It has been 5 years since we last saw them. But finally, JJ Project has launched their comeback with their first mini-album. Of course, being a fan, I would not miss out on this opportunity to review their mini-album, which is titled as Verse #2. Just one comment about the album before we start. But every single track, regardless of any differences, end up making this one damn good albumt to listen to. Everything works well with each other and it did not leave me disappointed. Now, on with the review of each song!
Verse #2 Album Cover
1..Coming Home – The album opens up with an aesthetically pleasing and RnB influenced song. I love the instrumental of this song, from the rolling drum beat to the very chilled chorus. I also loved the layering in the song. The different layers of vocals in this song, which gave the song some depth, which I thought was pretty nice. Just when you consider the entire track as a whole piece, it does come off a little dry. (9/10)
3. On & On – On & On feels like another song that fits the tropical house trend that is ongoing in the industry. But the verses/chorus felt a lot more serious and more RnB influence. It wasn’t until the instrumental chorus break that it took that trend on board. What was more interesting was how they changed up the ending. Their efforts felt a little late and that ending personally could have been omitted. But it was still nice to listen to. (8/10)
4. Icarus – The best part of the track was definitely its chorus. The energy explosion once the beat dropped made it feel so much more lively, compared to the extremely boring verses. Their vocals managed to just appear in front of the instrumental and provided an attraction to make me go back for even more. It could have easily been hidden behind in the instrumental. (9/10)
5. Don’t Wanna Know – This was my personal favourite of the entire album. Their vocals suit the RnB genre and this song gives their vocals the right amount of spotlight without going overboard. The instrumental also gave the song some energy, which made it one for me to go back for. The ending could have faded out, rather than feel abrupt, but overall, the song was too good to overlook, in my opinion. (9.5/10)
6. Find You – Like the previous song, I thought the vocals from both Jinyoung and JB were showcased to be the highlight of the song. It was upbeat and felt like an urban track that I wouldn’t mind listening to from time to time. But I fear listening to this song on repeat could leave the track feeling bland and boring in the long run. The instrumental was decent but pretty standard. (8/10)
7. The Day (Jinyoung Solo) – This could easily be played on repeat in a small, indie cafe somewhere. Jinyoung has nice vocals, but they aren’t the best compared to other people in his group. But what we hear here is a great display of his talents and skill. I like how he kept the instrumental from becoming too boring, by adding and taking out instruments. It has a nice RnB sound, which goes nicely with every other track on this album. (9/10)
8. Fade Away (JB Solo) – Musically, JB’s track starts off with an ear-catching sound, which draws my attention. But sadly the interesting vibes from it faded out quick;y and the track felt like it was repeating itself. JB’s husky vocals made this song sound pretty good. The instrumental had a nice creepy vibe, which when I think about it now, doesn’t sound like that should have been the intended effect. (8/10)
It is time to turn on our listening devices as, ONF is entering the Korean music scene. They come from WM Entertainment, which is the same company that brings us B1A4 and Oh My Girl. The 7-member boy group officially debuted on the 1st of August (last Tuesday) with their mini-album, which shares the same title as the title track, On/Off.
On/Off is a pretty good song but it leaves me with mixed feelings. Some of these parts I find quite nice, while some of them aren’t that appealing. That is the major issue with songs that usually mash multiple styles together. Just this song does keep it consistent and that is one thing I am thankful for. I totally dig the vocals parts of the song. They blend nicely together and felt the most consistent overall. Actually, the first half of the track, I was pleased with the overall sound. The chorus was catchy and attracted my attention. It is the second half that gets me having second thoughts about the song. There was a nice build up but the raps leave that build-up hanging (i.e. there was no drop, which left me feeling quite frustrated) and it makes the rest of the song feel disjointed, while completely changing up the fun vibes that came from the song (though the fun vibes were later returned to). The raps were decent but my main issue with the song was how they were placed into the song. But overall, it was a nice song for a debut that attracted my attention with its upbeatness and vibrant colour.
I haven’t watched the music video for their debut yet (I know, I am crazy!). So essentially, everything I write here will be my first impressions. I literally have no idea what storyline they were going for. Something about space was the most I got out it. The guys were aliens and attracted the attention of Earth, who sent a pretty human astronaut? I honestly have no idea! Watching it a few times and I am still confused. For a brand new group, the video was amazing in terms of visual quality. The sets looked cool and interesting. The vibrant colours and the smiles that you could see on the member’s faces reflected well with the song.
The choreography was pretty cool Once again, nothing mind blowing but it went well with the track. There were some highlights, such as that ending routine. Though it was impressive. But what impressed me more was the fact regarding how in sync they were with each other.
Song – 7.5/10 Music Video – 7/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 7.5/10
After their successful comeback of Really Really and Fool at the start of the year, Winner is back to seek the same level of success with Love Me Love Me and Island. And so far, they are on track to reaching the expectations set high by the previous singles, with their songs topping charts in the midst of an intense battle for the top of the charts. The two songs make up Our Twenty For, which is the name of their second single album.
Love Me Love Me is a disco song, but it sounds nothing like that. Instead, I thought it felt more modern in general, compared to disco. Love Me Love Me was set up to be an upbeat and catchy song. It does just that, but it felt underwhelming. It did well to represent that Summer feels, but it doesn’t feel like it could be separated from the pack. The “Love Me Love Me‘ final chorus was pretty good when they made it into a chant/anthem. The vocals were good, but they weren’t amazing. The raps were good, but I felt their pre-chorus build up was a little awkward.
Island follows the same comments as Love Me Love Me. It felt underwhelming, as well. Island is a tropical house song that sounds nice. But the combination of the vocals and the raps don’t mix well. It is an interesting mix but they don’t fit with each other. The build up doesn’t feel like it built on anything and drop didn’t feel that intense as it should have. It sounds a lot better with a heavy bass filter, but it did still feel underwhelming regardless.
Unlike the song, I actually thought the videos were pretty good. The cinematography and various shots made both videos spectacular. Love Me Love Me seemed to focus more on the urban setting, while Island focused on more of nature. Both were equally amazing. The aerial shots in Island basically left me speechless. I just wished they were paired with better songs. Besides that, the videos didn’t have much content in them, mainly focusing on them having a fun in the various settings. It looked fun and enjoyable. My only complaint is Seunghoon’s hair. Not digging it. But other than that, both videos were amazing.
Love Me Love Me had a more captivating performance. It felt like it suited the song more and the moves seemed a lot more polished. Island had the boring performance. While it did fit the song, it felt looser compared to the other performance in terms of structure. It just didn’t suck me in like the other performance.
Love Me Love Me Song – 7/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8/10
Island Song – 6/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 5/10 Overall Rating – 6.5/10
It has been a while since we last saw N.Flying on stage. 2015 was their last promotional round (Lonely) before the group went on hiatus for almost 2 years. Since then, the group has announced the addition of a new member, Yoo Hoe-Seung, who participated in Produce 101 Season 2. This comeback is for their second mini-album, The Real: N.Flying and features the title track, The Real.
It’s been so long since their last comeback, that I don’t even remember what their previous two tracks were. But if they were to release more songs like The Real (with a shorter time between releases), I would gladly jump on board the N.Flying train. The song is amazing and their best yet. It is super upbeat and extremely catchy. There seems to be a nice mix between pop and rock in this song, which catches my attention immediately. The vocal work, raps and instrumental work well with each other. I love the short rap sequence and bangs before each chorus. But what makes this song sound so memorable is that the song has so much energy and the delivery of that energy is spot on. Right from the start, the energy that launches us into it was already exceptional. And since it felt like they maintained that same level of energy and momentum, the group managed to score big points (in my book, at least) with this perfect song.
The music video was hilarious and ridiculous (in a good way). Essentially, the group are trying to catch a mermaid. It felt like a play on the whole ‘there are plenty of fish in the sea’ phrase, but the guys are fixated on this particular mermaid, who according to the lyrics, is stunning. Quite a few unsuccessful attempts were made before they decided to sacrifice one of the members to the mermaid (which was the part I started laughing at). The mermaid turned out to be Jang Moonbok, who was a fellow Produce 101 Season 2 trainee. That was one unexpected plot twist that made me laugh even more. What I liked was every time they launched into the chorus, they incorporated that burst of energy by jumping onto their instruments and playing their song. But they incorporated it in a way that worked with the video and I liked that.
Song – 10/10 Music Video – 10/10 Overall Rating – 10/10
SNSD is 10 years old!!! The group debuted back in August 2007 and has since become of the biggest and well-known groups in the KPOP industry. Fast forward 10 years, the group (just a few hours back) dropped their 6th studio album and title tracks, Holiday (which I have already written a review for) and All Night!
All Night is a fantastic mix of past and present. The verses of the song give off a retro sound, which reminds me of the 70s and 80s at certain parts. The chorus brings the more recent musical elements, in my opinion. The chorus resembles pop songs that could have been released in the past few months or years. The mix is very interesting as it does give you a feel of how music has travelled through time. The song is quite catchy and attractive. I love the various tempos that the song goes through, from upbeat to more slower sections. The raps and the vocals fit well with the song, but they don’t seem to bring that impact that the song needed. That doesn’t mean I am disappointed with it because I am totally digging the song. But I felt they could have gone that extra mile with the song. If we were looking at All Night and Holiday side-by-side, I think Holiday will win over All Night. But it is still a good song overall.
That retro vibe played well into the music video. Their outfits and the set just looks wonderful in the video. While they did shrink the screen once again, it did make a lot more sense for the retro concept they were going for. Most importantly, the video linked below features a documentary, which I am sure the girls are talking about what SNSD and their journey means to them. I like that approach, but I prefer the song to be in one block, rather it fading in and out. It just feels disjointed and looses the aesthetics of the song. But what makes me even happier is that ending where they bring the old footage of SNSD back, when there were 9 members. It’s beautiful and a nice trip down memory lane.
[Updated] The choreography was actually quite nice. Though it did look odd for a retro styled come back, the performance was worth watching. Once again, it isn’t the best dance of the year but it managed to go well with the song, in general.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 8/10 [Updated] Overall Rating – 8/10[Updated]
The Queens of KPOP are back to celebrate their 10th year since debut. It has been a wild ride for the girls since their debut on the 5th of August 2007. 10 years on, they are releasing their 6th studio album, which joins the long line of hits from the girl groups. This 6th album is titled as Holiday Night and features two title tracks, Holiday and All Night (the review will be out shortly!).
Holiday just wants to make me get my groove on. It is a flashy song that catches your attention with its show-tune kind of sound. You can expect this song at a musical, but SNSD brings it you on a stage and music video! It’s super catchy and isn’t overly complicated, which makes it easy on the ears. Like the repetition of the “Ho-Ho-Holiday” just make me want to go back and replay the song even more! The vocals work is amazing and the Hyoyeon’s rap fits in really well. The only problem I find is how the song ends. It ends abruptly, which means the song is cut off awkwardly. Given how the song is very upbeat and catchy, an abrupt cut off doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the song. But overall, it is one damn, near-perfect song that will I would gladly see rise to the top of the charts and replay many, many times!
What is my most favourite word to use in these reviews? ‘Amazing’. And guess what else is amazing? SNSD’s music video for Holiday! Oh, that was cheesy. But seriously, this video is totally rocking. That show-tune vibe that I was talking about was shown nicely through the various sets and scenes throughout the video. The sets themselves were highlights of the music video. The final set of the stage gave the video the right atmosphere for their 10-year celebration, which I too, thought was cool. I also loved the featuring of a muppet. During the second verse, the way they managed to film and choreograph the dance to fit the lineup of the members singing (Sooyoung, Yoona, Yuri and Sunny), which I thought was really cool! The video does not disappoint and compliments the song nicely.
While we don’t see much of the choreography in the video, I think there was enough to write about. I do hope that part that I mentioned above is also included in the stage performances. That would look really cool. There just doesn’t seem to be a catchy move or a highlight, which does make it somewhat weaker. But overall, a fair dance.
Song – 9.5/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 9/10
After their successful comeback with Hobglobin, CLC are back with the brand new mini-album, titled as FREE’SM. It seems like Hobglobin was the start of their movement from the typical cutesy image that they fell into prior to the start of the year. Where Are You? seems to go back in that direction, but instead stays mature.
Right off the bat, it is not my cup of tea. Where Are You? is a very slow song that doesn’t build up whatsoever. Instead, it remains in neutral mode throughout the entire song, which drains any energy, if it ever had any, to begin with. The slowness though does go nicely with the retro sound and their overall concept though. The muffled start and the overall sound does bring you back to the early days (aka the 90s) of KPOP. Some aspects I thought were good, but the same aspects (such as the vocals) could have been many times better. The instrumental is uncaptivating and the song is easily forgettable. It felt like a blank canvas, wanting to be drawn or painted on. But it just didn’t have any content. I have listened to it a number of times already, but I have gone to find other songs right after, instead of reflecting or wanting to go back and replaying it. Maybe it will grow on me, but if I am being honest and follow what my mind is telling me, I don’t have much hopes for it.
I spoke about the ‘borders’ of music videos lately in another review. But that border looked amazing, in comparison to the square we got in this video. I just don’t think it is right to film a video and then have it cute down to such a small section of the screen. Like it is already overdone in video that narrow it down width-wise, but column wise is pretty disappointing. We barely see all the girls in one scene. Moving from that very noticeable issue, the video was made to look dreamy and the innocent concept was brought into play. Overall, they did both nicely. But like the song, the video could have been better (i.e. more of the image). Though, I personally think that this video would suit a more creepy song, as I did get some of those horror vibes from the video.
While I am not much of a fan of this comeback, the choreography was splendid. They did a good job at bringing that innocent side to the dance. It might not be the most mind-blowing dance, but it paired nicely with the song, fitting the tempo and rhythm of the song.
Song – 5/10 Music Video – 5/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 5.5/10
Just after a few weeks of finishing promotions for Remember, Nine Muses is officially back with Love City. Their previous mini-album, Muses Diary Part 2: Identity (released in June) has been re-released to become Muses Diary Part 3: Love City. Nine Muses also recently had their first concert since debut.
With just one listen, Nine Muses has managed to grab my attention with one damn good track. Though that is a relatively easy thing to do, the girls managed to also blow me away within the first few seconds of the track. Love City opens up with Sojin’s raps sequence that is covered by auto-tune (but it is still bearable). It did spark a memory in my mind, but I don’t know where I have heard the similar tune before. But Sojin’s raps paves the way for the rest of the song. Sure, the verses of the song were not that memorable. But once the beat drops and you get the intensity of the chorus, everything falls into place quite nicely. The chorus was catchy, the vocals were amazing. It is a song that hypes you up from the start and it keeps that momentum going, which left such a deep impression in my mind. The “L.O.V.E‘ repetition stuck in my mind, even after I started listening to other songs recently released. But what I love the most is the “Chu Chu Chu, Bwa Bwa Bwa, La La La, Stop It Boy” (2:05 mark, for example), which was a more cutesy contrast that went well with the more feminine and intense beat the rest of the song had going for.
The music video was fairly captivating. For the most part, I stayed around for the song. Sadly, I can’t find any English translations for the song yet, so forgive me if my interpretation is way off. From what I see, the girls have finally had enough and are escaping “Love City”. The guys they dated treated them badly and they have decided to not pick that lifestyle anymore. This is clear from the way they seem to have their anger pent up inside of them and how they treat the Ken doll and the poor teddy bear. Moving away from the plot, there were parts in the video that I thought the lighting was off-putting. It might be me being picky, but I thought the lighting in both the day scenes and the dark scenes were pretty bad. The transitions through the screens looked cool. But apart from that, the video was your standard KPOP video (using standard KPOP backdrops).
The choreography shows off their confidence quite well. But there should have been more to it. As mentioned before, the song does get you quite hyped up. And the choreography seems to fall short of that. At least for me. Though the part at the bridge (i.e. when Sojin starts rapping) was pretty badass!
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 7/10 Overall Rating – 8.5/10
One of the most popular trainees from the recent season of Produce 101 has made his solo debut, with Sixteen. Samuel Kim was undeniably one of the favourites to make it in the top 11. For unknown reasons, he only made the top 18. For those who don’t know him, Samuel Kim was previously a trainee under Pledis (before moving to his current company, Brave Entertainment) and was part of the now-disbanded duo, 1PUNCH.
The first thing I noticed when I listened to the song was the autotune. While I have expressed my dislike of autotune in the past, I am not too troubled by its usage in this song. It wasn’t as heavy or over-the-top like other songs. But using auto-tune throughout the entire song did make it more noticeable than it should have been. The song is quite good but I don’t think it was strong enough for a debut. There were parts of it which I did like but the rest of the track seemed quite neutral and standard. The chorus was quite catchy and it felt like it was the most dynamic part of the song. The way he opened the chorus and the rhythm that I got out it made it quite enjoyable. The rest of the track did fall short though, feeling quite bland and boring. Changmo’s rap was pretty good, but it did feel somewhat disjointed from the rest of the song.
The music video had some good scenes in there. But what I noticed that some details were cropped out of view because of the borders. The borders made it feel quite constricting and fast editing made everything breeze past. Overall, everything felt nice. The night scenes looked cool and the choreography scenes were awesome. The party and supermarket scenes though seemed very dry and unconvincing. I feel odd writing this (since this is his video), but I felt like the focus was a touch too much on Samuel, when it should have been with the interactions between him with the surroundings and the others in the background. For example, at the party, he threw the confetti up as the camera zoomed onto him. But the others were busy interacting with everyone else but him. So it looked a little awkward.
The choreography looks amazing. It’s not groundbreaking but it pretty good. I could only dream to be half good as he was. The first time I watched the choreography, I didn’t notice the sixteen symbol he made with his hands. But now, I notice it every single time the chorus kicks in! That, to me, was impressive.
Song – 6.5/10 Music Video – 7/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 7/10
GFriend is back with a brand new Summer time song. It has been three years since their debut and each of those three years, there has been Summer comebacks from these girls, Me Gusta Tu and Navillera. Is it me, or are they slowly becoming the Princesses of Summer with their comeback? Joining the GFriend Summer lineup is Love Whisper, the title track off their 5th mini-album, Parallel.
The girls with a sweeter sound with this comeback. While the group have had successful singles in the Summer, this one sounds less dynamic and intense as their previous tracks. While there is a GFriend sound to this song, it seemed a lot weak and I can’t help but be disappointed with that (for now). There didn’t seem to be much of a hook to the chorus, which did leave the song hanging. The verses didn’t seem memorable, as well. They, instead, bring out the guns towards the end of the song, when it came to the bridge and final chorus. But then, it was too late to have an impact on the rest of the track. Let’s move onto the better parts of the song. Per usual, the short instrumental break for the infamous dance breaks was included and I thought that alone brought more impact to the song than the other parts. Their vocals seemed really consistent throughout the song, which was something I liked. There is a fresh and vibrant sound that suits the Summer season very nicely, which I liked as well.
The music video seemed a little interesting. The girls find an old radio under the bed and go on an adventure to figure out the source of some sound. Why? That makes it interesting. I guess they heard some sound (i.e. the love whisper) and wanted to know where it came from. In the end, it was a butterfly, which told them there was a tape in the radio. Now, that was pretty disappointing. But it gave a nice touch to the story. What drew my attention of the video though was how it reminded me of the music video for Me Gusta Tu. The scenery and the countryside really do take you back to memories from two years ago. What I thought was even better was their choreography scene, where they danced in water. It seemed unnecessary in this video, but I can’t help but think how empty the video would have been without it. They are known for their complicated dance moves and if they can pull off this choreography well in the water, I think that gives more than enough reasons to include that in the video.
Just the small snippets alone shows the complexity of the dance. The heel dance move seems hard to pull off in the midst of everything else (Refer to the 1:36 part of the dance and focus on their feet for a few seconds). And when it comes to GFriend, you can’t miss out on the dance break. It looks impressive and 10 times better with water spraying about in the music video.
Song – 6/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 7/10
It has taken the JJ Project duo five years to make their first comeback since debut. But as the saying says: ‘better late than never’. JJ Project is made up of JB and Jinyoung, who went on to debut as GOT7, released Bounce in 2012. Their latest release, Tomorrow, Today, was released today as part of their first mini-album, Verse 2. This is also the start of the many solo and unit promotions that GOT7 will be undertaking for the second half of 2017.
If you are after a dance track such as Bounce, you have come to the wrong place. Tomorrow, Today is a completely different track, with a completely different song style that we have yet to hear from JJ Project or GOT7 themselves. The song itself is stripped of its standard dance and electronic elements and feels more ballad-like. The instrumental seemed like it was pinched from a DAY6 album, which is a good thing because we all know how good DAY6 instrumentals are. The guitar and the rolling drum beat in this song make me want to go back for some more. But what I liked, even more, is that the song felt pure and untouched. The song gets you into that swaying motion, which I have recently announced my love for. The melodies just make you feel warm and bubbly. And don’t get me started with their voices. Even as a guy, I find their voices so dreamy and soothing. My favourite part of the entire song was Jinyoung’s part in the chorus, which provided an amazing hook that caught me for the rest of the song. The only part which I felt could have been better or scrapped entirely was the rap. It wasn’t needed and didn’t fit in with the rest of the song.
I am going to be brutally honest here, I found the video extremely boring to watch. Sure, it fits in perfectly with the song’s overall sound and style. Sure, it felt like it gave the viewers some raw footage of the guys while they were on some holiday trip, which I am sure fans enjoyed. But there wasn’t anything amazing to hold me there and make me want to watch and rewatch it some more. Unless I find idols lying on the ground quite captivating, this video just didn’t feel like your standard music video. It felt like a home video that I was awkwardly made to watch when visiting some relatives. Though the scenery was nice and some of the symbolism made sense.
I did like the choreography for this the performance though (I staked out the live stream for the first stage). The symbolism of past and present was more apparent here than the music video, with each member doing selected movements before the other. It too fitted the song and for the rest of the performance, they were in sync with each other, which I thought was cool. Hopefully, what I saw hold and it wasn’t the members missing the timing to sit down or step off the chair together!
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 6/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8/10
My vote for best album of 2016 went to Wings, BTS’s second studio album. Hence, today I decided to take some time to look back on their award-worthy album. However, as the album was re-released with new songs in 2017, I have decided to combine the two albums and make one long album review for it. The Wings album was dropped on October 10th of 2016. It was then re-released as You Never Walk Alone on 13th of February 2017. Please note that this is a very long review and that I apologise for that.
Wings Album Cover
1..Intro: Boy Meets Evil – J-Hope opens the entire album with Boy Meets Evil. And while it is just an intro track, it deserves to be an entire song on its own. J-Hope does not hold back, throwing his lines out at us in a manner that makes it sound so dark and intense. That intensity matches the string/dubstep instrumental of the track. The lyrics themselves are quite deep. (9/10)
3. Begin (Jungkook Solo) – While Jungkook does seem to go down the ballad route, he manages to add synths and elements that could potentially make it into a dance song. The lyrics are definitely something to look at here, as he references the members whom he basically grew up with. The track is amazing but there is just one minor detail. It seemed a little repetitive. It kept to itself, which was good, but I was expecting some change up to make it more interesting to my ears. (9/10)
4. Lie (Jimin Solo) – That classical orchestra instrumental. It gives the track a very grand and epic feel. I love the twist and turns that this track provide. Everything felt so mysterious and dark through the verses, but the chorus caught me off guard because it went higher than what we have heard. Jimin’s vocals have always shined throughout BTS releases, but it managed to shine brighter here. Good enough that I give it a (10/10).
5. Stigma (V Solo) – Out of all the BTS members, I always thought that V’s vocals were the most interesting out of all the members. And this song proves just that. His raspy vocals and higher tones just blow you away. The slow jazz based instrumental is quite good. But if you ever get the chance, try looking into the English translation for this song. Following the other tracks, this one is equally as deep, dark and mysterious. (10/10)
6. First Love (Suga Solo) – I am not really into songs that are mainly based around raps. But there is always something about Suga’s songs that catch me off guard. The instrumental is relatively quiet at the start but his voice adds the dynamic side to the song. As the song progresses, the instrumental build up into a grand orchestral piece, which I thought was spectacular. Listening to it by itself, you can hear the emotions. But once you look up the lyrics, you can tell the level of emotion that was put into the song. (10/10)
7. Reflection (Rap Monster Solo) – The instrumental of this song is 100% eerie and I love that. It slowly becomes a nice instrumental that is calming and soothing. However, it was still powerful enough to fit Rap Monster’s delivery of his lyrics, while maintaining that calmness. Once again, the lyrics leave a huge impression on you. Just try searching up the translations for these songs and you will be blown away. The just felt very neutral throughout and after listening to Suga’s solo, it needed some sort of buildup to keep me there. (9/10)
8. Mama (J-Hope Solo) – Unlike the previous songs, which went down the emotional route, J-Hope takes a different direction with a more upbeat and happier sound. That being said, the same level of emotions are present, just delivered in a different manner. It was super easy to get into the groove of this song and it was really catchy. He writes about his mum in the song, which made it extremely touching. His voice sounds so good and it shows a softer side, compared to his powerful and strong raps that we hear often in BTS title tracks. (10/10)
9. Awake (Jin Solo) – The most underrated member (vocally, that is) finally get justice by having his own solo track. That is a celebration in itself. This song just proves that the group needs to use his vocals more. Here it is so dreamy and so damn amazing. The melody of the song is the type that I really enjoy. That is, the type that gets you swaying along to it. He also appeals to my taste of violins and classical type instrumentals, which I love. Combine them together and you got a winning combination. (10/10)
10. Lost – This is a song that features the vocal line of BTS (Jungkook, Jin, Jimin & V). Given their vocals in the solo songs that featured before this track on the album, it was a given that they would sound amazing. And they did. The song delivers a burst of energy, that was needed after listening to the slow, ballad-like tracks. It was a song that was easy to get into and the second half of the chorus (the ‘lost my way, way, way~’) was super duper catchy. (9/10)
11. BTS Cypher Pt. 4 – I am quite sure this is meant to follow on from the rest of the Cypher tracks in which BTS releases on their albums. I don’t really listen to them, so I am not going to include this track in the final album rating score. But if you want to hear a hip-hop centred track from the 3 rappers of BTS, do check this one out. It is pretty good from first glance.
12. Am I Wrong – My most favourite track off the entire album. And no, it is not wrong to fall for this song. I first heard it watching it on stage at one of the weekly music shows. While the rest of the album was serious and on the emotional side of things, it was nice to hear a few lighthearted and fun sounding songs to lighten up the mood. The raps and vocals in this song are pretty good as well. And most importantly, it is really catchy, which makes me go back for more. (10/10)
13. 21st Century Girls – All you ladies put your hands up! I personally thought the song was quite good. It wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, though. The song itself provided empowerment for the female listeners, hence may be the reason why I am not into the song as much. But the rapping here was good and the vocal work was amazing. I feel a little rude to describe the song this way, but it had a carefree feel to it, while also maintaining a level of seriousness. (8/10)
14. Two! Three! (Still Wishing There Will Be Better Days) – From what I am reading, this particular track is a song for their fans. And it one pretty good song. Just the lyrics alone already pack a punch with their meaning. The rapping fitted the more mellow song, while the vocals contributed to the sweeter melodies during the chorus. What makes the song even better is that it ends with all the members singing to the chorus, making it a worthwhile song for anyone who identifies as an Army. (10/10)
15 & 18. Outro: Wings – This track is the Interlude on the Wings album but an extended version is present on the You Never Walk Alone album. And it too is a damn good track. It ends both albums on such an upbeat and fun-sounding note. The instrumental is striking and BTS sounds amazing. (10/10)
19. Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone – We have reached the final song on this review. And they managed to finish off the album with one fantastic song. Suga and J-Hope sang in the song, which caught me off guard. What I loved about the track was the “Walk, Walk…Walk, Like it, like that” part which the vocalists each sing. It was super catchy and gave the song a nice pop vibe, which I totally dig from time to time. (9/10)
Overall Album Rating – 9/10
You Never Walk Alone Teaser Image (Source: ALLKPOP)
Joining the industry this week is the newly debut boy group from The Music Works. MYTEEN is a 7-member boy group consisting of Taevin, Chun Jin, Eun Su, Xi Heon, Jun Seop, Yu Vin and Han Seul. Their debut single, Amazing is featured on the group’s first mini-album, titled as MYTEEN Go!.
Some people may find a particular member of the group familiar. Yu Vin actually made his debut prior to debuting with the group as he participated Superstar K6. In one of his solo tracks, he features alongside Baek Ji Young in Garosugil, which is one of my personal favourite ballad tracks in KPOP.
The group boasts members of young ages. How young? Well, all of them are born in the late 90s, with one member born in 2001, according to a profile site. And given their young age, it was a little obvious with the route that they would go down (however, don’t be fooled. There is also a video for a more mature concept released). Amazing is a super catchy song that features a very pop-dominating sound. It has a generic instrumental, which I enjoyed but it didn’t really feel ear-catching. However within the first listen in, the song caught my attention with its great hooks and its simplicity. That can be attributed to the chorus of the song, which definitely sticks in my head after the song finishes. But with more listens, I am drawn to their vocals and raps. For a rookie group, the vocal line is already doing an ‘amazing’ job. They shine the most in the second-half of the song. The rappers sound decent. But they could have had a more energy-filled sequence, which would have showed off more of their potential. I could hear it, but the limited length didn’t play towards their skills. But despite that, the rookie group caught my attention pretty fast and it is definitely an “amazing” song.
I wish I could say the same thing about the music video. But it sadly doesn’t draw my attention. There really isn’t much going on, in the video. The video mainly consisted of close-ups and choreography shots, so there isn’t much to comment on plot wise.The ending did catch me off guard, though. There was a choreography shot where they danced in water., which usually does amaze me. But I don’t think that was necessary for this video because it didn’t fit in with the aesthetics of the video.
The performance was just what the song called for (and I say that as a compliment!). It had a nice fun feel to it, which suited the song and their ages. It isn’t spectacular, but it did the job nicely.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 5/10 Performance – 7/10 Overall Rating – 7/10
Monsta X has already had an action packed year. They have made two comebacks, Beautiful and Shine Forever, this year. On top of that, they have been busy going on tour between comebacks and even after their most recent comeback. Now, the group has returned with Newton, a Summer single, just weeks after their Shine Forever comeback.
Even Summer won’t stop Monsta X from releasing an EDM song. And it is a pretty good one, as well. I honestly don’t have much else to say about the song because the song does feel very standard. There really isn’t any amazing aspects that make me go wow or amazes me. But that being said, it is not a terrible song. The Summer feel is very fresh and vibrant. Once the beat drops for the chorus, I couldn’t help bouncing my head along to the music. The vocal work here is quite good, but I felt the verses could have been more memorable. The raps were good but it felt like there could have been more. Even from my comments, it sounds like a typical Summer song. But overall, it is still decent to listen to.
The music video is being described as the prequel to Shine Forever video. If that was the case, then the difference in terms of concept escalated quite quickly. I did like how the colour was vibrant, especially Kihyun’s yellow shirt. Totally suiting the Summer concept. To me, the video felt like a standalone video. The guys were just travelling in a van and having fun on a trip. Not really much else to say about the video. Though, it seems like they shot in the same place where Snuper shot their music video for their most recent comeback. The colours here made the scenery look so much better in comparison to the Snuper video. But both are still pretty good videos, suiting their respective songs perfectly.
Song – 7.5/10 Music Video – 7/10 Overall Rating – 7.5/10
The girls of Dream Catcher are back with their 1st mini album since their debut at the start of the year. As mentioned, they debuted in January with Chase Me and later returned with Good Night. The mini album is titled as Prequel and features 4 songs alongside their title track, Fly High.
Following their previous tracks that placed them onto their fan’s and my radar, the girls returned with another rock-infused dance track. And like the previous tracks, this would be perfect as an anime opener. I mentioned in the past reviews that Good Night felt less intense in comparison to Catch Me, but it seems like the girls recovered from that ‘slump’. Instead, the track has bursts of energy when the choruses come into play, which provided that intensity. It maintained an appropriate level all throughout. Even some parts that didn’t feel that intense felt okay because they were spaced out and didn’t last long. The bridge was a little iffy. I thought it did take the rock vibes away a little too much but it may just require some warming up to. Once again, their vocals must be mentioned. They were amazing. Everyone shined. But the rapper of the group shined the most with her short parts prior to the choruses and the part at the end. There is a roughness to her voice that suits Dream Catcher songs (and possibly rock songs in general) perfectly. Overall, even though it was released a few hours ago, it will be replayed constantly over the weekend and beyond.
And like the past two videos, the accompanying video to Fly High follows on. But in this case, it was more like a prequel, like the name of the mini-album. My take seems to tell the story of how they got into dark magic, which was seen throughout the Good Night video. And it seems like they innocently stumbled upon it while staying at the mansion, where everything from the first two videos takes place. While the song does have a much brighter sound, the video is definitely creepy, through the ways the members suddenly stares into the camera and or the end, where you see her running through the halls of the mansion, only when you think she is trying to escape, she closes the gate, not letting anyone else in or out. While it doesn’t answer all my questions, it definitely does drag you to the edge of your seat. The cinematography and the editing combined made this an amazing video to watch, especially if you are busy connecting Catch Me,Good Night and now Fly High together to form one story. I hope they continue telling the story and that this is not a trilogy, which is a common trend in KPOP at the moment.
The choreography has big shoes to fill given my comments of the song and the music video. And they manage to do just that. Something that has changed since their debut is their stage presence. Their stage/performance was extremely captivating. Watching their dance moves and formations managed to leave me speechless today.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 10/10 Performance – 9.5/10 Overall Rating – 9.5/10
KARD has returned with their debut mini album. While they have been around for over 6 months now, the group didn’t make their official debut until last week, with Hola Hola. All the singles they have released before hand are also featured on the mini-album. To be honest, this album review should have been completed earlier. But due to a lovely thing called procrastination, I have been putting it off. But here it is, a week after their debut!
Please also note that starting 31st of July, I will be posting 1 album review each week on Monday.
5. I Won’t Stop (나는 멈추지 않는다) – While I did expect some of KARD’s other tracks on the album to be EDM based, I did not expect that slow start. That provided a nice contrast between the two styles. The dubstep (?) chorus is really intense and while I thought the drop could have been a bit better, it did sneak up on me. But minus the chorus or the instrumental, the rest of the song didn’t seem memorable, which is a pity, given their previous tracks. (7/10)
6. Living Good (Special Thanks To) – I am not a big fan of hip-hop (can you say it is hip-hop, I am not sure) but I can’t help but get into the groove for the first part of the song. While it is a fan-service song, it is a little different, in the sense that the sound is a lot lighter, compared to the songs above in the album. The second part is a recording from a concert or something, which I thought was an interesting way to present a fan-song. (8/10)
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