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[Double Review] Spit It Out + Rain On Me – MAJORS

December 21, 2021December 21, 2021Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged MAJORS1 Comment

MAJORS is nominated for Best New Female Group in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support MAJORS by clicking here to vote today!

Today’s focus will be on the remaining artist whom I have not reviewed yet from the Best New Female Group category from the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. I am talking about none other than MAJORS, who scored their nomination for their constant activeness in the industry year since their debut in March of this year. MAJORS is a six-member female group under ANS Entertainment (the home of the now disbanded ANS), and its lineup consist of Ida, Vita, Aki, Bian (the sole former member of ANS who stayed on board with the company), Suzy and Shinye. 2021 saw the group debut with the single Spit It Out (will be the focus of this review). They also release single Rain On Me (which will be reviewed in this post as well) and Shining Star.

MAJORS releases never stuck out at me at the time of release. Maybe that is why I hadn’t posted a review for them. However, I have noted myself to pay attention to their songs many weeks after (coincidently as I am removing them from the Weekly KPOP Charts that I post every Sunday). Their debut track, Spit It Out, sounds good. I thought the ‘Spit It Out‘ hook was catchy enough and the song’s main whiny instrumental synth hook, though annoying at first, ended up charming me. I will admit that the song isn’t perfect and it is one of those that feels under-polished and could have been much better had the mixing of the song been better. For example, Spit It Out would have been more impressive had the chorus hit harder, the beat wasn’t as sluggish and the instrumental had not been as dull. It would have been nice to hear something with a bit more liveliness, vibrancy and colour, and with a sharper beat. I feel like their vocals could have seen a bit more oomph, but I felt like we didn’t get much from than due to the constricting nature of the song. But there was some good moments, such as the members as backing ‘Ooh‘ in the final chorus and the bridge overall. Overall, there is a need for a lot of improvement in Spit It Out. However, it is only their first track. In an over-saturated market, it is beneficial to stand out in some manner with your first foot in the door and Spit It Out did not do that. But that didn’t deter me from picking up their next release.

Rain On Me is the title of their first comeback following Spit It Out. It is a definite improvement from Spit It Out and actually ticks some of the boxes on what I wanted from their debut track. The instrumental was not dull or sluggish. The EDM (even though typical) and the brass elements in Rain On Me really helped bring up the liveliness, vibrancy and colour of the song. That alone is already a strong appealing factor for me. Sure, the generic EDM didn’t innovate and it basically reinvented the wheel. But I think the instrumental of Rain On Me enabled the group to showcase a more vibrant vocal performance with a bit more of that oomph and energy that I wanted in the previous song, And this showcase promised potential. That is a sure positive for a group starting out. On the topic of vocals, I liked the addition of rapping and variety in tones throughout Rain On Me. It definitely bumped up the dynamic nature of the song. I also felt the instrumental break we got for the dance break also helped with that. The bridge was also nailed, in my opinion. Overall, Rain On Me had almost everything I wanted from the debut track, and frankly, they should have debuted with this song. But regardless, it is a step in the right direction for the group’s career.

The music video for Spit It Out is undeniably under funded and low budget. Everything looked pretty cheap and their outs did not fit the concept of the song whatsoever. Based on the background, I felt a club or casual type of outfit concept would have been more appropriate. The video also seemed awkward at times, especially during the close of the members. They either looked lost or emotionless. Can I blame the members? Not really. The budget is beyond their control, and I felt the producer should have picked on the other flaws of the video. For Rain On Me, the more vibrant colours and brighter lighting helped make the video feel so much more fitting for the song. I feel the sets for this video were a lot cooler and gave off a bolder look, relative to Spit It Out. The idea of a low budget still lingers when I watch Rain On Me, but it also a definite improvement and this pays off heap for the comeback.

The most positive aspect of Spit It Out‘s release was the choreography. It didn’t seem so if you watched the music video only, but they were in sync throughout and the moves were pretty decent. I would have liked it more had the facial expressions showed off a bit of charisma and attitude for this particular routine. The synchronization is maintained for the Rain On Me choreography. In better news, the facial expression definitely improved for Rain On Me. The dance break also looked cool. But it isn’t a smash out of the park. Unfortunately, the routine attached to the chorus was boring to watch.

Spit It Out
Song – 6/10
Music Video – 4/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 5.7/10

Rain On Me
Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10

[Review] WHY DON’T WE – RAIN ft. CHUNG HA

December 20, 2021Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged CHUNG HA, Rain1 Comment

WHY DON’T WE is nominated for Best Collaboration in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. CHUNG HA is also nominated for Best Female Solo Artist, Best Outfits, Best Female Choreography (Solo) and Best International Song by a Korean Artist (Western). Support WHY DON’T WE and CHUNG HA by clicking here to vote for the song today!

RAIN returned with the mini-album Pieces By Rain back in March of this year. The mini-album features the title track, WHY DON’T WE, a collaboration between RAIN himself and CHUNG HA. Based on the title of this post, it is obviously the focus of this review. Pieces By Rain also features other collaborations, such as RAIN & JYP’s collaboration from the end of last year – Switch to Me (which was originally considered for a nomination for the Best Collaboration category), a collaboration with some members of Ciipher (Come Over), Jackson Wang (Magnetic) and a solo song, Aurora. WHY DON’T ME is the final song I will be reviewing from the Best Collaboration category for the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards.

What stands out at me in WHY DON’T WE is the song’s flair and style. It is ultimately the reason why I nominated it for Best Collaboration in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. It is incredibly stylish, trendy and modern, all of which are impressions that you would want a song to tick off in this current age. And I personally feel that ever since its release in March of this year, these same descriptions would have applied (and they still do!). I really enjoyed the harsh piano that we get as an instrumental hook in this song, which had the added benefit of being memorable. I also really enjoyed the upbeatness of the song and the subtle intensity that the background captures (which also enables a cool and sharp performance – more on that later). WHY DON’T WE also has vibrancy and never really had a dull moment when you consider the instrumentation. It is the vocals and singing that weakens the song. Not by much and I personally don’t mind it, in retrospect. But sitting down to review WHY DON’T WE made me think long and hard about the song, and I just have to be honest. RAIN is excessively autotuned in this song. It is a bit odd when you look at the song as ‘bigger picture’, as CHUNG HA didn’t have much autotune on her one section of the song. I wished the producers toned down on the autotune, simply to balance and be on par with CHUNG HA’s section. Talking about CHUNG HA, she sounds great in this song. However, I do wish we heard more of her in WHY DON’T ME. I am not satisfied enough! With the hooks and lines, I do feel that WHY DON’T WE was stuck in a loop and a bit repetitive. Overall, WHY DON’T WE shines because of its instrumental, but the glow isn’t as strong thanks to the vocal aspects of the song.

One of the things RAIN is known for in KPOP is his style, and I feel that the music video does a wonderful job of capturing that style. I also felt that having CHUNG HA in the music video, even though her part in the song was limited, also helped with making the video more stylish. I liked the mysterious vibe of the video, courtesy of the closeup shots of RAIN himself. I don’t know if they form a story, or are there just to be mysterious for style only. But I don’t mind whichever was the intention of the video’s producer. Black and greys are stylish tones and I liked how they was used throughout the video to bring forth that visual effect. The odd presence of colour (mainly shades of red), such as CHUNG HA’s outfits, the red sand during the second chorus, the red piece of fabric that was twisted around the dancer in the air etc. added a refined touch to the video.

On top of the stylishness of the music video, the choreography was also the other heavy aspect of the music video. Another thing RAIN and CHUNG HA are known for is their choreographies and performances, and a collaboration between the pair on this front, logically, would be amazing. Well, spoiler alert – it was. I really like the footwork in the performance, along with the sexiness and charisma that the pair brings to the stage. Again, I wished CHUNG HA made an appearance towards the end of the performance to really wrap it up. But what we got was also fine.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

[Review] My Universe – Coldplay & BTS

December 20, 2021December 19, 2021Posted in KPOP, Reviews, Western POPTagged BTS, Coldplay2 Comments

My Universe is nominated for Best Collaboration and Best International Song By A Korean Artist (Western) categories in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Award. BTS is also nominated in the Best International Song by a Korean Artist (Western) for Butter. Support either My Universe or Butter by clicking here to vote today!

Today’s reviews will be focused on the songs that I have not reviewed yet from the Best Collaboration category from the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. One of the songs that I will be covering is a very big release that I should have reviewed when it was first released (end of September 2021), but haven’t gotten around to it. Until today! I am obviously talking about My Universe, a collaborative single between Coldplay and BTS. My Universe ended up being a single on Coldplay’s most recent album release, Music of the Spheres.

My Universe is one of those tracks that I found myself singing along to and that is thanks to its simple melody. When you consider the melody side of the song, you find it very straight-forward, simple (as already mentioned) and extremely pleasant. While these are limiting factors in some songs, I find these aspects to be big wins for My Universe. I also find this to be vital and clever, as My Universe draws together English and Korean lyrics. It may not be a mind-blowing idea, especially since we get a lot of English in Korean songs in KPOP on a day to day basis now. But I feel the execution of the two languages in this song in particular to be a substantial effort. And having the one singular melody throughout manages to pull the two languages together and creates a seamless song to enjoy. I also find the same melody to work with the message of the song, which is about bringing us all together no matter what world we are in. This is such a relevant message to give today. As mention before, My Universe is pleasant to listen to. Part of this comes from the melodies, but the other part comes from the vocal work. Both Chris Martin and the members of BTS pretty much maintain a soft approach. Even when the music hits hard for the chorus, they don’t really stray away from this idea and keep it fairly consistent throughout. Even the rapping from the members of BTS had that pleasant vibe and kept a low profile. The band and synth instrumentation was also a nice combination and enable My Universe‘s pleasant vibe. We get a slightly heavier, rougher and more intense synths in the final sequence of the song, which definitely helps complete the song (based on how the song supposedly finished off) in a fun celebratory manner, which I guess wraps up the song’s message nicely. Overall, I quite enjoyed My Universe, and found it to be a collaboration that I did not think I needed in 2021.

I quite like the premise of this music video. Coldplay, BTS, robots and aliens are all on different planets and seem to have a smashing time together, vibing to the music in hologram form. I will admit some scenes looks a bit cringy, but it definitely all relayed the same message of how much everyone enjoyed their time with one another. At the supposed end of the song, silencers came through to stop the music and everyone was forced to stop their jam session. But the final instrumental sequence proved that they can’t be stopped, and even though we might be apart from one another in current times, we can always still have a good time as ‘we are all in the universe’. That’s my take on the video, I wonder if there are any others out there? Other than that, I quite enjoyed the production side of the video. The CGI looked super cool and very detailed (like movie budget style).

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.4/10

[Album Review] HOT&COLD (5th Mini Album) – Park Ji Hoon

December 19, 2021Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged Park Ji HoonLeave a comment

Support your favourite artists, performances and song in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards by clicking the link here to vote for them!

The next album to be reviewed on this blog belongs to Park Ji Hoon, who made his comeback with this particular album, HOT&COLD, at the end of October of this year. Leading the album is the title track Serious, and five other new songs (all of which will be reviewed below). HOT&COLD follows the release of My Collection from earlier in the year.

1. Escalator (Intro) – Kicking off the album is Escalator, a short intro track that felt like you are surging to the top. It is quite upbeat and focuses on a R&B sound. Park Ji Hoon repeats the title of the song a few times before throwing in some other lyrics. But it really doesn’t do much to the song. A pretty average start to the album. (6/10)

2. Serious (Title Track) – Click here for Serious’ full review. (6/10)

3. WANT! – WANT! is a pleasant pop track. It is upbeat, has good rhythm and nice melody. Park Ji Hoon also sounds quite good. But aside from that, I do find WANT! just pleasant, and doesn’t really offer anything more than that. I wished the song went above the general pop boundaries. (7/10)

4. CHEESE – CHEESE is a lot more vibrant than WANT! and I find that so much more appealing. It too falls under the pop umbrella, but I like it a lot more than the previous song (for reasons already specified). I like how the upbeatness, energy and Park Ji Hoon’s tone in CHEESE is playful and fun, further adding to that appeal. (8/10)

5. LOVE GLASS – LOVE GLASS enters R&B territory, revisiting the sound from the title track. I liked the kick the beat gave the song, making it even more upbeat and fun than the pop tracks on this album. Park Ji Hoon sounds really good here, which can only mean that the song’s playfulness and colour can only be more likeable and livelier. LOVE GLASS is also quite catchy, as well. (8.5/10)

6. All Yours – The saying ‘save the best til last’ is applicable for this album. All Yours returns the album to a pop sound, but delving more into the balladry side of music as well. I quite like the guitars in the instrumentation, which provided a great deal of texture to the song. His voice is well used here as well, with his huskier tone coming through. I also like how pleasant All Yours comes across, and here I use the term ‘pleasant’ as a positive descriptor to the song (as opposed to how I used it earlier). (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.6/10

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 3rd Week of December 2021

December 19, 2021Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

Welcome to the Weekly KPOP Charts and the recap of the past week, the 3rd Week of December 2021. This also doubles up as the final Weekly KPOP Chart post that I will be posting this year. There will be a 4th and 5th Week of December 2021 Weekly KPOP Charts, but they will be posted in 2022 once I am back from Christmas break.

There will also be changes to the reviews for the remainder of the year. From tomorrow, I will be posting a bunch of reviews that have been pre-written and scheduled ahead of time for the remainder of the year and for the first few days of the new year. I will not be writing any review of any new releases between the start of this weekend to 2nd Jan 2022. Any new releases from between now and then (for example Kim Jae Hwan, BamBam, Purple Kiss etc.) will reviewed once I am back from break.

So with that, I want to wish you all Happy Holidays and New Year, and can’t wait to see what what KPOP has in store for us in 2022!

Also a quick reminder that the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards voting survey closes on 31st December 2021, 11:59 PM AEDT. If you have not voted yet, make sure you vote and support your favourite artists, performances and songs from 2021! Click here to be taken to the voting page.

Anyhow, long intro over. Here is the rest of the Weekly KPOP Charts!

New releases of the week

In addition to NCT 2021’s Beautiful and Moonbyul’s G999 that I reviewed during the week, the following songs were released in the past week and made eligible for the Weekly KPOP Charts for the next nine weeks (including this week):

Fantabulous – Minzy
Night (Winter Ver.) – DREAMNOTE
snowy night – Billlie
dance with me – Kim Jeong Uk
Call Me – PIIXY
Walk With Me – Youngjae (GOT7)
White Love – LABOUM
Find Again – THE MAN BLK
My My – PURPLE KISS

The Charts

Congratulations to IVE for topping my Weekly KPOP Charts for the 3rd Week of December 2021 with their debut track, Eleven! For more of the charts, scroll down below.

	12th Dec – 18th Dec 2021	3rd Week of December 2021
Pos.	Song	Title	Status
1	Eleven	IVE	(▲ 1)
2	Universe (Let’s Play Ball)	NCT U	(▲ 4)
3	The Real (Heung Version)	ATEEZ	(▲ 12)
4	Need U	Super Junior D&E	(▲ 65)
5	Beautiful	NCT 2021	(NEW)
6	Goosebumps	ONF	(▼ 5)
7	Don’t Teach Me	Ailee	(▲ 62)
8	ZERO	Super Junior D&E	(▲ 43)
9	Christmas EveL	Stray Kids	(=)
10	Rock With You	SEVENTEEN	(▲ 9) (Final Week)
11	Control	GHOST9	(▲ 17)
12	G999	Moonbyul (MAMAMOO) ft. Minari	(NEW)
13	Trauma	SF9	(▼ 5)
14	LUNA	ONEUS	(▼ 1)
15	Stardust	Younha	(▲ 54)
16	Favorite (Vampire)	NCT 127	(▲ 7)
17	Killing Me	CHUNG HA	(▼ 5)
18	Serious	Park Ji Hoon	(▼ 4)
19	RACE	Bang Young Guk	(▲ 11)
20	Turbulence	ATEEZ	(▼ 4)
21	Winter Falls	Stray Kids	(▲ 6)
22	Tick Tock	JUST.B	(▲ 47)
23	Frost	TXT	(▼ 13)
24	Pirate	EVERGLOW	(▼ 17)
25	Peaches	Kai (EXO)	(▼ 1)
26	Butterfly Effect	BOL4	(▲ 33)
27	Tales of the Unusual	PinkFantasy	(▲ 42)
28	bugAboo	bugAboo	(▲ 19)
29	Rush Hour	MONSTA X	(▲ 13)
30	Unthinkable	FT ISLAND	(▲ 39)

Songs leaving the charts this week

The following songs will be leaving the Weekly KPOP Charts as they have wrapped up their nine week run on the charts:

strawberry moon – IU
lullaby – Kim Jeong Uk
Calm & Passion – Nam Woohyun (Infinite)
Love Cut – CNBLUE
be – Eunhyuk (Super Junior)
Black Crown – KINGDOM
Rock With You – SEVENTEEN
Work Work – Lee Jin Hyuk

[Album Review] Formula of Love: O+T=<3 (3rd Studio Album) – TWICE

December 18, 2021Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged TWICE1 Comment

TWICE is nominated for Best Outfits (for their attire during their Alcohol-Free promotions) and Best Female Choreography (Group) for Cry For Me in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support TWICE in their categories by clicking here to vote for them.

The first album for review this weekend is TWICE’s Formula of Love: O+T=<3, their third studio album since debut. It features the title Scientist (previously reviewed and factored into this album review), a remixed version of the title track (not reviewed) and the English (factored into this album review) and Korean version of their single The Feels (not reviewed), and 13 new tracks (all reviewed below and factored into the album review). That is a whopping 16 tracks in total. This new album tackles the funky and groovy side of music, with a few distinct outliers. Read on to find out which ones are ‘funky and groovy’ and which ones are the outliers.

1. SCIENTIST (Title Track) – Click here for SCIENTIST’s full review. (7.5/10)

2. MOONLIGHT – Following the title track is the all-English MOONLIGHT, which is reminiscent of 80s/90s female pop groups. There is this twinkling touch on top of the groovy disco influence that feels appropriate for that era. It is a pretty smooth and pleasant number, with nice melodies and innocent vocals from the members. I did wish it changed it up a bit towards the end, as I feel MOONLIGHT is a tad too consistent. But overall, an enjoyable listen. (8/10)

3. ICON – ICON is the second all-English track on the album. I really liked the confidence and empowering nature behind the English lyrics of ICON. And I get that same exact feeling from the members as they exclaim the ‘’Damn, I got it, I’m iconic!’ line (which is a very catchy and memorable hook, by the way). Instrumentally, I thought ICON was a bit meh and wished it enable a more sassy vibe. (8/10)

4. CRUEL – CRUEL is a very sleek and sexy pop number. TWICE’s vocals really standout in this song, especially during the chorus where they use falsettos to make CRUEL iconic (relative to the rest of the album). I was totally digging it! I also like the subtle groovy touch to the instrumentation, which made me want to get up and dance. (10/10)

5. REAL YOU – Another track that I am very willing to get up and dance to. But it isn’t as great as CRUEL was. My first impression of REAL YOU was that there was a fair bit going on when it came to the instrumentation. Repeat listens since the album was release have neutralised that thought. Now, I like the grooviness and upbeatness that the instrumental brings, even though I find it a tad squeaky. All the members sound great, as well. (9/10)

6. F.I.L.A (FALL IN LOVE AGAIN) – TWICE is nailing the groovy and funky sounds on this album. F.I.L.A is a disco pop song, which chorus reminds me of Saturday Night Fever. I like the softness of the vocals in this song during the verses, and the deep rapping that we got. It contrasts well with the higher pitched and much more powerful vocals during the chorus. (10/10)

7. LAST WALTZ – LAST WALTZ gives off a mature vibe that hasn’t been heard on the album yet. It is sensual, but also adds onto the album’s funky direction in a subtle manner. The members sound great in this track, though I wished the flow of their lines was a bit more cohesive. They sound rather jaggered, and this didn’t come off as pleasant as it could have. The rapping stands out in this track, with the relevant members slaying their delivery! (8/10)

8. ESPRESSO – Whatever I had in mind for ESPRESSO, the final product was not it. I expected café style music for some reason, but instead we got a heavy dance club track. I like this change in sound. Its even more mature than the previous track, and I can imagine a very classy and mature performance concept for ESPRESSO. The song contains some really good hooks that make it even better, such as ‘E.S.P.R.E.S.S.O That’s who I am’. (8.5/10)

9. REWIND (알고 싶지 않아) – TWICE tones down the music with the presence of REWIND, a R&B number. A very typically instrumented R&B track in my opinion, but the vocals are very soothing and gentle in REWIND. A nice relief after such energetic, upbeat and funky tracks. (8/10)

10. CACTUS (산인장) – CACTUS continues this subdued corner of the album. This time around, the song opts of a pop rock ballad. It sounds stunning. I really like the softer moments of the song, which align itself to more so the ballad style, while the chorus brings forth a rock influence to the ballad. The members sound amazing , with the harmonies being a strong aspect of CACTUS. (10/10)

11. PUSH & PULL (Sana, Jihyo, Dahyun) – Starting off the series of unit tracks is Sana, Jihyo and Dahyun with PUSH & PULL. It is also a return to the album’s funky and groovy roots. It is a neat track and is a great return to the upbeat side of the album. I like the rapping in this song, which made it dynamic and appealing. I also really like the defined percussion when it came to the pre-chorus, Definitely hyped up the song for me. (9/10)

12. HELLO (Nayeon, Momo, Chaeyoung) – Nayeon, Momo and Chaeyoung delves into hip-hop roots, which is a definite change in direction from the group’s usual work. While I am a strong advocate for changing up sounds once in a while, I am not entire sure of what to think about HELLO. The last two things that should go together is TWICE and hip-hop. I just feel like they are two extremes that so far apart. However, HELLO is decent track. It is also rap heavy, as you would expect with most hip-hop centric songs, but this one isn’t as good as compared to the previous song. (7/10)

13. 1,3,2 (Jeongyeon, Mina, Tzuyu) – The final unit track on the album is 1,3,2, which comes courtesy of Jeongyeon, Mina and Tzuyu. The song is a dance track with reggae influences and I feel this is a really good sound for not just the unit but possibly the rest of the group! Overall, 1,3,2 comes off a mature track, with strong and catchy melodies, neat vocals and very intriguing rapping. I think 1,3,2 is probably the strongest and most innovative unit track on this album. (9/10)

14. CANDY – CANDY is the final new offering from TWICE on this album (the songs that follow are songs we have previously heard from the group). It is a dreamy ballad, with a melody that felt very sweet, like the title of the song suggests. It also reminds me of the 90s R&B. The vocals are nice and I like the high falsettos/harmonies that CANDY had. It made everything sweeter! (8.5/10)

15/16. The Feels – I previously reviewed The Feels as part of the International Song Review segment. This album features a Korean version (only on the physical version) and the original version. Click here for my review for The Feels. (9/10)

17. Scientist (R3hab Remix) – Refer to my review for Scientist above.

Overall Album Rating – 8.6/10

[Review] When Dawn Comes Again – Colde ft. Baekhyun (EXO)

December 18, 2021December 18, 2021Posted in KPOPTagged Baekhyun (EXO), Colde, EXOLeave a comment

When Dawn Comes Again is nominated for Best R&B Song, while Baekhyun’s solo release, Bambi, is also nominated for Best R&B Song. Support either When Dawn Comes Again or Bambi in the Best R&B Song category by clicking here to vote!

The final song from the Best R&B Song genre which I have yet to review is When Dawn Comes Again, which is a collaborative single between Colde and Baekhyun (from EXO). This was released back in July of this year. Since then, Colde has gone on to release another collaborative single, New Vision, with Kim Soyeon (from (G)I-DLE), and Baekhyun has enlisted into the military and is also competing against When Dawn Comes Again with his own solo single, Bambi.

Both Colde and Baekhyun are big name artists that recur in the Korean R&B industry, so there are high expectations for When Dawn Comes Again. And I feel that When Dawn Comes Again hits those expectations with little effort from both Colde and Baekhyun. The song has this mellow R&B instrumentation, made up of pretty typical instrumentation for the most part like piano and electric guitars. While the other two songs I have reviewed for the Best R&B Song category have really pushed out their use of guitar, I find that When Dawn Comes Again doesn’t really do that and keeps it ‘as part of the background’. There isn’t anything wrong with this direction, given that the song still sounds good. As mentioned a moment ago, both Colde and Baekhyun sound really good in When Dawn Comes Again, with this being a major drawing point to the song. Both artists had a nice huskiness and raspiness to their voice, with Baekhyun delivering it at a higher tone. The soft and swaying melody of the song also makes When Dawn Comes Again super appealing. I know that the song has a bit of emotional behind it, but I also like the soothing nature of the song. Altogether, this all made When Dawn Comes Again so enjoyable to listen and ultimately earned it a nomination for the Best R&B Song of the year.

The music video features Nam Yoon Su, who is an up and coming actor in Korea. If you really want to see more of him, I highly recommend the K-Drama Extracurricular. He is super good in it. Anyhow, the music video for When Dawn Come Again features Nam Yoon Su wandering the streets of an empty city awaiting for sunshine in some form to come again. The sunshine in this case is a metaphor for a partner, which Colde and Baekhyun sing about in the song. To be honest, the music video is very typical, a bit dry and doesn’t offer much. It fits the tone of the song, but I would say it is the type of video you need to watch just once and you would have gotten the full grasp of it.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.2/10

[Review] Happen – Heize

December 17, 2021December 18, 2021Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Heize1 Comment

Happening is nominated for Best R&B Song in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support Happening by clicking here to vote today!

Next up from the Best R&B Song category is Heize’s Happen, which was released back in September this year. Heize’s nomination in the category comes as no surprise, given that she has is one of the females soloists at the very forefront of the genre. Despite that, it has been a while since I have have reviewed a track from Heize, with the last one being First Sight from the end of 2018.

As mentioned in the above paragraph, Heize is one of the biggest names in the Korean R&B industry, which is thanks to her unique voice that is so made for the genre. And I feel that Happen is such a good introduction to Heize, if you haven’t really paid attention to her before or are listening to one of her songs for the first time. One of the drawing points to this song is Heize’s nasally voice. It gave Happen such an interesting colour, texture, tone and maturity. To assist with all of that, Happen has such strong melodies that make the song so memorable and stand out. I found myself repeating the song a few times thanks to the combination of both her voice and Happen‘s melodies. It actually got Happen onto the review list for a brief period, but it ended up getting sidelined for other reviews when it was first released. What I also really liked about Happen was the groovy instrumentation. The instrumental draws upon mellow acoustic sounds for the verses, and a combination of funky electric guitar and house beats to create that groovy chorus instrumental. It definitely helped Happen standout a lot had the producers went with something more typical or jazzy. I also enjoyed the upbeatness it provided the song, which isn’t something I tend to think of when I think of R&B or Heize. Overall, Happen is a great piece that utlislise and presents Heize extremely well.

Happen poses the question of ‘what if’ two people are destined to be lovers, but because they don’t pay attention or miss each other by mere second, they are unable to act upon that fate. That is exactly what we get in this music video. The music video features both Heize and Song Joong Ki as the two people who brush past each other on the daily without much thought or just miss each other by a second in some circumstances. There is definitely potential for them, as we see at the end of the video when the ‘what if’ scenarios resulted in the pair interacting with one another. But unfortunately, it doesn’t eventuate as both don’t really notice each other or talk to one another. I find the concept quite thought-provoking and interesting. I also like the style of the video and the sets. I also find it to be quite aesthetics. The colour palette chosen for this video seems to be influenced by one of the shots, which resembles the Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks painting. Both Heize and Song Joong Ki’s acting was quite good as well.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

[Review] Bittersweet – Wonwoo & Mingyu (SEVENTEEN) ft. Lee Hi

December 17, 2021Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Lee Hi, Mingyu (SEVENTEEN), SEVENTEEN, Wonwoo (SEVENTEEN)Leave a comment

Bittersweet is nominated for Best R&B Song, while SEVENTEEN is nominated for Best Male Group and a range of other categories. Support SEVENTEEN in all their nominated categories by clicking to vote today.

As mentioned previously, I will be reviewing songs or releases from artists from categories in which I had not reviewed before this year throughout the remainder of 2021. Today’s reviews will all be focused on the ones that I have yet to review from the Best R&B Song category. First up is Bittersweet, which was a collaboration single between SEVENTEEN members Wonwoo, Mingyu, and soloist Lee Hi. This single was released back at the end of May 2021.

Bittersweet is a very mature R&B song. While we have heard all the artists in this song in some sort of mature light before, I find Bittersweet to really emphasise this and this was a very major drawing point in my opinion. You could also gather the emotions and the literal bittersweet tone behind their each of their voices, which I found to also be another strong aspect of the song. While they are two of SEVENTEEN’s rappers, both Wonwoo and Mingyu changed up their delivery/style and opted for vocals and I thought this was well executed. Wonwoo’s husky and deep tone and Mingyu’s raspier voice works really well with one another in Bittersweet. There was the tiniest smidge of rapping, however, when Mingyu switch between vocals and rapping for a brief second in the song’s first pre-chorus. I remember Lee Hi’s vocals being unrecognisable when Bittersweet was first released. I guess I am really used to hearing low tones and huskier tones from the soloist, not something as smooth and higher tone like what we got in this song. I am not entirely sure if that is a good or bad thing after all this time, but it was interesting. Both the higher tone and smoothness contrasted with the SEVENTEEN members’ vocals and I felt her vocals helped tied the song together. For the melodies, they were quite nice. Not too memorable, but just enough to get this song over the line in that regard. Regarding the instrumentation, Bittersweet was quite a straightforward R&B release, with a subdued instrumental that mainly features acoustic guitars all throughout. While this isn’t a mind-blowing or innovative combination, the simplicity and straightforwardness as definitely appreciated.

The song was all about the switch between friendship and love. In the music video, we see the friendship between the three characters played by Wonwoo, Mingyu and the female actress. But throughout the video, we see glimpse of the male characters staring at their female friend, seemingly contemplating their feelings for her. But never do we see them make the move, probably in fear of what would happen to their friendship trio if the feelings were reciprocated for one friend and not the other. At the end, it seems like the male counterparts of the friendship choose friendship over their feelings, keeping their bond. Though the ending is ambiguous, as it would make better sense for all three of them to skip into the distant in the rain if that was the case. Instead, we are shown only Wonwoo and Mingyu, so maybe the music video is trying to suggest that the pair were in love all along? Who knows! Apart from the two possible stories, I like the moody atmosphere of the music video, which went for the traditional R&B colours of brown and golden tone.

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

[Review] Beautiful – NCT 2021

December 16, 2021Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged NCT3 Comments

NCT’s subunits, NCT 127 and NCT DREAM, are nominated in a number of categories for the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support NCT 127 and NCT Dream by clicking here to vote for them today!

A year on from their epic Resonance single and promotions, NCT has regrouped as a full group (sans Lucas and WinWin) for their 2021 promotions. Leading their latest album, Universe, is the single Beautiful (the focus of this review) and the NCT U track, Universe (Let’s Play Ball). Previously, we have seen majoirty of the members of NCT active this year, including NCT Dream promotions with Hot Sauce and Hello Future, NCT 127 promotions with Sticker and Favorite (Vampire) and WayV with Kick Back.

Beautiful lives up to its title. My first impression of the song when I heard it upon release was that it was beautiful, uplifting and inspiring. Beautiful takes on the form of a pop ballad, a very different sound to what the units of NCT usually put out. It isn’t the first time we heard a pop release from NCT’s subunits, but Beautiful hands off as refreshing vibe to me, which is thanks to the vocally driven nature and the notable absence of electronic synths. Instead, the instrumentation of Beautiful opts for a collection of pop strings, drums and piano. It isn’t anything mind-blowing, but it definitely works in tandem with the vocals and the messaging. The whole idea of singing as one reiterates their bond as a whole group, who for the most part appear very separated throughout the year unless it is a NCT full-group promotion. It also aids Beautiful‘s message, which ‘expresses positive energy with a warm message to those having a hard time that they are all special in their own ways’ (from Soompi), as it felt like there were 21 people already behind/supporting me as I listened to the song. The vocals in the verses were also nice, but they did not have the same level of impact for obvious reasons. The rapping was concentrated into just the bridge and felt toned down enough and had the right level of energy for the song. Taeil’s high note also comes in just at the right time, as if it was the ‘icing of the cake’ for this song. I wished the official audio retained that whistle sound following the rapping bridge. I really like the stilling presence it had in the song, and definitely brought up the aesthetic. But apart from that, Beautiful was a stunning song that was well-thought out and sounded amazing.

The music video was shot in a way that felt relatable. We didn’t get any crazy flashing sets or expensive props or outfits in this music video. Instead, the members were all dressed casually and we saw them in everyday settings or jobs. Jaehyun was a college student, Chenle was an office worker, Renjun and Jisung were café workers, some of the members were baseball players (a nice and subtle nod to the Universe (Let’s Play Ball) music video), and Ten was hanging out on the roof of a building. Practically a broad range their audience. I liked how the music video showed the all the members dancing together (along with the dancers) for the chorus, which really emphasise that idea of being in unison with one another like the song had done. I did wish we saw choreography solo shots for all the members throughout the video, like in the first part of the final chorus. As cheesy as that might like, I liked the idea of it. I also like the ‘reset’ for the choreography formation that they did in the final chorus.

The choreography looks quite nice. It looked artistic, and wasn’t anything too much for the pop ballad. It doesn’t feel too constricted and had a nice breezy vibe, which also fitted the song.

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

[Double Review] Say Yes + Missing U – IZ

December 15, 2021December 16, 2021Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged IZLeave a comment

IZ is nominated for Best Band in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support IZ by clicking here to vote for them!

The last artist within the Best Band category that I hadn’t reviewed at all this year yet is IZ. However, this isn’t the first time I have reviewed them, as I had reviewed their Final Kiss and Eden comebacks back in 2019. 2021 saw two comebacks from them, Say Yes (released early March) and Missing U (released mid April), both of which will be reviewed today as part of this double review. I had plans to do one more review for another nominee’s recent release, but due to time constraints, but I will wrapping up the category today and moving onto the next category instead.

Say Yes has one of the most satisfying builds of the year. The rock ballad starts off as a rather simple ballad, with a piano background (played on the keyboard), some other classical elements (i.e. strings) and touching vocals at the start. It was heartfelt and an emotionally heavy sequence. And then the song manages to pull in all this energy for a buildup out of nowhere (though it was expected), and the rock side of the ballad is dropped on us. It reminded me of other rock ballads that were done right, and Say Yes can be added to that list. As part of this build, Say Yes is taken to the chorus, which was nicely executed and had good melodies. The drums and electric guitar remains as part of the second verse and chorus, combining with the piano/strings from the start. The bridge was all English and stripped away the rock elements, but did not return to the likes of how Say Yes started. The piano and strings here was slightly more amped up, allowing the song to effortlessly reincorporate back the rock elements for the final chorus to lead out the song. Throughout all of this, Say Yes manages to put forward emotional vocals. I wished the vocals went a bit further in terms of this, something more gut-wrenching and powerful would have been ideal. What we got from the main vocalist was perfectly fine, but I feel a step further wouldn’t be too bad. Overall, Say Yes was a nicely done rock ballad, with a bit of nostalgia and well-execution adding to its appeal.

What stands out for me in Missing U was the melody of the song. The singing at the start was extremely pleasant, sticking right out at me. The melodies we get throughout the rest of Missing U stands out in a similar fashion, bringing out the delicate and soothing aspects of the song’s rock ballad instrumentation in such a warm light. It also gave the song a bit of vibrancy, colour and freshness, suitable for the time in which the song was released (i.e. the start of Summer). I liked how the piano/keyboard melody remains during the electric guitar solo section of the song. It practically was the element in which tied everything together and kept the song neat in my opinion. The vocals carrying these melodies were also helped make the song memorable for me, giving it more an of edge if I were to compare it to a more straight forward rock ballad, like Say Yes. What lifts up Missing U a lot more was the addition of rap during the verses. During these rap sequence, the rock elements of the rock ballad concentrate and the rapping adds a bit of appealing edge to the song. Overall, Missing U was satisfying and refreshing

The music video for Say Yes was pretty simple. It included the shots of the band on a stage performing the track, with a screen showing some sort of water pattern behind them and everything was in black and white. Simple, but it got the right vibes, feelings and emotions across. I like how the lighting was used to focus on just the keyboard and singer during the start and how it was also replicated during the bridge of the song, practically removing the rock contributors of the song from the video, but still having them there to bring back the rock sound when it was needed. As for Missing U, the video starts with a grayscale tone. But once the instruments kick into gear, the colours come through with a sepia tone. I thought this felt appropriate for the song. Missing U is a rock ballad at heart and so bright colours or harsh tones would not have worked. The closeup of each of the members throughout the video also gave the video a bit of a dynamic touch, which I thought was nice. None of the music videos were memorable enough, but they did their job. My preference, if I was forced to choose, was the Missing U video.

Say Yes
Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

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

[Review] Fine – W24

December 14, 2021December 14, 2021Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged W242 Comments

W24 is nominated for Best Band in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support W24 by clicking here to vote today!

As mentioned in my previous review, I will be using today and tomorrow to focus on the nominees of the Best Band category, who I have not reviewed yet this year. This review focuses on W24, a four-member band (consisting of Kim Yun-soo, Kim Jong-gil, Cheong Ho-won and Park Aaron) under JARMY Entertainment that debuted back in 2018 and has been active promoting since. 2021 saw the band release two songs, Breath and Once Upon a Time and most recently My Universe. But I won’t be reviewing those. Instead, I will reviewing Fine, a single released by the band back in September of this year.

The reason why I am reviewing Fine over their main releases from this year is the dramatic drums that not just open up the song, but has a presence throughout the song. It was bold and they stole my attention from the get-go, and I have been listening to the song ever since. Unfortunately, it was one of the reviews that I had intended to write around the time of its release, but I ended up shelving it so that I could review other releases. But I now have a proper excuse to sit down and revisit this ballad. For the most part, Fine was pretty typical. Removing the dramatic drums, the ballad starts off like any other. Soft and delicate. Maybe dry and plain, as well, as you don’t really see much of a change of momentum. As the song progresses, Fine develops more into a rock ballad. Still typical-sounding if I was being honest, but the rock influences make Fine more satisfying to listen to. When you factor in the dramatic drums again, the rock ballad becomes a lot more heavier and even more fulfilling. Not only did they add boldness to the ballad, but they added the momentum that took the song from ‘dry and plain’ to ‘captivating and stilling’. I found the ending to be interesting. The ending of Fine switches out the electric guitar which has been there since the start for an acoustic guitar, leaving us with the delicate and fragile side of the song. As for the vocals, I thought they were really good and captured the emotions of the ballad. They followed the trajectory of the music, unloading during the song’s more heavier moments and highlighting the delicateness during the song’s softer moments. That high note that we get from the main vocalist was on point and definitely was another highlight to Fine. Overall, Fine was ‘a fine song’. It reeled me and it got me to stay. It has even gotten me to pick up some other W24 as well, so I am interested to hear more from the group in the future.

There was no music video for Fine was released. Instead, we got a live clip of the band performing, which was perfectly fine. The band performed with some sort of flower festival or garden behind them, and while there was visitors walking behind them. The latter was mildly distracting, but the field of flowers worked well with the song. Flowers are delicate and so was the song. I wished they wore something a bit more appropriate for the song though. That is my issue with shorts. They have their merits in other situations, but they look informal here and I felt this went against the song.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Double Review] I Got U + irrelevant answer – LUCY

December 14, 2021December 14, 2021Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged LUCYLeave a comment

LUCY is nominated for Best Band in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support LUCY by clicking here to vote for them!

As mentioned last week, I will covering releases that formed part of the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards nominations. Last week, I focused on the Best Rap or Hip-Hop Song category. Today and tomorrow, I will be focusing on the Best Band category. A number of the nominations for Best Band, I have never reviewed before, so this would be a great opportunity to focus on these acts! First up is LUCY, who is a four-member band formed on the TV show Superband. They made their debut in 2020 with Flowering and have been actively promoting ever since. In 2021, they released two title tracks, I Got U in June and irrelevant answer in August. I am also aware that they just returned with Rolling Rolling, but I will not be reviewing that until next year.

I Got U is featured on their June album release, GATCHA. I Got U is one of those songs that you get so stuck into, that by the time it wraps up, you either felt the song went by too quickly or it was too short. I Got U falls into more pleasant territory, than anything else. But there was a lot in there that I found unique or enjoyed. I liked the filtered chant that opened up I Got U, reeling me in with an already unique melody and hook. I found the verses to be quite subdued, with minimalistic band instrumentation and very unique vocals in the higher tone range. That filtered chant returns as the song’s chorus (though it could be passed as a pre-chorus) and with the uniqueness mentioned before continuing on (but with the main vocalist being more upfront). Then, the band kicks up the energy and beat with an amped up instrumental piece. Its fun and definitely colourful. What really stood out in this segment was the violin. Bands don’t usually incorporate violins into their music, focusing more on the typical guitar, keyboard/piano and drums. So LUCY definitely have sent them apart from the rest of the competition with the presence of violin in the song, They skipped the instrumental piece after the second chorus, opting for subdued vocals (from the drummer, might I add!, and the main vocalist with a piercing high note), before returning back to the chorus (which once again could act more as a pre-chorus) and then the return of the instrumental piece that followed the first chorus. I also like the merge of the instrumental piece and the filtered vocals, closing out I Got U in a well-summarised but also fun fashion!

Compared to I Got U, irrelevant answer (their August comeback track) is a lot of heavier in terms of its sound, potentially more aggressive due to the non-stop nature of the song and its much faster tempo. It is a completely different vibe and feel. As I haven’t paid attention to LUCY as much in the past, this ‘different vibe’ demonstrates to me the ability to be versatile, which is always a positive takeaway. I like how the opening had a bit of everyone. A nice re-introduction to the group, in case three months away from LUCY makes it hard to remember them. I quite liked the instrumental of irrelevant answer. The fast tempo and the fact that it barely stops definitely satisfies me. It reminds me of when bands just continue playing non-stop to hype up the crowd. As it went on, the energy became more relentless but in a subtle manner. It is a bit different to what I am used when I apply the word ‘relentless’, but that is what makes the song unique. Unfortunately, I felt the vocals, melodies and hooks were a bit ordinary as well. Nothing was that memorable on these fronts, and I felt disappointed by that. Overall, I still liked the irrelevant answer as a whole, but there was definitely more in which LUCY could have done to take the song to the next level..

The music video for I Got U could have been more fun in my opinion. To me, the music video emphasizes the idea that they are indie artists and that is absolutely fine. They looked playful in the grassy fields, and bowling alleys are much fun (and I always find that their presence in music videos always feel so aesthetic) But I guess I wished that everything was more at ease and casual. I watch the music video with this cramped feeling for some reason, and feel it could have been more freeing. It might be that dullness from the filter, I am not too sure. As for the music video for irrelevant answer, it was more so a video capture of their jam session. They were definitely feeling it and looked like they were enjoying the three minutes in which they play to their heart’s content. I liked this concept and it is also something we don’t get enough of with other bands in KPOP.

I Got U
Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

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

[Review] G999 – Moonbyul (Mamamoo) ft. Mirani

December 13, 2021Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged MAMAMOO, Mirani, Moonbyul (Mamamoo)2 Comments

Mamamoo is nominated for Best Vocals for Where We Are Now in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support Mamamoo by clicking here to vote now!

Moonbyul, Mamamoo’s resident rapper, is gearing up for a solo comeback in 2022. But while that is the formal comeback timeframe, Moonbyul will be teasing her return with a few pre-release singles. The first is G999, which dropped earlier today. It features Mirani, who is an independent South Korean rapper who debuted last year. This is the first solo release from Moonbyul since her solo debut with Eclipse at the start of last year.

G999 tackles retro hip-hop, with a newtro background and old school vibes that takes you back to the 90s. G999 comes off as fun and vibrant, which is pretty typical for the influences in this day and age. However, the typicalness in this song is not an issue, as I find myself grooving along to G999 since the very first listen. I also find the song to be quite light despite being heavy on those retro synths. The lightness helps make it sound pleasant, but also aids in the fun side of the song as well. I like how it doesn’t mess with the sound, staying consistently retro hip-hop 90s throughout. As they are rappers, both Moonbyul and Mirani fits in very well into the track. Their rap sequences definitely had nice flow and their delivery was pretty good. Nothing mind-blowing at all, but that doesn’t upset G999. Moonbyul also throws in vocals for the chorus and she sounds really good. I am glad that she has found her confidence to sing, as it pays off each time she does! The lacking element of G999 are the hooks. I would have liked to have heard something more punchy and memorable. That would have made G999 even more powerful and impactful. Melody-wise, I think that pleasant description I used comes back to me. Overall, G999 is a pretty nice break from the heavy synths of today’s electronic music or the classical instrumentation that comes in ballads and Christmas songs typical of this time of the year, and you thank that to the G999’s retro instrumentation and well-executed vocals/raps.

As expected, the video also takes a page out of 90s hio-hop era with video that would fit right into that era. The camera shots, lighting, post-production and even their white outfits are all a callback to that era. I like the splash of colour they added to the video via the random paint on the plastic curtains and lime colour lighting as well. My only gripe about the music video is how empty it felt. While the pair look like they are enjoying their time, I wished there was more people in the background to make the video a bit more exciting. Maybe COVID-19 prevented them from getting background people in, but I feel that would have made this video better.

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

[Album Review] Peaches (2nd Mini Album) – Kai (EXO)

December 13, 2021Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged EXO, KAI (EXO)1 Comment

Kai is nominated for Best New Male Soloist and Mmmh is nominated for Best Male Choreography – Solo in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. His group, EXO, and some of his fellow members are also nominated in a number of categories. Support Kai and EXO by clicking here to vote today!

Next up on the album review front is Kai’s latest mini-album, Peaches, which was released on November 30, exactly a year from his solo debut with Mmmh and Kai (the debut mini-album). The new mini-album is lead by the title track Peaches, and also features another five new tracks from Kai. You might notice that this is a newer release, compared to the albums in which I have recently reviewed (which were released a few months back). I have decided to fast track a few newer albums this month, so that I am not pushing too many of the ‘current’ albums out many months later, which might be the case due to the Christmas break. So without further ado, here is my album review for Peaches. (PS. Don’t worry, I am still writing up reviews for albums released a while back that I haven’t been able to review just yet!).

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

2. Vanilla – Vanilla is a very aesthetic song. Its minimalistic nature was very intriguing and you might pass the song off as a bare song. But I recommend you give Vanilla a detailed listen as it is a very charming song. I found the song to be quite peaceful and sensual at the same time. The latter obviously being something that is right up Kai’s wheelhouse. Peaceful doesn’t seem to be something I associate with Kai, and so Vanilla comes off as a pleasant surprise for me. Delving into the song’s elements, Vanilla is quite interesting, given that the atmospheric instrumentation was actually percussion. But it was extremely subtle, but brought enough texture to the song to prevent it going into the ‘boring’ pile. The same can be said with the autotuned vocals, which was quite soft and so you barely noticed a disruption of Vanilla’s flow. The rest of his vocals follow the same softness, but also showcased some of Kai’s skills, and Vanilla’s simply repetitive hook was quite catchy. (8/10)

3. Domino – Prepare for a change in direction when you check out Domino. The peacefulness is out and is replaced with heavy bass and beat that would fit easily into a club setting. This is the style that I would associate more with Kai. I really like his deep tone during the chorus, and it proves to be a very memorable element of Domino. However, I do think Domino is very consistent throughout, and I wished the song changed it up a bit towards the end or introduced something to the song to cut the consistency. I can see myself getting tired of the song if it is played on a loop or I replay it too many times. (7.5/10)

4. Come In – Come In kicks up the album a notch in terms of its volume. Everything in Come In is a lot louder and vibrant, compared to the song that preceded it. I like the pulsing beat, the bass and the textural synths used in this song. It all comes together to create quite a dynamic background. The chorus, in particular, definitely captures that dynamism really well. While Kai’s vocals were more typical in this song, I still found its pairing with Come In’s instrumentation to be captivating and a worthwhile listen. (8/10)

5. To Be Honest – The album’s most upbeat track comes in the form of To Be Honest. It instantly became a highlight for me as it made me dance along (in my chair) the first time I heard it. And while such feelings tend to rub off over time, that urge to dance has remained during subsequent listens. To Be Honest is a pretty straight forward song, with nothing special in the pop instrumentation or Kai’s vocals. But being straight forward isn’t necessarily a bad thing al the time, and I feel that To Be Honest proves that this time around. (9/10)

6. Blue – The album tones it back down for its final song. Blue is a R&B song, and once again, is pretty straight forward. I really like his vocals in this track, simply because it was extremely satisfying to hear him with such melodies and ad-libs. The instrumentation was pretty much typical for a R&B song, but I did note that I liked its breezy exterior. Overall, a decent ender to the album that I think sums up the album well. (7/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.8/10

[Album Review] ONLY LOVERS LEFT (3rd Mini Album) – WOODZ

December 12, 2021Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged WOODZ3 Comments

WOODZ is nominated for Best Male Soloist and Rising Star in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support WOODZ by clicking here to vote for WOODZ!

The next album on the reviewing block for today is WOODZ’s third mini-album, ONLY LOVERS LEFT, which was released in early October 2021. The album features two title tracks, WAITING and Kiss of Fire (which I have not reviewed yet as there is no music video for it). And in addition to those two tracks, there are another four tracks on this mini-album. As a quick summary of this album review, ONLY LOVERS LEFT is another high caliber album from WOODZ and definitely follows the likes of his previous album releases. Have a listen to the track below and see if you think the same!

1. Multiply – Starting off ONLY LOVERS LEFT is a rather pleasant song in the form of Multiply. The instrumentation for this track is pretty typical with its lo-fi beats and acoustic guitar (which provided the song with a relatively brighter and summery feel) and this typicalness did drain my attention. However, the pre-chorus featured a brief addition of classical instrumentation, which helped enhance the background. But I didn’t think it was enough to totally compensate that typical energy. Overall, I would say Multiply is a nice starter to the mini-album. (7.5/10)

2. Thinkin Bout You – Thinkin Bout You is more vibrant and upbeat than the previous song, but continues that consistent pleasantness. Because of the enhanced vibrancy and upbeatness, I am more drawn to Thinkin Bout You, which finds it influences in both the pop and EDM genres. I like the punchy hooks, driving up the memorability of the song. I also really enjoyed his vocals throughout the song. In addition to his already strong vocals, he presents with a range of delivery methods including breathy vocals and falsettos that helps makes this song complete. (9/10)

3. Sour Candy – We enter retro territory with Sour Candy. While this isn’t anything new, I really like how WOODZ showcases himself in this song and how concentrated the 70s influences got in the song. You could tell from listening to Sour Candy that he was totally in the mindset of the retro influences, and that he was having a ball recording this song. That all translated to fun energy that made Sour Candy so much more appealing to listen to. We are also treated to some rapping from the soloist in this song, which came at the right time and added additional fun energy to the song. It was hard to turn away from this song, and so it is my pick as a hidden gem on this mini-album. (10/10)

4. Kiss of Fire (Title Track) – Kiss of Fire is a title track, but it never got the music video or promotional treatment like WAITING did. It did get a live clip, but that made it no different to Chaser, which was a side track. Anyhow, Kiss of Fire is another song that showcases WOODZ in a spectacular fashion and I can see why Kiss of Fire was selected as a title track. His vocals are on full display and the melodies/hooks of Kiss of Fire are quite memorable. The rapping was also a nice addition to the song. But what really sells me the song is the groovy touch of the instrumental, especially in the chorus, which makes this song so sleek. (9/10)

5. Chaser – Chaser was a blast to have on repeat! What I really liked about Chaser is how WOODZ went all out in the song. While this sounds like he went to the extreme with Chaser, this was not he case. He simply just put his all into the song. Chaser takes on a rock instrumental background, but there is a groovy touch within it that reminds me of some of the King of Pop’s (Michael Jackson) earlier hits. I don’t have much else to say about Chaser, but it was definitely a highlight on this album. (10/10)