Also not too sure about the members in those glass cylinders where they are wearing masks. What I do like is the darkness and minimalist vibes of the video. The two techniques work very well together and made the song a lot more elegant and mature sounding.
The performance begins and ends with the members within the ‘moon’ formed by the arms of the dancers. I like how the verses give each member solo moments to show off their dance skills. They come together for the chorus, which ranges from sleek to epic!
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 8.7/10
The album review that I had intended to publish yesterday is ITZY’s NOT SHY. It is also the title to their most recent title track as well! It has been over a month since the album was released, so apologies that it has taken me so long to review this mini-album. I decided to review the album during the week it was first released, yet somehow I arranged for the album review to be published this week. Right off the bat, it is a slightly interesting album. NOT SHY (the album) starts off in a familiar domain that is synonymous with the name ITZY. But as we get to the other end of the album, you might hear some different sounds. What are these ‘different sounds’? Well, you gotta find out yourself below!
2. Don’t Give A What – In my review for their title track, I noted that Not Shy was missing some energy to really give it a kick. If you were confused about what I meant, just listen to Don’t Give A What. It has that energy that almost rivals Wannabe in my opinion. I love the pop rock sound that forms the basis of the track, which no doubt suits the group’s strong sound. There are super catchy hooks throughout the song that makes it a memorable track. Interestingly, it is Ryujin’s ‘Strike a Pose’ that steals my attention, despite the super powerful hooks surrounding it. The bass helps boldens the song. Overall, I think Don’t Give A What would be have the perfect alternative title track from this EP. (10/10)
3. Louder– Louder is a pretty weak track, especially following Don’t Give A What. And I was expecting great things give the song was title ‘Louder’. And I squarely place the blame on the instrumental of the track. There wasn’t much meat to it, simply a backbone that felt like there were gaps throughout it. Something with a little more heft would have been appropriate, especially if it gets you to turn up the volume higher to enjoy it. And it is a pity, as I thought the vocals throughout Louder do get louder, but it dragged down by the flawed instrumentation. (6/10)
4. iD– iD goes down the mainstream pop route, with the rhythm embedded in the instrumental reminding me of the instrumental breakdown in Wannabe. That part in their past title track has grown to be my favourite, so a reminder of that definitely appeals to me right from the start! I think the reminder is simply due to the combination of their metallic clangs (cowbells?) and their vocal/rapping melodies. Those are some good melodies and I like how they bolster up their power by singing together. I would have liked some stronger hooks to really push the song into the 10/10 range. For now, it sits slightly lower than that. (9/10)
5. SURF – SURF steps away from the heavy reliance of electronic synths and production, opting for something a little more retro. It is a nice change up to their sound on this album and SURF really highlights the group’s vocals (especially when we get into the chorus). There are falsettos and each member brings a slightly different tone to the song. I particularly like the falsetto that carries the title of the song post-chorus. The instrumental is a lot smoother, more easygoing and a lot less harsh (relative to their other songs + their usual sound). Overall, SURF was pleasant but in a definite good way. (8/10)
6. Be In Love– ITZY continues to steer away from their reliance of electronic synths and productions with Be In Love, opting this time for an acoustic pop track and my pick for this album’s hidden gem. It is an interesting sound, as it seems to merge both an upbeat pop sound with a ballad. And I give my tick of approval for the sound. But what initially steals my attention with this song is their breathy vocals at the start. I also like how the song continues to highlight their vocal potential, with that upbeat nature of the instrumental helping to bolster their vocals. The melodies were extremely pleasant, closing out this mini-album in a strong manner (just without the theatrics). (10/10)
It is almost two years since UP10TION moved to an eight member lineup, as TOP Entertainment continues to promote Lee Jin Hyuk and Kim Woo Seok as solo artists after their participation in Produce X 101 (and in Kim Woo Seok’s case, the short-lived X1). Since Produce X 101, the rest of UP10TION have not had much promotions aside from their last comeback, Your Gravity, which is quite disappointing (and I solely blame their company for the lack of promotions). However, that changed slightly during the week after the remaining eight members of UP10TION dropped Light (their new song) and Light Up (their new mini-album).
My number one issue with Light is that it still doesn’t offer anything new for UP10TION. The song, as a whole, plays it safe and sounds quite pleasant, which I have mentioned before is not always a good thing. And here I am hoping for UP10TION to have a smashing comeback for once. I want a really dynamic and impactful sound, that would highlight their performance skills and make people go wow (and hopefully garner enough attention to get the other two members back into the group’s lineup – bold ideas, I know). If I were to breakdown the instrumental background of Light, you would have that squeaky synth at the very forefront of the song and funky electric guitars, over a future bass backbone. Not really the most inspiring combination of sounds ever. But I liked the direction of what the first verse was going in. When it came to the chorus, the producers left me uninspired even further with a pretty generic drop. It isn’t exciting and placed an imaginary weight on the song, which ruined the light (pun unintended) vibes from the verse. And from there, the song just doesn’t get back to the level at which it started promisingly. What I do think Light did pretty well at was highlight both the vocals and rapping potential of each member. They were solid and consistently good element of the song. Overall, I clearly wanted more to the song. It is pleasant and I don’t mind it. It just isn’t something I would go out of my way to search for.
Another music video that uses the choreography and closeup formula. This one joins the ranks of the music videos that use said formula but captures the strong visuals of the members. Other than that, the sets are rather plain and I think the sets could have been a little more dynamic, which may have added more energy to the song (and helped added an additional tinge of appeal).
I don’t have much to say about the choreography. It works well with the music, but it isn’t anything new that we haven’t seen before.
Song – 7/10 Music Video – 6/10 Performance – 6.5/10 Overall Rating – 6.6/10
If you are a fan of the SuperM (the ‘Avengers’ of KPOP) members (that is Baekhyun, Kai, Taemin, Taeyong, Mark, Lucas and Ten), then you must be excited for their comebacks that are ongoing or ‘soon-to-be’ occurring. Here is just a quick rundown for these busy members. Taemin made his solo comeback earlier this month with Criminal, whilst NCT is gearing up for NCT 2020 in October (NCT and WayV members combined!). On top of that, Kai has been confirmed for a solo debut some time in the future, while I remember reading somewhere that Baekhyun might be releasing new music. But while we wait for those comebacks, check out SuperM’s latest title track, One, which follows the pre-release of 100 and Tiger Inside.
One is a hybrid track, merging two of the side tracks (Monster & Infinity) from the group’s first studio album. It is similar to how SHINee’s Sherlock, which mergedClue and Note from their Sherlock mini-album back in 2012. So the concept of a hybrid track isn’t new, but it is rather rare in KPOP. This alone already makes the song stand out. However, I wish I could say the same for majority of the song. For the purpose of this review, I wanted to delve into One only. This proves to be a little difficult, however, as I feel like we are constantly reminded of the fact that it is two songs merged into one. I find One to be slightly disjointed, especially around the start of the chorus. It didn’t feel like it was a natural blend. In addition to that, I find One‘s instrumental to be a generic form of EDM. The chorus does bring a grand and adventurous vibe to it, which I liked (it also brought me back to their debut track, Jopping). But everything else wasn’t as adventurous by today’s standard. The vocals and rapping work performed by the members are a lot more captivating than the instrumental and I give them ticks of approval. Unfortunately, I found the melodies were pretty generic and I didn’t really find a hook in the song to help make the song catchy. That being said, there was one part that really stood out to me. This part was the climax of the song (Taemin’s husky vocals, Baekhyun and Ten’s high note, followed by Mark’s rapping), leading into the final chorus. The intensity and epicness of the EDM during this part really help make the climax more fulfilling and the members involved made it pretty dynamic. At least, there was something in the song worth waiting around for.
The music video on YouTube made it pretty clear that there was some paid promotions, which I assume is the mobile phone that we see during and at the very end of the music video. I wonder if there was more to it, as the music video seemed to look like it was based or modelled after a game of some kind. I just got that type of vibe from the teasers they released and the overall setting of the video (even though most of it was literally inside a box). There were some snippets throughout the video, whilst the ending went through a very quick flash of various visuals of the members that I don’t remember seeing anywhere else before (unless my memory has completely failed me). I find them to be captivating, mainly because I had question marks about what was going on in those mysterious and unfamiliar shots. Any one knows?
The performance was good to watch. But I didn’t see anything impressive or ground-breaking, but I liked that they went hard and didn’t hold back in the performance.
Song – 7/10 Music Video – 7.5/10 Performance – 7/10 Overall Rating – 7.2/10
Dropping their latest comeback yesterday was cignature. The new song is titled ARISONG and is featured on their first mini-album since their debut earlier this year. ARISONG follows the groups Nun Nu Nan Na debut and ASSA comeback in April.
ARISONG does not hold back. It takes a matter of seconds before the song blasts us with this messy noise. I caution those who wish to listen to the song on ‘full blast’. At a low volume, the song is quite bearable. But at a much higher volume and I would say the intensity and chaotic nature of the song is quite overwhelming and can best be described as an ‘assault’ on your eardrums. I cannot believe I just said that regarding a song. To me, the best parts of the song came during the verses. Everything was a lot calmer and more palatable. Nothing overwhelms, with the vocals and rapping opting for a more normal sound. The instrumental featured synths and textures that I thought were interesting and even fun. When it came to the chorus, things started to get a little more intense and chaotic. And with the instrumental for the main part of the song labelled with such words, the overly cutesy vocals were just a no go for me. I get that they tried to infuse a bit of character into the song through their vocals and rapping, but it just felt too much of a mismatch of styles once you factor in the instrumental. As the song climaxed, everything goes haywire. I found myself to be overwhelmed and didn’t know what to exactly focus on. Nothing really a good ‘last’ impression of the song to leaver the listener with. On the plus side, ARISONG does earn marks for memorability, given everything does standout in one way or another. But in this context, it might not be a positive thing.
The school student concept isn’t a brand new or groundbreaking concept for KPOP. I wished there was a bit more to the music video to make it memorable. They could have gone with more wacky visuals, along the lines of that orange hand tree that featured midway into the video. I think that would have made the video more interesting and it could have enhanced the chaotic nature of the song within the music video. I guess I just found the solo scenes and closeups to be quite tame, relative to the music.
The performance fits more of the cutesy side of the song, rather than the intense or chaotic side of the song. And for a cutesy centric performance, it isn’t a terrible one. Nothing was that groundbreaking once again, but this wasn’t a major deal breaker this time.
Song – 6/10 Music Video – 5/10 Performance – 7/10 Overall Rating – 5.9/10
After their amazing and catchy DUN DUN comeback earlier this year, EVERGLOW is finally back with their latest single, La Di Da. The new single is featured on the group’s second mini-album, -77.82X-78.29.
EVERGLOW has once again managed to exceed the expectations that they had set themselves through their previous comebacks. La Di Da is exciting thanks for the upbeat energy that it packs through its 80s retro electropop instrumentation. It is also rather unique. There are a few KPOP songs that have preceded La Di Da in this genre, however none of them have managed to exude as much appeal by going hard as La Di Da has. Even when it came to the rapping in the verses, EVERGLOW manages to wow us with trap sequences that fit in with the retro vibes that the song is built upon, but also remaining fresh and unique at the same time. The vocal work and rapping are superb. There is so much power that comes from these two elements that brings it up to par as their other powerful tracks, but is refreshing given the retro twist. I also love the short instrumental break we get right after the second verse. The only issue I have with the song is that their vocals and instrumentation during the peak of the chorus seems a little blurred. But this doesn’t compromises the hooks and catchiness of La Di Da in any way, so it literally be can be glossed over. Definitely give La Di Da is a listen. I doubt you will be disappointed.
Once again, the music video takes on a choreography and closeup formula. But it manages to captivate nonetheless. I applaud the director for managing to capture really good visuals of the members, but also managing to capture the best angles of the choreography as well. I love how the shots were clean and didn’t employ any of those shaky effects that a lot of music videos are incorporating in their music video in hopes to replicate an edgy vibe. This song could have enable this, but I am glad it didn’t go down this route. Instead, the music video adds that edgy flair using the sets and their outfit, which were really well executed.
La Di Da emphasise what EVERGLOW does best. A powerful choreography. As weird as it might sound, I enjoyed the use of their arms throughout the performance. It adds a visually appealing complexity that makes it worthwhile to watch. I also like that while the group is powerful, they can still be sexy with no compromises. I also find Yiren’s ‘La Di Da’ just before the final chorus so memorable and can simply be classed as a ‘killer part’.
Song – 10/10 Music Video – 10/10 Performance – 10/10 Overall Rating – 10/10
It is fair to say that The Boyz has had an action-packed 2020, so far. In March, the group returned with their first studio album and title track of the same name, Reveal. Later in June, the group emerged was the victors of Road To Kingdom with CHECKMATE, earning them a one-way ticket to the upcoming season of Kingdom (which has been pushed to next year). And now the group has returned with their new title track, The Stealer and mini-album, Chase.
The Stealer starts with a short peaceful piano piece, before launching right into the chorus. The contrast between the two makes the start become quite bold and it really pulls you in. The chorus itself is paced, employing a dragged out effect within the dance instrumentation, and the vocals come off shouty (in a good way). I would have loved a more captivating hook, but the combination of shouty-like vocals and strong instrumentation that makes up the chorus is well-rounded and dynamic enough for me. The choruses are followed by a snappy drums and cool bassline instrumental break, which also makes up the basis of the instrumentation throughout the rest of the song. It also gives off stylish vibes, adding extra appeal to the song no doubt. When it comes to the verses, I find the song blends the rapping and vocals extremely well with one another. Unlike the dragged out nature of the chorus, the verses kept you on your heels with the instrumental being consistently fast paced. The second verse is when I realized that the song is a hip-hop dance track. I somehow didn’t get this vibe during the first verse, which is odd as the chorus basically sets up the same hip-hop route. To me, the best part of The Stealer is the bridge. It simply comes down to an awesome vocal line, followed up with dynamic rap sequences, before launching back into the final chorus. The Stealer could used some extra oomph to close out the song in a much stronger manner. But that is just an additional want from me.
The song itself is about how the members are attempting to steal their lover’s heart. But at the last moment, their lover disappears after. It seems like their lover is onto them, as the music video does depict them going on a mission to steal their lover’s heart. But at the end, the heart is gone and the members are left behind bars and fences (even the lighting was set up to look like a fence in some choreography shots), meaning their lover had played them. I thought this was a nice twist to the storyline they were trying to depict within The Stealer‘s lyrics. Aside from my quick interpretation, I really like the boldness and dominance of the red colour. The members are dressed up stylishly in black outfits, popping out of the red background.
Given that this is the comeback following their Road To Kingdom appearances and win, I expected something with a little more wow factor. While that wasn’t delivered (I mean, how do they top the jump from their Danger cover?), they opted for a more stylish and trendy setup and vibe for this performance. I quite like this alternative direction, with the choreography exuding masculine energy that really sets them apart from other male artists who have more recently returned.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 8.5/10
KPOPREVIEWED 