[Review] Virus – VICTON

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

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

[Review] How We Live – KANG DANIEL ft. sokodomo

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.

This week is finally going to be the week where I finally post KANG DANIEL’s album review for The Story, which will now be expanded to also cover The Story: Retold, the repackaged version of the album that was released two weeks ago. But there are still two tracks I want to review by themselves since they received the music video treatment. One of these songs is How We Live, which features sokodomo. A music video for How We Live dropped mid-June, a month after The Story (and its title track Upside Down) was released. More recently, KANG DANIEL made his solo debut in Japan and returned to Korea with the new single Nirvana.

As a side-track, How We Live is quite a neat number. It is a simple old school hip-hop track that aims to be fun and vibrant. And I am happy to report that How We Live nails this quite well. Now, How We Live might not be the most riveting track on the entire album, nor do you find the track to be a show-stopping piece. It is also not a track that really shows off KANG DANIEL’s skill sets. Instead, How We Live keeps it simple, with a light tone that was enjoyable through Summer (the song was released on the cusp of Summer). I personally feel that this simplicity and light tone works in KANG DANIEL’s favour, as it complements the soloist’s vocals really well. In addition to that, there is honestly not much to the track, just those light old school hip-hop influences for the instrumental brought to life by fun and playful piano and some touches of brass (which is the instrumental of fun when it comes to KPOP), a simple melodical hook that is super easy on the ears and catches on quite effortlessly, and some really good rapping courtesy of sokodomo. sokodomo’s input to the song gives How We Live a bit of variety, and thus keeps the song from falling into a single constant state, which would have rendered the song boring and ineffective. All of these elements contributed and helped make How We Live quite enjoyable. And a comment that I pull out often for songs like this, but I appreciate that it is isn’t muddled or overwhelmed with synths or intensity. It is carefree and easy to get into. Hence why I quite enjoyed the likes of How We Live.

Just like that last comment about the song, this music video pretty much carries a carefree and no-nonsense vibe. All we see throughout the video is KANG DANIEL, sokodomo and the dancers enjoy a bit of unworried and casual atmosphere in the video. It is as if they rented an expensive home to escape life for the weekend and enjoy themselves in the company of some friends. Simple, straight to the point, but also exudes a bit of that fun and easy-going energy.

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

[Album Review] Storage of ONF (2nd Special Album) – ONF

ONF’s Goosebumps is nominated for Best Music Video and Best Album in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support Goosebumps and your other favourite artists, songs and performance by clicking here to vote today.

ONF surprised fans with the announcement and subsequent release of Storage of ONF, a special album release for their fans. What made this release a surprise in particular is that 5 out of the 6 members of ONF are currently carrying out their military enlistment. And traditionally, this means that the members are on hiatus and do not release music during this time. But ONF has definitely gone the extra mile. In addition to new music and a new album, the group also prepared and filmed a music vided for the title track. This means that in an already busy last year when the members were heavily promoting Beautiful Beautiful, Ugly Dance, Popping and Goosebumps, ONF was also thinking ahead about their fans (Fuses) and making sure Fuses had their fill of songs for this usually empty period. It definitely puts a new spin on loyalty and shows their unrelentless commitment to their fans! Storage of ONF features the title track Your Song, four additional new tracks, and five remastered versions of previous title and side tracks.

Storage of ONF Album Cover

1. Your Song (Title Track)Click here to read the full review for Your Song. (9/10)

2. RunawayRunaway brings me back to their early days, in particular to their Complete and We Must Love days. The vibrant tone and upbeat energy made Runaway super fun, while I liked the retro tinge that the song has in the chorus. The hooks were catchy and adds a neat punch to the song. The vocal work was solid and on point, while Wyatt’s deep rapping was well-delivered and kept up with the energy of Runaway. The addition of strings to Runaway during the bridge was quite a surprise, but it was very interesting and adds a very different dimension to the song. I think taking me back to their earlier days was enough to give it a 10/10, but everything else within Runaway proves that it is a 10/10. (10/10)

3. Traveler Traveler tones down the energy and takes the form of a ballad. It is very nicely instrumented and quite piano dominant. As the ballad progresses, you get a very slight jazzy feel to the instrumental, which I thought was a really neat touch. I also liked the use of harmonies and backing vocals to form part of the instrumental for Traveler. The actual vocals were very dreamy and riveting. Everything in this track was a stunner. (9/10)

4. GUCCI – Whiplash is the first word that pops in my mind whilst listening to GUCCI. Following such a slow and peaceful track, GUCCI slaps you (quite forcibly, might I add, but not in a bad way) with its intensity and abrasiveness. It is quite an edgy track for ONF, but still feels like it within ONF’s repertoire. I feel like GUCCI would have been an absolutely cool track to see on stage, with high hopes for a really strong, cool and powerful dance routine to accompany the song. The hooks could have been a bit more fleshed out, but what we got was pretty memorable in itself. I also appreciate the fact that GUCCI managed to weave in quite melodic lines during its chorus. (8/10)

5. My Song – You might recognise the choruses’ melody of My Song, which comes from Your Song (this album’s title track). But aside from that similarity, the two songs have pretty much different. My Song instead is more orchestral centric with its instrumentation. And the different orchestral influences make My Song extremely alluring and captivating to listen to. I also liked how the vocals play into this, matching the orchestral sound for that part of the song. (9/10)

6. On/Off (Remastered Version)On/Off was released back in 2017 as part of the mini-album of the same name and as the debut single for ONF. While I have not reviewed On/Off (both the mini-album and title track) before, I have decided to omit the track from the overall album score. However, you can still check out the remastered version of On/Off below.

7. If We Dream (Remastered Version) If We Dream was released back in 2017 as part of the group’s debut mini-album On/Off. While I have not reviewed On/Off (the mini-album) or If We Dream before, I have decided to omit the track from the overall album score. However, you can still check out the remastered version of If We Dream below.

8. 86400 (Remastered Version) 86400 was released back in 2018 as part of the group’s second mini-album, You Complete Me. I have reviewed You Complete Me before. And by extension, I have reviewed 86400 before, You can read my thoughts on 86400 through that album review. I have decided to omit this version of 86400 from the overall album score. However, you can still check out the remastered version of 86400.

9. We Must Love (Remastered Version)We Must Love was released back in 2019 as part of the group’s third mini-album of the same name. I have previously reviewed We Must Love, which you can click here to read on my review for the single. However, I have decided to omit this version of We Must Love from the overall album score. But you can still check out the remastered version of We Must Love.

10. Complete (Remastered Version) – Complete was released back in 2018 as part of the group’s second mini-album, You Complete Me. I have previously reviewed Complete, which you can click here to read on my review for the single. However, I have decided to omit this version from the overall album score. But you can still check out the remastered version of Complete below.

Overall Album Rating – 9/10

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 5th Week of November 2022

Welcome to a new Weekly KPOP Chart post, this time for the 5th Week of November 2022. Today’s post is going to be a quick one, as I want to put one album review before I go to bed tonight (and bed time is approach fast). So I am going to get right to it! See you in the next post!

Recap & New Releases of the Week

This week saw reviews for the new releases such as Red Velvet’s Birthday, KARA’s WHEN I MOVE, ITZY’s Cheshire and RM’s Wild Flower. In addition to those reviews, I also returned to album reviews last weekend by covering THE BOYZ’s BE AWARE and Kim Sung Kyu’s SAVIOR mini-albums.

Other releases from the week include:

  • A to Z – NIEL (TEEN TOP)
  • In Your Space – NIEL (TEEN TOP)
  • beat – Mill (OnlyOneOf)
  • Paradigm – ATEEZ
  • Back Down – P1Harmony
  • Dream land – XEED
  • Mirage – XEED
  • Bus – Yein
  • Sing Along – FNC Artists
  • Let’s Say Goodbye to My Favourite Person – ASTRO

Throwback Corner

This week’s throwback song is actually a 2022 release, so not really a “throwback” per se. But since I consider the song is not longer part of the Weekly KPOP Chart segment anymore, I thought I feature it here. The song in question is SNSD’s Forever 1. But the particular version of the song I am featuring here is the Matisse & Sadko Remix version, which is a stunning and perfect remix of the original song.

Non-Korean Release of the Week

This week’s Non-Korean Release is TEN’s Birthday. Birthday ranks in the 6th position this week. It was released towards the end of the end of October as part of the SM Station’s NCT LAB project. As this is an all English song, it will be featured in a future International Song Review segment.

The Charts

Congratulations to KARA for topping the Weekly KPOP Chart for the 5th Week of November 2022 with WHEN I MOVE – their first comeback single in 6 years that celebrates their fifteenth year anniversary. For more of the charts, keep on reading.

5th Week of November 202227th Nov – 3rd Dec 2022
Pos.SongArtistStatus
1WHEN I MOVEKARA(NEW)
2ANTIFRAGILELE SSERAFIM(▲ 29)
3Nxde(G)I-DLE(▲ 46)
4BirthdayRed Velvet(NEW)
5NirvanaKANG DANIEL ft. pH-1 & WDBZ(▲ 8)
6BirthdayTEN (NCT)(▲ 78)
7Tap TapVERIVERY(▼ 6)
8Keep Me UpB.I(▲ 76)
9CASE 143Stray Kids(▼ 7)
10Funky Glitter ChristmasNMIXX(▼ 6)
11HELLOTREASURE(▲ 15)
12CheshireITZY(NEW)
13BLOCK PARTYRAVI (VIXX)(▲ 71)
14MAGICARTBEAT(▲ 70)
15Wild FlowerRM (BTS) with youjeen(NEW)
16Uh-HeungDKZ(▲ 32)
17VAGABONDTRENDZ(▲ 67)
18DragonTEMPEST(▼ 13)
19Last SceneCHEN (EXO)(▲ 8)
20♡TiCONCSR(▲ 64)
21What If LoveUP10TION(▲ 14)
22becauseRie (OnlyOneOf)(▲ 34)
23Hair CutXdinary Heroes(▲ 48)
24Only YouGaho(▲ 52)
25ILLELLAMAMAMOO(▲ 55)
26Freeze TagTO1(▲ 58)
27Joy RideKANG DANIEL(▼ 20)
28VISIONDreamcatcher(▼ 9)
29Long Live The KingKINGDOM(▲ 3)
30Fallin’Doyoung (NCT) & Kim Mina(▲ 54)

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:

  • Daystar – seowool
  • Sugarcoat – AB6IX
  • Still Here – ONEWE
  • 28 Reasons – Seulgi (Red Velvet)
  • HELLO – TREASURE
  • Joy Ride – Kang Daniel
  • DOKI DOKI LOVE – Rocket Punch
  • 3D WomanJAMIE
  • Long Live The King – KINGDOM
  • NAZABABARA – Rolling Quartz
  • LIKE – Serri (DalShabet)
  • Uh-Heung – DKZ
  • Cape – Suzy
  • CASE 143 – Stray Kids
  • SOUR – THE ROSE

[Review] Wild Flower – RM (BTS) with youjeen

For the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, BTS is nominated for Best Stage Presence and Best Special Performance, while BTS members j-hope, SUGA and JIN are nominated in a range of other categories, including Best Rap Performance, Best New Male Soloist and Best Collaborations. Support BTS and your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today.

For some, RM’s solo debut is probably the biggest release of the week. Yesterday, RM joined fellow members j-hope and JIN in solo release territory through the release of Indigo (the title of his solo debut studio-length album) and the title track Wild Flower, which features youjeen, the vocalist of Cherry Filter, a South Korean rock band. Earlier on in the year, RM confirmed that the BTS members would be focusing on solo ventures for the time being for the foreseeable future ahead of the impending military enlistment of the individual members with plans to regroup in 2025 following the completion of the group’s enlistment duties.

For those who don’t know, hip-hop and rap songs are not my go-to genres when I want to listen to music. I have just never been drawn to the style of music. But through KPOP, I have slowly grown accustomed to the genre and enjoy a few tracks from the genres. For RM, it was expected that we would heard delve into this style of music, given his role as main rapper in his group’s releases. What I did not expect was to be completely swept away by this song. Wild Flower was super captivating. To the point where I have to stop whatever I am doing (for example, writing this review). Usually, I can write a review (or do other things) whilst listening to the song in question. But with the likes of Wild Flower, it is one of those songs where the only way to appreciate is by taking it in purely and to do so without distractions. Wild Flower begins off with an atmospheric instrumental, before RM kicks it into gear by continuing the atmospheric underlay but also giving Wild Flower some momentum with the insertion of rock sounds. It creates for a powerful piece in such the opening section of the song. For the verses of Wild Flower, RM adds brings forth a more calming demeanour that effortlessly exudes passion. It is such an interesting balance that I find so interesting to listen to. The violins probably add to the calmness, and I thought that was clever. The verses are then followed by a second chorus, which features youjeen’s soaring vocals. I love the texture she brings to the song, adding to the captivation factor of Wild Flower. I quite liked how the violins and rock elements merge for the bridge and final run of the choruses of the song, combining the best of the two worlds that make up Wild Flower. Overall, I am definitely singing praises for Wild Flower, a song I didn’t expect to be the best release of the week.

The music video was stunning even without sitting down and interpreting the video. After all, Big Hit Music definitely have the budget to create such aesthetic videos. Based on SOOMPI’s article for this release, Wild Flower is about RM’s desire to live like a tranquil wild flower rather than an extravagant but quickly disappearing spark, which may be connected to RM’s desire to rediscover himself in music, which he has spoken about before. The video does a great job of depicting this, with RM present in a stunning outdoor setting that sets him up as a ‘tranquil wild flower’. Dark stormy clouds come by (which might be a representation of the stress and bad energy that RM experiences as an artist), but RM stands strong throughout, which allows him to passionately perform on stage at the end of the video. Overall, a literal but clever video.

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

[Review] Cheshire – ITZY

ITZY is nominated for Best Female Group in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support ITZY and your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today!

Also making a comeback this week (and performing their new song for the first time at the MAMA Awards) is ITZY. Their new title track is titled Cheshire and is featured on the group’s sixth mini-album of the same name. Cheshire follows the release of their fifth mini-album CHECKMATE and their July single SNEAKERS. It also follows the pre-release of Boys Like You, which is an English single also featured on the Cheshire mini-album that I will review one day in the future as part of the International Song Review segment.

Despite being for a few days now, Cheshire doesn’t give me much rhyme or reason to be grinning. To be more accurate, I find the song to be quite dull. Again, the song could potentially grow on me with even more listens. But I just don’t see it possibly climbing to the likes of their past hits from their earlier days or even the recent SNEAKERS single (which I really enjoyed). The opening verse wasn’t exciting enough to pull me into Cheshire, which isn’t an ideal start, though you can fill the momentum accumulating in the background of the song. And this momentum eventuates into a questionable chorus. I think the producers were aiming for a similar explosive effect (given the contrast between Cheshire‘s chorus and lackluster verse), similar to the contrast from the previous song I reviewed. Unfortunately, I don’t think the intention is delivered. And it comes down to the ITZY’s vocals, which were very strained. The boastfulness that comes from the strained vocals just didn’t sit well with me and it distracted me from the rest of the chorus. You can’t really focus your attention much on the dance pop instrumental (though the ping-pong effect synth does poke through) nor the melodies, as the vocals are just in the way. They do a much better in the verses. The rapping was a positive aspect of the song, with the quieter rap sequence in the second verse showing off Ryujin’s charsima in audio form. Yuna’s rap segment in the bridge follows the same concept as the vocals in the chorus, but I find Yuna do have a much better handle on it. The plentiful post-chorus ‘La La La’ was pretty catchy, but I wished there was a bit more innovation to it. Overall, Cheshire is a slip for the group. Hopefully, next time around, their title track is better executed and punchy enough to make it an ITZY standout.

Not entirely sure what the concept of this music video is, but it seems like a magical performance of some kind. The members carry out a lot of magic tricks, transformations and special effects. And towards the end, there was a Cheshire Cat influence on the video, via Yeji’s smile being the last thing I could remember from the video – the Cheshire Cat in Alice In Wonderland folklore is known for its wide grin that remains behind momentarily after the cat itself disappears. What I quite enjoyed about the video is the changing background, especially around the second chorus segment of the song, that had to be applied in post-production. It was a really cool effect that gave a dynamic profile to the video.

Aside from the combination of the small swaying movement and the hand movement that makes a smile that pairs alongside the ‘La La La‘ post-chorus hook, there isn’t much else to talk about for the performance. It was rather bland looking performance, which I think was the intention. But it just felt like they did so much of it that it just ended up being bland.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 6.6/10

[Review] WHEN I MOVE – KARA

KARA is one of many second and third generation groups who have made their comeback this year for the first time in while, joining the likes of BIGBANG, GOT7, SISTAR, SNSD, T-ARA and WANNA ONE, whom are nominated for the Best Comeback or Reunion in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support your favourite Comeback or Reunion of the year, and your other favourite artists, songs and performances of the year by clicking here to vote today!

KARA makes their grand return after a 6 year hiatus to celebrate their 15th anniversary! For those who may be new to the industry and KPOP, KARA was a five member female group who debuted back in 2007, and had very big hits like Mister, Lupin and Step (just to name a few). They unfortunately became inactive upon the departure of  Park Gyuri, Han Seungyeon and the late Goo Hara from DSP Media (the company that established and managed KARA for 9 years) in 2016. As of the 29 November, KARA had regrouped and reunited as a five member group consisting of Park Gyuri, Han Seungyeon, Heo Youngji (who joined the group in 2014) and former KARA members Kang Jiyoung and Nicole (who both left the group in 2014). WHEN I MOVE (the title track) and Move Again (their 15th anniversary mini-album) dropped earlier this week, and the group held their first comeback performance on the same day at the 2022 MAMA Awards, held in Japan!

For me, without a doubt, KARA’s first comeback in six years was the biggest comeback of the week. In addition to their hits I have listed above, KARA has a few underrated title tracks, such as Pandora, CUPID and Damaged Lady, that I have grown to love over the years since their release. WHEN I MOVE is probably going to fall into their ‘underrated territory’, simply because I don’t think the masses would turn their attention to a group they probably do not much about (since KARA is considered to be second generation, and the masses are more focused on the fourth generation and lesser so of the third generation). WHEN I MOVE, however, is a great song. I really enjoyed the way WHEN I MOVE starts, opting for a subtle approach that just feels sleek and stylish. The minimalist nature of the instrumental at the start backs this up. I liked the way their vocals adopted the ‘subtle approach’ as well, which not only complements the approach of the instrumentation and set-up of the song, but also pulled me into an alluring captivation. The choruses of WHEN I MOVE contrasts strongly to this, with all the members joining forces together to deliver an explosive line that really takes you away from that captivation from the verses and still maintains your attention with such a chorus. The house beat that forms the basis of the choruses brought a cool and somewhat retro touch to the song, and it builds on the energy and tone that the verses had pulled together. The hooks and melodies that follow in the choruses were catchy and memorable. The raps and the trap that follows the rap/accompanies the vocals in the bridge were probably the weakest aspect of WHEN I MOVE. It just didn’t have the same flair and appeal as the rest of the song, and felt pretty basic. I wished they upped the ante for the bridge, just so it really honed into the already mentioned energy and vibe that I quite enjoyed in WHEN I MOVE. Despite that, I still think WHEN I MOVE is a great song and return for KARA. It could have been better, but I am happy to take it as it is.

The music video did exactly what I expected it to do, based on the model and catwalk-like sound that WHEN I MOVE had. The music video wasn’t necessarily a fashion parade, but it was definitely a celebration of KARA, which is the focus of this comeback/reunion. As an extension of that thought, I really liked the fact that the group and the producers of this music video paid homage to the late Goo Hara, who took her life a few years back. The addition of a sixth microphone stand at the end for Goo Hara was very touching and I am sure fans enjoy this small but meaningful gesture. Aside from that, I quite enjoyed the different colours (and schemes) they had in this video, which does give off that celebratory and stylish flair that the song calls for.

No matter which performance I watched for this comeback (at the time of writing, only the MAMA Awards and the Music Bank stages are available), it felt like KARA never went on hiatus nor any member left the group. The chemistry between the group members were there and well-developed, and their stage presence spoke volumes. Their command of the stage, their performance (even though it would not be as iconic as Mister‘s butt waves) and their solid vocals/raps are all elements that junior artists should definitely look up towards.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Review] Birthday – Red Velvet

Red Velvet’s Feel My Rhythm is nominated for Best Group Performance (Female) of 2022 in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support Feel My Rhythm and your other favourite performances, songs and artists in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED by clicking the link here to vote.

Kicking off this week is Red Velvet, who returns after 8 months with their new single Birthday and the second part of their 2022 The ReVe Festival 2022 series, The ReVe Festival 2022 – Birthday. It follows Feel My Rhythm, their last Korean comeback from March of this year, and the release of their first Japanese studio length album in April of this year (which was headlined by the single Wildside).

To me, Birthday comes off as a muddled and underwhelming song. The instrumental of Birthday is what I considered to be muddled. Birthday continues the similar composition that was present in Feel My Rhythm, where a classical sample (for this track, the piece in question is George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue) is merged into a pop release. And for the purposes of Birthday, the classical sample ends up being mashed with trap elements. It ended up being a decent mix in my view, but I feel like the backing could have been more balance. Birthday places more emphasis on the trap elements, and I personally feel that this overpowers the delicate classical sample. My guess is that this is intended to make the song more riveting in the modern era. But I just feel it doesn’t do the classical element of the instrumental justice. As a result, we don’t get that same satisfaction that we got from Feel My Rhythm. As for the melodies, this is the side of the song that I thought was underwhelming. I feel the melodies and hooks were both underbaked and childish at the same time. This type of melody would have been perfect if the group was starting out. I have no issues with the group embracing a youthful side to their music, just not with an elementary and empty sound that we got in the final product. And preferably, one in which did not feel mismatched to the image they are aiming for/had created for themselves. I also feel like the melodies could have been weightier and more fleshed out. This would have helped Birthday build more character and feel more prominent. Throughout all of the song, there was only one element which I thought was interesting, and it would be cool for the group to explore this element in their releases into the future – the tinge of rock that we got in the bridge. More of it would be on trend this year and would have been great to explore now given that I am not over this rock genre trend. Overall, I think it is safe for me to say that this is not their best work ever.

The music video for Birthday begins with Red Velvet being denied from attending a party by the cartoon Gingerbread Man. In a rather petty move, the members return to the site of the party. But instead of presents like in the initial scenes, the members bring bats to infiltrate the party. They successfully do this, as per the ending scene. But after they defeat the Gingerbread Man. That is what I got out of the video, which was oddly childish in my opinion. I guess it complements the song in that regard. However, there are mature themes in the video, such as the cult-like fashion in which they summoned that balloon bear that shoots from its eyes. Aside from that, I quite enjoyed the colourful nature of the video and the fun energy the members did a great job of conveying throughout the video.

As for the choreography, I don’t see much potential in this department. I am quite surprised at this. I tend to look for the positive in all the negative, but I just thought this routine was relatively weak compared to their past routines. The only aspect that I thought might be worth flagging is that the routine was quite smooth. But aside from that, nothing really stood out..

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 5/10
Overall Rating – 6.9/10

[Album Review] SAVIOR (4th Mini Album) – Kim Sung Kyu (INFINITE)

Support your favourite artists, songs and performances in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards by clicking the link here to vote.

Going over my list of album and song reviews that I want to cover, I note that there are a few releases from the first half of the year that I have yet to cover. One in particular is Kim Sung Kyu’s solo comeback from April, SAVIOR, which I am quite surprised I missed. I was a very big fan of Kim Sung Kyu’s solo work in the past and I would always be game to review his solo work in depth. So forgive me that this is almost seven months late, but here is my review of the fourth mini-album from the leader of INFINITE himself.

While it was a while since we last heard from him at the time of SAVIOR‘s release, I must admit the mini-album did a good job of bridging what Kim Sung Kyu is known for from his past solo discography and the more modern elements of today’s industry. I did wish more people are interested in his work, as he has a lot to offer. I personally cannot wait for another release from Kim Sung Kyu, but at least we have five songs to tie us over for the meanwhile.

SAVIOR Album Cover

1. Intro – Kicking off the mini-album is a nice yet short band piece. It is quite nice to hear drums and guitar in a pure form, as it felt like it has been a while since I have heard something straight up like this. No vocals feature in this Intro, but it still definitely did a good job of driving excitement levels up for what is to come. And if you have been a avid fan of Kim Sung Kyu, you know that an intro like this one is something that is right up his alley.

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

3. My Love Will Be Yours – Following the title track is a ballad. My Love Will Be Yours is nice but it is on the fairly typical side of ballads. It does capture his vocals very well, and the instrumental was classically and orchestrally driven. But I found it to be lacking that captivation factor or a swayable/flowy melody that usually draws my attention to a ballad. It is still a good ballad nonetheless, just not one that I would find myself going back to often. (7.5/10)

4. I Dare You – I Dare You is SAVIOR‘s most interesting track. But it is this interesting factor that makes it good. I Dare You starts off with an atmospheric intro and first verse, which I would collectively liken to a suspenseful piece from a sci-fi movie. Here, Kim Sung Kyu concentrates his deeper tone, before soaring in the chorus alongside to some atmospheric rock. For the second verse, Kim Sung Kyu maintains the momentum from the first chorus, and captures my attention with a brief high note. The bridge is forgone for a dynamic and texturally heavy synth instrumental piece that feels like a performance could accompany this section if I Dare You were to be performed live. To me, I Dare You reminds me of his early solo days where he got to try something different from your typical ballad or dance tracks with his rock-styled tracks. Overall, a standout track that I would be revisiting often. (10/10)

5. Fog (안개)Fog closes out this mini-album with a song that features a heavier presence of rock. I really like how intense the rock feels, despite it falling more on the softer side of the rock profile. I also enjoyed the upbeatness it gave the chorus, which was a nice change to usual softer rock sounds. For this most part, Kim Sung Kyu sounds quite good. This style is what he is known for, and it is nice nostalgic trip down the memory lane of Kim Sung Kyu’s solo work for me. However, at certain points of Fog, I did find the vocals to be quite soft and muffled. But I wonder if this was intentional to mimic how fog encapsulates one’s surrounding. It will be interesting if that is the case. (8.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.8/10

SAVIOR Teaser Image

[Album Review] BE AWARE (7th Mini Album) – THE BOYZ

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

It has definitely been a while since the last album review being posted towards the end of October. A month on, I am finally back with the next album review. This one is for THE BOYZ’s BE AWARE – an album review I had started to draft before I had go on my urgent break and the prioritisation of other segments upon my return. Don’t worry, I dumped that draft and have rewritten everything to be a more accurate representation of my thoughts at this current point in time, as thoughts and feelings do change over a period of time. This album was released way back in mid-August and features the title track WHISTLE, alongside Timeless (a pre-release track) and four other side tracks.

Overall, a decent mini-album. Not their strongest, but there were some good moments on there. Do you agree with my overall summary of BE AWARE, or my thoughts on the individual songs? Let me know in the comments below.

BE AWARE Album Cover

1. WHISPER (Title Track)Click here to read the full review for WHIPSER. (7/10)

2. Bump & Love Bump & Love is a slower pop track. It has some catchy and memorable moments. The main ones that I really enjoyed were the ‘Woo~’ in the pre-choruses and the ‘La la la’ in the post-choruses. And I quite liked how the bridge double downed and really cut through the overly consistent feel that Bump & Love was tethering with. Since I already mentioned it, the likeness of the verses and choruses for Bump & Love was its biggest flaw. The lack of difference between the two sections and the returning tempo just made the song too consistent for the most part. I did wish the song picked it up a bit, especially for the choruses. This would have really given Bump & Love a bit more energy and colour, which could have potentially made the song even better. (7.5/10)

3. C.O.D.E – Probably the most standard sounding on the album is C.O.D.E. It has a pretty typical set-up of EDM instrumental, and simple and easy-going pop melodies. There isn’t anything wrong with this set-up as C.O.D.E was still enjoyable and palatable. I do think if C.O.D.E tapped more into tropical sound and had stronger set of vocals, this would have been a knock out song. My favourite bit of C.O.D.E is Sunwoo’s rap-spoken “G.E.N.I.U.S” bridge. It was a very memorable aspect of the song that I continue replay the song for. (8/10)

4. Levitating (무중력)Levitating opts for a darker and more mature R&B profile, which I personally enjoyed. It was a textural song, but it managed to resist the abrasive textures we have heard in KPOP in the past. Instead, the song features a pounding and hefty beat to its instrumental and is accented with some metallic clanging. The latter was pretty typical, and I wished there was something more creative in place. The vocal work was quite sultry and complements the mature vibes of the song really well. The rapping had an equally passionate vibe that was flirty at times. (8/10)

5. Survive The Night Survive The Night starts off the end of the album, which features a much softer tone to how the album started. This song features satisfying mix of electric guitar, a trap beat and some bass. Survive The Night also features a neat display of vocals from all members of the group. Emotions were also prevalent. Not as strong as other displays of emotions in songs that I have observed before. But enough to say that it helped make Survive The Night captivating, quite soothing, and the best side track from the album. (9/10)

6. Timeless (Pre-Release Single)Click here to read the full review for Timeless. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.9/10

BE AWARE Teaser Image

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 4th Week of November 2022

Welcome back to another Weekly KPOP Charts post for the 4th Week of November 2022.

It has been a big week on the blog with a big continued focus on the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Firstly, I posted the KPOPREVIEWED Choice for the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards (i.e. who I personally thought were the best in each category of nominees of the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards).

And just yesterday, I opened the official voting page for the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, where you (the readers of the blog), and only you, can decide who the official winners of the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. This is by far the most important stage of any KPOPREVIEWED Award period. There is no rush to get your vote in, as deciding which artists, songs and performances of the year are the ‘best of the best’ are very important decisions to make. The survey will remain open until the very end of 6 January 2023, so feel free to ponder for now. BUT make sure you get your vote in before 6 January 2023. I will make sure to remind you constantly on the blog, Twitter and Facebook!

But as for now, here are the Weekly KPOP Charts for the 4th Week of November 2022.

Recap & New Releases of the Week

Another new week, more reviews. However, I didn’t cover the amount of songs I would like (I have a very daunting list of albums and songs I want to review staring at me from the side whilst writing up this post). They will still come, though. Some day in the future. In the meanwhile, I had posted reviews for AB6IX’s Sugarcoat, KANG DANIEL’s Nirvana, TEMPEST’s Dragon and NMIXX’s Funky Glitter Christmas.

Here are the other new releases from the past week (some of which I will return and review some day in the future):

  • Dreamers – Jungkook (BTS)
  • Groove Back – JYP ft. Gaeko (Dynamic Duo)
  • Tomorrow Shinhwa WDJ
  • The Days We Were Us – Solji (EXID)
  • Under The Skin – &TEAM
  • Forgive Me – BoA
  • CELEBRATION – KANTO
  • Funky Glitter Christmas – NMIXX
  • Old School – NTX
  • Freeze Tag – TO1
  • Stay With Me – IRRIS
  • We’re Done – Kim Dohee
  • Taste The Feeling – TEMPEST

Throwback Corner

Another week, another binge. This time, it was for Stray Kids. And it was primarily when I was preparing for the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards survey set-up. I was happy to be listening and reliving some of their past promoted tracks, given that they are one of my go to artists as the moment. If I had to pick one, it would have to be their 2019 release with MIROH. An old favourite that I personally feel is quite forgotten.

Non-Korean Release of the Week

Coinciding with his return this week onto the Korean music scene, this week’s Non-Korean Release is KANG DANIEL’s Joy Ride, which ranked in the 7th position. Joy Ride also had the biggest jump of the week (72 spots!).

The Charts

Congratulations to VERIVERY for topping the Weekly KPOP Chart for the 4th Week of November 2022 with Tap Tap. This is also the first time ever that VERIVERY had topped my Weekly KPOP Charts! For that, another congratulations is in order. For more of the charts, keep on reading.

4th Week of November 202220th – 26th Nov 2022
Pos.SongArtistStatus
1Tap TapVERIVERY(▲ 14)
2CASE 143Stray Kids(=)
3The AstronautJIN (BTS)(▲ 8)
4Funky Glitter ChristmasNMIXX(NEW)
5DragonTEMPEST(NEW)
6SugarcoatAB6IX(▲ 42)
7Joy RideKANG DANIEL(▲ 72)
8YOUTHKIHYUN (MONSTA X)(▲ 9)
9SelfishYooA (OH MY GIRL)(▼ 5)
10Drip N’ DropMIRAE(=)
11Give Me Your TMIStray Kids(▲ 36)
12Lay LowYooA (OH MY GIRL)(▲ 18)
13NirvanaKANG DANIEL ft. pH-1 & WDBZ(NEW)
14Hymn to LoveEPEX(▲ 23)
15VirusVICTON(▲ 63)
16The OneDRIPPIN(▲ 11)
17When I Get OldCHUNG HA & CHRISTOPHER(▲ 34)
18CHILLStray Kids(▲ 61)
19VISIONDreamcatcher(▲ 12)
20Make The ChangeENHYPEN(▲ 20)
21AttitudeATBO(▲ 53)
22AloneHIGHLIGHT(▼ 17)
23UnknownJeongmin (BF)(▲ 53)
24SOURTHE ROSE(▼12)
25It’ll Be AlrightRoy Kim(▲ 17)
26HELLOTREASURE(▼25)
27Last SceneCHEN (EXO)(▼13)
28Rum Pum PumVIVIZ(▼10)
29HigherFIFTY FIFTY(▲ 50)
303D WomanJAMIE(▲ 28)

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:

[Review] Funky Glitter Christmas – NMIXX

NMIXX is nominated for Best New Female Group of 2022 in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support NMIXX and your other favourite artists, songs and performances in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED by clicking the link here to vote.

NMIXX is back with the first holiday-themed KPOP track of the season. There is definitely a few more confirmed holiday-themed releases coming out way, so definitely keep your eyes open for those. But the focus today is on NMIXX and their new single Funky Glitter Christmas. This comeback follows the likes of O.O (their debut single) and DICE (their first comeback single).

NMIXX definitely made a splash in the industry for their uniqueness in smashing different sounds and styles into one singular song each time. This time around, the group turns down the exact thing that drew attention to them, instead opting for a more ‘standard’ sounding track to close out the year. And I quite like it. Not only was Funky Glitter Christmas was cheerful, upbeat, wholesome and bubbly, it was also stable and enabled a focus on the group’s vocals. On the stable front, we did get a bit of familiar melodies and classical carols mashed into the song, which is similar to the approach that NMIXX and their producers have taken for their other tracks. But it isn’t exactly jarring and comes off as cohesive, hence it feels stable. As for the vocal front, we have heard potential from the members in their past promoted tracks, but Funky Glitter Christmas is my first time hear a substantial vocal piece from the group. And I am very impressed with the flair and prowess that the group brought to Funky Glitter Christmas. I was particularly impressed with the the way the song swung back from the Christmas carol slowdown of the bridge to the final chorus, especially when it came to Lily’s high note. The rapping, whilst quite good, felt like it could have been a little more naturally incorporated into the song. Also, I feel that Funky Glitter Christmas could have more funkiness. This would have really made Funky Glitter Christmas more enjoyable, stronger and stand out more. Overall, a great track for us to acclimate to the holiday season and the countdown to the new year.

The entire music video showed the members getting ready for a party, and ultimately ends with that party showing everyone having fun and enjoying their time. This music video is no serious video, just telling you (visually) to have fun and enjoy the final moments of 2022 in the best way possible. It intends to be lighthearted and send out a happy message. It works well with the song and seeing the members have fun left a smile on my face.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

[Review] DRAGON – TEMPEST

TEMPEST is nominated for Best New Male Group of 2022, while their last comeback single is nominated for Most Underrated Song of 2022. Support TEMPEST and your other favourite artists, songs and performances in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED by clicking the link here to vote.

TEMPEST is back after a quick turnaround from their August comeback with Can’t Stop Shining and second mini-album (not yet reviewed, but will be reviewed). This time around, the group is promoting their third mini-album release, ON and ON, and the new lead single Dragon – both of which dropped on Tuesday this week. The single Taste The Feeling, which is also featured on this new mini-album, is also being promoted with a music video release (and I will be reviewing this some time into the future, as well).

Dragon is definitely a 180° change from their more pop centric Can’t Stop Shining, which I really enjoyed (so much so that it is now nominated for Most Underrated Song of 2022 in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards – sorry about the duplication and shameless plug). While I am not too bothered by the switch-up of style, my biggest concern with Dragon is that it doesn’t offer anything new in terms of output in the KPOP scene. Described as a hybrid trap song, Dragon is a somewhat solid track. It manages to put the members on display with solid display of vocals (i.e. the pre-choruses) and rapping (i.e. the powerful rapping we get in the verses). This is one aspect of Dragon that I really enjoyed. But unfortunately, it doesn’t strike me to be a memorable song. The choruses relied on shouty-like motif that didn’t give Dragon the opportunity to really hook me in. Whilst on the topic of hooks, Dragon was lacking in this department, as well. The instrumental was probably the most riveting aspect of the chorus, but it got repetitive by the time we got to the second chorus if I am being honest. Had the song been memorable by way of a more substantial hook, a less predictable instrumental or maybe a little creativity with the delivery of the chorus, Dragon could have been much more. But unfortunately, that wasn’t the case and we are left with a song that makes me want to relive their debut and previous comeback.

With a title as cool as Dragon, I kind of wished the music video featured more of the mystical beast. The glimpse of it that we did get was definitely serves as awesome peak. But I wished they had teased out the presence of the dragon a bit more. Aside from that, the video feels like your edgy styled music video, which works well with the song. I did quite liked the blue background with the white strips of fabric hanging above. That actually looked quite cool. I found the masks scenes to be a bit scary, but it worked with the edgy style quite well.

The performance for this comeback was just as you would expect. It is intense and has a powerful oomph to it, which complements the hybrid trap that we get in the song. I did like the kicks in the pre-choruses, which worked well in hyping up the performance. But nothing really stood out from this expected routine.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.8/10

[Review] Nirvana – KANG DANIEL ft. pH-1 & WDBZ

As I had mentioned yesterday, I will be covering some new releases from this week today and tomorrow. It is slightly hard with artists whom I have not yet reviewed their previous comeback yet making their return this week and I want to at least review their releases in chronological order. So those releases will be on hold until I post a review for their preceding release. But there are still some new tracks from artists whom I have already reviewed their previous comebacks. One of these artists is KANG DANIEL. While I have yet to review two b-sides that got the music video treatment from his first studio album (and thus have not reviewed the full album, The Story), it might have been a smart unintended move. Following the release of The Story and Upside Down back in May, KANG DANIEL has returned 6 months on with a repackaged album that has been retitled as The Story: Retold and the new lead single, Nirvana.

Of all the different tracks that I have heard from KANG DANIEL since his solo debut, the ones that ends up going harder are the ones that I much prefer, like Who U Are and PARANOIA. Joining that list is Nirvana. It just takes a bit of time for the track to have momentum, and I like quite like it for the fact that it doesn’t delve into a dark context. The verses of Nirvana are more atmospheric and airy. There isn’t much to it, but I do find the synths that make up the background of the verses to be appropriate for KANG DANIEL. The meatier parts of Nirvana, which ends up being in the chorus, really sells the song for me. I quite enjoyed the contrast between verses/bridge versus choruses. It makes the electronic pop chorus just feel so much more intense when compared to the verses. But it also gave purpose to the atmospheric vibe that the verses had opted for. Without such a chorus, I feel like I would have been bored with what was presented to us in the verses. What I also enjoyed about the chorus was the beat, bass and rhythm, which I thought had a sense of style and sleekness to it that oozes out charisma as KANG DANIEL sings. I liked the more refined approach that his vocals took, keeping in line with that sense of style, sleekness and charisma that I just mentioned. And the melodies and lines had a memorable ring to them. pH-1 has always been a great addition to songs, and his featuring in Nirvana helped prevent the song fall into a consistent state that would have felt ended up Nirvana potentially going into dry territory. His flow and energy fits in quite well. Overall, Nirvana is a successful and great comeback track in my books.

The music video for Nirvana features WDBZ, who performs the choreography alongside KANG DANIEL. For those who don’t know WDBZ is a dance crew that is made up of dancers who normally already perform alongside KANG DANIEL on stage. They are signed under with Konnect Entertainment (the home of KANG DANIEL himself) and participated in the recent MNET dance crew survival show, Street Man Fighter (which KANG DANIEL also was a host for). Anyhow, the music video was pretty cool. I also like how KANG DANIEL is carefree for the verses. I find the scenes throughout the video shows him as likeable and friendly, especially when he dons a wide smile that also makes his eyes smile. The choreography scenes coincides with the choruses, as the music here features that the intense momentum. And I feel like the producers of this video really captured impactful moments of the routine. I also really enjoyed the runway scenes, which also works really well with the music/chorus.

As touched on briefly, the choreography has it moments, with the start of the chorus being the most impactful move from the routine. But that might be influenced by the cuts we see in the music video. The rest of the choreography really showed off KANG DANIEL’s charisma and both KANG DANIEL and WDBZ’s performance skills.

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