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.

[Review] Beautiful Christmas – Red Velvet & aespa

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Red Velvet is nominated for Best Group Performance (Female) for the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, while aepsa is nominated for Best Female Group of 2022. Support Red Velvet and aespa, along with your other favourite KPOP artsists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today.

If you have not been made aware of it yet, we are currently in the festive month of December. So it is time to put those Santa outfits on and bring out the Christmas tree. Red Velvet and aespa have the right idea. They have joined hands for a collaborative single Beautiful Christmas, which dropped last week. This new single serves as the title track of the upcoming 2022 Winter SM Town: SMCU PALACE album that will drop the day after Christmas. I guess some of the songs are not exactly Christmas themed, which I believe was the case for last year’s SM Town album.

As per most Christmas-themed songs, Beautiful Christmas exudes a lot of that festive energy that brings a smile to my face. And you know me, I won’t say no to an upbeat track that makes me want to get up and have a boogie, which is also what Beautiful Christmas makes me want to do when it comes to the chorus (more on that in a second). It has the classic tropes of the Christmas holiday such as sleigh bells, Christmas carol references in the lyrics and twinkling percussion. But Beautiful Christmas also features some brass and some deep piano notes, which to me, added a fun vibe to the song. Going back to the chorus, I really enjoyed the sing-along shouty style of the first half of the chorus. It was simple to get right into and just radiated so much positive energy. But it is the second half of the chorus, with the shouty chant that wins me over. I also like how they broke it up between groups for the first two line, before coming together for a third line. Elsewhere, great vocals featured throughout the song, with Wendy and NingNing delivering the peak of Beautiful Christmas with their high notes. The rapping (in the second verse) was a little standard for my liking, but it still fitted into the song. As for the rap-speak in the bridge, that was cringy. My only other gripe about this song is the lyrics. Not something I usually pay attention to, but ‘To my friends and to my family, You mean to me the Christmas time” just doesn’t make any sense and sticks out a sore thump as it is the line that peaks off the song. And given that it delivered to us by Wendy who is a native English speaker, it is a bit embarrassing. But that is just me being picky. Overall, the upbeatness and energy of Beautiful Christmas just wins me over.

Christmas and Winter Wonderland are the two themes running throughout this video for quite obvious reasons. And it is a nice video to compliment the likes of Beautiful Christmas. I did notice a few things (both positive and negatives) that I want to point out. I found Yeri’s “I Like Winter” to be quite cringy when she sings that Winter. It is such an expected pun knowing that aespa was involved in this release, so it came as no surprise to me. NingNing really needs to loosen her facial muscles, particularly for that high note. It looked like she was disinterested from the whole thing at the point. It is quite disappointing, as she was pretty much all smiles throughout the video. Similarly, not too sure why there were some serious facial expressions throughout the video. It was not the time nor place for that! On the most positive side, I really liked the sets that were built for this music video. It all looked really cool and super detailed. I also liked the red dresses that both groups donned during some of the choreography scene. It looked very cute.

I don’t think the choreography for this release is supposed to be taken too seriously. But it is a simple routine that expressed the positivity and upbeatness of the song quite well. I pretty much enjoyed it.

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

[Album Review] HARMONY: ZERO IN (4th Mini Album) – P1Harmony

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Support P1Harmony in the Best Overall Artist and Song categories of the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards by clicking here to vote and nominate today!

The next album to get a review on my blog is P1Harmony’s HARMONY: ZERO IN, which was released way back in July of this year. This mini-album is lead by the title track Doom Du Doom, which I finally got around to reviewing earlier this week. It also features an additional five songs. The release of HARMONY: ZERO IN follows the group’s comeback from earlier on in the year (DISHARMONY: FIND OUT and the title track Do It Like This). More recently, the group returned with their fifth mini-album and the single Back Down, which I have already reviewed and will be posting said review on a nearby date. As for now, here is my review for HARMONY: ZERO IN.

HARMONY: ZERO IN Album Cover

1. Doom Du Doom (둠두둠) (Title Track) – Click here for the full review of Doom Du Doom. (8/10)

2. Black Hole – Black Hole follows the title track with heavy and intense hip-hop energy. The rappers had amazing delivery, whist their segments appeared to have bouncy undertone (which I enjoyed). As for the vocals, there was solid display throughout the verses and the bridge. What really stole the limelight for me within Black Hole are the chanty choruses (which I thought was charming and playful), and the ‘Na Na Na’ hooks. Very memorable elements that stay in your head even after the song is completed. (8.5/10)

3. Yes Man – Yes Man continues on with the fun sound from the title track through the pop genre. The instrumental was zomewhat memorable, with that flute-like synth really coming through during the chorus as a nice instrumental centrepiece. Aside from that, I quite enjoyed the simplicity of the song’s hooks. It really speaks volume. The raps were playful (I am sensing a theme). However, I felt like Yes Man could have done more. (7/10)

4. Swagger – Swagger was a pretty cool song. I expected it to just zone right into the hip-hop genre (just based on its title – I really should stop judging the book by its cover). But Swagger also features a bit of soul influence, which made Swagger to be quite high-spirited and continue this fun theme that is coming through each track in its own way. The addition of brass (the instrument of fun) was also a nice touch to highlight this. Overall, quite a clean and groovy track. (8/10)

5. Mirror Mirror – If you want to know what part of Mirror Mirror should be iconic, I point to the delivery/drag of the title in the chorus. Definitely an impressive display of vocals from the vocalists. The rest of the song follows through. Strong raps, smooth vocals elsewhere, a groovy instrumentation that all makes Mirror Mirror another cool and strong track on this mini-album. I really enjoyed the hype energy that the members contributed to in the chorus, and the epicness of the bridge of Mirror Mirror. (8.5/10)  

6. Different Song For Me – Ending the album is Different Song For Me, which is very much a different song to the rest of the album. I would argue this is the album’s most ‘serious’ sounding track. All the tracks on this mini-album have been fun or playful individually, while Different Song For Me takes the form of a pop rock ballad. Different Song For Me definitely had some great instrumental moments, such as during the pre-chorus. The vocals were superb and captivating. An amazing end to the mini-album, if you ask me. (10/10)  

Overall Album Rating – 8.3/10

HARMONY: ZERO IN Teaser Image

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 2nd Week of December 2022

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Welcome to the Weekly KPOP Chart post for the 2nd Week of December 2022. There is a bit more than usual to cover today, so I am going to get right to it. Keep on reading to see the winner of this past week on the Weekly KPOP Charts!

Plan for the rest of 2022

2022 has been a very full on and over-whelming year for me, especially the last few weeks. And I am looking forward to having a bit of a break.

Unfortunately, this means there will be no reviews for any new releases for the rest of the year. Any major release will be reviewed upon my return in early 2023. However, this doesn’t mean I will stop posting altogether. I have scheduled a bunch of song and album reviews whilst I am away, so you will still see new reviews for songs and albums that have been released for some time that I haven’t reviewed just yet.

This also means that this will be the final Weekly KPOP Charts that will be posted in 2022. We still have the 3rd and 4th weeks of December left in the 2022, and I will be posting the Weekly KPOP Charts for those weeks when I am back in 2023.

Reminder for the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards

A reminder that you can still vote in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards as the voting page will not close until 11:59PM AEDT 6 January 2023! New leaders have emerged in a range of different categories just in the last week alone – all because of fan voting. At the time of voting, there is just under 2.5k votes already casted. So get voting to make sure your vote counts!

Recap & New releases of the Week

I made a bit of an effort to review some new releases this week. And when I say an effort, I mean two reviews. One of them will be posted tomorrow, while the other (NCT DREAM’s Candy) was posted on Friday. MINHO’s Chase, THE BOYZ’s All About You, P1Harmony’s Doom Du Doom and Xdinary Heroes’ Hair Cut were also reviewed this week. On the album review front, I posted the album reviews for Kim Jae Hwan and CHUNG HA‘s album releases from earlier on in the year.

Other releases from the week includes:

  • hate my home – polar
  • Let me out – Lee Jinsol
  • companion – SEOWOONYUL
  • Gift For You – WEi
  • Beautiful Christmas – Red Velvet & aespa
  • Celebrate – Super Junior
  • too late – Chunji (Teen Top)
  • Trick or Treat – PIXY
  • HUGS – BRANDNEW MUSIC
  • SNOW SNOW SNOW – BRANDNEW MUSIC

Throwback Corner

This week’s throwback song is ASTRO’s Call Out. I stumbled across ASTRO’s performances of Call Out at their concerts on YouTube and they are so much fun. The song is super catchy, as well! The continuous encore of the final section of the song during the concert performances was hilarious!

Non-Korean Release of the Week

This week’s non-Korean release of the week is FNC Artists’ Sing Along. It ranks in the 2nd position this past week. It is a super fun and catchy song that was released in Japan two weeks ago as part of the FNC KINGDOM concert (FNC Entertainment’s company concert) that will be occurring in Japan some time in the remainder of this year. The lineup of Sing Along includes representatives of FT ISLAND, CN BLUE, SF9, N.Flying, Cherry Bullet, P1Harmony and (I believe) JUNG HAE IN.

The Charts

Congratulations to Xdinary Heroes for topping the Weekly KPOP Chart for the 2nd Week of December 2022 with Hair Cut. For more of the charts, keep on reading.

2nd Week of December 20229th Oct – 15th Oct 2022
Pos.SongArtistStatus
1Hair CutXdinary Heroes(▲ 71)
2Sing AlongFNC Artists(▲ 49)
3All About YouTHE BOYZ(▲ 5)
4ChaseMINHO (SHINee)(▲ 50)
5WHEN I MOVEKARA(▼ 4)
6Forgive MeBoA(▲ 23)
7Young & WildTEMPEST(▲ 75)
8Beautiful ChristmasRed Velvet & aespa(NEW)
9CandyNCT DREAM(NEW)
10CHILLStray Kids(▲ 72)
11Back DownP1Harmony(▼ 6)
12NirvanaKANG DANIEL ft. pH-1 & WDBZ(▼ 3)
13SelfishYooA (OH MY GIRL)(▼ 9)
14Tap TapVERIVERY(▼ 7)
15becauseRie (OnlyOneOf)(▲ 37)
16The AstronautJIN (BTS)(▲ 1)
17YouthKIHYUN (MONSTA X)(▼ 2)
18Groove BackJYP ft. Gaeko (Dynamic Duo)(▲ 59)
19FlashShinhwa WDJ(▲ 11)
20ANTIFRAGILELE SSERAFIM(▲ 50)
21LoveableJO YURI(▼ 7)
22MelodyYooA (OH MY GIRL)(▲ 60)
23Sweet Sorrow of MotherBIBI(▲ 59)
24Nxde(G)I-DLE(▲ 9)
25The OneDRIPPIN(▼ 22)
26Journey For MyselfJeong Eunji (APINK)(▲ 35)
27Last SceneChen (EXO)(▲ 47)
28Gift For YouWEi(NEW)
29FallenSeo In Guk(▲ 53)
30MirageXEED(▲ 52)

Songs leaving the charts

The following songs have wrapped up their nine week run in the charts system, and will no longer be on the charts starting next week:

  • SUPER BOARD – Stray Kids
  • my abandoned love – Def. (GOT7 JAY B)
  • Nxde – (G)I-DLE
  • Panorama – Lee Chanhyuk (AKMU)
  • ANTIFRAGILE – LE SSERAFIM
  • I Like You – N.Flying
  • Zurui Onna – OnlyOneOf
  • Spray – WEi
  • Akane Iro ni Somaru Sora no Shita – Ryeowook (Super Junior)
  • When I Get Old – CHUNGHA & CHRISTOPHER
  • Boys Like You – ITZY
  • CHILL – Stray Kids

[Album Review] Bare&Rare Pt. 1 (2nd Studio Album) – CHUNG HA

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CHUNG HA’s Killing Me is nominated for Best Music Video and Best Pop Song in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support CHUNG HA and your other favourite artists, songs and performance by clicking here to vote today.

Another long overdue album review is finally here. CHUNG HA made her comeback in July earlier this year with the lead single Snapping, which features as the title track of first part of her second studio album, Bare&Rare. Alongside Snapping, there are seven other tracks on the album, all of which will be reviewed today. It follows the release of her first studio album Querencia in 2021 and Killing Me single from late last year. More recently, we have seen CHUNG HA in collaborative singles like When I Get Old (with Christopher) and Color Me (with JUNNY). This first part of the second studio album proves to be top-notch and continues the strong impression that she left on me through her first studio album. More on the songs below.

Bare&Rare – Pt. 1 Album Cover

1. XXXX – XXXX gives Bare&Rare a bold start, with the deep vibrating synth to kick off the song. This for sure leaves an impression on you. The rest of the song continues its dark tone, repeating the same deep and low vibrating synth, along with some trap beats. CHUNG HA sounds good in XXXX and she delivers her lines in a seductive and alluring manner, which I think makes sense with her intent of the song – which was to tease her haters and those who wrong, whilst also promising to return as a stronger person. (8/10)

2. Sparkling (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Sparkling. (9/10)

3. Louder – Next up is a pop track that has a funky and groovy undertone to it. Louder is simple, its feel-good and its just brings forth a positive mindset. CHUNG HA makes this song a pleasant one with her vocals, while the instrumental has a bouncy dance tinge to it, which I quite enjoyed. Personally, I am not a big fan of the children voices in the background to bulk up the final chorus. I liked the intent of it, but I felt like the kids made Louder feel quite childish. CHUNG HA is a mature artist and I wished she maintained that persona in Louder’s final moments. (8.5/10)

4. Crazy Like You (ft. BIBI) – Crazy Like You is such a moody song, but I am all for it. I really liked the slow swaying melody to this track, and how all the percussion adds texture to the song. There is also a bit of a rock influence to the song, which I would have liked the song to explore more of. CHUNG HA sounds great, and she really shines with this style of music. BIBI, while was great in her portion of the song, was heavily under-utilised. She was ideal for this song and could have brought more to Crazy Like You, but we never got to see what that would have eventuate to as we barely heard from her. (8/10)

5. California Dream – We get another pop track through California Dream, and it delivers funky and groovy undertones once again. I love how subtle this track is, keeping to itself and never overwhelming. It is extremely pleasant and is quite enjoyable on the ears. I am loving the way the ‘반짝반짝한”(which roughly translates to ‘Sparkling’ in English) rolls off CHUNG HA’s tongue and starts of the chorus. This one is a charmer. (9/10)

6. Good Night My Princess – As I had expected, Good Night My Princess is a ballad. And this one has special meaning to CHUNG HA as it is an ode to her mother. With that context in mind, I feel it is kind of rude to say anything other than praises for this track. But CHUNG HA doesn’t give me much opportunity to say anything negative, as it was a breathtaking pop ballad. The instrumental was dreamy and soothing, and I am loving the guitar work. CHUNG HA herself was captivating and sound beautiful throughout Good Night My Princess. (9/10)

7. Love Me Out Loud – Love Me Out Loud returns to the pop focus of this album. But this one is much more profound, going down the dance pop route. I mean, nothing says dance pop more than the piano or keyboard we hear in the song and those hollow synths. I like the way the chorus soars, courtesy of CHUNG HA herself, which (I think) made me go wow the first time I heard the song. She also made me go wow, again, for the bridge. Two wows. I think it is safe to say with such a song in a corner, CHUNG HA is definitely someone who belongs to the pop genre. (10/10)

8. Nuh-Uh – Final song on the album is Nuh-Uh, which is probably the most experimental she gets on this album. The chorus was definitely a scene-stealer, with the flute work, the repetitive beats, trap elements and CHUNG HA’s attitude with some of her lines and a much lower tone delivery. I also found it to be quite intense, concentrating everything around it into an amazing centerpiece. Elsewhere in Nuh-Uh, we also get a deeper influence of traditional instruments and R&B. It is definitely a cool closer to the album. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.7/10

Bare&Rare – Part 1 Teaser Image

[Review] Candy – NCT DREAM

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NCT DREAM is nominated for Best Sub-Unit and Best Male Group in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Glitch Mode is nominated for Best Concept and Best Music Video, while Beatbox is nominated for Best Pop Song, Best Male Group (Choreography). Definitely an all-rounder group. Supper NCT DREAM, their songs, and all your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today.

NCT DREAM officially makes their comeback today with a special Winter mini-album, titled Candy. The same-titled single (the focus of this review) leads the mini-album. The single is also a remake of H.O.T’s Candy, which was released way back in 1996. This is the group’s first comeback since their Glitch Mode and Beatbox comebacks from earlier in the year.

Given that Candy (NCT DREAM’s version) is a re-recording of the original (cue the comparison), the newer version is fairly same as the older version. The melodies haven’t changed and NCT Dream retains the upbeatness of the original song. However, there are some distinct differences with the newer version that I actually liked more so than in the original. The main difference I could hear instantly is how much more modern the instrumental is. While it is similar enough for listeners to gain a bit of familiarity and nostalgia from NCT DREAM’s version, I enjoyed the extra intensity that the producers had put into NCT DREAM’s version. This definitely helps modernise the 1996 hit to current times and gives Candy a lot more oomph, which in turn makes way for some awesome execution from NCT DREAM. Talking about execution, I also find NCT DREAM’s vocals and raps to be a lot more polished than the original. I guess we can attribute that to advances in technology since 1996 – a lot has happened since then. The second verse gets an extra (super intense) rap sequence and I liked that NCT DREAM did not opt for as much overlap between vocals and raps as H.O.T had incorporated. They do bring that overlap into play later on in the song, but it is a lot cleaner and more refined than the original. Maybe it is a generational thing as I didn’t grow up during that era (I was born a few months after the song’s original release) and I am used to the modern style of KPOP, but I definitely prefer NCT DREAM’s version of Candy by a long mile.

When you think of H.O.T’s Candy, the group’s terrible outfits come to mind. Or at least, I thought they were terrible. It is the main thing that I still cannot wrap my head around until this day – how the colourful overalls and massive oven mitts got approved. I guess it was to fit the more vibrant and upbeat style of Candy, but boy do they look awful. I am glad that NCT DREAM’s stylist did not opt for the same style choices. However, H.O.T’s outfits were iconic in the end, and so NCT DREAM’s outfits were influenced by the look from 1996. Jeno’s massive trapper hat looks like it could have been lifted from that era. But as it is just an influence and their outfits do look fairly tame, I am fine with that. Other than that relief, the music video’s candy manufacturing set reminded me of Glitch Mode‘s technology set. And per usual, I really liked the colours. Some parts however were cringy to me.

At the time of writing, there was no official stage for NCT DREAM’s version of Candy. They are however confirmed to perform the single at the 2022 KBS Music Festival, which is being held today. But from what I can see, the choreography retains some of the key moves from the original version, but also intensifies the moves to match the intensified music we get in the newer version.

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

[Review] Doom Du Doom – P1Harmony

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Support P1Harmony in the Best Overall Artist and Song categories of the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards by clicking here to vote and nominate today!

Another track I am finally getting around to reviewing. P1Harmony returned in July of this year with their fourth mini-album, Harmony: Zero In, and the lead single Doom Du Doom. It follows the group’s earlier comeback in January with Do It Like This and their collaboration with Pink Sweat$, Gotta Get Back. More recently, P1Harmony returned in November with their fifth mini-album and the single Back Down. I will be reviewing that in a future post, which will be coming soon. Also keep your eye out for Harmony: Zero In‘s impending album review, which I am looking to post this weekend. But for now, here is my long overdued review for Doom Du Doom.

I am of the opinion that Doom Du Doom could have gone harder and concentrated itself into a better track. It is already a great track as it is, but I find that it is missing oomph which would have really bolstered up the track and given it an even more memorable ring. Doom Du Doom had a very catchy and playful chorus, which was an expectation formed after hearing the opening refrain. I enjoyed the simple hook and monotonous delivery of the first half of the chorus (which ultimately came off as stylish to me), and the second half of the central piece of Doom Du Doom turned the song into more of a pop piece by amplifying the instrumentation and going with a heavier dose of vocals that flowed well from the first half of the chorus. I did think there was a missed opportunity for the group and their producers to really make the move from the first half to the second half of the chorus more explosive and energetic, just to give Doom Du Doom more of a wow factor. Also, the track is pretty light on when it comes to definition and intensity, which is a slight letdown given that rock tinge thanks to the electric guitar riffs and the amazing rap segments (courtesy of Intak and Jongseob) that appear in the song. An instrumental that features a bit more intensity and some sort of definition would have really aided in bulking Doom Du Doom up and just make those parts a bit more epic. But despite my extra wants and wishes of Doom Du Doom, I still found the released Doom Du Doom to be a fun and memorable track from the group.

The music video jumped on board with that playful side by showing a play on the Olympics. But instead of the Olympics, P1Harmony are participating in the OOOOOO Games and the standard sporting events have been adapted to be more urban and street in this version of the games. Taking boxing choreography, electric guitar baseball, traffic sign throw, cart racing, drone shooting and breaking window (with a grenade) as examples of events at the OOOOOO Games. Much more interesting that the Olympics. There were also opening and closing ceremonies to these games that are pretty low budget, but also make you give off a fun laugh. I definitely enjoyed this video.

The choreography for this comeback was definitely fun. I really liked the isolated moves when it came to the first half of the chorus (and the blank facial expressions made it look funny, which I think was a perfect match for the song). In the routine, Soul got his time to shine, with a dedicated solo freestyle moment in each performance during second half of the second chorus. He amazed me in the performances I have watched with his skills and his flexibility. My bones may be aching when I watch his freestyle, but it is still worth watching given his energy and abilities.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Review] All About You – THE BOYZ

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THE BOYZ is nominated for Best Group Performance (Male) in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards with MAVERICK. Support THE BOYZ and your other favourite artists, songs and performances of the year by clicking here to vote today!

Last week, THE BOYZ released a new single, All About You, to celebrate their 5th anniversary since their debut in 2017. Since their debut, THE BOYZ have definitely risen in the ranks of KPOP groups and are now considered of the biggest male groups in KPOP. This is also THE BOYZ first release since WHISPER and BE AWARE from August this year.

With that piece of context, it is clear as day that All About You is a fan song, with some of the members penning the lyrics to the song for their fans. Usually, I do not say much about these types of songs, as the intention of these tracks tend to be pure and warm-hearted. And plus, I don’t want to look like a prick by saying mean stuff about such a song. All About You is a mid-tempo acoustic pop track that comes as quite pleasant and warming. The verses are melodic and soothing, with the members’ vocals opting for a lower tone. This plays nicely into the pre-choruses, which also opts for a low vocal tone. But this segment has been slightly autotuned to make it come off as monotonous and there is also a panning effect, which gives the song a bit of texture and doesn’t it make it overly smooth. We then proceed into the choruses, which features more defined vocals (relative to the opening verse) and a nice swayable melody that I enjoyed. Rapping makes a presence in the second verse. Usually, raps don’t fit into these songs as well as they do with other styles, but they stood out for me here in All About You. I enjoyed the way it has been moulded into the song and the pace was quite calming. The rest of the song falls into line with what we have heard so far, keeping a nice consistency overall.

The music video fits in nicely with the song. THE BOYZ are just acting casual in the video, as if they are college students and having fun with one another throughout the video. They already appear to be a tight-knitted group in their more ‘behind the scenes’ type of material and other works, but to see it here was quite cute and enjoyable. It is also nice to see Eric as part of the lineup again. For those who may not know, Eric has been sitting out of promotions for a while now due to his health. But he is officially back from the looks of it and it is a nice way to bring him back. Elsewhere, I enjoyed the golden hue of the video, which makes everything appear warm and inviting, which I am sure is the intention of the video, overall.

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

[Review] Hair Cut – Xdinary Heroes

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Xdinary Heroes is nominated for Best New Male Group and Best Band Performance in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support Xdinary Heroes, and your other favourite artists, songs, and performance by clicking here to vote today!

After making a comeback in July of this year with Test Me, Xdinary Heroes made a slightly speedy comeback (relative to the period between their debut and their first comeback) with their latest single Hair Cut and the mini-album Overload. Just over a year ago, Xdinary Heroes made their debut with Happy Death Day, which earned them a few accolades at the recent MAMA Awards and nominations in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Award (where fan voting is still open).

Xdinary Heroes’ Hair Cut is quite a unique track, and I liked it for the most part. I appreciate the ambition this group has, exploring different areas of rock that haven’t really been approached by KPOP bands in the past. For Hair Cut, the band delves into a punkish form of rock. What they did in the first verse and pre-chorus was quite likeable. There was potential behind these segments and their delivery of these segments (i.e. vocals), and I enjoyed how Hair Cut ramps up to the choruses. But the trouble comes next. We are met with a low groaning ‘Get a hair cut’ repetition that was quite unsettling for me. We also get some scissor or knife sound effects, which didn’t add any value to the song. This all comes before a hard-hitting second half of the chorus, which is my preferred centrepiece for the song. But unfortunately, as a whole, the chorus pretty much disappointed me. The lack of cohesion, hooks that I was comfortable with or even memorable melodies upset the overall appeal of Hair Cut for me, and stuck out like a sore thumb. The chorus is then followed up with a rap verse, which was another miss element for me. The whole rap segment stripped out everything from instrumental to momentum, leaving Hair Cut bare and empty for a moment, and the whispery delivery itself (sorry Gaon) felt soulless. O.de’s contribution was fairly more promising, but that might because he was helping ramping Hair Cut back to mor enjoyable territory from quite a low point. The pre-chorus and chorus repeats, and my thoughts on both (positive and negative) have already been noted. The bridge portion of Hair Cut was a nice return to form and sounded solid. Then we go back to the not-so-good chorus. I was hoping they switch things up at this point, to give a satisfying end. But that didn’t eventuate. We did manage to get an instrumental outro, which I thought was decent. But with the mix feelings prior to this instrumental outro, it didn’t have a huge impact and swung me into liking or disliking the song. Overall, Hair Cut‘s chorus leaves quite an impact and not in a good way.

I am not one to usually negatively comment on members’ visuals. And I understand it is their concept for this comeback and all, but Xdinary Heroes really need to take advice from their own books and get a hair cut. This era is probably one they will regret in the future for the wacky and awful hair-do the members were forced into. I can already imagine the interviews consistently pulling up pictures from their Hair Cut days and the members expressing embarrassment over them. Aside from that, I do like their edgy profile, which works well with the punkish rock sound I mentioned earlier. I also like the use of the ‘scary fun-house’ location within the theme park, which seems to be JYP Entertainment’s go to location this year. As for the outro, I want to know what that ending means, with the police report being made and being reviewed. Potentially setting up for a future comeback? Who knows.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.4/10

[Review] Chase – Minho (SHINee)

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Fellow SHINee members KEY and ONEW are nominated for a range of categories include Best Outfits, Best Concept and Best Album in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support KEY and ONEW by clicking here to vote today!

MINHO makes his comeback a solo artist this past week with the single and debut mini-album that shares the same title, Chase. This is his first comeback since the release of Heartbreak at the end of last year. Since then, MINHO refocused on his acting career and released new music as a solo artist in Japan earlier this year. MINHO has definitely been busy.. In a rather interesting move (though not necessarily unheard of), MINHO released Chase (both the single and mini-album) digitally last week, while the physical version of the album and the music video dropped today.

Chase, as a whole, comes off as your typical R&B track. The slowness of the track helps makes the track sensual in nature, while the instrumentals help create a moody atmosphere. All of this was pretty successful. The instrumental was a combination of a neat piano loop, trap beats and a heavy bassline. Altogether, these instrumental created an alluring background piece. Another interesting aspect of Chase was the lyrics, which expresses the emptiness that one feels after chasing someone they cannot get to. Again, it feels like a message that is suited for the R&B genre. But aside from that, there isn’t much else from within Chase that attracted me to the song, and this limited appeal is why I put Chase down as a ‘typical R&B track’. In the vocal department, MINHO sings his lines for the entirety of Chase,. And while he does a decent job, they aren’t vocals that we can rave about, not like how I did in his previous solo releases. He handles the job well, but there are other compelling vocal performances out there. You might argue that it might be a bit harsh for me to judge MINHO as a singer, when he usually takes on the role of main rapper during group performances with SHINee. But from how I see it, he (or his company) had the opportunity to put out a song that showcase a better side of him, but the decision was made for Chase to be MINHO’s best foot forward. I get the need to show a different side of an artist in their solo work, but I don’t think Chase was the best choice. It also didn’t help that Chase didn’t have much of a hook to help make the track more memorable (i.e. during the chorus), not did it have melodies that could act in place of a hook. Overall, a fair effort from MINHO for his solo comeback, but I am sure that there are other styles and songs that fits MINHO’s profile better..

I found the whole music video for Chase to be quite an interesting watch. The very start of the music video features a suspenseful montage of shots from later on in the music video that perks up your interest. We see an affectionate couple, followed by a fiery accident and finally a shot of a female whispering into MINHO’s ear. The plot of the video then starts with MINHO waking up. We see flashbacks to a time when MINHO was lying in bed with his partner, but it is apparent from his messy surroundings in his solo shots that she is no longer around and he is heartbroken. At night, he visit bars to seek out his missing partner, but it earns him a bashing and bruised face. To be fair, he was pretty much disrupting the patron’s night. After failing to find her, he sits on the streets and his mind takes him back to the fiery accident I mentioned earlier. We see that he is practically unscathed from the car crash, but it turns out his lover was not as lucky as him. She was a fatality in the accident. In the midst of the accident, Minho notices his lover standing afar. But despite chasing after her, he cannot reach her. It is later revealed that her ghost has been haunting him by staring back through the mirror and whispering messages into his ear, which is probably why he cannot get her out of his head and ends up ‘chasing’ her every night. In the end, he takes a gun and shoots the mirror to stop her. As a quick sidenote, there was a sinister scene at the start of the video which flicked by where his lover staring directly at the camera whilst on the bed (see the 0:19 mark on the video), which gave me creepy chills.

It comes as no surprise to me that the moves in this routine were of the slow and smooth nature, which is complementary to R&B tracks of this nature. But it wasn’t the slow moves that stole the show for me. The formations of the dancers at the start and end of the performance, and their small bobs in time with the piano made me go wow. I also found the routine during the bridge to be quite cool, especially when MINHO and the female dancers all did a wave to bring him back up.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.3/10

[Album Review] Empty Dream (5th Mini Album) – Kim Jae Hwan

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Support Kim Jae Hwan and your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today!

Kim Jae Hwan’s fifth mini-album is the next album to receive an album review from me. Released back in September, Empty Dream features six new songs including the title track BACK THEN. It is an awesome mini-album, in my opinion. showing off the vocal talent and abilities of the soloist. His vocals come up consistently throughout the review, with his vocal performance in one particular song leaving me speechless. Consider me amazed and a fan of this release!

Empty Dream Album Cover

1. ANSWER ME (대답해줘) – Kicking off the mini-album is a lo-fi R&B track. ANSWER ME really pushes Kim Jae Hwan’s vocals outward and I love this display of vocal work from the soloist, especially when he started off the song with a nasally undertone. It definitely starts off the mini-album in such a promising light. When we get to the chorus of ANSWER ME, Kim Jae Hwan adds a heavy dose of emotional heft to the song, which just makes the song so much more passionate and riveting. It is definitely a nice song to get lost to. (9/10)

2. BACK THEN (그 시절 우리는) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of BACK THEN. (8/10)

3. OUT OF LINE (삐뚤어질까요) – Again, I floored by Kim Jae Hwan’s vocals, especially in this song. He just blows me away. Paired with the rock instrumentation, OUT OF LINE leaves me speechless. I don’t I need to say anything more than that. (10/10)

4. OASIS – OASIS brings forth the reggae, which it is a nice switch up from the more standard pop and rock that we keep on hearing. Kim Jae Hwan still brings the band sound to the song, which creates a really cool blend. I also feel like there is a bit of jazz that comes out during the bridge. Again, outstanding vocals from Kim Jae Hwan and I really liked the melodies in this song, which adds a playful tinge to the song. OASIS would probably make for a great performance piece (with choreography as well!). (9/10)

5. LOVE STRIKE – LOVE STRIKE is an upbeat track. It is definitely a bit of a relief from what we have heard so far, which all have been captivating pieces. LOVE STRIKE isn’t as captivating, but it is set up to be that way. It is more pleasant and fun. I quite like the touch of playfulness that Kim Jae Hwan delivers, especially through the chorus, melodies and hooks. It brings a smile to my face. While the track doesn’t feature wowing vocals from Kim Jae Hwan to the extent that of the other tracks on the album, it is still a strong effort from the soloist. (8.5/10)

6. GOODBYE MORNING – The final song on the album is GOODBYE MORNING and it takes the form of an acoustic ballad. I was expecting this to really build up, but we don’t get there. Instead, the song features is predominately guitar and vocals (with the slight addition of other instrumentation, but in minute amounts). The guitar is very profound, while Kim Jae Hwan’s vocals was quite soft throughout. I really liked how his vocals are on display through this song, bringing a different dynamic to the album. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.8/10

Empty Dream Teaser Image

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 1st Week of December 2022

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Welcome to the Weekly KPOP Chart post for the 1st Week of December 2022. As usual, today’s Weekly KPOP Chart post is going to be a quick one as I need to pre-write reviews for the holidays! Keep your eyes peeled, as I will be announcing my plans for the rest of the year next week. So here is the recap of the last week and I hope to see you soon through another review – probably going to be an album review later tonight!

Also, just as a reminder, the voting page for the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards is currently open. Since opening the voting page at the end of November, the tables have turned in many categories and those were in the lead a week ago may no longer in their leading position. So the only way you can make sure your favourite artist, songs and performances have a chance at being crowned the best of the best is to make your vote count! Click here to vote today!

Recap & New releases of the Week

No reviews were written for new releases this week. Instead, I focused on some past releases including KANG DANIEL’s How We Live and Don’t Tell, VICTON’s Virus, TREASURE’s HELLO and DRIPPIN’s The One. For the album review front, I covered ONF’s Storage of ONF and KANG DANIEL’s The Story / The Story: Retold.

Other releases from the week includes:

  • Our Christmas – Jin (ex-Lovelyz)
  • White Christmas – Lee Boram (SeeYa), Punch, Yebin (DIA)
  • Dear My Winter – george & Chuu
  • December, 24 – Yoon Jisung
  • Night Flight – Gowoon 
  • Flash – Shinhwa WDJ
  • Chase – Minho (SHINee)
  • Fallen – Seo In Guk
  • All About You – THE BOYZ
  • Reason – 2Z
  • Happy Christmas – Weeekly
  • Silence – DRIPPIN
  • Come Alive – Jackson Wang
  • Merry Merry Christmas – C9 Entertainment Artists
  • Still Life – RM (BTS) with Anderson Paak

Throwback Corner

It’s December, so cue all the Christmas music. This week’s throwback song is becoming a tradition for me, as I seek out the song each year since its release – Lovelyz’s Twinkle.

Non-Korean Release of the Week

As for this week’s non-Korean release of the week, it is JUNGKOOK’s Dreamers. It ranked in the 27th position this past week.

The Charts

Congratulations to KARA for topping the Weekly KPOP Chart for the second week in a row with WHEN I MOVE. For more of the charts, keep on reading.

1st Week of December 20224th Oct – 10th Oct 2022
Pos.SongArtistStatus
1WHEN I MOVEKARA(=)
2VirusVICTON(▲ 29)
3The OneDRIPPIN(▲ 44)
4SelfishYooA (OH MY GIRL)(▲ 42)
5Back DownP1Harmony(▲ 62)
6What If LoveUP10TION(▲ 15)
7Tap TapVERIVERY(=)
8All About YouTHE BOYZ(NEW)
9NirvanaKANG DANIEL ft. pH-1 & WDBZ(▼ 4)
10beatMill (OnlyOneOf)(▲ 50)
11PanoramaLee Chanhyuk (AKMU)(▲ 69)
12♡TiCONCSR(▲ 8)
13RememberedPark Bom(▲53)
14LoveableJo Yuri(▲ 54)
15YouthKIHYUN (MONSTA X)(▲ 18)
16Stay With MeIRRIS(▲ 64)
17The AstronautJIN (BTS)(▲ 63)
18LIMBO!NATURE(▲ 32)
19NITROPark Ji Hoon(▲ 61)
20AMAZONTFN(▲ 44)
21BirthdayRed Velvet(▼ 17)
22Boys Like YouITZY(▲ 58)
23In Your SpaceNIEL (TEEN TOP)(▲ 57)
24Draw (MY TIME)ICHILLIN’(▲ 56)
25VAGABONDTRENDZ(▼ 8)
26POPPYSTAYC(▲ 54)
27DreamersJungkook (BTS)(▲ 27)
28Wild FlowerRM (BTS) with youjeen(▼ 13)
29Forgive MeBoA(▲ 51)
30FlashShinhwa WDJ(NEW)

Songs leaving the charts

The following songs have wrapped up their nine week run in the charts system, and will no longer be on the charts starting next week:

[Album Review] The Story / The Story: Retold (1st Studio Album / 1st Studio Album Repackaged) – KANG DANIEL

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KANG DANIEL is nominated for Best Male Soloist, whilst Upside Down has been nominated for Best Solo Choreography (Male) for the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support KANG DANIEL, and your other favourite artists, songs and performance by clicking here to vote today.

After many months, I am finally writing my overdue review of The Story, KANG DANIEL’s first studio album. The album was released back in May of this year and features 10 tracks, lead by Upside Down. The album was then recently re-released as The Story: Retold in November, featuring the addition of 5 new tracks which includes the title track Nirvana. I will keep the introduction short today, in fear that if it goes for any longer, I might end up posting it five months down the track. So without further ado, here are my thoughts on KANG DANIEL’s first studio length album. (Note: in terms of track listing, I have used the repackaged album version of the tracklist.)

The Story Album Cover
The Story: Retold Album Cover

1. Parade – Click here to read the full review for Parade. (9/10)

2. Selfish – Selfish was a nice pop track to ease into. The initial few seconds of the track had me thinking this was going to be a playful and whimsical sound. But as Selfish progresses, the heaviness of the bass and the trap elements say otherwise. But there is a bit of a sway to the song and its melodies that does potentially go in that direction. I also like how inviting KANG DANIEL’s vocals were in this song. (8/10)

3. Upside Down (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Upside Down. (7/10)

4. Loser (ft. Dbo) – Loser is a R&B pop track, which starts off with the melodic chorus. And this chorus definitely was quite promising. The rest of the track follows through consistently, which I am not troubled by. But it does make the track slightly dull, relatively to the rest of the album. Dbo brings a bouncy rap segment to the song, which does help shake up the song ever so slightly. I did like how Dbo kept his presence in Loser ongoing by echoing and providing some ad-libs. Best part of Loser comes at the end when both Dbo and KANG DANIEL approaches the song with deep vocals, which gave depth to the song. (7.5/10)

6. Don’t Tell (ft. JESSI) – Click here to read the full review for Don’t Tell. (9/10)

6. Nirvana (ft. pH-1 & WDBZ) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Nirvana. (9/10)

7. Ride 4 U – Out of all the songs on the albums, Ride 4 U was the one that attracted most attention from me. It is to the point where I am quite surprised and disappointed that it didn’t get the music video treatment like some of the other side-tracks. Ride 4 U opens with some ‘Oooo’ courtesy of the backing vocals, which I thought was quite iconic. The melodies, especially around the title of the song, were quite memorable and is the one thing that I really took away from the album. I quite enjoyed the simplicity of this track with the way KANG DANIEL approaches the song. As for the instrumentation, I really liked the pairing of twinkling detailing and atmospheric synths, which in my view, hits different. (10/10)

8. How We Live (ft. Sokodomo) – Click here to read the full review for How We Live. (8/10)

9. Mad (ft. Chancellor) – Mad is the first song on the album that really goes hard, in my opinion. I felt the synths were a lot rawer and came together to create something that just got straight to the point. It was also quite intense in its own right. I quite liked how the instrumental was stripped down the track to make the acoustic guitar’s presence more known. This kept Mad interesting, even though you can hear guitar in the background amongst the synths. Chancellor’s featuring and KANG DANIEL do an amazing job to give this song life. Mad’s main hook, ‘Why are you so mad’ is definitely a memorable point of the song that really stays with you, even as we move to the next song. (10/10)

10. 1000x – 1000x serves as the first ballad of the album, but it doesn’t fall into your typical boundaries of a ballad. Instead of the classical tropes of the ballads, 1000x opts for paced synths in its instrumental. It keeps the song interesting, though I feel like the synths were a bit too loud as it almost drowns out KANG DANIEL’s vocals in my opinion. Talking about vocals, KANG DANIEL’s were amazing throughout and you can feel the emotions behind his voice. The chorus, in particular, had heft to it and the melodies were quite remarkable. (8/10)

11. Ghost – Ghost is another heavy bass track. However, there is a bit more to Ghost than just bass, thanks to the atmospheric synths that make up the instrumentation of Ghost. KANG DANIEL’s vocals are shown off quite nicely in Ghost and the melodies just make the song so beautiful. We also get a taste of rapper KANG DANIEL, though I do wish the rapping portion of the song was more substantial, just to give the song an extra layer of appeal. But Ghost as it is, is a stunner. (8.5/10)

12. Moment – Moment is another ballad, and this one is more on the typical side of the balladry genre. Guitar, piano and backing vocals make up most of the instrumental of Moment, and this was another stunning arrangement on this album. Ballads tend to highlight the vocals, and Moment did an exceptional job of this. Again, you can feel the emotions behind his vocals and I really enjoyed the way his voice carries you throughout the song.  I am a sucker of ballads, and I feel it is ballads like this that prove my point to why ballads are such an underrated aspect of KPOP. (10/10)

13. The Story – It is interesting to see that The Story got bumped to the fourteenth position on the repackaged album, despite being introduced as the opening track of the original album.  Anyhow, The Story is a very cool track. The use of synths in this song really encapsulates that descriptor, which gives The Story a very appealing side. I really enjoyed how the synths were used texturally. The pop-centric chorus was definitely a highlight, especially how it shifted the song’s trajectory. KANG DANIEL’s vocals were shown off once again. Though, my favourite part of The Story has to be the pre-choruses, which added a tinge of playfulness to the song. I think The Story could have used a harder hitting rap sequence, just to give it a more powerful element to it. (8.5/10)

14. Ride 4 U (Remix) – Refer to my comments on Ride 4 U above. This track did not count towards the overall album rating below.

15. Nirvana (Solo Version) – Refer to full review for Nirvana. This track did not count towards the overall album rating below.

Overall Album Rating – 8.7/10

The Story Teaser Image
The Story: Retold Teaser Image

[Review] Don’t Tell – KANG DANIEL ft. JESSI

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KANG DANIEL is nominated for Best Male Soloist, whilst Upside Down has been nominated for Best Solo Choreography (Male) for the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. JESSI is also nominated for Best Rap Performance, Best Rap/Hip-Hop Song and Best Solo Choreography (Female). Support KANG DANIEL, JESSI, and your other favourite artists, songs and performance by clicking here to vote today.

As mentioned earlier this week, I am determined to finally get KANG DANIEL’S The Story / The Story: Retold album review out this weekend. But before I can do that, I need to post one more review for a side track from the album that also got the music video treatment when the album was released earlier this year. This song is KANG DANIEL and JESSI’s collaboration, Don’t Tell. It joins Parade and How We Live, who also go the music video treatment despite also being side tracks on the album, that is lead by Upside Down and Nirvana.

Don’t Tell is a sexy song, tapping into the 2021 trend of Latin influences. The guitar is quite upfront in the initial seconds of the song’s beginning. It is then briefly muffled and placed further into the background of the background, allowing the deep paced bass beat to really come through. The deep beat really sets the tone of the song, showing a very mature and sexy side. KANG DANIEL’s vocals definitely work in this limelight, especially when he uses his deeper tones just prior to the choruses. The guitar returns to its former presence as we enter the chorus, which ends up being a slightly more amped version of what we have heard thus far (with added percussion). The melodies were quite catchy, and propelled the song forward. It might sound like a recipe for which I would usually call ‘overly consistent’, but I think the producers do enough of a job to Don’t Tell‘s chorus to keep me from getting to that conclusion. And as the song progresses, you can tell that more is being done to keep the song from falling into that trap. JESSI begins her feature in Don’t Tell from the second verse. The songs that I know her as of late have been more dynamic and upbeat. Here, JESSI channels a mature mindset to complement the song’s tone and brings her raspy vocals to the table, which I thought was a bit unexpected. I know that JESSI can sing, but I came in with the mentality that she would be rapping in the song. I also like how she also adds ad-libs to the song. The most memorable aspect of Don’t Tell is actually JESSI, with her line following the second and final choruses. The amplification she goes with in that line stands out and really stays with me. KANG DANIEl’s “All the girls in the back… All the fellas in the back….” line in the bridge was a close second. I also quite liked the final moments of the song where it got quite upbeat. This might have been brief, but it definitely helped end Don’t Tell on a non-consistent manner to the rest of the song. Overall, Don’t Tell was a nice side track on the album that ended up leaving a positive impression on me.

The music video didn’t have much to it. Choreography scenes and solo scenes of KANG DANIEL, JESSI and both. I was glad to see JESSI in the music video, and I loved the sexiness she added to the video. You can tell she isn’t shy. As for KANG DANIEL, he takes a subtle approach with his matureness and sexy appeal. But he does enough for it to be apparent enough. He just isn’t upfront with it. I did like the luxurious hotel setting the video appears to be shot at, especially when it came to the pool choreography scene and the ‘nightlife’ scene we see at the end of the video. The coloured neon lights made it look quite cool and very flashy (pun unintended).

KANG DANIEL’s showed off a more confident and sexier side to himself in this performance as well, from what I can see. There is a fair bit of hip work to this performance – of the thrusting and waving kind. I also thought his footwork was quite good. The dancers really put their all at the end and I really liked how this captialised on the energy exuded in this section. A nicely done performance, overall.

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

[Review] The One – DRIPPIN

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DRIPPIN is nominated for Most Underrated Artist in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support DRIPPIN and your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today.

DRIPPIN is back with another comeback, making it their fourth release of the year. They begun 2022 with the release of VILLAIN, the title of both their third mini-album and title track. Then the group released their Japanese debut single, So Good, before returning to Korea in June with ZERO. Fast-forward 5 months, DRIPPIN rounds out the year (I hope, these guys need a break after the busy year!) with the release of their latest title track, The One, and their first studio length album since debut, Villain: The End.

Going into this comeback, I was expecting an intense dance track that found its roots purely in the EDM genre. But I was genuinely surprised that The One ended having a much bigger rock presence than EDM. Don’t misunderstand, however. There is still EDM here and there in the song, and it was definitely used to intensify The One and give it some textural components. The instrumental for the dance break was largely EDM-based and provided an epic climax for the song. But going back to the rock aspect of The One, I found it to be quite appealing that DRIPPIN and their producers went in this direction. What really gets me is that the rock isn’t necessarily a dark and emo piece, nor is it grungy. Instead, the rock influences in The One were surprisingly upbeat and vibrant. The drumming is superb in this track, and the metal guitar was definitely intense in itself. The explosive energy (there is a lot of going on in KPOP these days) and tempo of The One kept the adrenaline pumping – this track is definitely going on my exercise playlist. Aside from the instrumental, I quite enjoyed the pop charm of the melody and hooks to The One. The ‘I’m The One, One, Only One‘ is pretty much keyed into my mind. I thought that this gave the song a more appealing flavour, and took the opportunity to really transform The One into a pop rock vibe track. I feel the vocals and rapping were solid, though I wished the verses had bolder vocal and rapping moments, just to really bring it up to par with the rest of the chorus. Something like the rapping in the bridge would have been ideal. Overall, The One is an awesome track that I should have reviewed much earlier to tell you all about it.

An action packed music video was served alongside The One, and I am all for it. Junho was the common thread between all the videos that formed part of the Villain series, and it was pretty much hinted from the start that he would have a villainous role in the end. In the Villain music video, he comes hurdling into the ground and leaves unscathed from such an arrival. In the ZERO music video, he is the last one we see and we do see a taste of his fire power as he overlooks the city. In this music video, he causes meteors to come crushing down onto Earth (similar to how he arrived), forcing everyone into hiding. Upon hearing that villain Junho had killed the good Junho, good Junho’s bandmates emerge from hiding and revived good Junho. A very tense superhero-like action fight scene ensues between the two Junhos (with the bandmates also pitching in). The fight ends with the bandmates knocked out and no Junho around. The industrial setting of the fight becomes the grassy fields (the same fields at the start of the video) and the members celebrate their victory. They later find Junho, who smiles back at them. But a quick zoom into his face allows us to see Junho bearing a red and blue pupil, suggesting one of the two Junho came out victorious and absorbed the power of the other. But it leaves a question, which Junho won and which lost. Honestly, a really cool video, and I hope we see which Junho turned out victorious in the future (maybe this sets up a repackaged album?). As a little critique, I would have liked the story to delve into the other members a bit more, just to give us more of the story. .

The choreography was great. It sure exuded a lot of powerful energy and intensity, just as you would expect when listening to a song like this one. The dance breaks were really cool, and the move associated ‘I’m The One, One, Only One‘ felt like it could have been a really catchy move had it really been pushed. I also liked how it really complemented the pop side of the song, going for a less intense move, compared to the rest of the routine.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 9/10

[Review] Virus – VICTON

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Support VICTON and your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today!

VICTON returned to the stage mid-November with their eighth mini-album, Choice, and their new single Virus. However, you might notice that the lineup for this comeback is one less compared to their last comeback from 6 months ago with Stupid O’Clock. Heo Chan voluntarily withdrew himself from the group following news that he was involved in a DUI investigation in October. IST Entertainment later confirmed Heo Chan’s departure from the group and that VICTON would continue as a six member group, though five for the time being as Ha Seung Woo is currently carrying out his military enlistment.

I found the piercing taps at the start of Virus to be quite intriguing and I wished the song followed through with that. Instead, that intriguingness was quickly lost upon a quick realisation that Virus delved into a generic verse, consisting of deep whoops whoops (is there a technical term of this?), marching drums and pretty standard vocal work. The chorus was a decent return to form, with the song fully embracing its electro R&B profile. I did wish the melodies were stronger to really pull you into Virus. However, the second half of the chorus had a nice oomph to it, thanks to the members’ vocals, that really helped deliver the chorus and give it potential. The later sections of the song, such as the bridge and the final post-post-chorus sequence (I will touch on this a bit later) were definitely the biggest highlights for me in Virus. The way VICTON glided into the bridge was really well done. I also quite enjoyed the way the bridge ramped back up in a paced manner via the use of percussion, Sejun’s high note, synths and then finishing it off with an impressive high note from Seungsik. The biggest question for Virus is Do Hanse’s rapping. While his part was definitely impressive and it shows us that he can coolly deliver a rap sequence, his overly raspy rapping voice and the intense/abrasive EDM just doesn’t fit into the bigger picture that is Virus. I am not too sure what was happening there and I find it to be quite a disappointment. Luckily, Do Hanse does recover later on in Virus by delivering (alongside Subin) that smooth sequence just after the final chorus. Overall, Virus was a decent track. I did wish the verses were more interesting and Do Hanse’s rap was more fitting for the song. But the rest of the song was done well and a nice enough listen.

The music video is one of those videos where it is just closeup shots and choreography. While there could be some sort of meaning behind the individual scenes (some were definitely intriguing enough), there really wasn’t much opportunity to really appreciate and try to understand the individual scenes. And it didn’t seem like there was much to tie everything together. I did like the dominance of a certain colour to everyone’s individual scene and I liked they didn’t use vivid colours like other KPOP videos tend to do. The producers for this music video chose pretty earthy colours for the most part. As for the colours that usually aren’t connected to the earth (i.e. the blue backing in the featured image, some of the green and Do Hanse’s black background), the producers went with accents and tones that really muted the colours, complementing the earthy tones to the video. The contrast was also a nice touch, as we can see in this post’s featured image.

I ended up quite enjoying the performance for this comeback. While nothing really stood out (nor is there much to mention from the routine), the piece definitely showcases the group’s performance potential with the sharp and clean movements and synchronisation I could see from the stage performances. I wished there was more of the performance, just so there is a more talk about

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 6.8/10

[Review] HELLO – TREASURE

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TREASURE is nominated for Rising Star and Best Electronic Song (for JIKJIN) in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support TREASURE and JIKJIN, and your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today!

I know I promised this review a few weeks back when HELLO topped the Weekly KPOP Charts for the 3rd Week of November 2022, but it unfortunately slipped from me. Apologies for that! But now, I am finally getting around to having a deeper look at HELLO, TREASURE’s latest comeback single. It was released as part of their second mini-album, The Second Step: Chapter Two, at the start of October. It is also the first comeback to not feature Bang Ye Dam and Mashiho, who were both on hiatus at the time but subsequently withdrew from the group a month after HELLO‘s release.

I didn’t pay much attention to the track upon its release as I had a lot going on in my life at the time. But listening back now, I am disappointed I missed and didn’t pay attention to such a fun, energetic and lively track like HELLO. I find it interesting that TREASURE is releasing music as vibrant and colourful as HELLO, especially since I feel like YG Entertainment aims for a certain niche within the KPOP community. Songs like JIKJIN, which are more heavy handed and serious sounding, are what I expect from YG Entertainment’s output, though 2022 appears to be changing that up. I guess their company is trying to captialise on TREASURE’s youth and energy. Anyhow, whilst the song does fall into the dance pop category thanks to its heavy (and at times, explosive) EDM approach, there are some typical YG Entertainment tropes, namely the chanty chorus, the hip-hop tinge and the anthem approach at the end of the song. All of this pretty typical arsenal for any YG artist, but TREASURE manages to breathe fresh life into these elements and really make it feel different. And I appreciate this ‘reinvention’. I also enjoyed the rock elements to the song, which is definitely on trend in 2022. Again, still not tired of it, hence why I enjoy it a lot! HELLO is also quite catchy, with strong hooks (which is the result of the chanty delivery of the chorus), which ultimately adds to the fun and liveliness of the track. I do think the song could have used some bolder moments in terms of vocals and rapping, just to give HELLO a bit of an edgy and a more memorable front. While what we got in HELLO was pretty solid, I do think more of the instrumental, rather than the vocals or rapping, after the song is over.

With a song like HELLO, I expected a party in the music video. And we got just that! HELLO is a song about coming together to combat the loneliness and emptiness that some might feel, and we got representation of that. At the start of the video with the members being alone and in their own worlds. But as the song progresses, the song brings the members together. And then a crowd, which finishes off the video in a party like fanfare. The fireworks work really well with the instrumental and heightens the viewing experience. I also like the simplicity of the dance choreography scene inside the white studio, with the coloured lighting and the big HELLO in the background.

The choreography for this comeback was on point. I love the vibrancy and energy that the members brought to the routine, which was also quite vivid and powerful. What amazes me is that the routine doesn’t give them much opportunity to take a break, but as we hurdle towards the end of the performance for HELLO, the members are still full of smiles and energy, which ends off the performance in such a positive and satisfying manner!

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