Category: KPOP

[Review] Stand By You – A.C.E

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Ahead of the official release of a digital single tomorrow, A.C.E has unveiled the music video for their new release, Stand By You. We last saw the group thought their Savage promotions back in November of last year. Since then, we haven’t heard much from the group. While that is the case for the last few months, it seems like we will be seeing A.C.E more in the foreseeable future. The music video for this release ends with the title card ‘A.C.E: the beginning’, along with the member’s nametags on a window sill. What does this all mean? I guess we will know in due time. In the meanwhile, here is my review for Stand By You.

Stand By You is unlike the songs that I know A.C.E for. For those who are unfamiliar with A.C.E, they are commonly associated with powerful EDM dance tracks. I am not familiar what their side tracks are like, unfortunately, so maybe something a long the lines of Stand By You has popped up before. But for me personally, Stand By You is very different. It is a soft rock ballad that brings out the vocals of all the members. There isn’t much to the song in terms of complexity, which the group is widely known for through their title tracks. The instrumental feels like your typical soft rock track. It isn’t bad in any way. It is rather light and quite calming. It just doesn’t have a unique factor to it, if you were to compare it other soft rock ballads. But this allows their vocals to be in the forefront of the song and the song does an amazing job of showcasing the member’s vocals. The harmonies that come about in the song and the lightness of the song feels very youthful and innocent, which comes into play when I will discuss their music video in a bit. Overall, I quite liked the track. Everything comes together well, giving the song a refreshing tone. Other than the vocals and the instrumental, I don’t think there is enough to make this song memorable. As just a digital single, it could get lost in the mix of various comebacks we expect in the coming weeks. But there is enough for me to enjoy with an occasion listen or if it popped up on my playlist.

The music video is definitely the beginning (or sequel) to something a lot darker. It opens up with Jun narrating over a scene where he is kneeling in the rain, in front of a girl. He says ‘The world rejected me, so I tried to burn it down. But then I no longer had a world. When I opened my eyes, inside the prison that is my heart, I discovered a cactus reflected in a small mirror‘, whilst crying and shivering in the cold. The scene is quite dark, contrasting with the many light scenes that follow. The video then flips to the same girl in a classroom. Interestingly, she is alone and goes to the one table in the classroom. She fumbles around and opens a diary, where a photo flies out. She leans down to pick it up and we then see Jun looking up back at her (and the other members in the classroom). The photo is of all of them wearing coloured skirts and a feathered headband. They plan an outing and we get some sort of indication of the members having a crush on the girl. We don’t know for sure yet, but there seems to be some awkwardness while they plan the outing. The members turn up to school one day with a gold cart and with their female friend, they embark on their trip. The golf cart breaks down and they all set up camp under the stars. It is there they dress up in coloured skirts and a feathered headband. Not sure what this means, but it seems like this all occurred before (based on the photo). The next day, they all turn up onto the beach. While their friend takes in the sights, the members hang back. For a moment there, the members look at her fondly, as if they are all watching over her. She realizes something, turns back and the members are no longer there. She then grabs something from her pocket and becomes emotional about it. This music video definitely brings forward a lot of questions and definitely leaves me intrigued for what is to come.

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

[Review] ONE (Lucid Dream) – Golden Child

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Recently, Golden Child participated in Road To Kingdom but was eliminated after the first round for having the least amount of points out of all the teams. If you are interested in my thoughts of their performances in the competition, you can view Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of the special review series. But while the group did not last as long as we hoped, they announced their comeback soon after and hence why we are all here today. Golden Child returned today with their 4th mini-album, Take A Leap, which features the title track, ONE (Lucid Dream). The group pre-released the music video for this comeback 18 hours prior to the official release, but I was asleep then and was not able to review it. Instead, the group has landed on the top of my review list, so let’s get cracking.

The group has definitely gained attention with their dark sound and mature change, which contrasts greatly from their more brighter and energetic releases. In addition to that, Wannabe and Without You has become some of their best works in my opinion. But it seems like Golden Child hasn’t completely unleashed their new sound as ONE (Lucid Dream) raises the bar even higher than those other tracks can reach. The song’s instrumentation is quite unique and individualistic, something that will definitely allow the group to standout in a sea of typical and generic releases that will be due throughout Summer. The verses are made up of a very strong electronic vibrating synth and strong thumping beats. It feels quite grounded and impactful. The pre-chorus opts out of those two elements and goes for a more floating-like vibe, which really adds some smoothness to the roughened song. The chorus opts for some funky beats that adds character to the song and this fuses with some violins in the second half. The hooks just glide over and this too helps gives the song some smoothness. From where the song’s bridge should have started, ONE opted for with heavily distorted and high pitched vocals that form part of an instrumental break, before throwing us into dance break to end the song. I feel like Golden Child could have kicked it up a notch in this section to give the song a much needed climax. It just feels like a missed opportunity in my opinion. After all, they ended the song without diving into a final chorus. But it is still a very strong piece, regardless thanks to everything they had set up prior. The vocal work and rapping delivery are just on point. I liked how they kept their vocals relatively linear in comparison to the instrumental. This really helps add definition to the background and adds some contrast (that you know I like). My favourite part has to be the whispering in the first verse! Overall, a very strong effort, just a shy away from that perfect label.

So I wasn’t aware that Wannabe, Without You and ONE (Lucid Dream) were a trilogy until I scrolled through the comments to see what some viewers thoughts on the music video were. Why am I always the last one to find out that a string of comebacks are trilogies or a series of some kind? Based on those comments, Wannabe was about becoming the best version of oneself. Without You was getting lost in that idea. ONE is about realizing that best version of oneself was them originally. That is a pretty interesting interpretation of all the music videos. As for ONE by itself, the visuals for this music video was really cool. The visual effects were very strong. For the some of the individual scenes, I couldn’t tell if they were dreams or nightmares, which forced me to watch the music video a few times this morning to try to work it out. Some of them were obvious, others were a little hard to decipher. But I can agree that all of them were aesthetic.

This performance is very captivating. It, in a visual sense, looks very aesthetic as well. I really liked how they made it punchy once the song enters the first verse. I like how there was a lot of twisty formations and ‘over and under’ type of movements as they move around. The moves for the chorus has this subtle smoothness to it which matches perfectly with the music. And the dance break ends the performance on a very strong sense.

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

[Review] Left & Right – SEVENTEEN

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Giving us directions into this week is SEVENTEEN. The 13 member male group makes their grand return comeback with their 7th mini-album, Journey of Youth or Heng:garæ, and the title track Left & Right. Alongside Left & Right, the group also pre-released My My (which I reviewed already). In the My My review, I said that Us, Again was another pre-release track for this new mini-album. But upon the album’s release, I see that this single is not part of their 7th mini-album and is just a fan single (with no formal release aside from the lyric video they dropped a few weeks back). Aside from that little note, let’s see where SEVENTEEN is going to take us with this release.

SEVENTEEN has been focusing on very mature and dark sounds over their last few releases. As it is Summer time in South Korea, the group’s new single takes on a more energetic and upbeat feel to suit the season full of bright energy and colour. Left & Right takes on a modern hip-hop sound, a different style to what SEVENTEEN has released before. This might because SVENTEEN had retained that mature sound from their previous comebacks, whilst infusing it with a brighter sound. And it is because of this that I find Left & Right is unlike their previous Summer tracks, such as Oh My or Aju Nice, which each had a teenage vibe to it. And unlike those tracks, I find the the dynamic profile of this song to be well hidden in the music. What I like already about the song is that everything comes off as easygoing. From the light instrumentation to the laid-back nature of the hooks and melodies, SEVENTEEN really makes sure we are not overwhelmed in any way, making this an ideal Summer track to kick back to. And to match with this approach, their vocals and rapping are not overly dominate in the song as well. Everything just feels well-balanced and I liked that. Sure, Left & Right doesn’t have their most impressive vocal and rapping delivery to date, but their easygoing tone really appeals to me. The song’s main appealing point has to be its casual hook. Its presence in the teaser already sold me this comeback, but to hear it in full with the rest of the song really adds that more melodic touch to it. I am thoroughly enjoying this song and I can definitely tell it will be one that I will be replaying in the weeks to come.

The song is all about doing what you believe in. And I think the video does a good job presenting that. Take the race as an example. The old man starts the race off with the gun and seems to represents all the grownups that tell you what you should and should not do. Seungkwan seems to be the only one who listens and runs off, while all the other members stayed back and danced. When Seungkwan stops running, he is faced with two signs – ‘Early bird catches the worm‘ and ‘Youth can change everything‘. They don’t spark happiness in him, as you can tell with this facial expressions. Those signs talk all about being successful and don’t really tell you much about growing up and learning from your mistakes. The members burn a book about becoming successful and a trophy to go against becoming successful and perfect. The graffiti on the wall says to ‘Do Your Best’, but the members respond with ‘But maybe not sometimes‘ to say that it is okay regardless of the outcome. The biggest moment of the music video is when the members run into the dilemma of going left or right. Joshua instead doesn’t follow the two paths that are set and redirect the arrows to go up (i.e. doing what you believe in). As S.Coups is the oldest, it is logical he would go up first. He is strapped into car pretending to be like a rocket ship, which only goes up. Lift off was okay, but the car explodes and end up going back down, signifying failure. I final scene where S.Coups get out of the car and starts dancing represents that is whatever the outcome of a choice you make is, everything will be okay.

I really like how the choreography really brought that fun aspect to the performance. It just makes the stage so much more engaging and appealing to watch. I think the chorus looks like one of those that will go onto becoming viral and everyone will be dancing along to it. I also like how the performance related to the song’s easygoing vibe and didn’t incorporate anything complex looking, which obviously wouldn’t work well. I say this because SEVENTEEN is notorious for difficult dance moves.

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

[Album Review] Neverland (8th Mini Album) – WJSN (Cosmic Girls)

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As per the schedule, Sundays see the release of a new Weekly KPOP Chart post and an album review post. I have already posted the Weekly KPOP Chart post for the third week of June 2020. Topping the charts is WJSN’s Butterfly, which is now the number one song for two weeks in a row. It is just a coincidence that I had also prepared the album review post for the mini-album, Neverland, that includes Butterfly as the title track for posting on the same day. It just makes me introduction a little more interesting though. The group has also won two weekly music show awards since the release of both the song and mini-album. Also, I am digging the album with all the tracks alongside Butterfly being favourites of mine. Let’s see what those tracks are!

Neverland Album Cover

1. Butterfly (Title Track) – Click here for the full review for Butterfly. (9.5/10)

2. Hola – The next track on the album is Hola and it starts off loud (in a good way). A better description for the song is that is a club banger and is best when the volume is up high. It like the energy that comes from it (I have personally been replaying the song for this element alone) and thoroughly enjoy the song’s intensity, thanks to its club vibes. The song’s hooks are extremely catchy and help makes their vocal work to stand out. I also like their vocal’s powerfulness, which is necessary when you pair it with a club-based instrumental like this one. My favourite one is the ‘Na Na…Na’ that follows the first and final chorus of the song. Exy’s rap sequence might be in a standard form (pretty straight forward with its deliver and in terms of the instrumental backing), but I find it is perfect for this song. I also enjoyed the chanting in the bridge. You might think I would find it awkward, but I felt it tied the song together neatly. Overall, an excellent song to follow the title track. (10/10)

3. Pantomime – The title of most unique song and favourite side-track on this album has to go to Pantomime, another song that I have regularly repeated since I first listened to the album. I find the instrumental to be very aesthetic. It is a bit irregular and isn’t as straight forward as you think, but I think it is the song’s charm. In a way, the synth heavy song keeps you on the edge of your seat as you just don’t know where the song would go next. I really liked the textural components of the instrumental and the delayed drop when it came to the chorus. I found the group’s lower tone vocals to be very fitting and helped make the song gain that aesthetic vibe. I also really liked how to keep the song different once it reached the final chorus (otherwise, this very irregular song would have felt repetitive or come off as a ‘standard track with many textural components’), Dawon goes even lower after a longer delay and I thought this was so sleek. Also, the ‘Like a Pantomime’ post-chorus hook is so memorable and addictive. (10/10)

4. Where You Are (바램) – I really enjoyed the way Where Are You started. It suits WJSN’s image quite well and had a very pretty vibe as well. And as the song progressed, those thoughts just continued to accumulate. The instrumental is a mash between pop and orchestral, which I have noted to be a great combination in the past. I also felt that Where You Are could easily be a follow up many of their earlier works thanks to the pretty vibes that I had just mentioned. The song doesn’t have that wow factor like the above two songs or the title track. But it is a great song, nonetheless. The melodies were extremely pleasant, and their vocals were quite charming. The rapping was so fitting for the song. The hooks had a sweet feel to it. Overall, a very easygoing and pleasant track to listen to. (9/10)

5. Tra-la (불꽃놀이) – WJSN carries the pleasant vibes from the previous track onto the fifth song. Once again, I find the song to be easygoing, pretty-sounding and quite calming. The song takes on a tropical instrumental, but make sure to retain their personality in the song as the song in its entirety feels suitable for WJSN. I personally find their vocals in Tra-la to be their best. While we had powerful and charming vocals, they sounded most like themselves in this song. The pre-chorus sequences had a nice build up to the sweet-sounding chorus. The song also brings me two Exy rapping sequences and both sequence (though short) bring out her potential and fits so well in the song. I find the final moments when the members sing together to be very nice and fitting for the lyrics, as well. (9/10)

6. Our Garden (우리의 정원) – The final song on the album is Our Garden and I find it to be the weakest song on this album. But it is only half a step down from the previous few songs, as I felt the hooks weren’t as profound due to its wholesome overall feels. Once again, the track has a very jazzy pop sound and brings along that pretty sound that I have mentioned from the previous song. I liked the whispery moments of the song (i.e. Dayoung and Luda at the start; and Eunseo and Luda at the start for the second verse), as the slight autotune gives it a very unique character. I also love Exy’s part in this song. Her rap is more a rap sing delivery and fits in neatly into the song. I also liked in the first half of her sequence, where there she echoes herself. The rest of the members, despite not being mentioned throughout the album review, nails their vocals once again. This track brings Neverland to a very strong close. (8.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9.3/10

Neverland Teaser Image

[Album Review] MORE & MORE (9th Mini Album) – TWICE

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TWICE returned over two weeks ago with MORE & MORE, which is the title of both their latest mini-album and title track. Unfortunately, it has taken me over the two week mark to actually prepare and post my thoughts on their album. While it doesn’t seem as long but TWICE have already wrapped up their promotions for MORE & MORE. That is the case for a lot of established groups now, as they can afford to perform with shorter promotional periods, which I find a fascinating observation. And they are most likely very busy with other schedules. But while TWICE is done with promotion, I am not done with this era just yet. I need to get the album review out, so let’s keep going!

MORE & MORE Album Cover

1. More & More (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for More & More. (8/10)

2. Oxygen – One of the main drawing points of Oxygen is its instrumental. It feels fresh and is very unique. I really like all of those effects in the background during the verse, from those wavy effects that appeared behind Nayeon and Jihyo’s first parts in the verse and those clanging percussion synths that featured behind Nayeon and Jihyo’s parts when they appear next in the song (and in all their subsequent sections). The chorus also featured a very nice hollow/deep shimmering sequence, as well, which had a unique charm of its own. They all just gave the song a more dynamic touch and added some unique energy into the song. I also like how much energy they also add to the song through the vocals. The pre-chorus by the main (Jihyo and Nayeon) and lead vocalists (Jeongyeon and Mina) just showed some flair that really made the song so much more interesting. The ‘I really really…really want’ was extremely catchy. The only pitfall the song had was the rapping. It felt unnecessary and really awkward. But other than that, it is a great song. (9.5/10)

3. Firework – Firework opens up with a short Latin guitar sequence, before it becomes infused with some tropical sounds. The pairing of trends, you could call it. It seems like there are some beach sounds, just in case you didn’t get the summery theme of the song. And I will be honest, the instrumental isn’t that draining despite it being two of KPOP’s most overworked trends to date. And while there were some good vocal moments embedded throughout the song, there were a few that also set the song back a bit as well. For example, I just felt they dragged out the chorus just a touch too much, if you understand where I am coming from. I do like the rapping in this song, as it added a little changeup. It was also dragged out as well, but I don’t mind that. (8/10)

4. Make Me Go – From the very first second, I was enjoying the beat that Make Me Go was channeling. It felt mature and sensual in a manner that suits Twice so well. The upbeat nature of the instrumental and its funkiness reminds me of Breakthrough and I felt that this would be an excellent follow up to that track. I really liked how they infuse a bit of brass into the song, giving that extra hook (as I find brass elements in songs to be great appealing mechanisms). But the killing point of the song has to be the low chorus. It had me screaming internally. They sounded so good this way. However, while I was on board with this really cool and catchy chorus, it also brought the weakest moment of the song. The member’s ‘Do It’ felt unnecessary. If it didn’t have that one small detail, then I would have given this a perfect ranking. (9.5/10)

5. Shadow – Shadow continues the album’s direction of a mature sound. We have definitely gone far away from their earlier cutesy works when they first started out. Shadow feels like that track that established mature artists have been putting out for a while now. While its synth-based instrumental is rather plain, I do find the song to be quite easy on the ears, which makes it decent to listen to. Their vocal work is quite good, but I just wished that the song had that TWICE colour to it, which is noticeably missing. The strongest part of the has to be that (not sure what you would call it) but that humming stuff that followed the chorus. It just felt so smooth. I don’t recall any rap sequences and I feel like a mean rap sequence would have been nice to give the song some edge and subsequently stand out. But overall, a decent listen. (8/10)

6. Don’t Call Me Again – Don’t Call Me Again is quite rough around the edges thanks to its characteristic marching band style instrumental. If they found a way to really soften those edges a bit, I would have appreciated it more. More the most part, the song didn’t evoke any emotions out of me. The instrumental was quite linear and their vocal felt very expressionless. It is another song that felt it needed a good rap sequence to cut it down a bit and bring in some relief to the consistency. And I think it would have mixed in neatly into this song. Overall, a passable song. (6/10)

7. Sweet Summer Again – For some odd reason, I can’t tell if the song starts off with the sound of a crowd, a bunch of seagulls or both! I just can’t pinpoint regardless of how many times I listen to the song and thought it would be a funny thing to share. What Sweet Summer Again really brings back to the table is a bright energy, which has been absent for a number of tracks so far. And on the plus side, it feels like your typical TWICE song, based from the energy that comes from it. The vocals and rapping were pretty good . The song had decent hooks and I liked the 90s feel of the instrumental. Overall, a nice song to end the album with. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.1/10

MORE & MORE Teaser Image

[Special] Road To Kingdom Review – Preliminary Performances

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Welcome all to my very special review to Road To Kingdom. I may have been very silent about the recent series. But I have been eagerly awaiting each performance to appear on YouTube after broadcasting on Thursdays to see what Golden Child, ONEUS, ONF, Pentagon, The Boyz, TOO and VERIVERY have prepared for us. In this special review series, I will be going through the actual rankings that came about from the first three rounds, short reviews of each performance and how I thought the rankings would go! This post will only cover the first episode (i.e. preliminary performances). Please remember, these are my thoughts only. Feel free to comment your ones below.

Preliminary Performances

In the preliminary performances , the groups were limited to 90 seconds to showcase their skills. The rankings in this set of the performances do not impact their ranking throughout the series, so it could be seen as a trial round. The performances are inserted below and I will briefly talk about my thoughts of each performance before getting to the all important rankings.

Beginning – Golden Child

Using a dramatic opening and Shrillex styled instrumentation, Golden Child wows us with a side that we have never seen before. This performance is very different to the visuals and energy we have seen in their Wannabe and Without You comebacks, which were darker and edgier than any of their previous releases. Much more intense and more powerful. I really liked how they connected with one another in this performance. Their stunts looked cool, but it didn’t have too much of a wow factor. My favourite part is when the two members shot each other and the other members fell onto their backs.

Phantom of ONEUS – ONEUS

ONEUS fuses things off with an eerie performance using masks and the intensity of the well known Phantom of the Opera. They then bring in one of their songs, Twilight. I liked how they kept their original choreography in this performance, fusing it all the other theatrics. ONEUS shows off some impressive stunts and dance moves, including the climb and sudden drop of Hwanwoong, and that smooth turn they do on the dance floor while sitting.

Lights On – ONF

ONF probably had the most intense music overall from the preliminary round. They had samples of We Must Love and Why in this performance, allowing them to incorporate some of those choreographies into the 90 seconds they had on stage. But it seems that ONF went a step further with this idea, incorporating a bunch of their past choreographies (including the ones of the songs they haven’t sampled). That is very impressive. Not only that, but they nailed the intensity and synchronisation elements of their choreography.

Road To The Throne – Pentagon

Pentagon begins with a short sequence of their most popular song to date, Shine. While that is lighthearted and fun, this performance was quite the opposite. In a matter of seconds, Wooseok is driven insane with scary masks. We are then met with strong choreography from the other members. The only negative thing I have to say in this whole section is that I feel Pentagon wasted a great deal of the 90 seconds with the Shine opener. I did like the throwback, but I think they could have found a better use of those few seconds at the start.

Sword of Victory – The Boyz

The Boyz kicks off their Road To Kingdom with an exotic sounding instrumental, which allows the group to play with some elegant moves. That is the one word that kept on revolving around in my head while watching this performance. That being said, there were a few crazy highlights that I can’t get over. That opening sequence where Changmin jumps up to a high height to grab the flying sword and Juyeon doing some tricks with a bouncing sword blew my mind.

dysTOOpia – Too

TOO is the newcomer out of all the groups in this competition. They too also included their only well known song, Magnolia to the performance. But they are the only group who put a really rocking dance break in between the two sections of Magnolia, which was rather unique. The opener really showed everyone that they aren’t to be messed with. Then they followed that up with a new routine, which I thought was impressive undertaking. They did keep the later Magnolia section as per this original choreography, but I personally didn’t mind that given everything that came before it.

Face It – VERIVERY

I get a military type of vibe from the performance thanks to their outfits and stomping vibe in the instrumental. Interestingly, there was very little stomping. The performance is something a lot fiercer and darker than what we are used to when it comes to VERIVERY usually. Despite that stomping vibe, I liked how the instrumental piece provided different textures, which allowed members to show off a variety of moves that fit smooth and rough sound textures. Quite clever, if you ask me.

The Final Ranking…

And now we come to the rankings. Probably he most important part of the show. ONF really wowed me with their performance. I felt they were the most creative and really showed off their performance skills to the other participants. And so I ranked them #1 in this preliminary round. As for the dreaded #7 place? That unfortunately went to Pentagon. Their performance felt pretty weak in comparison to the rest and it seemed like they didn’t put their best foot forward. For the rest of the rankings, they are in the table below!

Performance TitleArtistActual RankingMy Ranking
The Sword of VictoryThe Boyz#1#2
Road To The ThronePentagon#2#7
Lights OnONF#3#1
BeginningGolden Child#4#3
Face ItVERIVERY#5#5
Phantom of ONEUSONEUS#6#4
Into the dysTOOpiaTOO#7#6

And that is it for the preliminary round. Short performances, but definitely enough to get those exciting vibes going. Check back tomorrow for my thoughts on the first official round (‘Song Of King’).

1st Round – Song Of King Review & Rankings
2nd Round – My Song Review & Rankings
3rd Round Part 1 – Collaboration Review & Rankings
3rd Round Part 2 – Your Song Review & Rankings
Final Round – FINAL Review & Rankings

[Review] Oopsy – Weki Meki

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After dazzling their way with Dazzle Dazzle earlier this year, Weki Meki has returned with their second release of 2020. The new song is called OOPSY and features on the group’s Hide and Seek. As it has only been four months since their Dazzle Dazzle comeback, not much has seemed to happen with the group from what I can recall. And with that, let’s just stuck right into the review.

The main backbone of the instrumental (i.e. beat) for OOPSY is quite generic. It just didn’t feel exciting. A better description would have been ‘pretty linear’. But without the other elements in this song, OOPSY would have gone in that direction. For example, the addition of all those details and sound elements over the top of the main instrumental really helped add an exciting energy to the song. All of that whistling and twinkling effects we get from the instrumental are thanks to the detailing and additional sound elements. It added texture, which resulted in the instrumental in being very appealing. It also added a slight funkiness to the song (i.e. that low guitar strumming during the verses), as well. Add to the song some catchy hooks, such as the ones you hear during the chorus of OOPSY. While I am sure they could have been more defined and dynamic, what we got had a slightly fun tone to it, which helped boost the appeal of the song. The members vocals and rapping were also pretty good as well. It might not be their most skillful display of vocals and rapping, but there was a lot clearness and crispness in their voices. Oh, and while the title does have that childish association to it (which I have noted in reviews for songs with the same time), I found that Weki Meki managed to put a decent mature spin, whilst also keeping that fun tone which is true to their style. Overall, a good song in my opinion.

The music video consist of choreography and very crisp and elegant closeups of the members. So it seems like the group’s music video takes on that close up and choreography formula that feel boring and generic. However, I am slightly convinced that there is more to video which I can’t just seem to decipher. You have one member whispering something to a member with a white cloth over her head. That has to mean something, right? And that glass feather, as well. Their solo shots also look very suspicious, as if they are hiding something within them. On top of that, there was some Morse code that I noticed appearing on screen during the video. Someone deciphered it off YouTube says the Morse code meant ‘I always think about you’ and ‘I will always be with you’. That has to be mean something as well. This video has to have some sort of story or meaning, right???

I liked the choreography. It was rather clean and felt straightforward. It also made the group look a lot more confident and mature, at the same time. It isn’t a mind blowing routine if that what you are looking for. But it definitely makes the members look good and more refined.

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

[Review] God’s Menu – Stray Kids

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Stray Kids also make their grand comeback today with their new single, Gods Menu and their first studio album, Go Live. I am definitely excited for this comeback and cannot wait to review both the song (in this post) and their new album (hint hint). Prior to this comeback and since their last comeback Levanter, the group released two mixtape tracks, Gone Days and On Track. The group also released English versions of their song and made their official Japanese debut with Japanese versions of their Korean tracks. In addition to that, Stray Kids also released their first original Japanese single album (which I have yet to review) which will serve as opening tracks for an upcoming anime. Definitely a busy first half of the year for Stray Kids.

One of God’s Menu flaws is that it is rather short. I wanted more of it, so naturally I am reaching for the replay button. God’s Menu is a hip-hop based dance track. I felt the instrumentation was quite generic for this style, as we have heard many hip-hop centric songs with similar instrumentation in the past. But what we are shown from the start of the song is that the song is very rap intensive. And Stray Kids is one of those groups with a very strong rap line and this helps open the song in a captivating the song instantly lifts up once we get to the chorus. The song slows down but maintains the suspense for the vocalists to show some of their skills (Bangchan and Jisung also join the vocal line in this song, which I really like). But the rapping takes the win in this song. Remember how I mentioned that I found the instrumentation generic? Another skill that Stray Kids has is that they really know how to hold their ground and blasts us with this powerful and bold chorus. The ‘DU DU DU‘ and the ‘TANG TANG TANG‘ just gives the song so much life and energy. Another observation I have made is that the chorus was quite lengthy and this seems to quicken the song. I also like how the second chorus differed from the first and I also note that Felix is getting the lines that he finally deserve! A lot of positive aspects to outweigh its few negatives. And we can agree that Stray Kids can definitely serve it up.

We all know that Stray Kids music videos are interlinked in one way or another. They released a prequel prior to this comeback confirming just that, so it makes you wonder how this video connects with the rest. And while I can spend so much discussing possible theories, I want to step away and think about this music video as a stand alone music video. One day I will return to discuss possible connections between all their music videos. God’s Menu seems to be a song about making an impression. There is a lot of food references in the song to fit in with the concept and they sing about making flavours stand out. And in the music video, they stood out in one way or another. At the start when everything was in slow motion and Changbin was rapping away at normal speed. The odd placement of people in various scenes (i.e. school girls at the race track, scientists at a construction site, marching band in the kitchen) and the member’s non-matching outfits with the scenery (i.e. they wore chefs outfits at the construction site) all seem to make an impression. And that impression was definitely left on me.

From what I can see in the music video, the choreography looks awesome. Definitely dynamic and powerful to fit the energy of the music. The pre-chorus (i.e. the smoother sections of the song) looked very interesting due to its more subdued vibes. The chorus looked very intense and I wonder what the verses look. Though my favourite section has to be the start of the second verse, which looked awesome in the music video with the camerawork.

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

[Review] Girls – NATURE

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Making their comeback today is NATURE. For those who may not know or remember the group, NATURE is a female group under n.CH Entertainment and the voice behind innocent cutesy tracks such as Allegro Cantabile and I’m So Pretty, and very upbeat bright tracks such as Oopsie (My Bad) and Some (You’ll Be Mine). For the group’s first comeback of 2020, they returned with a complete mature sound change up through the title track, Girls. The group also has a 6 member lineup, but will only be promoting with 6 members only due to various reasons.

As mentioned above, NATURE turns a complete 180 degree with this mature sound. Girls is a change up that I personally did not see coming. And while I do enjoy a change up every now and then, I fear this has taken a once different female group who is willing to standout with crazy instrumentals and catchy hooks and turned them into a generic sounding female group. I just didn’t find the dance track to really have those moments that Oopsie and Some had. I am not really looking for anything unique as well, rather something to catch my attention and give me a reason dig into the track more. It unfortunately didn’t and this disappoints me. That being said, Girls has some good moments as well. Not great enough to resolve the generic issue I just discussed, but good enough to make this song an occasion listen. The pre-chorus build up was quite nice, especially with the member that started off low and built her vocals up. I also dig the bridge of the song, which felt bold and brings something that cuts the generic nature of the song to a degree. It is like a textural autotune is applied to the main member, before the rest of the members echoes in a softened shouting manner. Apart from that, everything just fell into place and that typical category for me.

Given the mature sound, it was expected that their visuals change for this comeback as well. And the music video is does exactly that. There was an article a few days back that the music video was considered a little too graphic for broadcast and wonder how far they took the video to have that warning slapped on it. And it isn’t because the members were sexualised or showing off too much skin. Rather, the warning was in concern for some of the dark and suspenseful imagery. One member was hold a pair of scissors over another’s head with the top facing directly between the eyes in one of the teasers. Teddy bears were gutted and a flying axe closed up the music video with what seemed to be a a scream like synth. There might be a story line somewhere. My guess is that the other members are ghosts and that they are there to drive the member with the long black wavy hair insane and eventually kills her to be one of them. Altogether, it makes the video very intriguing and I quite like that idea.

For the most part, the choreography was a bore to watch. That being said, the post-chorus hook that featured after the first and final chorus really helped bring some edge, which helped make the performance go from boring to slightly exciting. Same thing can be said about that bridge, which brought a little more dynamism to the performance.

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

[Review] Secret Story of the Swan – IZ*ONE

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IZ*ONE made their comeback yesterday with their 3rd mini-album, Oneiric Diary, and the title track, Secret Story of the Swan. A review should have been written yesterday, but IZ*ONE’s agency made a last minute call to delay the release of the music video until today. In place of the music video, we were treated to the performance version of their music video along with performances from their comeback showcase. But as I focus on the music video usually, this meant I couldn’t write a whole review. But as we only had to wait a day, I decided to delay the review until today, as well. We last saw the group through their Fiesta promotions early this year.

Each of IZ*ONE’s title tracks have grown on me considerably, regardless of whatever comments I have made in the past regarding the songs. The beauty of time. And with time, maybe Secret Story of the Swan (henceforth Swan) may go in that direction as well. At this present time, I find the song to be very standard and meh. I just didn’t get a level of excitement that I had felt with Fiesta or Violeta. Swan‘s biggest asset is its instrumental, more specifically the chorus. It is the only part that really captures my attention. The drop feels memorable and bold, in comparison to the rest of the instrumental. There is a lot going on in its instrumentally, but it is all tied together very well with the loud crashes that accompany the ‘Like Swan Swan Swan‘ hook. This hook is also a really good element of the song and is helping me warm up to the song (though there is a big hurdle for it help get me over). Everything else in Swan just failed to stand out. The vocal work didn’t have much oomph to it, especially with a standout chorus like this. It was pretty much forgettable during the verses. The rapping had momentum, but it just felt very typical and something that we all heard before. Swan had some highs and lows, with the lows seemingly taking hold of the song. But as I said at the start, maybe time is needed to help make this song more appealing.

While the music video does take on that closeup and choreography formula, I found the music video to be captivating. This is because of the use of chroma-key (i.e. the technical name of the green/blue screen effect). It helped made the video look very pretty, from the purple coloured sky, to the presence of clock gears, to the use of circle. It was quite mesmeric. There might be a bit of a story in the video via symbolism of the different elements in the video, though I didn’t pick anything up. The choreography shots are stunning, as well. Very nice looking music video.

One of the strong points about the performance is that is looks really elegant, which suits the idea of a swan as in the song’s title. At the same time, the choreography finds that sweet point where it can be dynamic, allowing for the performance to take full advantage of the energy from the chorus.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Album Review] Breaking Sensation (2nd Mini Album) – SF9

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It is time for another PAR (Past Album Review). And this time, I went with a mini-album as they contain less songs and are much faster to write, as a result. The group that I chose to focus on is one that I have yet to cover on this segment of album reviews. And they definitely need a shout out as they are still underrated! I am talking about SF9, the nine-member male dance group from FNC Entertainment. More recently, the group returned with their 1st album (First Collection) and the title track, Good Guy, which earned them their first wins on the weekly music shows! Finally, some recognition for the group! But today, I will be reviewing the album which contains the first song that attracted my attention, which is Easy Love. Easy Love is part of the group’s second mini-album, Breaking Sensation, which was released back in 2017.

Breaking Sensation Album Cover

1. Intro: Around Farewell (Intro: 이별 즈음에) – The album kicks off with the rappers do their thing in the introductory manner. I don’t remember listening to this track in the past as it feels very unfamiliar. And it is a pity, as I think Around Farewell would be very suitable for their more recent albums. The track takes on a hip-hop beat. This personally isn’t my usual genre to listen to, but the rappers make it quite captivating. Hwiyoung starts it off with a slow manner, before kicking it up a notch. Youngbin continues the momentum, before Zuho brings his raspy tone into the mix. Chani delivery in this song is more on the rap-speaking side and adds an emotional twist of the song. The song ends with a muffled electronically autotuned ‘No More Easy Love’, leading us to the title track. (8/10)

2. Easy Love (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Easy Love. (8/10)

3. Watch Out – There are two notable elements in the instrumental of Watch Out that I really enjoyed. The first has to be the 90s feel that the instrumental gives (more specifically NSYNC vibes). The second has to be the piano in the background. Together, these two blends together, with the help of other elements, to become a strong track. I liked how hard hitting the chorus because of the beat and piano. The instrumental seems to steal the show for me, so the vocals and rapping didn’t attract too much attention when I do a glance over the track. But when I do focus squarely on the vocals and the rapping, there was a lot of potential behind their vocal work and rapping delivery. I don’t want to comment specifically on any members as the entire vocal/rap element stands out as a whole and makes it hard for me to zone into one member or side. (9/10)

4. Hide & Seek (머리카락 보일라) – With quite heavy and intense tracks so far, Hide & Seek seems to changes it up be infusing some brightness to give off the impression of light and a more easygoing vibe. I personally don’t mind this change up as the track has a nice instrumental that I can’t help but boogie to while writing this review. The vocals and rapping are commendable. I liked how they infused the rapping into the song, and this ended up being standout moments for me. I also liked their vocal energy in this song as it progressed, especially when it came to the chorus. There is just a sweetness to it that I find very appealing. The instrumental seems retro and old school. There is almost a jazzy vibe and I enjoyed the brass that peeked through. (9/10)

5. Fall Down (이러다가 울겠어) – We seem to return to the roots of the album by going with a heavier and more mature sounding part. There is an electronic influence on Fall Down’s instrumental from the very first second. It felt promising at first. But as the song progressed, that opening synth (which is subsequently replayed throughout the instrumental of the track) just lost its promise. The song stayed relatively consistent and everything that was added over it just felt neutral. There wasn’t anything to be excited about. And this rubbed off on the vocals and rapping as well. If I was to pick which I preferred, the rapping takes the edge as the vocal melodies seemed to maintain that neutral gear, which dried out the song. Unfortunately, Fall Down is my pick for skipable track on this album. (6/10)

6. Why (왜 이래) – The final track on the album takes a completely different route to any of the above songs, thanks for the acoustic sound. There were really good vocal moments in the song and the chorus was very addictive with its simple melody. I really liked how they emphasised the title of the song (the ‘Wae Irae’ parts of the chorus). When the rapping came into play, it felt like a nostalgic throwback to some old KPOP from earlier in the decade. Overall, I found it to be a nice closing song for the album and as a song in general. (8.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.1/10

SF9 Member’s Teaser Images for Breaking Sensation

[Review] Swear – E’LAST

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One week ago, E’LAST (which is shortened from the term Everlasting) made their debut with their first mini-album, Day Dream, and title track, Swear. But before I proceed further with the review, who is E’LAST? Well, this male group is made of 8 members (Choi In, Rano, Seungyeop, Baekgyeul, Romin, Won Hyuk, Wonjun and Yejun) and is the first group from E Entertainment. Members Won Hyuk and Wonjun have previously participated Produce X 101 and placed in 33rd and 47th on the show. Now that we know a bit more from the group, let’s move onto the review.

My initial listen to the song when the first came out didn’t rule in its favour. And naturally, I passed on the opportunity to review, pushing it behind the pack to focus on other artists of the week. But I ‘rediscovered’ Swear towards the end of week and was drew into its grand and epic nature while it played in the background while I worked. Now, I find the mash of classical orchestra and trap to be quite captivating. That opening medieval sequence really sets the song up. It allowed the group to focus on the more elegant side of classical music, before the song fuses with those trap influences in the second verse (which provided a different form of intensity and tempo). As Swear progressed, we were treated to a build up that hinted towards an epic drop. But once the chorus came around, we are unexpectedly given a slow and paced instrumental sequence. While this does not make sense to me at first, I am enjoying it now because they manage to maintain the intensity and energy in a unique fashion. They could have followed what we thought was coming (i.e. an epic drop), but that could have been seen as typical. I liked that the producers deviated from the formula, which attracts my attention. Similar comments can be made for the delayed climax. You could tell it was coming, but the producers kept on dragging it out, giving it impact once it came around. I was amazed at how amazing the vocals and rapping turned out. At first, I felt like Swear could have been more dynamic, giving the members an opportunity to show off more of their vocal/rapping potential. But we are treated to very powerful vocal moments and memorable hooks, whilst also getting some leeway through the use of trap elements to allow the rappers to fit in and bring their own intensity/some tempo to the song. Overall, an interesting song.

As I spent a fair amount of time on the song part of the review, I will cut to the chase for the music video and performance sections. The set design is really epic and looks amazing. It makes their solo shots a lot more captivating. The members showed off their acting in a satisfying manner, as they looked really hurt after thinking that their partner would stay with them. It gave me the impression that they are only coming to terms of this, which is the journey they take in the lyrics, as well. Big ticks from me for the music video.

We see a bit of elegance at the very start through the opening sequence of the song. As the song progresses, we get more of those epic and grand vibes translated into the choreography. But all is maintained despite the changes in the music. The final section of the bridge and final chorus drew my attention the most in this choreography, as it showed off a lot of potential and intensity from the manners.

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

[Album Review] Delight (2nd Mini Album) – Baekhyun (EXO)

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Making his return at the end of last month was Baekhyun. This comeback was in the form of his second mini-album, Delight, which features the title track, Candy. And as you can tell by the title of this post, we will be focusing on his album (as I have already reviewed Candy – link to this review is down below). I have previously reviewed both Baekhyun’s solo debut title track (UN Village) and mini-album (City Lights) when it was released last year. His first mini-album contained really memorable side tracks such as Psycho and Diamond. Continuing his R&B influence, let’s see unwrap the new album and see if it is truly a delight.

Delight Album Cover

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

2. R U Ridin’ – At first, R U Ridin’ begins like a straightforward R&B track. As the song progresses, it defuses into a dance track, thanks to the use of percussion during the chorus. At large, the song would fit neatly into the R&B genre. The chorus actually reminds me of those trends that people used to put up online, where they danced whilst next to a slow-moving car (excuse my old person’s way of describing this). There seems to be some good energy coming from the track and there is a decent appeal to the song. While there is a likable vibe, the song isn’t my cup of tea or personal style. Sure, there are many R&B tracks that I listen to, but this one comes off as rather plain. It is just not something that I would go out of my way to seek and play. Though, Baekhyun’s vocal work here was really good, particularly those ad-libs he threw into the song at the end. (7/10)

3. Bungee – Bungee gets a slightly more positive review despite it being quite similar to the preceding song with the R&B genre. I find Baekhyun’s use of falsetto to be an attractive aspect of the song. I also find the piano and drum beat synth to help create a dynamic yet soft instrumentation. This separates this and the preceding song apart in a very distinctive manner. Just listen to the piano in the bridge sequence as an example of how more dynamic the instrumental feels. Pairing the vocals and instrumental, we get a pretty smooth track overall that I enjoyed. (8/10)

4. Underwater – What drew my attention to Underwater is that the synths come together to make it feel like we are underwater. It has that wavy type of feel that feels like the bubbles that come about when we try to talk under water (I am sure that most people would know what I am referring to). Just the synths in the background aren’t consistent, so it feels like those bubbles are of varying sizes. Apart from that analogy, the song adopts the R&B genre, once again. He has an impressive display of vocals in this song, go into falsetto during some parts and opting for a slight breathy approach in other parts. I also liked his ad-libs and ‘Ooo’ at the end of the song, which helped ease the song out in a unique manner. (8/10)

5. Poppin’ – We re-enter energetic territory through Poppin’. A much-needed boost for this album as more consecutive R&B tracks could easily drag this album out and would result in a bore. Poppin’ isn’t an overwhelming injection of energy, which keeps it in line with the previous songs. I liked the simple beat of the instrumental and what seems to be a muffled 8-bit type of sound. It gives texture in a subtle way. Overall, the instrumental feels very easygoing and lively, relative to the other songs on this album. The vocals also feel a lot more dynamic and brighter, which helps add additional energy into the song. The chorus is undoubtedly the strongest part of the song, with a catchy ‘Here Now’ hook, though it sounds more like ‘Hey Now’ to me. (8.5/10)

6. Ghost – This is the song that attracted my attention the most prior to listening to the album. I just liked the title of the song. I have a dark soul like that. My expectations were that this would be a grungy or angst number. But that wouldn’t fit into a predominately R&B number. Instead, Ghost opts for an upbeat dance number. And before I go any further, this set up exceed any expectation I had. The instrumental for this song is very attractive, incorporating hand drums, guitars and synths. These seem to be an odd combination, but they come together very nicely and each of these elements have a boldness to them throughout the song. Vocally, Baekhyun sounds amazing. He has the support of a strong chorus with catchy melodies. Together, this song becomes the memorable number of the entire album (and dare I say, a better track that the main track). (10/10)

7. Love Again – The final song the album predominately features acoustic guitars and a deep drumbeat (there is a bit of piano infused later on). Baekhyun’s vocals start off muffled by some autotune, before it goes low and deep. Once the chorus comes along, his vocals stay quite low. But the instrumental seems to go into a soft pop mode. I liked how the acoustic guitar gave the song texture and it became the bold element of the instrumental. For the final moments of the song, Love Again changes it up to infuse little bit of angst before diffusing out back to the acoustic guitar. While this change doesn’t make sense initially, it grew on me and became a very interesting manner to end the song and album with. (8.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.4/10

Delight Teaser Image

[Review] My My – SEVENTEEN

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Yesterday, we were treated to a surprise by SEVENTEEN. The 13-member male group unexpectedly released a music video for My My, ahead of their upcoming June comeback which has been scheduled for the 22nd of June. It seems like everyone was caught off guard with this release as there was no indication of it. I actually thought My My was going to be the groups title track. So it begs the question, what will the actual comeback be like? Until the 22nd, we won’t know. But I can quickly sit down and review this release, as we have both song and music video (and a little choreography – but I won’t cover this) present for a decent review to be written. The group also released a lyric video for Us, Again earlier in the week as well (but as this is no music video, I will not be reviewing it). Let’s get reviewing.

While we are pretty much unsure about what their title track is going to be like, My My serves as a nice introduction to whatever is about to come. I find the song plain and typical sounding, but it doesn’t give off a boring feeling. Rather, it is a versatile song that can precede many others and hence why I think it is a nice introduction. The island/synth based instrumentation was easy going and carefree vibe, which helped it make appealing. It is quite heavy on the beats, but there was a light component to the song which makes it perfect for the Summer season. It is bright and it brings a smile to my face even during the stressful moments of the last two days. What more do you need to ask for? Vocally, I thought it was a strong effort. There were some great moments on the vocal front, such as Woozi’s part in the first verse (never heard him like this before), Vernon and S.Coup’s rapping sequence and the entire bridge section of the song. The chorus has a mildly catchy melody that really felt suitable for this Summery track. While the song comes off as quite likable, it is best serve as a pre-release track only. It just doesn’t have the chops to be a title track, but it is a refreshing number to help kick start the countdown to a new era of Seventeen’s career.

I only paid attention to some of the teasers which gave us a behind the scenes look at the the music video set. It revolves around a flying ship, which the members are travelling on to different places. And this relates to the individual journeys that they are taking (i.e. being oneself and going their way) that they reference in the lyrics. As for what they are doing, it seems to be all fun and games when they park their flying ship. The only person who seems to doing something a little more than hanging out is Vernon, who is making some sort of orange jam. Not sure what it is, but Jun and Joshua seem to be very intro it, as if they are addicted to it. It might just be an orange jam, but it could be something a little more suspicious. This, in turn, could link up to their next music video. That is something I do wonder, if elements of this video pops up in their next music video. But we will find out soon. Overall, it is a nice video that suits the song.

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

[Album Review] The W (3rd Mini Album) – Park Ji Hoon

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And it is now that time of the week for another album review. Fridays and Sundays are dedicated for the more recent album releases. For example, today we will be diving into Park Ji Hoon’s most recent album release, The W. This is the soloist’s 3rd mini-album since his solo debut last year and it also features the title track, Wing. I have been paying close attention to Park Ji Hoon as his title tracks have been quite dynamic in the past and his albums have been good listens. This one is pretty much the same, so let’s see how it sounds.

The W Album Cover

1. On The Rise – Usually, I do not review the introductory tracks as there are instrumental-based. Sometimes I do comment on them if they do have a uniqueness to them, but I don’t include them in the rating. But any introductory track that consist vocals will contribute to the rating. And On The Rise falls into the latter category. The song features a similar instrumental as the title track (see the review below), just everything is at a very lower tone and slower pace. Park Ji Hoon also uses his deep voice in this song, which reflects well with the instrumental. The deeper tone does give the song a heaviness, but as it is quite short, it comes off as airy, which is ideal for an opener. The catchy ‘Doom Doom Doom‘ from the title track is featured in this track, but the rest of the lyrics are different. (8/10)

2. Wing (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Wing. (7.5/10)

3. Frequency (주파수) – The start to Frequency was quite promising when I first heard for the first time. Unfortunately, the song just didn’t go in the direction I had wanted with that start. I am a little disappointed about this, but the direction it did end up going in was actually quite good. The song opted for a sleek R&B instrumental, which incorporated a really cool piano and squeaky synth combo instrumental break during the bridge that gave the song unexpected life. Otherwise, I would have said that the song went with a slow burning form of R&B. I also did like the rest of the instrumental, when the piano would peek through and there were some funky synths presents to further add some appealing details to the background. Park Ji Hoon actually sounds pretty good here and I liked when he switches to a rap-speaking delivery for a brief moment. Usually, I want more. But I feel like the song does justice with his vocals, which I felt more drawn to. (9/10)

4. Driving – Another great start to a song on this album. This time around, I didn’t have much expectations for it. So Driving ran its course and at the end, I am naturally reaching for the replay button. The song starts with a slow pop type of vibe. It was interesting to note that they returned to this slow pop vibe throughout the track and I liked that, as if they were reminding us of the song’s roots. But what I really liked about the song the most was the fast tempo chorus. In terms of the tempo and melodies, it is quite different to the how the song started and I liked that contrast. The bass helped it become dynamic and energetic. The song would be perfect for when you are driving with the windows down on a nice bright sunny day. Park Ji Hoon’s vocal was very nice. The rapping was good, but I felt that the producers could have taken that sequence up a notch by giving it some more texture in the instrumental. (9/10)

5. Paradise – Paradise combines and mashes different styles, all falling under the realm of EDM. But I think it fits under the house genre, overall. The song seems to play around with texture for a bit. Nothing crazy or concerning, actually relatively tame when you think about it. It starts off with a relatively smooth instrumental and features a very straight forward melody, which made it appeal to those who may want something ‘simple’. The chorus changes up with a more complicated and textural deep house style. At first, the combination of the two seems to not go hand-in-hand, but it slowly grows on you. Unlike the title track, we are eased into the change for a brief few seconds. And this change was minute and didn’t cut the flow of the song, which was an issue in the title track. I liked his husky vocals in this song, which added more texture of the song. (8/10)

5. Let’s Love – It isn’t Summer until you hear some tropical beats in a song. As I have noted in past reviews, it is still in its refreshing stage due to the limited number of tropical 2020 tracks. I do note that the number of these tracks is slowly growing and maybe a few more might remind me of how tiring the genre really is. While that is the current situation for tropical influenced numbers overall, I just don’t hear anything that special with this track to warrant much discussion, apart from the use of piano-like synth in the instrumental. And for that, I find it rather typical sounding. Even Park Ji Hoon’s vocals came off in that manner and probably earns the title for the most skipable track on the album. (7/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.1/10

The W Teaser Image

[Review] No One Knows – Seo Eunkwang (BTOB)

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It is time for another review for another Monday release. I believe this is the final Monday release that I will be reviewing and I shall move onto reviews for other days that I may have missed over the weekend. The star of this review is Seo Eunkwang, who is the leader and main vocalist of BTOB. Seo Eunkwang recently returned from his military enlistment earlier this year and marks his return with his first solo mini-album, FoRest: Entrance and the title track, No One Knows. In other related news, the majority of BTOB are currently fulfilling their enlistment, so it might be some time until we hear from the group again.

As mentioned earlier in the week and multiple review posts in the past, main vocalists tend to go down the ballad route as this style allows for their vocals to be shown off. I know I sound like a broken record as I mention it every time I write a review for a solo release by a group’s main vocalist. When it comes to Seo Eunkwang, however, ballad is the way to go. While the work that BTOB have released in the past have been upbeat (take Beep Beep, as an example) and a little crazy at times (referring to some of their side tracks), I just don’t see BTOB’s main vocalist releasing a dance track as a main promotional track. Maybe a slow R&B track, at best. Why? Well, No One Knows is probably a good indication of that. He nails ballads perfectly. Over the 3 and a half minutes or so, I was captivated to the point where I couldn’t write my review while concurrently listening to song. I had to stop typing as I was in awe. Definitely a sign of a good ballad. While the ballad does follow standard backbone with its classical instrumental, there was a nice buildup throughout the song that made it sound so grand and heavy towards the end. I liked the electrical guitar that peeped through at the end, as well. It wasn’t much, but you can still feel its presence in the song. But the real captivating element of the song is Seo Eunkwang’s voice, which we already know is amazing through past solo tracks and his BTOB work. But we hear it in its full glory, which is probably the best thing about this track. Not only does his voice soar, but it powers through the heaviest instrumented parts to be the main element of the song. I really liked how he dragged out the final word, before repeating it 3 more times in short and sharp delivery. Its kind of a ‘Thank you, move along’ type of vibe that suits the song’s lyrics and meaning so well. The other melodies are just so good, it is hard to find a fault in the song. After all, I do like a good ballad and this one is as good as it gets.

The music video opens up with Seo Eun Kwang singing the song to himself. We get a sense in this scene alone that he is very lonely. After all, the song is about being alone, yet pretending that everything is okay. I thought it was a really good video, emphasising loneliness is the recurring theme in all the scenes. And in all these scenes, we see his facial expressions. You can tell that he is very stuck in his thoughts and lonely (yep, that recurring word). He interestingly does not show sadness on his face, though he does carry himself in what seems to be a depressed manner. I liked the cinematography of the music videos and like not all of Eunkwang is the shot. It makes the video artistic and aesthetic in a way.

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