kpopreviewed

[Album Review] Love Pt. 2: Passion (5th Mini Album) – WEi

March 18, 2023Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged WEi1 Comment

I am finally restarting the album review segment today after taking a bit of a break from writing them as a result of the finalisation of the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards post. And with a break and the backlog that existed prior to the pause, you can imagine that I have a lot to get through. The first album to be reviewed upon this restart is WEi’s 5th mini-album release, Love Pt. 2: Passion, which was unveiled back in October of last year. This mini-album features the title track Spray (link below). It follows the release of Love. Pt. 1: First Love back in March of the same year and their Japanese debut with Maldives, which I have yet to review as well (but it is coming soon). So, let’s not delay the restart further and dig right into Love Pt. 2: Passion.

1. Moonlight – Starting off the mini-album is Moonlight, an inviting and wholesome pop number. It is the type of song that brings a smile to your face, thanks to the subtle sweetness that comes from both the instrumentation, melody and members’ vocals. I really liked the simplicity of the melody and I also really enjoyed the softness that the piano brings to the song, contrasting very neatly with the relatively heavier beats in this pop song. (8/10)

2. Spray (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Spray. (7/10)

3. Higher Ground – Following from Spray is the impactful and powerful Higher Ground. It is without a doubt an eclectic piece with the multi-EDM, hip-hop and rock influences that make up the background, all of which comes together to create a very intense number. Personally, I did feel the choruses was a bit too shouty for my taste. But I do acknowledge that this helps increase the boldness of the track, which the members really did put their all into ensuring that Higher Ground comes off that way. (8.5/10)

4. ROSE – The oh-so-familiar Latin influence makes it comeback in ROSE. I really enjoyed how concentrated it was in the song. Alongside the hip-hop beats, ROSE actually comes off as a fun, cool and memorable number. The members did a great job of embracing the Latin flair, which makes ROSE an even better song. The rappers, in particular, really impressed me in this track. (9/10)

5. Special Holiday – More smiles are plastered to my face when I listen to Special Holiday. It is pretty much your standard pop track. There isn’t anything new in the song that makes me go wow, but I did like the cheerfully expressive tone the members brought to the song through their vocals. There was also a peppy energy to the song that helped make the stand out a bit. (7/10)

6. Umbrella (우산) – Umbrella follows on neatly from the previous track with its softer pop approach to close out the mini-album. Relatively, it is still fairly upbeat and I can imagine an endearing choreography routine to the song, as a result. I liked the heavier prominence of the piano in the instrumental, which was a delightful aspect of the song. The vocals and rapping were very nice and felt quite wholesome. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.9/10

[Review] Top Tier – PARK WOO JIN (AB6IX)

March 18, 2023Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged AB6IX, Park Woo Jin (AB6IX)1 Comment

Here is another review for a release from a few weeks back. PARK WOO JIN, the rapper of AB6IX and former Wanna One member, made his solo debut back at the end of February with the single Top Tier and his debut mini-album, oWn. Top Tier follows the pre-release of the single Self Portrait (which accompanies Top Tier on the new mini-album) and features fellow former Wanna One member Kim Jae Hwan. Unfortunately, that release doesn’t have a music video and so I won’t be reviewing it in the standard song format. But it my revisited in an album review if I choose to write one for oWn. But for now, here are my thoughts on Top Tier.

I found Top Tier to be a very typical hip-hop release. I do commend the effort in which both PARK WOO JIN and Top Tier goes in hard and that the energy does have a relentless side to it. But Top Tier’s downfall is its repetitive nature. The repetition comes through the instrumentation and the song’s main hook. The former basically sounded the same all throughout its 2:50 minute run time. A bit more variety in the backing piece could have made Top Tier more dynamic and this would have improved the song by a great deal. The latter just felt monotonous and didn’t elicit anything memorable, which is not ideal for the song’s central moment. All of this adds up to a disappointing song. As mentioned just now, I wished there was more to Top Tier, maybe building on the intensity by way of an abrasively instrumented instrumental break to make way for a dance break in the choreography, or even a bolder and expressive hook that drives the energy upwards and doesn’t stay flat. But while my disappointment with Top Tier is abundant, I do commend PARK WOO JIN’s delivery and flow throughout the song. He himself definitely propels the song forward, as is the main driving force that makes up (partially) the effect of the plain and repetitive nature of Top Tier. The pre-choruses provided a brief look into the PARK WOO JIN’s husky vocals and this was an strong showing of skill as well. Overall, Top Tier does show off PARK WOO JIN to a degree, but I wished the song itself had more to it.

The music video shows PARK WOO JIN as different types of top tier individuals. We see him as the winner of an arcade game fight (who might also be the leader of a dance crew), the winning avatar in the game, a king on a throne (who might double up as the next individual), and a highly acclaimed artist. I liked how the video intertwines all of these different ‘top tier’ individuals into what felt like a cohesive video. I also enjoyed the darker tone the video took, which matches the heaviness of PARK WOO JIN’s song.

Choreography-wise, I felt that the routine did a decently good job of showing off the intensity the song had and the energy that PARK WOO JIN had injected into the song with its delivery. But nothing stood out to me in the performance that makes me want to go back for a re-watch.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.9/`10

[Review] Set Me Free Pt. 2 – Jimin (BTS)

March 17, 2023Posted in KPOPTagged BTS, Jimin (BTS)8 Comments

The next BTS member to branch out further into solo work is Jimin, who is due to return to the stage with his solo debut album next week. In the meanwhile, Jimin has pre-released the single Set Me Free Pt. 2 today alongside a music video as a teaser for his solo debut next week. Earlier this month, Jimin also released his previous solo singles Promise (from 2018) and Christmas Love (from 2020) through official streaming platforms to mark his impending return.

All of the members’ solo releases since it was announced the BTS would focus on solo ventures and enlist into the military have been quite promising, and this definitely helps raise the expectations for the subsequent solo releases from the members have yet to embark on that solo career. Jimin’s was no exception. However, upon listening to Set Me Free Pt. 2 today, I am on the fence as to whether Jimin lives up to that standard. There was great promise with the classical orchestrated and brass loaded introduction that created an intense, suspenseful and powerful atmosphere, setting up Set Me Free Pt. 2 very well. Then the autotuned vocals kick in. And this turns the song sour for me. I don’t understand the need to autotune his vocals in this manner. I can guess they are trying to keep the intensity and suspenseful tone whilst also making the song more dynamic, but it just doesn’t sound good. The same comments can be made during the return of the autotuned vocals in the second verse. When we are relieved from the autotune and we hear Jimin’s signature vocal tone in a more pure form, everything sounds so immensely better. I am sure they could have done with a less obnoxious autotune style, whilst also adding to the dynamic and intense sides of the song. The rest of Set Me Free Pt. 2 was pretty much solid. Jimin, on top of showing off his signature vocal tone that I mentioned earlier, really maintained the captivation with powerful vocals and falsettos. I particularly like the subtle spoken form of the song’s title in the background. It was barely audible, but it helps give Set Me Free Pt. 2 depth which in turns adds to the song’s epicness. I did feel like the instrumental did get overpowering in the chorus, which doesn’t exactly sit well with me. But I rather that than the autotune. Maybe it they toned it down a notch to not be as overwhelming, Set Me Free Pt. 2 would have earned a higher rating from me.

The music video was, without a doubt, epic. The wide angle bird’s eye view shot that captured the grandness of the start, the simplicity of the circular room, the cinematography was all so good. I did wish there was a few more steady solo shots of Jimin in the video. We did get a fair bit, but the camera was constantly moving, the dancers were constantly moving which gave the impression of a lot was going on and the large nature of the set made just a tad difficult to focus on the subject of the video (i.e. Jimin himself). I did like the sensual side that Jimin showed off in the video, and that part where the lights turned off and back on again to reveal Jimin all tatted up and his shirtless body on display underneath the jacket was a showstopper moment in the video. The ending, when the dancers moved away after dropping tatted Jimin, revealing a version of Jimin in a white sweater hints towards a possible connection with next week’s video. The only way to confirm this is to wait for next week’s music video.

Both Jimin and the dancers needs to be applauded when it comes to the choreography. There is an aesthetic that comes from the dancers that really helped give the video such a strong and epic vibe. The dancers did an amazing job, especially at the start when they clustered together and then panned out. Jimin showed off an artistic flair with his movement, encapsulating both epic and sensual vibes with his movements. Usually, they don’t go to together. But trust Jimin to successfully combine them. I really liked the use of circular formations throughout the routine, and that ending where Jimin is lifted up and dropped was one of the coolest finales in a long time.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10

[Review] Love or Die – TNX

March 16, 2023Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged THE NEW SIX (formerly TNX)1 Comment

As mentioned constantly throughout this blog, I have many artists and releases that I have yet to review. One of those releases come from TNX. For those who don’t know TNX, they are a relatively new group in KPOP who debuted as a six male group, formed through the survival audition program Loud in 2022, with Move. This week, the male group returns for the first time with their second single, Love or Die and second mini-album Love Never Dies. The group also pre-released the single I Need U ahead of the release of both Love or Die and the mini-album, which I promise I will review one day.

Love or Die is a definite improvement from their debut track. The group moves away from the standard and typical sound that male groups put out constantly that TNX (and their producers) fell in the trap of releasing as their debut single. Instead, TNX went with a different sound in Love or Die, opting for a punkish rock influence sound. Love or Die is by no means a new or innovative sound, but at least it comes off as refreshing and different from the rest of the competition. The autotuned beginning was quite striking, while that punkish rock influence gave a boldness to the song. The energy that is exuded from the verses is very neat and just gives a fresh breath of life that allows the members to really pop out from within the song. I also felt like their vocals and rapping were super clear throughout the song, and I really appreciated that. The choruses goes a slightly different direction to what I had expected. There was a clear incline in momentum and forwardness in the verses and pre-choruses. Naturally, I felt the choruses were going to add more to the song and at least progress that energy and momentum. But instead, Love or Die‘s main centrepiece switches it up with taking it all down a notch. I felt this cuts the flow and dampens the potential to the song, to a degree. Something harder, stronger and more intense felt like it was more ideal. But to be honest, this isn’t much of a deal breaker for me, as I still thought TNX did a really good job with what they presented to us in the choruses of Love or Die. And likewise, the same can be said with the rest of Love or Die.

Based on what I saw and my interpretation of the lyrics of the song, it looks like the members are coming to terms of a rejection from someone who they thought loved them. Hence, there was dejected emotions and facial expressions on the members’ faces. And given their young ages, it was fitting they did this in the more typical school age concept that we see in KPOP often for groups starting out. But even with that, there is a slightly edgy visual tone through some of the other scenes in the video, such as the abandoned plane scenery and some of the warehouse. All of these complimented each other quite well, and created a cohesive video.

I really liked the forcefulness and aggression the routine had during the verses, which channels the emotions expressed in the song quite well. Particular mention needs to be made to the start of the final chorus, which is where the aggression was the strongest. It makes for a riveting performance on stage and highlights the group’s potential. My only qualm about the performance is how the latter parts of the chorus didn’t feel fitting alongside the rest of the song.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.1/10

[Review] Rover – KAI (EXO)

March 13, 2023Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged EXO, KAI (EXO)5 Comments

KAI from EXO continues his solo ventures this week with his second solo comeback since debuting as a solo artist back in 2020. The new single and mini-album is titled Rover, and the new release follows the likes of Mmmh and Peaches.

First listen into Rover, and I am happy to say that I am digging the new song. To me, Rover felt more representative of KAI as a performer and would have served as a more logical comeback single following Mmmh. Peaches does have it is own charm and unique profile, but Rover really does a better job at highlighting the potential KAI has as a solo artist. His vocals in the verses were so immaculate and creates a really great opening to the dance pop song. Even from the first verse, you can sense the subtle intensity that is building in the background. This helps makes the Rover‘s choruses more impactful, with the stomping beat, the subtle exotic tinge that comes through the instrumentation via the wind instrument in the background and the sparse use of those twinkling effects creating a really strong backing to Rover‘s centrepice. The hooks here are so extremely catchy. Simple repetition is done quite often, but it sounds so effective in Rover. KAI follows up the first chorus with some deep speak-rap that intertwines really well into the song. The bridge shows KAI’s most impressive vocal sequence in the song. with particular mention to that high note that felt very needed after that bridge. And to close out Rover, some deep and seductive rapping from KAI extends out Rover just that bit more to give us another run at the catchy and addictive simplicity that is Rover‘s chorus. Overall, I think it is safe to say that I am impressed with Rover and KAI himself in this comeback.

When it comes to the music video, I am a bit confused over the concept of the music video. There is a plot line within the video, as the introduction shows KAI making a fake identification card, which presents to the lady behind the window. But she is also the owner of the hair shop that KAI works in. But asides from the confusing concept/plotline, there are a few good elements to the video. The aesthetic created with KAI, the ballerinas and the masked dancers was very cool. The contrast here was definitely something that stood out to me. Also, while we are talking about KAI, his sexy looks were very much on display on this video and he looked extremely fashionable throughout with this many different looks. His most iconic one from this music video has to be the one where he wears the bandana like how the older ladies might wear when they go outside.

Again, KAI does not disappoint with his performance of Rover. The routine for the chorus was very cool, especially with the stomping that starts the segment off. Body waves and rolls makes prominent feature in the choreography as well. What also really helps make KAI such a great performer and this routine more charming are his facial expressions, which make everything a lot more alluring and worth watching.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10

[Review] Young, Dumb, Stupid – NMIXX

March 13, 2023March 13, 2023Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged NMIXX2 Comments

Just right after their fellow labelmates made their comeback at the end of last week, NMIXX is gearing up for their their second comeback. Ahead of the comeback which will occur in a week’s time, NMIXX has released Young, Dumb, Stupid as a pre-release single to get us all excited for the upcoming return of the group. This upcoming comeback also is their first release since the departure of Jinni, who exited the group back in December following the release of Funky Glitter Christmas.

Young, Dumb, Stupid is quite different from their previous tracks, which have attempted to mash up multiple different styles into one song. Instead, this pre-release offering keeps it relatively consistent, which I appreciated. But then again, this is just the pre-release – we just don’t know what is lurking around the corner just yet. Young, Dumb, Stupid is not bad, just a more standard affair, even in the realm of consistent songs. We had a strong opening with the rapping, before the song becomes more like your cutesy KPOP track. This is backed up by the chorus of the song, which samples the Brother John nursery rhyme, which ultimately gives the first half of the chorus and the rest of the song a very child-like exterior – miles away from the stronger and attitude-heavy driven title tracks NMIXX has put out previously. What I personally don’t like is how the lyrics of that very segment conforms to their usual messaging, yet fills at odds with the sound. It just isn’t a combination that works with me. The second half of the chorus attempts to unravel that child-like first half by giving us a meatier melody that doesn’t have the same connotations as the first half. I personally liked this half a lot more, especially when it came to Lily’s execution of it. But it was just so brief and didn’t have enough time to be digested before we are going back to the verse and bridge (which were okay). Haewon’s final sequence in the song was also a positive that I must commend on. Overall, I am not troubled by Young, Dumb, Stupid. It might be the fact that the song is a side track on the mini-album, and not the title track. Had it been the title track, I think this entire section would be written very differently with the common theme of disappointment. But that was not the case, and so guess we got to see what NMIXX and their producers have in store for us next week.

Pink and purple is the colour scheme of this music video. It seems a bit cliché, but I guess that is the typical colour scheme for feminine youth. Aside from that, the music video features a pair of glasses that some of the members don to discover a different world around them. I wished they kept with the concept, as it was there one second and gone the next. The post-production was pretty solid, with the visual effects giving this video a bit more substance than the members being cutesy, closeup and choreography shots.

Based on what I could see in the music video, the choreography looked good. Nothing stands out as an iconic move, but it felt fun, cute and lively, all of which works well with the song.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.3/10

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 2nd Week of March 2023

March 12, 2023Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

Finally, a post that is on time! Welcome to the Weekly KPOP Chart for the 2nd Week of March 2023, which was the week that just passed. I have been super busy the last few weeks as I was working on the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards – Winners announcement post, and that may have caused a bit of a backlog on the Weekly KPOP Chart segment of the blog. But with this post, I am not all caught up. I just got three other backlogs to catch up on – i.e., song reviews, album reviews and International Song Review segments. So there is a lot to do. I will hopefully start getting through them soon. But for now, here are the Weekly KPOP Charts for the 2nd Week of March!

Recap & New releases of the Week

I returned this week to the blog to write some reviews after posting the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards post that I had been working on. However, I only wrote three reviews this past week, as I ended up very tried middle of the week from work. The reviews I wrote were for CRAVITY’s Groovy, ONEW’s O (Circle), TWICE’s SET ME FREE and Cherry Bullet’s P.O.W!. More reviews are coming your way this week, I can promise that.

The following songs were also released during the same week and was entered into the Weekly KPOP Charts system:

Christmas Love – Jimin (BTS)
Promise – Jimin (BTS)
hope – BIGONE ft. Han Yo Han
Bubble – Xydo
Without U – Yuju
Real Love Still Exists – Henry ft. Yuna
Expectations – Miinnie ((G)I-DLE) & Anne Marie
Mysterious – Nicole (KARA)
Hug – TO1
lennon – eaJ
KARMA – PIXY
Fix YOU – TAN

Non-Korean Release of the Week

The Non-Korean release of this past week was TWICE’s pre-release single, MOONLIGHT SUNRISE, for their newly released 12th mini-album, READY TO BE. It ranked in the 5th position, one place behind their latest title track release, SET ME FREE. The latter was released on Friday, while this week’s Non-Korean release was released back in January!

The Charts

Congratulations to CRAVITY for debuting their newest song, Groovy, in the number 1 spot of KPOPREVIEWED’s Weekly KPOP Chart for the 2nd Week of March 2023. For more of the charts, keep on reading for more of the charts.

	2nd Week of March 2023	5th – 11th Mar 2023
Pos.	Song	Artist	Status
1	Groovy	CRAVITY	(NEW)
2	P.O.W! (Play On The World)	Cherry Bullet	(NEW)
3	O (Circle)	ONEW (SHINee)	(NEW)
4	SET ME FREE	TWICE	(NEW)
5	MOONLIGHT SUNRISE	TWICE	(▼ 4)
6	Teddy Bear	STAYC	(▲ 28)
7	seOul drift	OnlyOneOf	(▲ 20)
8	ROAR	THE BOYZ	(▼ 2)
9	Love Or Die	TNX	(▲ 19)
10	Fighting	BSS (SEVENTEEN) ft. Lee Youngji	(▼ 3)
11	Beautiful Liar	MONSTA X	(▲ 31)
12	Ay-Yo	NCT 127	(▲31)
13	Cotton Candy	Jinyoung (GOT7)	(▲ 16)
14	on the street	j-hope (BTS) ft. J. Cole	(▲ 50)
15	How Are You	HAWW	(▲ 49)
16	Love War	YENA ft. BE’O	(▼ 14)
17	Mysterious	Nicole (KARA)	(NEW)
18	Sugar Rush Ride	TXT	(▼ 9)
19	PANDORA	MAVE:	(▲ 45)
20	Catch	Epik High ft. Hwasa (MAMAMOO)	(▼ 9)
21	THE SOUND	Stray Kids	(▲ 43)
22	Reason	Dreamcatcher	(▼ 9)
23	Killer	Key (SHINee)	(▼ 19)
24	TIC TAC	8TURN	(▲ 40)
25	AURORA	cignature	(▲ 39)
26	PULL UP	VIVIZ	(▲ 38)
27	Fly Away	BXB	(▼ 12)
28	Fireworks	AIMERS	(▲ 36)
29	SHOOTING STAR	XG	(▲ 2)
30	Look Where We Are	Kang Daniel, 220 Kid, Willim	(▲ 34)

Songs leaving the charts

The following songs have wrapped up their nine week run this past week, and are no longer on the charts starting from next week:

I ≠ DOLL – Huh Yunjin (LE SSERAFIM)
Beautiful Liar – MONSTA X
Puzzle – SF9
Because of You – Tritops
Moonlight – Henry
VIBE – Taeyang (BIGBANG) ft. Jimin (BTS)
Reason – Dreamcatcher
PRIMROSE – PRIMROSE

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 1st Week of March 2023

March 12, 2023March 12, 2023Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

Apologies for the delay in posting the Weekly KPOP Charts posts for the 1st Week of March 2023. I was working on the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards – Winners announcement post that I ended up posting earlier this week. Now, I am catching up some posts that I have yet to post, which includes 2 Weekly KPOP Chart posts from the previous two weeks and another Weekly KPOP Chart for this week (the ‘on-time’ one). This is the second of the three Weekly KPOP Charts coming out today. So without any more delays, here is the Weekly KPOP Charts for the 1st Week of March 2023.

Recap & New releases of the Week

No reviews were posted whatsoever during the 1st Week of March 2023. Again, it was because I had dedicated my time to finalise the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, as previously mentioned.

The following songs were released during the 1st Week of March 2023 and was entered into the Weekly KPOP Charts system:

Hidden Sides – Minhyun
My Sun – Kim Hyun Joong
Top Tier – Park Woojin (AB6IX)
Floral Sense – YESUNG (SUPER JUNIOR) ft. Winter (aespa)
Hopeless Romantic – Big Naughty ft. LEE SUHYUN (AKMU)
On My Way – msftz
Love Me Crazy – Lim Kim & Jamie
Jungle – Ryu Sera
poom – HVLF (Kim Jihun – KNK)
Not A Friend – Sorn
seOul drift – OnlyOneOf
POST IT – Yong Jun Hyung ft. Sion
LIKE IT LIKE IT – SECERT NUMBER
on the street – j-hope (BTS) ft. J. Cole
We Haven’t Broken Up Yet – VROMANCE
What If (Reimagined Ver.) – Eric Nam
Always With You – Kim Minseok (MeloMance)

The Charts

Congratulations to TWICE for rising to the top of the Weekly KPOP Chart for the 1st Week of March 2023 with MOONLIGHT SUNRISE. For more of the charts, keep on reading for more of the charts. MOONLIGHT SUNRISE serves as the pre-release track for the group’s 12th mini-album, READY TO BE, which was released on Friday this past week. As it is also an English track and given the fact that it was the number 1 song for the 1st Week of March 2023, MOONLIGHT SUNRISE is also the non-Korean release of the week for the 1st Week of March 2023. For more of the charts, keep on scrolling down.

	1st Week of March 2023	26th Feb – 4th Mar 2023
Pos.	Song	Artist	Status
1	MOONLIGHT SUNRISE	TWICE	(▲ 41)
2	Love War	YENA ft. BE’O	(▲ 25)
3	OMG	NewJeans	(▲ 41)
4	Killer	Key (SHINee)	(▲ 31)
5	Madness	Moonbin & Sanha (ASTRO)	(▲ 19)
6	ROAR	THE BOYZ	(▼ 5)
7	Fighting	BSS (SEVENTEEN) ft. Lee Youngji	(▲ 13)
8	The Way We Are	Raina	(▲ 55)
9	Sugar Rush Ride	TXT	(▲ 1)
10	Stamp On It	GOT the Beat	(▲ 18)
11	Catch	Epik High ft. Hwasa (MAMAMOO)	(▲ 53)
12	Unbelievable	LUCY	(▲52)
13	Reason	Dreamcatcher	(▲ 10)
14	Miracle	Wendy (Red Velvet) & MeloMance	(▲ 4)
15	Fly Away	BXB	(▲ 33)
16	VIBE	Taeyang (BIGBANG) ft. Jimin (BTS)	(▲ 48)
17	Twinkle, Twinkle	ILY:1	(▼ 12)
18	We Are Young	TRI.BE	(▲ 33)
19	Best Friend Ever	NCT DREAM	(▲ 18)
20	Cupid	FIFTY FIFTY	(▲ 44)
21	Murphy	lilli lilli ft. Lee Mujin	(▲ 43)
22	Get Loose	THE7	(▲ 31)
23	Ponytail	Yugyeom (GOT7) ft. Sik-K	(▲ 41)
24	I ≠ DOLL	Huh Yujin (LE SSERAFIM)	(▲ 37)
25	Moonlight	Henry	(▲ 18)
26	Go or Back	KOTA (SUNNY HILL) ft. D-Hack	(▲ 38)
27	seOul drift	OnlyOneOf	(NEW)
28	Thrill	E’LAST	(▲ 18)
29	Cotton Candy	Jinyoung (GOT7)	(▼ 26)
30	beyOnd	NINE (OnlyOneOf)	(▼ 28)

Songs leaving the charts

The following songs have wrapped up their nine week run during the 4th Week of February 2023, and were no longer on the charts since the following week:

The Beauty of Acceptance – NELL
Fuckin’ New Year – Yerin Baek
Big World – Yerin Baek
OMG – NewJeans
Ponytail – Yugyeom (GOT7) ft. Sik-K
Gonna Be Alright – VIXX
Madness – Moonbin & Sanha (ASTRO)
beyOnd – Nine (OnlyOneOf)
Here I Am – Boys Planet
Rose Blossom – H1-KEY
Twinkle, Twinkle – ILY:1
Wanna Do – U-Kwon (Block B) ft. Woosoo

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 4th Week of February 2023

March 12, 2023March 12, 2023Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

Apologies for the delay in posting the Weekly KPOP Charts posts for the 4th Week of February 2023. I was working on the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards – Winners announcement post that I ended up posting earlier this week. Now, I am catching up some posts that I have yet to post, which includes 2 Weekly KPOP Chart posts from the previous two weeks and another Weekly KPOP Chart for this week (the ‘on-time’ one). This is the first of the three Weekly KPOP Charts coming out today. So without any more delays, here is the Weekly KPOP Charts for the 4th Week of February 2023.

Recap & New releases of the Week

Unfortunately, during the 4th Week of February 2023, I only posted a limited number of reviews – THE BOYZ’s ROAR and Nine’s beyOnd. This was because my time dedicated to the blog was focused on trying to finalise the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, as previously mentioned.

The following songs were also released during the same week and was entered into the Weekly KPOP Charts system:

Thrill – E’LAST
Unicorn – Dia
Murphy – lilli lilli ft. Lee Mujin
TARGET – CLASS:y
Sorry’s Never Enough – Corbyn
Mirage – TFN
Sympathy – Shin Jimin
ABYSS – WOODZ
Spotlight – Serri (Dal Shabet)
Darling – Denise
How Are You – HAWW
Unbelievable – LUCY
One At A Time – Paul Kim
Just Me – WOO
Cupid – FIFITY FIFTY
7PM – BSS (SEVENTEEN) ft. Peder Elias

Non-Korean Release of the Week

The Non-Korean release of the 4th Week of February 2023 was STRAY KIDS’ pre-release single, There, for their newly released Japanese studio album, THE SOUND. It ranked in the 8th position. The title track of the same studio album, THE SOUND, ranked in the 14th position. Unfortunately, I won’t be reviewing There as there is no corresponding music video. But a review for THE SOUND is coming in the future. So keep, your eyes out for that.

The Charts

Congratulations to THE BOYZ for debuting their newest song, ROAR, in the number 1 spot of KPOPREVIEWED’s Weekly KPOP Chart for the 4th Week of February 2023.. For more of the charts, keep on reading for more of the charts.

	4th Week of February 2023	19th Jan – 25th Feb 2023
Pos.	Song	Artist	Status
1	ROAR	THE BOYZ	(NEW)
2	beyOnd	Nine (OnlyOneOf)	(▲ 44)
3	Cotton Candy	Jinyoung (GOT7)	(▲ 14)
4	Teddy Bear	STAYC	(▲ 4)
5	Twinkle, Twinkle	ILY:1	(▲ 29)
6	Goodbye	Brave Girls	(▲ 37)
7	FAM (Korean Ver.)	Stray Kids	(▼ 6)
8	There	Stray Kids	(▲ 31)
9	The Beauty of Acceptance	NELL	(▲ 19)
10	Sugar Rush Ride	TXT	(▼ 8)
11	One Moment	JAY B (GOT7)	(▲ 15)
12	AURORA	cignature	(▲ 6)
13	Ay-Yo	NCT 127	(▼ 7)
14	THE SOUND	Stray Kids	(▲ 17)
15	chrOme arts	OnlyOneOf	(▲ 22)
16	Because of You	Tritops	(▲ 36)
17	PULL UP	VIVIZ	(▼ 4)
18	Miracle	Wendy (Red Velvet) & Melomance	(▲ 17)
19	PARALLEL PARALLEL	TVXQ	(▲ 38)
20	Fighting	BSS (SEVENTEEN) ft. Lee Youngji	(▼ 6)
21	Fireworks	AIMERS	(▲ 34)
22	Yesterday	Jay Park	(▲ 35)
23	Reason	Dreamcatcher	(▼ 7)
24	Madness	Moonbin & Sanha (ASTRO)	(▼ 13)
25	Phantom	WayV	(▲ 32)
26	Beautiful Liar	MONSTA X	(▼ 17)
27	Love War	YENA ft. BE’O	(▲ 30)
28	Stamp On It	GOT the Beat	(▲ 29)
29	GRAVITY	ONEWE	(▲ 7)
30	Rising	tripleS	(▲ 27)

Songs leaving the charts

The following songs have wrapped up their nine week run during the 4th Week of February 2023, and were no longer on the charts since the following week:

Super Freaky Girls – A.iRiD
Ditto – NewJeans
The Moment – HVLF (Jihun – KNK)
Snow Prince -MIRAE
FAM (Korean Ver) – Stray Kids
PRESENT – Moonbyul (MAMAMOO)
Black Eye – Vernon (SVT)
Thanks To… – ILY:1
Will Spring Come? – Def. (JAY B – GOT7)
The Cure – SMTOWN
Phantom – WayV
HALAZIA – ATEEZ
2022 (Forever) – DKZ
Christmas Snow – Nickkhun (2PM) & Yaochen
CHEMISTRY – Moonbyul (MAMAMOO)

[Review] P.O.W! (Play On The World) – Cherry Bullet

March 11, 2023Posted in KPOP, ReviewsLeave a comment

Also making their comeback earlier this week was Cherry Bullet. The group’s newest single is titled P.O.W!, which stands for Play On The World. It leads their third mini-album, Cherry Blast, which was also released on the same day as P.O.W!. We last saw Cherry Bullet through their Love In Space promotions early last year.

P.O.W! throws the group a couple of different sounds, but none of them sticks. In the end, I find P.O.W! to be a bit of a mess and not that memorable, as a result. Let’s break down the song a bit. P.O.W! opens up with a dash of hip-hop influence, before the verses become a lot more pop centric with its percussive instrumental approach. The pre-chorus features a different pop motif, opting for delicateness. The chorus then features P.O.W!‘s most interesting sound, a heavy club-like beat that gives off an intriguing character and serious tone (and one I personally wished P.O.W! kept with, as it is definitely draws in my attention). But then, the chorus’ second half disrupts the energy and replaces it with a bubblegum pop like sound that detracts away from any effect created by the earlier parts of the song, let alone the first half of the chorus. All of this repeats again for a second time, preventing P.O.W! from ever settling and focusing on one sound. Changing sounds and influences within the same song isn’t anything new with KPOP. But I just feel like P.O.W! could have pulled the sound that makes up the first half of the chorus out of the song, made it their primary piece and stuck with it. It would have made P.O.W! a much more compelling listen. On a more positive note (I kind of ignored the fact the song doesn’t stick with one sound to find something positive to discuss), I did like some of the vocals/raps that the group presents us in P.O.W! (their vocals in the second half of the chorus felt very Cherry Bullet to me as this does feel recognisable from their earlier works), and I quite liked how they swapped the two halves of the chorus in its final run.

P.O.W!‘s accompanying music video is a bit of a disappointment, considering their last two music videos. This one was just plain in comparison, with just the usual close up and choreography shots. For some odd reason, I have the idea that a studio-based music video with more built sets would made for a cooler video. Guess I am not feeling the warehouse setting. The post-production does give the video some oomph and character, but not nearly as enough to dispel my initial thoughts on the video. On the plus side, their visuals remain a strong point of the video, and I do like their more confident and mature look in the video.

The choreography is probably the strongest aspect of this comeback. While I am definitely not fan of the combination of the two halves of the choruses, I am a fan of the routines of the two halves. The members did a neat job, showing off a slight mature and bright side of the group (respective to the corresponding half).

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.2/10

[Review] SET ME FREE – TWICE

March 11, 2023Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged TWICE1 Comment

TWICE’s Talk That Talk was voted as the Best Pop Song of the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Congratulations to TWICE! Click here to see who else won in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards.

Making their comeback earlier today is TWICE, with their latest single SET ME FREE and their 12th mini-album since debut, Ready To Be. The massively popular female group from JYP Entertainment was last seen on the Korean stage promotion their 2022 single Talk That Talk and their 11th mini-album BETWEEN 1&2. More recently, we have seen TWICE through their second English track, Moonlight Sunrise, which serves as the pre-release single to Ready To Be. I have yet to review the track, but will do so in the near future. Upcoming for TWICE is the impending debut of the group’s first unit in Japan – MISAMO (consisting of Mina, Sana and Momo). But for now, here is my review for SET ME FREE.

SET ME FREE is a solid comeback, bringing back a mature sound to their main promotional track. A heavy yet groovy bassline kicks off the song as the main drawing point of the background of SET ME FREE. I liked how the song builds on this as it flows into the chorus, which combined the aforementioned bassline with bursts of synth strings to create a suspenseful yet enjoyable instrumental for the background of the chorus. Along with the pop energy that the members brought to the chorus/post-chorus, SET ME FREE definitely had a lot of charisma and appeal to it thus far. The second verse featured a peak moment through Nayeon’s vocals, which helped drive the song forward. From here on out, however, SET ME FREE fails to really continue that forward trajectory and the song ends up falling a little flat in my opinion. The second run at the chorus had the exact same momentum as its first run. Similarly, the final chorus didn’t offer any highs than what we heard previously. There was a high note, but it was brief and didn’t make much of a splash. I wished both the second and final choruses had suitable levels of oomph to them to help drive the song forward. SET ME FREE would have really benefited from this. The bridge opts for a a trap-based sequence featuring rapping from Dahyun, Momo and Chaeyoung, which I was totally for. But the transition between bridge and final chorus was pretty much absent, and so there wasn’t any satisfying move that signals the end was coming for SET ME FREE. While these are pretty big missteps for the song, SET ME FREE did do just enough to sell itself to me, hence why I still described it as a “solid comeback” despite the flaws discussed above.

The music video did help facilitate some of that missing momentum through the explosions at the start and following the bridge/fake end to the video. After all, I do like a good explosion in a music video. And two does bring a slight edge. I liked how elsewhere the video depicts the message behind the song – putting everything on the line for love to unlock one’s true self. We saw the members driving/running away, escaping holographic containments, the ripping of jewelry and performing a pyrotechnic magic trick to change outfits and be freed from the strings that bound the member. They are very determined. The latter was Tyuzu’s solo scene and it was super cool to watch. I also quite enjoyed that spacy moon choreography backdrop. Not sure about its relation to the concept, but it was a really memorable look. Overall, a cool video to watch.

The choreography for this comeback shows a mature vibe from the group. A tad bit sensual, a tad bit charismatic, and a tad bit of attitude. I really liked it. There was some strong moments that were highlighted in the music video, such as Sana’s moment in the second verse and Momo’s forward movement during the bridge. I also liked how the members used a handcuff action to emphasis the title of the song when it was repeated in the song.

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

[Review] O (Circle) – ONEW (SHINee)

March 10, 2023Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Onew (SHINee), SHINee1 Comment

ONEW’s second mini-album, DICE, was voted as the Best Album of the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Congratulations to ONEW! Click here to see who else won in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards.

ONEW made his solo comeback earlier this week, with his third solo Korean release since his solo debut back in 2018. O (Circle) headlines this comeback, as part of his first studio length album, Circle. Both Circles follow the release of BLUE and Voice (from his solo debut in 2018), DICE (title of both his second Korean solo single and second Korean mini-album) and his Japanese comebacks last year.

O (Circle) reverts away from the retro city pop that ONEW had opted for his last comeback, and takes us down what almost sounds like a balladry path. But it isn’t like BLUE, which was pretty much your standard ballad with stunning orchestral instrumentation and amazing vocals from ONEW himself. Instead, O (Circle) takes on a softer and delicate R&B tone. The heavy bass line and organ-like synth in O (Circle) helps create a riveting backing piece to the song, while ONEW shines with his velvety vocals. Altogether, O (Circle) comes together to be a dreamy and soothing piece that stands out in the influx of comebacks, debuts and other releases we are experiencing. The use of the gospel choir as a backing to the chorus made for an excellent centrepiece and gave O (Circle) some deep impact. It also helped heighten the message of the song – just like the seasons are slightly different but also similar each year, life is quite similar as we have different experiences, but we are similar in the end. Relatively, it does make the verses sound lacking and very much less memorable. But it doesn’t necessarily stop O (Circle) from being an impactful and gripping song on a whole.

The montage at the start of the video of ONEW singing was one of the most captivating moments in a music video that I ever seen before. And this pretty much sets the aesthetic tone for the rest of the music video. We have some artistic shots of other things throughout the video. At one point, the items are colourful and alive, depicting the happier moments in life. Then, we see a bloodied phone screen, an unlightened light bulb cast aside and some crayons with dust around them, which depicted the darker moments in life to me. In the latter half of the video, we have a similar montage of items. The acting sequence of the video is probably the part that I find hardest to connect to, as I don’t know what is on going on there. At the end of the video, we get another montage of ONEW. It is a lot quicker and looks like the video is buffering. But I see it as a quick montage of a life, with the life being the entire music video.

Just like the music video, the choreography has this aesthetic side to it, which I really enjoyed. It definitely made for a captivating routine. I honestly did not expect to see a choreography routine for the comeback, given the song is very close to the balladry side of music. But I am glad it did, as it makes the live performances worth returning to. I also like how graceful the movements were, which not only fits the song, but give ONEW the opportunity to focus on the vocal work for the performance.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Review] Groovy – CRAVITY

March 6, 2023Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged CRAVITY3 Comments

After finally getting around to announcing the winners from the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, I am finally getting back on the reviewing train. As I have constantly saying for the past few months, I will get around to posting the reviews that I have missed. But for now, here is a review for a brand new release, literally right off the press. CRAVITY makes their comeback today with their new title track Groovy and their fifth mini-album, Master: Piece. The new release follows the group’s last comeback with PARTY ROCK and their fourth mini-album, NEW WAVE, from September 2022.

As promised and alluded by the title of this new single, Groovy delivers on being groovy and funky. It would be a disappointment otherwise if it hadn’t! Groovy is described to be an electro-funk song that captures retro pop and hip-hop vibes from the 2000s. You can totally feel each of those influences coming through in the song. I particularly enjoyed the dance break we got as the bridge of the song. The way those brassy synths were incorporated into the instrumental piece really bridged and blended the chorus preceding it, the hip-hop influence and the electronic roots quite well. This dance break instantly becomes a highlight in the song for me. Elsewhere, Groovy is a super energetic track, particularly when we reach the choruses. They contained a blast of energy, further heightened by the smoother and laid-back pre-choruses that comes just before it. Strong and well-presented vocals throughout the song, while the rapping helped infuse more of that hip-hop influence into the song. My only issue with Groovy is the lack of a strong hook or centrepiece. I really enjoyed PARTY ROCK, the group’s last comeback single, as it had simple yet strong hooks/centrepieces that really drew in my attention and got me excited about the song after the fact. In Groovy, there really isn’t much to this department and I am not exactly satisfied with what has brought brought to the table. It could be very well the fact that the hooks and other moments just haven’t really set in my mind yet. But as far as I can tell, it doesn’t feel like they sell me the song as strongly as their preceding single. However, that doesn’t stop the super fun and energetic tone of Groovy that CRAVITY executes well.

My guess is the video shows the creative process in producing a comeback. The members all play a variety of roles throughout the video, including the team of office workers who most likely plans and research new concepts, the idols themselves on stage and at their press conference (and my guess is the black suits represent the members at an award show), the production crew who are filming the performance and the backstage crew. And it is revealed at the end that member Hyeongjun is the janitor that leaves the mysterious puzzles pieces around the office that connect together to give us this fun video. My only question is how the space theme fits into the video. Not exactly sure. Maybe it is a hint towards a future concept for a future comeback?

Choreography-wise, this comeback looked quite decent. I liked how fitting and the simple the moves that coincide with the hooks of the song. Personally, I did want something a little more dynamic to the hooks, but given the hooks don’t really go in that direction in terms of sound, I felt an equally as intense and dynamic dance move here would have just overpowered the sequence in its entirety. As for the rest of the performance, I liked the balance of intensity and energy, which helps live up to the fun and energetic descriptors I gave the song.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10

[Special] 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards – Winners Announcement

March 4, 2023May 5, 2023Posted in KPOPREVIEWED Awards, Special3 Comments

Welcome back to the final post from the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards series. In this post, the official winners of the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards are officially announced. If you remember back correctly, majority of the winners were all decided by YOU!

Majority of the categories were determined purely by fan votes gather backed in December/January – over 10,000 people participated in the fan voting. Thank you all for making this a widely successful project, once again!

Only a small portion of the categories were determined me by only (i.e. the blog related categories and Best Side Track of 2022). As for Best Overall Song and Best Overall Artist of 2022, both of us decided the winners for the two categories, via a 50% split of fan votes and of my Weekly KPOP Charts that I post on a weekly basis.

For information regarding eligibility, please refer back to the first post in the series.

With the introduction out of the way and without further delays (as you have waited long enough), I present to you the winners of the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards.

Due to the number of categories, I have elected to split the winners announcement of the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards into five sub-pages:

To view the ARTIST-RELATED categories, stay on this page and keep on scrolling.
To view the PERFORMANCES, VISUALS, CHOREOGRAPHIES and BLOG RELATED categories, click here or click to the second page at the bottom of this post.
To view the SONG-RELATED categories, click here or click to the third page at the bottom of this post.
To view the MOST VOTED SONG and BEST OVERALL SONG AWARDS (including the Top 100 Songs of 2022), click here or click to the fourth page at the end of this post.
To view the MOST VOTED ARTIST and BEST OVERALL ARTIST AWARDS (including the Top 100 Artists of 2022), click here or click to the fifth page a the end of this post.

For the relevant categories, I have bolded and written the WINNERS in yellow text, while I have underlined my KPOPREVIEWED Choice, in the nominees list.

Artist Categories

Best New Artists Categories

Most Underrated Artist Category

Rising Star Category

Best Subunit

Best Delivery Category

Best Comeback or Reunion Category

Best Soloist Award Categories

Best Group Award Categories.

Page 1 – Artist Related Categories
Page 2 – Performances, Visuals, Comeback & Blog Related Categories
Page 3 – Song Related Categories
Page 4 – Best Overall Song of 2022
Page 5 – Best Overall Artist of 2022

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5

[Review] beyOnd – Nine (OnlyOneOf)

February 21, 2023February 21, 2023Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Nine (OnlyOneOf), OnlyOneOfLeave a comment

Finally getting around to finishing the undergrOund idOl project, where each member of OnlyOneOf releases a solo track and two music videos from the project come together to form a storyline. And since stepping over into the near year, the group has completed the series with the release of Nine’s beyOnd in early January of this year. beyOnd follows the release of Yoojung’s begin, KB’s be free, JunJi’s be mine, Rie’s because and Mill’s beat. Now that the project is over, OnlyOneOf refocused on group activities with a Japanese comeback (chrOme arts) and they also appear to be gearing up for a Korean comeback in early March.

beyOnd goes with more of an alternative R&B approach, toning down and easing us out of the project in a comfortable manner. I quite enjoyed the synths and electronic side of the instrumentation. While there is a fair amount of textural components, I did find the instrumental for beyOnd to be built in a way that brought forth an intriguing smooth-like effect that I find to be quite enjoyable. Emphasising this smoothness are Nine’s vocals, which can be characterised as being of a low tone, raspy and breathy. All of which helped made beyOnd appealing. I did appreciate the rise in tone and prominence of the vocals, whilst also keeping to a lower tone, raspiness and breathiness. when it came to the chorus, which ultimately helps make beyOnd less neutral and gives more bite to the song. My favourite bit of the song is the start of the second half of the chorus, with the repetition of the first few words of the two initial lines of this half. It felt quite dynamic and adds another layer of appeal to the song. Overall, beyOnd is fairly straightforward, but also serves as a neat addition to the solo works that came out of this project.

In beat‘s music video overview, we left off with a slight cliffhanger, where Nine appears in front of Mill bloodied and injured. I mentioned that we will definitely find out why in this video and we definitely do find out. It turns out that Nine was cornered and targeted by Mill’s bullies, who end up bashing Nine up. Mill ends up taking Nine back home to take care of him, and ends up lying down alongside Nine. In the final moment of the video, it looks like Nine ends up going in for a kiss and Mill possibly reciprocating. But we won’t know as the video finishes just before anything else happens. Elsewhere in the video, it is revealed that Nine takes an interest in Mill, further confirmation that Mill is shy and scared of his feelings, the pair ends up hanging out with each more (which is where their feelings for each other develops more). We also see all of the other members as either a teacher or students playing basketball.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

[Review] ROAR – THE BOYZ

February 20, 2023Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged THE BOYZ2 Comments

THE BOYZ kick off this week with their latest comeback, ROAR, and their 8th mini-album, BE AWAKE. This is the group’s first release since All About You in December 2022 and WHISPER, the group’s last official comeback prior to today’s new release. It also marks the return of Eric who sat out of promotions with the group since March of last year, including THE BOYZ’s last comeback, due to health issues.

Since the group’s hit The Stealer in 2020, THE BOYZ has been flicking between dark and bright concepts/sounds. THRILL RIDE and WHISPER takes the helm of the brighter concepts/sounds, while The Stealer, MAVERICK and now ROAR fall into the former category. From what I got out of the song, ROAR is an attempt at a sound that is geared towards a more sensual effect without going into the usual sensual motifs that male KPOP groups tend to go with. The song does fall into the R&B category, mixing it with a dance pop sound that allows THE BOYZ to show off their performance and choreography chops (more on that aspect of this comeback later). ROAR opens with a whistle, that is repeated throughout the song and thus becoming a memorable aspect of the song. The chorus, which the whistle mentioned just now appears most readily in, ends up following a similar refrain, just not to the same extent. I did like the vibrancy it brought to the song and there was a ring to it, which I quite enjoyed. But I honestly wished there was more of a zing to the chorus, just to give the song that extra edge and more of a catchy flair. Since I am already talking about edge, I have to mention ROAR“s powerful rapping. It definitely gave ROAR some much needed oomph and definitely highlights the rappers’ potential. Similarly, the dance break that we get packs a punch and adds a further cool/dynamic energy to the song with the more abrasive and intense synths. On the other hand, I felt the vocal work was a lot less impactful. I don’t get much out of it, but I appreciate the intensity and power that the vocalists infuse into the song, especially during the more defined moments of the song. Overall, ROAR is a fair comeback and feels quite on brand for THE BOYZ.

My first impression of this music video was a super big WOW. I am amazed at the quality of the cinematography and post-production for this 3:40 minute music video. The start where they are on clouds was a jaw-dropping beginning and everything that came after lived up to the standard set in the opening moments. The transitions felt flawless, pulling the video together to make a super cohesive piece, which helps brings together the different locations (more on this in a literal second). I also really liked the home video-like shots of the members, which helps add to the edgy vibes of the video. I also liked how it wasn’t just a simple one or two set video. Instead, there was a variety of locations used, which kept everything fresh and nothing ever looked like a copy of a previous scene. The members look super fine throughout the video, especially Juyeon when it came to the dance break. The video depicts them in a way that shows off a more animalistic profile, which goes hand-in-hand with the lyrics and title of the song.

Again, if this performance shows anything, it is definitely that THE BOYZ is a group to not underestimate on the performance/choreography front. This was a bold routine that has a cool and intense factor that feels quite unique to THE BOYZ themselves. The dance break we get prior to the final chorus was fierce, while the slow walk and open leg pivot we get during the chorus has the potential to become iconic.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10