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] Just Breath – JinJin & Rocky (ASTRO)

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I end the working week with the review of the final Monday release. I did not expect to take five days to review all the releases from one day, but here we are. The final release is Just Breath, which is the debut single for ASTRO’s newest and second unit, JinJin & Rocky. It is featured on the unit’s first mini-album, Restore. This is ASTRO’s first release of the year, following 2021’s ONE and After Midnight. The unit also follows in the footsteps of the group’s first unit, Moonbin & Sanha, who debuted back in 2020 with Bad Idea, and MJ’s 2021 solo debut, Get Set Yo (which I have not reviewed yet).

Heading into Just Breath, I was expecting something edgy, and potentially hip-hop aligned or rap heavy at the very least. This expectation comes from the idea that they are ASTRO’s rappers. So, I was genuinely surprised when I started hearing old school funky pop music coming from the speakers when I checked out the release on Monday. Just Breath (which is a mildly annoying title, as it should be Just Breathe, just to be grammatically correct) is definitely loaded with exciting and fun energy. And it is the type of upbeat energy that keeps you on your feet whilst listen to the song. Everything from the percussion to the brass in the instrumental breaks were on point and an absolute blast to listen to. There were some moments within the song, like the marching sequence and a few of the exclamations, that I feel would be most effective to Korean speakers. As a non-Korean speaker, I don’t get them as much, but I didn’t mind them. Aside from the marching sequence, the exclamations added to energy of the song. As expected, Just Breath did consist of rapping from the pair. JinJin definitely had great momentum and kept the energy up throughout the song with his vibrant and energetic delivery. Rocky did participate in some rapping with a rap-speak delivery, but his main contribution to the song were vocals. I was thoroughly impressed with his showcases of vocals capabilities in Just Breath (and may have taken the honor as the standout member in Just Breath. Both brought great character and personality to their parts, making this another impressive release from the day. The chanty end to the song was also a nice way to cap off the song, giving off an inclusive vibe. Unfortunately, Just Breath does lack a solid melody, and I felt the autotune in the bridge to be a bit much (despite fitting in during that moment). But overall, Just Breath is a fun and energetic song with a few nice surprises.

Just like the song, the music video was very fun to watch and had some comedic moments that even I chuckled at. It appears like JinJin and Rocky are both bachelors and have their own struggles. But at the end of the day (well during the day, given how early they started drinking), they know how to really enjoy themselves and realize that it is best to be with others. They were pretty wild, and this made the video extremely enjoyable and captured the vibes of the song very well. Their acting (I am going to assume some of it was acting, though their natural personalities would definitely be at play in this video, as well) was superb. I liked how their energy was inclusive of everyone, and they even got the old lady at the food stand to have a bit of fun.

Their acting in the video is one thing, but the fun and party vibes they showed on stage is just pure confidence. That alone has really earned them a a lot of praise from me. From their expressions to the way they moved about on stage, everything felt free and fun. The best parts had to be the brassy sequences of the song, where the pair and dancers do their mini skips and jumps. It was definitely the peak moments in terms of energy. Rocky’s split was a surprise and him holding the soju bottle in the music video while dancing was also a memorable highlight.

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

[Review] DM – fromis_9

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The fifth (!) release from Monday to be reviewed is fromis_9 latest comeback single, DM, which is featured on the group’s fourth mini-album since debut (and their first mini-album release under Pledis Entertainment). DM follows the likes of fromis_9’s 2021 releases WE GO and Talk & Talk, with the latter earning the group’s first music show win in over three years.

DM is another song that I really enjoyed. It isn’t the most mind-blowing piece, nor is it fromis_9’s best work since their debut (Love Bomb still holds onto that title). But there is such as pure tone and crisp nature to DM that makes it so good. It is a pop track with no frills, and is quite light, soft and pleasant (in a positive sense) as well. If you want something that isn’t complicated, then DM is a song for you. What I quite enjoyed about DM is the vocals. The members really show a solid skillset in this song. I am particularly impressed with the chorus, as the vocals here really boosted the song up and brought a very nice sense of vibrancy to the song. The dolphin-like high note in the final chorus was another impressive moment and extremely shocking (in a good manner) detail to end DM with. The melody at the start of the chorus really captures your attention and helps kick off the chorus in a memorable sense. I also liked how DM pushes the group down a mature route (in comparison to their earlier works) without going dark or edgy, which helps the song and group come off as refreshing (as mentioned before). I do wish the rest of the song a more memorable tinge as well. Everything we did get complimented the chorus, but I feel something more could have been done in the verses, for example, to really take the song to the next level yet maintain the pleasantness of the song. Overall, DM is a strong yet pleasant song for fromis_9.

The music video for this release was good. The video consist of nothing more than a magnitude of closeup and choreography shots. But before you think I make the comment about the music video having just the common formula of closeup and choreography, I think it was intentional for this release. The song is not complicated, and as repeated many times already, takes on an pleasant and light tone. Hence, I feel the producers for this music video thought a simple and straightforward video would make the most sense to compliment the song. In addition to that, the group’s visuals were shown off and the sets looked nice. I liked how the colours in this video were not overly bold. Instead, they all had a pleasant tone, not too harsh or too light.

Same thing can be said about the choreography. It isn’t anything special or innovative, but the choreography we did get was pleasant as well (just like the other elements of the comeback). I did like the start of the chorus, where they move towards the camera in time with the opening melody (helps make the moment appear more memorable) and that hugging bit right at the end.

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

[Review] 1, 2, 3 – AB6IX

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Also making their comeback on Monday was AB6IX, who returns with the new single 1, 2, 3 and special album, Complete with You. This comeback comes after AB6IX returned with CHERRY and MO’ COMPLETE (their second studio album since debut) in September of last year, and debuted in Japan with the Japanese version of CHERRY two months later.

1, 2, 3 is another fun and upbeat track that I quite enjoyed from Monday. It wasn’t my absolute favourite from the day in question, but it was definitely heading in that direction. Just like the song I had just reviewed, I find 1, 2, 3 to be wholesome and sweet, but these descriptors come about for different reasons. Put simply, 1, 2, 3 is a song dedicated to their fans (ABNEWs) and such feelings of wholesome and sweetness is a way the group is reaching out to their fans. I am quite sure the messaging and vibes from the song are making ABNEWs (and some potentially new listeners swoon over AB6IX). Personally, I am not as affected by this, but I still enjoyed the song nonetheless. I liked the funky pop nature of the song had. It, along with the beat of 1, 2, 3, was fun, upbeat and bright. What I thought made 1, 2, 3 even more likeable were the instrumental elements that gave the song a vibrant sense of colour. The guitar twangs in the chorus and brass in the post-chorus hook following the second and final choruses where the members became chanty with the ‘Let’s dance, 1, 2, 3, Let’s Dance, Left and Right‘ are prime examples of this. These are very typical when you think about it, but I thought they were well used in the song. The vocals and rapping quite solid, and were the main mechanisms to bring forth that wholesome/sweet combo. The bridge was quite cool, where 1, 2, 3 changes it up with a somewhat balladry-like approach. I liked how it wasn’t an extreme change to the song and how it cut the momentum briefly, but brought it back up for the final chorus. It also provided a bit of relief from the song, in case you felt the vibrancy and colour was a bit too much or repetitive, which I felt the song was also going towards. Overall, I feel that 1, 2 , 3 was another great and enjoyable song from AB6IX.

I was wary when I saw the ‘PERFORMANCE M/V’ part of the video’s title. I expected this to be a straight forward performance piece. But it ended up being a lot more. Sure, the performance plays a very prominent role throughout the video. But I quite like what else they did to the video. For example, I loved the curved corner rectangles at the start of the video and how it was used to introduce each of the members one by one. The black and white was also quite cool. The rectangles returned in a conveyor belt like use during the first post-chorus hook sequence. I thought this was a clever reuse of the style and pulls the video together nicely. Elsewhere, the video shows the different stages of preparing and going through with a serenade. When you consider the fact that the song was dedicated for the fans, I am sure an idea of a serenade from the members was given thumbs up. I just wished there was a bit more to the serenade in the video, as it seems a bit lackluster in terms of execution at least from my end and rushed to fit the song (maybe a brief interlude might have helped out).

Performance for 1, 2, 3 was great. The moves were relatively simple compared to their other releases, but they definitely worked well with the song. The whole chorus routine was quite fun to watch, and I liked when the later part of the sequence where the members move in a X shape just before Donghyun’s solo moment in the chorus. It just added a bit of sharpness to the routine.

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

[Review] SMILEY – YENA ft. BIBI

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Next up on the reviewing block is probably my favourite release from Monday. That title goes to YENA’s solo debut track, SMILEY, which also features soloist BIBI. The track is featured on YENA’s first solo mini-album, which shares the same name as the title track with a cute smiley face preceding it (ˣ‿ˣ (SMiLEY)). For those who don’t know YENA, you might better recognize her with her full name, Choi Yena, and she is one of the former IZ*ONE members to recently make their debut. She does so from under Yuehua Entertainment, which is home to EVERGLOW and WOODZ. She is also known for being Choi Sungmin’s (former member of SPEED and COED School) sister.

SMILEY (the song) does exactly what the title says. It made me smile and I can’t seem to get it out of my head. The amount of times I have revisited the song over the last few days since its release may suggest a bit of an obsession towards the song. I have no regrets and I can’t help it that I am totally loving it. There is so much to point out, despite it being a relatively simple track. SMILEY steers down the pop rock sound, with an energetic and upbeat instrumentation that brings forth a nostalgic vibe of the 2000s pop rock. YENA’s vocals were perfectly executed throughout the song, adding sweetness, cuteness (to give SMILEY a bubble-gum tinge to the track) and is such a great carrier of the melodies and hooks within SMILEY. The pairing of both vocals and instrumentation just makes me want to get up and dance (like the guy in the video) and it is quite infectious. I also like the autotuned pre-chorus, which acts like a mini momentum builder to the chorus and helps makes the centerpiece more explosive. BIBI’s featuring in the song is quite interesting as it offsets YENA. But at no point does BIBI overshadows YENA, and the edginess that BIBI brings to SMILEY helps balances out the song to prevent it from becoming oversaturated in sweetness and cuteness. Personally, I don’t think that was going to be a problem (this time around), but I see where the BIBI’s featuring is coming from. It also helped that BIBI’s sequence also used a higher tone, which compliments YENA’s vocals. Another thing about SMILEY that I really enjoyed is the messaging behind the track, which simply says to keep on smiling. Overall, SMILEY is a fun, addictive and wholesome song that I just cannot get enough of.

I will be honest, the opening to the music video when I watched it for the first time was a bit cringy. While it does set up the music video and YENA’s character as this smiley superhero, it just felt a bit too much for me. Now, after watching the music video a few times, the cringy undertones aren’t really there anymore. Anyhow, YENA’s character is a superhero whose superpower is to spread smiles everywhere. She does so after helping a boy get a balloon off the roof of the building (an important detail). After she spreads her happiness in the diner, she leaves to spread her happiness in the darkest depths of the planet (the Shady, who conveniently lives in the snowiest and coldest place on Earth). BIBI arrives to spread her darkness around, but I think she ends up being more interested in helping YENA by sending some of her power to help YENA combat the cold by upgrading her outfit with a bit of BIBI’s own dark taste. Unfortunately, the cold is too much and YENA collapses. But we do see the SHADY becoming infected with YENA’s happiness and goes out to help her. It turns out SHADY was actually the little boy who appeared at the start of the video and repays YENA’s action by helping her out. So, YENA recovers, continues to spread her happiness around the world (and turns it into a rubber duck in the process), returns to the diner at the start of the video to just rock it out. A fun, cute and playful concept that I really enjoyed.

The performance makes my smile even wider with YENA’s cuteness dominating the performance. Just like the concept of the video, the performance was fun, playful and definitely energetic and bubbly as well. Very suitable for the song and its energy!

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

[Review] Make Me Happy – Wheein (Mamamoo)

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My next review is for Wheein’s solo comeback, which was dropped on the Sunday that had just past! Leading her latest mini-album, Whee, is the title track Make Me Happy, which music video also dropped on the same day. Both Make Me Happy and Whee is also her first release as a solo artist outside of RBW, which is still managing her Mamamoo activities. In June of last year, Wheein had chosen not to renew her personal contract with RBW, but did sign another contract to stay on as a Mamamoo member so that the quartet would continue on for the next while Her lost solo release under RBW last year’s water color. A few months later, it was announced that Wheein had signed on with THEL1VE, which is a label founded by Ravi (VIXX member), and is also home to Ailee.

Right from the get-go, Make Me Happy is such a pleasant and soothing track. There is a lot of enjoy in the song. To me, Make Me Happy comes off as an upbeat R&B track that has a tinge of retro flair to the song. Not really the most mind-blowing combination, but it is still appreciable and stunning at times. The bass line gives the song a nice oomph, which prevents it from dulling and increases the appeal of the song by many folds as opposed to the track going down the standard R&B sound. Wheein’s vocals bring a delicate touch to the song. Her vocals are whispery and light, while the melodies were smooth and flowy. I liked the pairing of the upbeat instrumentation with Wheein’s vocals. They offset the flaws of each other and creates a harmonious track that I find is very pretty, beautiful and an enjoyable track to relax or chill to. However, I do feel like my opening statement is a bit of a double edge sword to the song. While being pleasant and soothing is a great thing at times, I do think this is Make My Happy‘s biggest issue. And it is simply due to the competition that both the song and Wheein faces. In the midst of releases that have dropped this week so far, I don’t know if ‘pleasant and soothing’ is the right way to go. It is quite a crowd to navigate in. For example, if I wasn’t writing a review blog, I think I would have missed the release despite being a fan of Mamamoo, due to the fact that it is a Sunday release and that I tend to steer towards more lively and dynamic tracks (which yesterday and today is in abundance of).

To compliment the pretty song is an equally as pretty music video. There was such a heavy presence of flowers and butterflies throughout the video, and Wheein’s visuals got more and more breathtaking as the video went on. The purple dress and the flower head piece, as she walked down that hall, was definitely the money shot for me in this video. The visual work at the start and the post-production throughout the video (such as that beautiful hole in the wall and Wheein bursting into butterflies) definitely took the video to the next level. I also like the overall colour palette of the video. There were a mixture of pastels and stronger tones throughout the video, which helps makes this music video look less muted.

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

[Review] Can’t Control Myself – Taeyeon (SNSD)

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Next up is Taeyeon’s Can’t Control Myself, which is the pre-release single for her upcoming third studio album. Her last release was Weekend, back in July of last year. Now regarding this soon-to-be-released album, all we know at this current stage is that it will be dropping some time in February and will feature Can’t Control Myself. Other than that, we are still awaiting further teasers, hints and other tidbits from Taeyeon or SM Entertainment. Until then, here is my review for Can’t Control Myself.

Can’t Control Myself is a ballad that showcases Taeyeon’s vocals, as most ballads do for the singer that is performing them. And like usual, Taeyeon sounds really great in the song. The melodies are also quite gripping to listen to. But what make Can’t Control Myself different to other ballads is the presence of the punk that we get in the chorus, which amps up the song to a whole new level and makes it relatively more powerful. It is also brings a different sound and dynamic to the genre than acoustic, rock or classical ballads that are in abundance in the KPOP industry. Other parts of the song that were quite impressive as well was that guitar work we get in the first pre-chorus (it felt like it was an acoustic guitar, and if so, then the transition between it and the electric guitar in the chorus was quite powerful) and the pairing of the piano melody and the English lines in the bridge (i.e. ‘Feels like heaven, feels like hell‘, the sarcastic laughs and ‘… I don’t care‘). The emptiness behind this sequence alone and the memorable nature of the melody around these lines in the bridge is another reason (on top of the punk ballad sound) to why I have revisited Can’t Control Myself so many times tonight already.

The song is all about how longing for love from someone who would cause them pain in the end (taken from SOOMPI). In this music video, we see the aftermath of a breakdown of Taeyeon’s relationship. This breakup, despite she knowing what it would do to her, literally destroys Taeyeon, who subsequently kills him at some point. Note that she is washing her hands of blood at the start of the video whilst still wearing a ring. That start has to be in the video for a reason. I am guessing she couldn’t accept reality and kills him. What we see on stage (the performance of how they meet and reunite) were all fragments of her imagination and not a retelling of their relationship (i.e. how they met etc.). Instead, I think he is literally attached to this ‘perfect’ world that she had created for herself on stage, where they are preforming the perfect love story. But when we see him backstage and behind the crowd of reporters, Taeyeon is just broken. The way he also carries on as if nothing is happening (i.e. no awkwardness, no anger, no happiness) seems to back up the theory that he is dead, is quite haunting and is a ghost that only Taeyeon can see and hence is constantly being reminded of. This theory also explains why he continued acting as a stage actor at the end of the video, and why no one noticed Taeyeon’s massive breakdown on stage (which I think the constant reminder was a breaking point for her). I hope this theory makes sense, as I think it explains a lot and is quite a different story to have.

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

[Review] VILLIAN – DRIPPIN

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There are a lot of comebacks dropping today, so expect the reviews to be posted over the next few days or so. Randomly selected to be the first release on the reviewing block is DRIPPIN’s comeback song, VILLIAN, which is featured on the group’s third mini-album of the same name. This is the group’s first comeback since last year’s release of Free Pass and the special single Vertigo (I highly recommend this Universe promotional single).

DRIPPIN revisits the groovy sound in VILLIAN thanks to the funky electronic bass line that runs throughout the song. The grooviness is felt the most during the song’s verses, while it felt somewhat lacking in the chorus due to the other instrumentation overwhelming the plate a bit. The grooviness is still there, however, it just felt less prevalent for me and I don’t recognise its presence as instantaneously as per the verses. This is more of an observation however, and I still thought VILLIAN had a decent backing to it. But when I compare to the wider industry, VILLIAN falters on the innovation side. As the vocals, I liked how powerful and forceful they got with their lines in the chorus. It definitely adds vibrancy and energy to the song that makes VILLIAN better. I also enjoyed the vocals at the very start of the song, as they ease into it. It was breathy and slightly sensual, which I think the members could have explored more in VILLIAN. The soaring high note from Hyeop was also impressive, though I wished it was slightly longer to be even more satisfying. Dongyun and Alex’s rapping were pretty good as well, though I wished they had more than half of the second verse. VILLIAN‘s outro did a good job of maintaining the momentum for that extra bit longer, making the end satisfying as well. Overall, VILLIAN is a decent song from the group with me wishing for (as usual).

Per usual, I am not entirely sure what the story of this music video is. The group became villains for this music video, as per the lyrics of the song, and went out to evoke havoc on the world. While their powers seem to help each other out and earlier scenes suggest that they had banded together, I can’t really tell if they are helping each/banded together for a common mission or whether they just want to cause havoc (or maybe, their mission was to cause havoc because they are villains). I wished the storyline came together to have an endpoint or a conclusion, just so whatever story was happening was clearer. But aside from that, a strong concept potential and awesome post-production.

The performance for this comeback was strong and powerful, which matches up with the energy that is exuded from the song. Nothing really stood out at me, but the entire routine worked well with the song and it is still a worthwhile performance to watch.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 2nd Week of January 2022

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Welcome all to the next Weekly KPOP Chart post of the year – for the 2nd Week of January 2022! It was another big week with a lot of new releases (as you can see from the list below). And it has been a busy weekend thus far. I know I made promises for a certain album review earlier in the week, but I will be shifting my focus onto completing preparations of the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards and End of Year Charts, as I am very near to finishing them. I am hoping to announce the winners out sometime at the end of the week or the upcoming weekend. Once I have finalize them, the album review will be my next focus. Until then (and the other reviews I will be writing this week), here are the Weekly KPOP Charts for the 2nd Week of January 2022.

New releases of the Week

In addition to ENHYPEN’s Blessed-Cursed, Kim Yo Han’s DESSERT, MIRAE’s Marvelous, Max Changmin’s Fever, Maniac and Devil, and OnlyOneOf’s skinz, here are the other releases of the week:

  • DEADLINE – ZELO
  • Cinderella – D-ART
  • Road in the Light – SWAN (CRAXY)
  • Layin’ Low – Hyolyn ft. Jooyoung
  • Slow Dance – Kangta
  • Adrenaline – KOM (N.O.M)
  • You, Me = Us – LUHA & Go Hyeon
  • Yummy Yummy Love – Momoland & Natti Natasha

Throwback corner

This week’s throwback song is Fiestar’s You’re Pitiful. It came up on my YouTube suggestions, and I just clicked. Then I got into a Fiestar festival.

Non-Korean Release of the Week

As mentioned last week, I will still be featuring a non-Korean release in the Weekly KPOP Charts post, which would most likely be the highest ranking song of the week. For this week, the highest ranking non-Korean song is Amber Liu’s Don’t Dance (which ranks in the 43rd position).

The Charts

Congratulations to ENHYPEN for taking the top spot of KPOPREVIEWED’s Weekly KPOP Chart with their latest track, Blessed-Cursed, which was released earlier this week. For more of the charts, keep on reading!

2nd Week of Jan 20219th Jan – 15th Jan 2022
Pos.SongArtistStatus
1Blessed-CursedENHYPEN(NEW)
2LOVE ME LIKEOMEGA X(▲ 25)
3DESSERTKim Yo Han (WEi)(NEW)
4MarvelousMIRAE(NEW)
5ManiacMax Changmin (TVXQ)(NEW)
6ElevenIVE(▼ 4)
7Universe (Let’s Play Ball)NCT U(▲ 24)
8WA DA DAKep1er(▼ 7)
9The Real (Heung Version)ATEEZ(▼ 2)
10BeautifulNCT 2021(▲ 5)
11DevilMax Changmin (TVXQ)(NEW)
12FeverMax Changmin (TVXQ)(▲ 37)
13RubyWOOZI (SEVENTEEN)(▼ 1)
14ShadowTHE MAN BLK(▲ 64)
15TNT (Truth & Trust)TRENDZ(▲ 35)
16skinzOnlyOneOf(NEW)
17ElectrifiedHa Sung Woon(▲ 56)
18Scars (Korean Version)Stray Kids(▲ 6)
19TurbulenceATEEZ(▼ 8)
20Who You AreBamBam (GOT7) ft. Seulgi (Red Velvet)(▲ 58)
21Crazy About YouUP10TION(▼ 18)
22GoosebumpsONF(▼ 13)
23TraumaSF9(▼ 15)
24UnforgettableKim Jae Hwan(▲ 11)
25Rush HourMONSTA X(▼ 11)
26Do It Like ThisP1Harmony(▼ 22)
27Happy Death DayXdinary Heroes(▲ 10)
28PeachesKai (EXO)(▼ 18)
29Winter FallsStray Kids(▼ 13)
30Solo ChristmasAilee & Wheein (Mamamoo)(▲ 48)

Songs leaving the charts this week

The following songs have left the charts this week as they have wrapped up their nine week run in the charts system:

[Review] skinz – OnlyOneOf

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Ending the week is OnlyOneOf, who returns with their fourth mini-album, Instinct Part 2 and the title track, skinz. Last year, we saw the group return with the very bold libidO (side note: the song itself has grown on me since I reviewed it), which earned them a lot of attention for their LGBTQIA+ concept and provocative stage performance. The group did release a number of other tracks throughout the remainder of 2021, but they did not get reviews due to their lack of a music video of some sort. Since libidO, the group became less of one member, Love (the now former leader of the group) who withdrew from the group unexpectedly in August last year.

skinz is another bold song from this week, with the boldness attributed to the song’s instrumentation. It features a glitchy bass sound which is a very peculiar choice. Despite the foreignness of this style, however, skinz‘s glitchy nature of background gives the song some uniqueness and individualistic points that sets it apart from other songs. I also felt the electronic components of instrumental was interesting, as it reminded me of a concentrated version of libidO‘s instrumental. Not sure if other people felt that or if was the intentional effect, but I thought it made skinz a good follow up to the preceding title track. We do get some relief from the glitchy instrumentation, which may be jarring for some already, in the pre-choruses, where a slightly smoother texture overtakes the background. I like this reprieve, as I think a consistent glitchy pattern would have made the song a bit too much for my taste, as well. As for the vocals and rapping, I liked the sensual energy it brought to the song. Their extra breathy tones made skinz alluring and intriguing to listen to. Boldness was another idea running through my mind. They retained the breathy tones for the autotuned moments as well. The rapping follows the same effect (and I did like the more whispery touch the rapping in the bridge had). However, I wished the raps had a bit more bite to them or used in a different manner to add a different dynamic to the song. I think this would have developed the song even further. Otherwise, Skinz upon multiple replays, could most likely come across as like and like/too consistent throughout. Overall, a strong track from the group overall

The music video continues the LGBTQIA+ theme that was noted to be a key part of the libidO music video. In this music video, however, it isn’t in your face as much. Instead, it was more subtle compared to last year’s video. We are invited on a road trip with the members of OnlyOneOf, with the video shot entirely in our POV. For the most part, it looked like the members were having fun throughout the music video: going to the beach, singing karaoke, having a munch etc. However, we do get some scenes that seemingly hint at something between the different pairs of members. At the end of the video, we are thrown a bit of a twist – the start of the road trip restarts without us – suggesting that everything about the road trip might have been a piece of our imagination. This might also extend to the concept and apply to the libidO music video as well. The dance performance, on the other hand, continues the boldness from the previous comeback and this was actively portrayed in the choreography shots. I also liked the idea of the glitchy stage, which made the video more relevant to the song.

The performance, as mentioned above, manages to continue the same sensual and bold themes. But compared to their previous comeback, I find this performance to be even more heavy handed, despite it not containing any moves that had the same effect as the bridge section from last year. That being said, there was still a lot of body rolling, skin showing, abs reveals and other striking movements. None of this deters me from the routine, and I quite enjoyed the resultant aesthetics of the performance.

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

[Review] Devil – Max Changmin (TVXQ)

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Today is a Max Changmin day, as I review a third song from the soloist, who made his official solo comeback today. The song in question for this review, along with the title of his second mini-album that also dropped today, is Devil. Serving as pre-releases for this release is Fever and Maniac, which I had just posted reviews for in a double review format. The last time we saw Max Changmin as a solo artist was through his 2020 release Chocolate and more recently his Japanese single Devil in December 2021 (which I am hoping to review soon).

Devil continues the string of unique and individualistic releases from Max Changmin with an epic and bone-chilling track. I have a personal playlist of epic and thrilling sounding tracks that I have heard over time (i.e. movie sound tracks, songs used to back intense moments from TV shows and other general tracks that I have come across with epic vibes that puts me on the edge of my seat), and Devil would fit right into that playlist. From the very first second, Devil itself stands out from the crowd with its acapella ‘hoo hoo‘ background and Changmin’s lower tone. Some striking guitar and percussion work comes into play soon after, but they are kept very minimalistic for the time being. All of this continues up until we get to the chorus, which is separated by a brief moment of silence and a slightly roughed up autotuned ‘So let it rain‘ line, before we are launched into an epic chorus that is made of the exact same instrumentations already mentioned (including the acapella that provides us the ‘Rain on me‘ lines in the chorus). and features an intense drop. It is definitely a bold and worthwhile endpoint. Like the other songs reviewed today, Changmin pairs his voice with the instrumentation and throws in some tension as he raises his vocals. The melodies aren’t as striking, which is a tad disappointing. But that can be overlooked by the execution and epicness of the chorus His vocals are once again shown off in the brief second verse and bright, before we are brought back to the chorus each time. His high notes were so satisfying and just added so much more oomph to the song. He finishes in an amazing manner, with an ad-lib that brought nice closure to an otherwise thrilling song. Overall, Devil leaves me impressed and in awe – which is definitely continuing thread of the whole comeback. Can’t wait to listen to the album.

Per usual, I am not entirely sure what is going on in this video. From the ending (spoiler alert), it appears that Changmin is the devil. So I guess, the video is some sort of origin story. Again, not entirely sure. But what I am sure is that I really enjoyed the dark vibes from the video. It is a dark intensity that I look for when KPOP does ‘dark concepts’, to which only a few acts have managed to pull off before. And the forest scenes in this video nailed it. I also liked how minimalistic the video was as well (like the song), but there was still so much going on at the same time. The flashes in time with the beat for the chorus were also a great idea.

The performance of this release is quite aesthetic. From what I can observe from the music video, it fits the epic vibe and flair of the song quite well. The second chorus looks amazing with Changmin in the middle and the dancers surrounding him. Also the spin in the final chorus looks stunning. I do hope we get to see a live performance of Devil with all these elements in it!

Song – 9.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.3/10

[Double Review] Fever + Maniac – Max Changmin (TVXQ)

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Max Changmin starts the year off with a bunch of new releases. All of these new releases (plus a few more songs) form part of his second mini-album, Devil, which officially dropped today. Per usual, I will be focusing on the releases with music videos. As the post type ‘double review’ insinuates, I will be reviewing two releases in this post which in my mind act as the pre-releases for this new album. The first is titled Fever, which ‘stage’ video dropped on 8 January 2022. The second is for Maniac, which ‘promotional’ video dropped on 10 January 2022.

Fever kicks off promotions for the new album with an impressive and captivating track. Fever opens up with some jazzy influences and teases us with some rock as well. His voice flirts with us for a moment, just briefly before Fever builds to its full potential. Within less than half a minute, Fever has changed its tune. The song now brings out heavier and powerful drumming, while Changmin ups his vocals to a higher and powerful tone to compliment the change in momentum. While percussion becomes a prominent part of Fever from then on, the piano and rock influences do not falter and are consistently present throughout the rest of the song. As Fever progresses, the instrumental gets more intense (especially each time we re-enter the chorus) and Changmin pushes his vocals in both direction, impressively showing off both his high and low registers throughout the song. However, that is not all. For the best parts of Fever, it has to be everything from the instrumental dance break (that forms the bridge onwards). The concentrated rock and the interjection of the piano melody for the dance break, followed by Changmin literally blowing me away with his high notes on top of the powerful drumming that feels more like slams at this point. I am in awe every time I listen to Fever.

Maniac left me speechless when I listened to the song the first time around. Second and third time around, I was enjoying myself and the exciting tempo and relentless energy that was coming from the Maniac. And it is still hard to sit down to review this song without nodding or tapping along to the beat. Maniac takes on a completely different vibe to Fever, going down a more Queen influenced and theatrical path with its style and sound. I just loved the colour and vibrancy that was coming from Maniac, a definite positive aspect of the song. It is also quite unique and is very fresh, as a result. Another positive aspect of the song has to be the showcase of Changmin’s vocals, which are undoubtedly superb in this song. His voice just captivates you in this track as well, and pulls you in. The character behind his vocals compliment the theatrical side of the song, and the vibrancy his vocals bring to the song just amps Maniac to new heights. I really like the different types of melodies used throughout Maniac, including the ascending and descending melodies in the choruses and bridge. Overall, both Fever and Maniac are bold numbers in their own right, with each coming off as different and appealing at the same time.

Fever‘s video is more straightforward, as it is a stage video. Essentially, the performance is the main focus of the video and it appears that Changmin is singing the track live (due to the presence of the microphone on his face – but I hesitate in calling this a live performance for now). The stage looked cool, though I think the lighting at times could have been better. I also wished his outfit was a bit more unique and not cliché. Maniac on the other hand has a more fleshed out music video, with influences from Alfred Hitchcock being a prominent feature of the video. For those who are not familiar, the music video carried influences from Psycho and The Shining, as well as Martin Scorsese’s The King of Comedy. But to fit the brighter and upbeat tone, the video strayed away from the horror elements (though it looks like we did get a touch of that still) but more so on colour and vibrancy. I also liked how the video was separated into acts, further bringing the theatrical influences from the song to the video as well.

Maniac does not have a performance, so I will skip over that. However, Fever does. And it is a bold and powerful routine, just like the song. What makes it bold would be more so the ambition of pulling off a live performance with this song. And when I mean live, I mean live vocals and the same energy as we got in the video! I would love to see Changmin perform Fever live. I doubt there would be any issue on his part, and I will be very impressed with any attempt of it.

Fever
Song – 10/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.4/10

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

[Review] Marvelous – MIRAE

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Returning today is MIRAE, with their new single and third mini-album, Marvelous. The new release comes after MIRAE wrapped up 2021 with their debut single KILLA and first comeback single, Splash. The group have been receiving nominations for Best New Male Group or Best Rookie Group throughout the current award season, with them also receiving a nomination for the equivalent award in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. I will be announcing the winners in the near future. But until then, here are my thoughts on Marvelous (the title track).

Marvelous is a bold dance track that just really jumps right out at me. The boldness and ‘jumps right out at me’ part can be attributed to the catchy hook at the song begins with (i.e. the ‘Ma Ma Ma Mars‘ and the ‘Na Na Na Now‘). And this alone is quite addictive. Otherwise, Marvelous is a strong dance pop genre song. It is on the more typical side, but it is still a clean and upbeat dance track. The catchiness of the hook adds a vibrant tone to Marvelous and takes the song to the next level. The verses were pretty good, with solid vocals/rapping from the members and an intense instrumental buildup paired with some slightly monotonous yet powerful rapping for the pre-choruses. Said pre-choruses were actually another highlight in Marvelous for me. As for the bridge, it was the most interesting part of the song. There are two halves to it. The first half features vocals that seemingly adds a bit of flirty attitude and flair to the song. I quite enjoyed it. The second half of the bridge is more so an EDM break, where a shrilling texture is added to the song. Some vocals remain here, but the melody is lost in favour for the instrumental. This was a more dynamic change, but it added a different flavour to the song. Overall, I appreciated how the bridge kept the charge and momentum of the song, despite changing Marvelous a bit. It also added excitement to the song, which is a common theme across the board throughout Marvelous.

I am not entirely sure what is happening the video, but I might have a theory. It opens up with Dongpyo running away from someone. He is also coming from the direction of Mars based on the ‘To Mars’ sign on the door, which might indicate his origin as Mars. Anyhow, he later wakes up and looks into the space via his telescope, before donning an astronaut’s helmet and appearing in front of the other members (which I am guessing are on Earth). His presence intrigues the other members (and also felt slightly creepy during certain parts) and they follow him to the room with the big telescope and planets around them. I am not entirely sure what the significance of this big room is, but my big guess is that the room awakens everyone (they had no idea who he was at first, but at the end seemed to know him quite well). It appears like the entire mission was Dongpyo to reunite with his friends who also used to be on Mars as well (based the scene we get of them on Mars and the existence of the photograph), but they were somehow taken to Earth and their memories were wiped. In the end, the friends reunite. A slightly confusing storyline, but overall a good concept.

The routine looks dynamic and energetic, fitting the song quite well. The bridge section of the routine also adds to the powerfulness of the choreography. It is a bit hard for me to make further comments as we are limited based on what we got in the music video. But for now, I think what we saw is good enough for a 8/10 rating.

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

[Review] Unforgettable – Kim Jae Hwan

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One of the comebacks that occurred whilst I was on break for Christmas and New Years was made by Kim Jae Hwan. The soloist wraps up the year with his fourth mini-album (The Letter), which was released as soon as the Christmas holidays had passed and we were in that limbo awaiting the new year. Leading the charge on this mini-album is the title track Unforgettable. This is Kim Jae Hwan’s second comeback in 2021, with the first being April’s I Wouldn’t Look For You.

Unforgettable is a ballad that captivates me. And I am sure the song has captivated a lot more people as well. Without a doubt, the standout element of Unforgettable is Kim Jae Hwan’s vocals, who really portrays the heartfelt emotions and sadness behind the lyrics so well. I really enjoyed how powerful and piercing the vocals are during the chorus, with this really pulling your attention right into his vocals and helps with captivating me. The instrumental for Unforgettable is more on the typical side of ballads, with an orchestral backdrop to Kim Jae Hwan’s vocals. But this doesn’t weaken the song. In fact, I feel that the orchestral elements help build Unforgettable, allowing Kim Jae Hwan’s vocals to reach its powerful nature in a balanced and regulated manner. And like other ballads that captivate me, Unforgettable gets me closing my eyes to take the entire song in and swaying along to the melody – signs of a great ballad. To me, there is nothing wrong with Unforgettable, earning the second 10/10 of the year!

In addition to the emotional vocals we get from Kim Jae Hwan, the music video brings an additional emotional layer that really gets to you. Well, it did for me, at least. Kim Jae Hwan sings about unforgettable memories, which the music video shows he shares with the female character. The pair appears to be quite close, donning matching wooden rings. However, we do see that there is a bit of hesitancy in the relationship from both parties. Soon, we are lead to believe that the couple breaks up and we see Kim Jae Hwan adjust to the lack of his companion. However, I think the ending reveals that she in fact had passed on (this was a bit of a hazy detail in the story, and I wished it was better clarified) and that he was laying flowers at the site where she died, with the flowers bounded to one another with the same wooden ring in which the pair had exchanged with one another. While this wasn’t a plot twist, it just made the story incredibly sadder to watch and made the song more emotional upon reflection. Kim Jae Hwan’s acting in the video was also very good in this video.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10

[Review] Blessed-Cursed – ENHYPEN

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Also beginning the week off is ENHYPEN, who is back with their latest single, Blessed-Cursed. The new single is the title track from the newly released repackaged version of the group’s first studio album, once titled Dimension: Dilemma and now retitled as Dimension: Answer (both of which I will be fast-tracking/reviewing as one album review post this coming weekend!). Previously, the title track for Dimension: Dilemma was Tamed-Dashed, which was released back in October 2021.

Blessed-Cursed in a mix of hip-hop and rock. which is an interesting blend of styles. The electrifying rock was more so in the background, coming through underneath the trap elements. Both blended well with one another, brought on great energy and were a satisfying combination that ENHYPEN pulled off well. Naturally, I feel that the two genres do go hand-in-hand with one another, as intensity is something I associate with both genres of music. And no surprises here, I feel like this intensity was a common thread that pulled the two sides together to form Blessed-Cursed. It was quite a tense track to listen to, and for some reason I felt wrong to pause the song half way while listening to it. You could also feel the intensity in Blessed-Cursed via the vocals and rapping. I do wish that the ENHYPEN members were more ‘in-your-face’ with their delivery. They seemed to come to us in that direction, but as usual, I wanted more. Blessed-Cursed also ends in an unsatisfying manner, and I wished the song had better closure. Overall, I feel like Blessed-Cursed was a pleasant track, with a few minor improvements to make it even better. But I do feel like it is a bit safe. I wished Blessed-Cursed was more experimental. While staying safe seems to be the way to go with newer groups, I do feel like ENHYPEN’s in a position to try something new and stand out (with their success thus far and their company to back them up if it the experimentation were to backfire).

The music video goes back in time to the moment in which the world ticked over to the new century and millennium (i.e. the countdown between 1999 and 2000). Concept-wise, it was fun to see cinematography and outfits from that era. Only people in 1990s could pull off wide ankle pants like what we saw in the video, and make it not be a terrible look. Well, with a few exceptions – ENHYPEN now falls into that group. But other than that, the crispness of the quality of the video and the vibrant colours we did get (blue, white and red) are all definitely from a modern era. It was a good video overall that showed off visual and choreography. Fun fact: I found it funny that the concept went back to 1999/2000, given that none of the members were born then (the oldest member, Heeseung, was born in 2001).

The choreography for this comeback incorporates that intensity that I mentioned earlier in the review really well. It is a strong performance from the group, as always, but powerful in a subtle manner. I really like the various hand work in the performance, particularly the vibrating hand movements we saw when the members sing ‘Don’t Stop‘ in the pre-chorus.

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

[Review] DESSERT – Kim Yo Han (WEi)

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Kickstarting the new week is Kim Yo Han’s solo comeback. For those who don’t know Kim Yo Han, he currently the leader of WEi (a six member male group under Oui Entertainment) and is a former member of the short-lived X1 project group formed via Produce X 101. He is also an actor, currently known for the recently ended School 2021 drama. On the music front, Kim Yo Han made his solo debut a month prior to his debut as part of WEi with No More back in 2020. Today, Kim Yo Han returns with the mini-album Illusion and title track, DESSERT.

Kim Yo Han’s return is a more track when compared to No More. That one I was not much of a fan of. As for DESSERT, I feel that it fairs a bit better. However, reading over my review of No More, I can’t help but notice that a few elements of his solo debut track were also brought over into DESSERT, namely his vocals. I still find them dry and bland in DESSERT as per my main gripe about his solo debut track. They just don’t excite me, nor provide much expression or character to the song. There was a bit of amplification for the chorus. And while I did enjoy the pop melody here, I am still of the opinion that more can be done on the vocal front for this song. The bridge was interesting, with Kim Yo Han playing towards his strength here. Instead of a usual high note as per most KPOP songs, he instead opts to fade his vocals out. It isn’t spectacular, but it different aspect to other songs which I had noticed, and made the relaunch into the final chorus satisfying. As for DESSERT‘s instrumentation, I felt that it was too mainstream and safe – not really offering more than other KPOP dance tracks. However, I do appreciate the funky touch it had, which helped make the song a bit more appealing to my ears. This really helped pull me through the song and made DESSERT‘s centrepiece a bit more enjoyable. Once again, Kim Yo Han’s rapping was the song’s best part and pairing it with the funky nature of the instrumental was wonderful. Overall, DESSERT is a step in the right direction but still doesn’t show Kim Yo Han off as much.

Like the song itself, the music video and overall concept for this comeback takes on a much darker concept than when we last saw him as a solo artist. The mysterious vibes at the start of the video really pulled me, and I naturally wanted to find out what happens in the video. In the music video, we see Kim Yo Han tied up and undergo a transformation from pure to dark. At one point in the music video, we see Kim Yo Han take a bite of an apple, representation of the forbidden fruit, which caused the transformation. The forbidden fruit in this video represents the irresistible love in which Kim Yo Han likens to dessert in the lyrics. It is a topic that has been approached by many concepts in the past, but it is interesting to see how different companies and groups portray the story. And I feel like this music video did it clearly and well, whilst also using a lot of red.

The performance has a sensual tinge to it, which made the performance interesting and kept me around for the whole performance. Some of Kim Yo Han’s facial expressions were also on point. I also liked the laidback vibes that I also got from the performance, which were well incorporated and helps makes it more alluring.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 1st Week of January 2022

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Welcome all to the first Weekly KPOP Chart post for the 1st Week of January 2022! And it already a big week, given the massive list of new releases down below! Just looking at the list has me tired. I will work on the reviews for those releases in the coming week, as I am focused on finalizing the results for the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, which I am hoping to get out before the end of the month. Lots to do there, so I will move onto the other big news of this post.

For the 1st Week of January 2022 (this Weekly KPOP Charts), I will be now including non-Korean language songs in the Weekly KPOP Charts! This is due to the fact due to the rise in non-Korean language songs in the last year thanks to KPOP artists now branching out into the JPOP, CPOP and Western pop industries. The same rules apply as other releases already accepted – the songs must be by a Korean artist (or former Korean-related act) and must be a lead single (usually indicated by the release of a music video, though I will admit the boundaries for this particular criterion are blurred nowadays). A short list of songs over the last nine weeks have been entered into the chart system and are shown below.

New releases of the Week

The first official week of 2022 was loaded with new releases including Kep1er’s WA DA DA, ONEWE’s Universe_, UP10TION’s Crazy About You, P1Harmony’s Do It Like This and loads more:

  • Frozen – Taehwan (VANNER)
  • Runaway – 1iL
  • BOBBIN’ – BLITZERS
  • Fever – Max Changmin (TVXQ)
  • Ruby – WOOZI (SEVENTEEN)
  • Catch The Stars – woo!ah!
  • ATHLETIC GIRL – H1-KEY
  • LOVE ME LIKE – OMEGA X
  • TNT (Truth & Trust) – TRENDZ
  • TATTOO – AleXa
  • Find You – BZ-Boys
  • Lost On Me – Eric Nam
  • I Don’t Know You Anymore – Eric Nam
  • Super Yuppers! – WJSN Chocome
  • Let Me Drown – Hyunjun Hur

I also added some non-Korean language tracks to the list this week due to the change mentioned above. They will be removed like other songs per the nine week rule/based on their release date.

  • Bee With You – LAY (EXO)
  • White Miracle – Wonho
  • Freaky Cinderella – Fei (former Miss A member)
  • Don’t Dance – Amber Liu (f(x))
  • Human – Max Changmin (TVXQ)
  • ANOTOKIE – NIK
  • Power of Love – SEVENTEEN
  • You Problem – MONSTA X

Throwback corner

In light of the news that IMFACT has left their former company, Star Empire Entertainment, I revisited some of their past tracks this week. I may have also went down a trip down IMFACT memory lane as I was under the impression the group had disbanded (which is not the case, they just simply left their company). My pick from their discography is Lollipop!

Non-Korean Release of the Week

Even though I will be adding non-Korean releases by Korean artists (or KPOP-related artists), I do not see them rising to the top of the charts. So I will continue to highlight a release (most likely the highest ranked one, or a new release from the week). For this week, MONSTA X’s latest English title track, You Problem, is my pick for this corner.

The Charts

Congratulations to Kep1er for debuting at the very top of KPOPREVIEWED’s Weekly KPOP Chart with their debut track, WA DA DA, which was released earlier this week. For more of the charts, keep on reading!

1st Week of Jan 20212nd – 8th Jan 2022
Pos.SongArtistStatus
1WA DA DAKep1er(NEW)
2ElevenIVE(▼ 1)
3Crazy About YouUP10TION(NEW)
4Do It Like ThisP1Harmony(NEW)
5PirateEVERGLOW(=)
6Universe_ONEWE(NEW)
7The Real (Heung Version)ATEEZ(▲ 19)
8TraumaSF9(▲ 14)
9GoosebumpsONF(▲ 1)
10PeachesKai (EXO)(▲ 21)
11TurbulenceATEEZ(▼ 7)
12RubyWOOZI (SEVENTEEN)(NEW)
13BARCODELilli Lilli(▲ 14)
14Rush HourMONSTA X(▲ 51)
15BeautifulNCT 2021(▲ 37)
16Winter FallsStray Kids(▼ 5)
17WayOnew (SHINee) & Punch(▲ 3)
18LUNAONEUS(▼ 16)
19HeartbreakMinho (SHINee)(▲ 43)
20UnthinkableFT Island(▲ 25)
21Need USuper Junior D&E(▲ 44)
22TIKI TAKAT-ARA(▲ 22)
23RING X RINGBilllie(▲ 42)
24Scars (Korean Version)Stray Kids(▲ 41)
25I’m a BHwasa (Mamamoo)(▲ 34)
26FantabulousMinzy(▲ 39)
27LOVE ME LIKEOMEGA X(NEW)
28CandlesTHE BOYZ(▲ 35)
29ANIRavi (VIXX) ft. Jeon Soyeon ((G)I-DLE)(▲ 21)
30TATTOOAleXa(NEW)

Songs leaving the charts this week

The following songs have left the charts this week as they have wrapped up their nine week run in the charts system: