Category: KPOP

[Review] WATCH IT – THE BOYZ

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 2 Comments

THE BOYZ has been nominated for Best Male Group, Best Male Dance Performance (Group) for ROAR and Best Music Video (for ROAR) in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. If you want to support THE BOYZ and your other favourite artists, songs and performance, click here to vote today.

THE BOYZ kicked off this week with the second part of their PHANTASY studio album, with this instalment titled Sixth Sense. It features the title track WATCH IT and follows on from the Christmas in August instalment, which was lead by the single LIP GLOSS. While the comeback does feature all members of THE BOYZ, member Ju Hakyeon will be sitting out of promotions due to a back injury.

Now, this is one cool and sleek song. When I first checked out WATCH IT on Monday upon its release, there were two parts of the song that really stood out to me – the melody in the vocal parts of the pre-choruses and Sunwoo’s “Hi hello, My name is what you want it to” line in the second verse. I was instantly reaching for the replay button to relive those two segments. Further listens has helped me identify the bridge to be another highlight of WATCH IT, especially with Jacob’s high note that just blows me away. All of this sets the bar up quite high, and the rest of WATCH IT follows through quite well. I really like the subtle funkiness in the instrumentation, but also the rough synths and bass that is present in the background. This all puts WATCH IT into the realm of dance music, but the producers did a really great job of making it alluring and mature-sounding. The low-groan deliver of the chorus is very interesting, but works with the subtle funkiness and low bass that is going on in the background. All of the rapping brings the sleekness that I mentioned earlier, forming a very prominent feature in WATCH IT that needs to be touched on somehow. I like how the vocal segments help spreads everything apart. And as mentioned above, the vocals serves us with some of the best parts of WATCH IT. All in all, I am very impressed with the likes of WATCH IT.

I feel like the music video is probably the weakest link of this comeback. And it comes down to a pretty small detail, if I am being honest (relying on what I got out of the video that is). What we saw in terms of visuals, choreography scenes and styling was pretty much top-notch and amazing. The members looked very fine throughout the video and the choreography shots all looked very polished. But it is the plot line that I think is in the music video somewhat that left me a bit confused. We went from a shady jewelry store front to a truck explosion, and I am not entirely sure what this is all about. The cat and something in Juyeon’s blood vessels also leaves me scratching my head. And I feel like the music video was lacking a fair bit in between to really tell that story. Or, I could be missing a prequel video and that might fill in all of the gaps, or I am overthinking what could just be what is supposed to be a “cool” set of scenes. Happy for you to point me in the right direction or to comment on any theories that I should know about.

The flow of this choreography, especially with moves across the stage (such as the slow glide during Sunwoo’s “Hi Hello” line in the second verse), brings that sleekness featured in the song to the choreography. And like all THE BOYZ performances, I am in awe with their showmanship and skills that they show off in the performance on stage. I would have liked to have seen a more defining move during the chorus, but this routine is already pretty fantastic as it is.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

[Review] Break the Brake – Xdinary Heroes

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 3 Comments

Xdinary Heroes is nominated for a range of awards this year in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, such as for Best Band Performance (for Break the Brake), Best Ballad (for Good Enough), Best Rock Song (for Break the Brake) and Rising Star of 2023. If you want to support Xdinary Heroes and your other favourite artists, songs and performance, click here to vote today.

I kick the week off with a review for another song that I should have reviewed when it was first released. Xdinary Heroes dropped their fourth mini-album Livelock and the lead single Break The Brake over a month ago. This latest release follows on from Xdinary Heroes’ April 2023 comeback with the mini-album Deadlock and the lead single Freakin’ Bad.

There is a reason to why I nominated Break the Brake for Best Rock Song of 2023 in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. I just love how relentless the song gets when the rock really peaks in the chorus, which pretty much satisfies the rock craving in me. Break the Brake without doubt has a lot of head-banging potential behind it. The guitar work and drumming just feels so electrifying and energetic. The guitar shredding we get towards the end of Break the Brake was definitely very intense and cool, but I agree with the majority that the guitar solo was too brief. The synth work we get when the rock elements are stripped away adds an additional layer of cool energy and flair that makes Break the Brake unique. The groans in the background of the chorus also introduces a screamo-like vibe to the song, adding to the energy and intensity of the song. I do remember thinking the hooks were a little under baked when I first heard the song. But over a month on from its release, I find the hooks of Break the Brake (i.e., the “I’m gonna break the brake” and the “I want some more/gimme some more yeah” lines) to be super catchy. The rough vocals adds to the rock aesthetics and gives the song further texture. Break the Brake is an even more awesome song and highlights Xdinary Heroes trajectory as artists (which is also the reason why they are nominated for Rising Star of 2023).

The music video for Break the Brake sees another Groundhog Day situation, with the members again being prisoners (just this time they are being transported by train) and waking up again and again when the train goes straight into a massive dust cloud. Using the prisoner revolt as cover, the members show their determination in trying to survive the dust cloud and rescuing their instruments by ensuring the train doesn’t slow down as it approach the dust cloud (which kills them) and that they travel full speed out of the dust cloud to survive (and go to where the grass is very much greener). It is a pretty cool concept, but I must admit the CGI police car that speeds to catch up with the train was pretty bad. I also like how the video feels action-packed, which correlates well with the song.

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

[Album Review] [PHANTASY] Pt. 1 Christmas in August (2nd Studio Album – Part 1) – THE BOYZ

Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged 3 Comments

THE BOYZ has been nominated for Best Male Group, Best Male Dance Performance (Group) for ROAR and Best Music Video (for ROAR) in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. If you want to support THE BOYZ and your other favourite artists, songs and performance, click here to vote today.

In case you missed it, THE BOYZ announced that their 2nd studio album, which will be split into three parts throughout the second half of 2023. The second part of the album will actually be released this coming Tuesday. But before we get to hear PHANTASY Pt. 2: Sixth Sense and their new title track WATCH IT, here is my review of PHANTASY Pt. 1: Christmas in August, which was released in (you guessed it) August of this year. It features the title track LIP GLOSS and the unit track Passion Fruit (along with an additional 4 tracks).

PHANTASY Pt. 1: Christmas In July Album Cover

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

2. Passion Fruit – Passion Fruit features a small subset of THE BOYZ – Younghoon, Hyunjae, Juyeon, Q, Sunwoo. I like how groovy this track ended up being, despite it also being very dance centric thanks to the heftiness of the synths. Passion Fruit is also very catchy, with its simple yet effectively repetitive hooks. The autotuned groan-like sample that features in the background is also quite catchy. The hip-hop motif that Passion Fruit turns to in the second verse was also pretty cool. (8.5/10)

3. Lighthouse – Lighthouse feels very quintessential THE BOYZ to me, which is appropriate for bringing the group back together. It has that similar vibe to many of their past side tracks, and also carries a familiarity to it. The percussive instrumental was pretty cool, but I felt like it was competing with the vocals and rapping a bit too much. It doesn’t help that the vocals and rapping are pretty standard and doesn’t offer anything to get them to stand out. The only part of Lighthouse that does offer something different is the higher pitched vocals in the chorus. But that is not enough to compensate for the rest of the typical the vocals and rapping brought Lighthouse). (7/10)

4. Fantasize (줄리의 법칙) – The strong presence of bass and grooviness in Fantasize serves as a solid background to the song. From there, Fantasize ends up developing into an upbeat and lively dance track. And there is a lot to like in the track, such as the low and breathy vocals throughout the song (with the vocal processing in the bridge adding some further well-appreciated texture), the cymbals in the pre-choruses (which adds so much punch to the song) and the catchy Oooh’s in the chorus. A definitely highlight on this mini-album. (10/10)

5. Fire Eyes – The electro pop in Fire Eyes carries a very retro vibe, which I do like. This is particularly felt the most during the choruses, via the bubbly synth work in the bridge and the additional synthesizer-like sequence towards the end of the song. The upbeat energy is also very continuous, and I like how straightforward and easy on the ears the hooks of Fire Eyes were. My biggest issue with the song is how blurry the members sound throughout the song, which is thanks to the overprocessing of vocals. (7/10)

6. Fairy Tale (나만 아는 이야기) – The final song on the mini-album is titled Fairy Tale. Despite expectations for a dreamier track due to the song’s title and placement on this mini-album, Fairy Tale ends up being another dance track, falling towards the pop genre more than anything else. Fairy Tale does feel much lighter, compared to the earlier tracks. This goes extremely well with the vocals, which do feel a tad dreamy and light, as well. The rapping adds texture and intensity to the song without disrupting the lightness/dreamy motif, but I felt the rapping could have been sharper. But overall, it is a neat song to end the album on. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.3/10

PHANTASY Pt. 1: Christmas In July Teaser Image

[Album Review] HARMONY: ALL IN (6th Mini Album) – P1Harmony

Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged 1 Comment

I am finally back with a new album review. Apologies for the absence of these types of posts over the last few weeks, I have been busy preparing for the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, which is now officially in the fan-voting stage. So if you have yet to vote, please do so to help decide the winners of the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards.

Anyhow, this album review post is for P1Harmony’s HARMONY: ALL IN album, which dropped back in June of this year. It features a total of six songs, including the title track JUMP. I had originally intended to review the album much earlier on, but ended up passing over it due to some time commitments. But now that I don’t have a time pressure, I thought to revisit the mini-album before I move onto albums released during the month of August, given that I have previously reviewed some of P1Harmony’s albums in the past. Continue reading to see how HARMONY: ALL IN stacks up against some of my thoughts on past P1Harmony albums: HARMONY: SET IN, HARMONY: ZERO IN and DISHARMONY: FIND OUT,

HARMONY: ALL IN Album Cover

1. JUMP (Title Track) – Click here for the full review for JUMP. (7.5/10)

2. Love Me For Me – The second track on this mini-album takes on a much brighter and bubblier energy that contrasts well with the title track. Instantly, I am reminded for SEVENTEEN’s Snapshoot from a couple of years back. I like how self-love song suits the Summery season that the album was released in. The piano in the background just brings out a nostalgic form of fun and feel-good vibe. The members don’t really hold back and their delivery, especially in the chorus, genuinely sounds like they were having a blast. The central piece of Love Me For Me was also catchy. The rapping in the pre-chorus was a great electrifying incline towards the chorus, while Keeho’s melodic vocals in the bridge was also amazing. (8.5/10)

3. New Classic – New Classic is such a cool song. Interestingly, the electronic dance track comes off subdued, but the synths give New Classic buoyancy to offset the subdued nature. Together, I find the backing of New Classic to feel balanced and not too obnoxious (which too much of the synth detailing could easily have made New Classic slip into). It makes sense for the rapping to take over as the main delivery mechanism in the song, but the vocals in the pre-choruses and bridge we did get were nice. And with an instrumental break like the one we get in the bridge of New Classic, you can already imagine a cool dance break on stage performed by the lead dancer Soul himself. (9/10)

4. More Than Words – For me, it is the pleasant rhythm that wins me in More Than Words. And this comes about from the heavier reliance on vocals in the song and percussive instrumentation, both of which I quite enjoyed. The vocals just feel so groovy and sleek at the same time, which I think is another positive aspect of the song. More Than Words constrict the rapping to the second verse and the bridge, but I felt this consolidation makes the rapping feel super effective and cool in the song. (9/10)

5. Heartbeat Drum – Every time I hear Heartbeat Drum, the start of the song reminds me of P!NK’s So What, which itself is an iconic pop rock song. Heartbeat Drum develops more into an electronic dance track, but the chanty and beaty energy of the song makes it sound so good and catchy. The vocals and rapping are very much on par with one another, and I really like how cool and chic it gets. I also like the grandness of some of the beats in the background, as well. (9/10)  

6. I Am You – For the final song on this mini-album, I Am You takes us down more of a sensual and sultry R&B road. It is a very different sound from their P1Harmony’s usual reliance on electronic synths, such as in all of their earlier tracks on this mini-album. The rawness of the guitar in the background adds to the mature vibe of the song, while their vocals did an excellent job of adding to that sensual vibe I already mentioned. Given the group’s usual sound, I would love to see a performance for I Am You, just to see how P1Harmony would interpret this track on stage. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.5/10

HARMONY: ALL IN Teaser Image

[Review] Sweet Venom – ENHYPEN

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 4 Comments

ENHYPEN’s Criminal Love performance at M COUNTDOWN is nominated for Best Special Performance of 2023 in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. If you want to support ENHYPEN and your other favourite artists, songs and performance, click here to vote today.

ENHYPEN finishes off the week with their latest single Sweet Venom, and their fifth mini-album, ORANGE BLOOD. This is serves as the group’s first comeback since their DARK BLOOD mini-album, which was led by the single BITE ME. Sweet Venom also follows their second world tour and Japanese debut.

ENHYPEN taps very deeply into the retro genre with a sleek and groovy number. Sweet Venom is definitely likeable, with its catchy hooks and charismatic vocals from the members of ENHYPEN on top of the retro influences. The falesttos are definitely a nice touch and gives some variety (something the song was missing to a large degree – more on that in a second). The bass also makes the beats feel hefty, which naturally gives Sweet Venom some much needed oomph. And nothing screams retro as much as cowbells, which we definitely got in the bridge of the song. But while all of that was greatly appreciated, my initial impression of Sweet Venom was that it was a bit too consistent, and unfortunately never went anywhere. And it does bring me pain to say that, especially since the energy of Sweet Venom is just so strong and enjoyable. The song just never deviated in anyway, and so it sounded the same all throughout. I just wished there was more to Sweet Venom to offset that and give the song some more variety.

I find the music video for Sweet Venom to be quite an interesting concept. The song itself describes the desire to stop living in order to be with their lover, by relating their love to ‘sweet venom’. In the music video, we see the world stop around ENHYPEN. At first, it is whilst the group is just hanging around with the people in the background, so we don’t think much about it. But the later choreography shots show time stopped as lightning is about to strike. The video goes to the idea that time stops just as someone is about to die, as it is supposedly the final moment they could ever remember if they were about to die. In this case, ENHYPEN is about to die from the lightning strikes (as they mention in the song) and the time stoppage around them is what they would remember as their final moment. The choreography shots bring a bit of irony into play, which I like. In addition to the interesting concept, I really like the MJ homage the outfits have, which works well with the retro side of the song.

Choreography-wise, I am also quite impressed. They definitely went down the retro route with their performance, as well, which just encapsulates everything the song stands for. I really like their synchronisation and the smoothness of the choreography at certain parts. The side to side movement of their heads, in tandem with the catchy parts of Sweet Venom, will probably go down as the defining move of the routine.

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

[Review] RUCKUS – GHOST9

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

Support your other favourite artists, songs and performance in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards by clicking here to vote today.

Another artist who has been away from the stage for a long time (i.e., 1 year and 6 months) is GHOST9. We last saw them promotions of X-Ray in April 2022. Well, that is the case if you only count releasing new music. If you consider other work more broadly, GHOST9 did appear on the survival show PEAK TIME earlier this year. At the end of October, the group returned with their 7th mini-album, Arcade: O, and the title track RUCKUS.

RUCKUS is a fair song. For the most part, the song feels pretty standard and doesn’t really offer anything new to the KPOP scene. I do like the funkiness the instrumental has to offer. The backing and vocal work of the first verse and first half of the chorus is a good example of this energy. But while it does continue to recur in RUCKUS, the producers of the song don’t really capitalise on it and opted to include some typical electronic dance elements instead that takes away from the song’s funkiness potential and made it feel pretty ordinary all over. A good example of this typicalness kicks in in the second half of the chorus and the background of the second verse. This I found to be boring and bland. I also find RUCKUS‘ hooks and melodies also contribute to the ordinary nature of the song. Similarly the vocals and rapping for the most part throughout RUCKUS required to bring it all to life has a similar effect. The only other aspect of RUCKUS that I like aside from the funky instrumentation is the anthem-like chant in the bridge. That was pretty catchy and is a nice relief from the ordinariness that RUCKUS exudes elsewhere in the song.

The music video for RUCKUS sees the members being inserted into an underground hockey game and pitted against each other, while some hooded figures watch the game. Following the game, the group are held in a room, where they fight one another. But before anything major breaks out, it looks like the room fills up with gas that knocks them out. After that, they wake up and prepare for a second competition of parkour. But it is during this competition that all 8 members make a run for it. It is later revealed that fight they had was fake and they were hatching a plan to escape. They end up facing the hooded figures in the end and fight them to win back their freedom, which they are successful in doing. While I think this is decent story line, I think it could be teased out a bit more and I wish it had not been crammed into just a 3 and half minute video.

The choreography looks good. Again, I don’t see anything that stands out as a major move. But it is still a decent routine that works well with the song. I did find it a bit odd that the members didn’t have similar hairstyles like in the music video. While I didn’t mention it above, the glow we got from their hairstyles at the end of the music video could potentially be iconic had more people seen it, and the stage performances would have been a great conduit for that.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.6/10

[Review] Chill Kill – Red Velvet

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 1 Comment

Red Velvet has made their return to the stage, almost a year on from their last comeback with Birthday and The ReVe Festival 2022 – Birthday. This time around, the group is back with their 3rd studio-length album Chill Kill, and the title track of the same name. Aside from a collaboration last Christmas with aespa and concerts earlier this year, it has been fairly quiet for Red Velvet. They did face contract negotiations as they are in their 7th year as a group, but the only news coming out of that is Seulgi re-signed with SM Entertainment. We haven’t heard too much about the future of Red Velvet, asides from the news of this comeback with Chill Kill.

I liked Chill Kill. It could be that being deprived of Red Velvet for so long makes the release more enticing (similar to how hunger can be a great seasoning for any meal). But I genuinely think that Chill Kill is a great song. I really liked the creepy and eerie beginning of the song and the atmosphere that it creates. The bass elements and detailing in the verses gives Chill Kill so much likeable oomph, while the vocals and rapping in the verses was very solid. The vocal and rapping combination, along with the intensification, in the pre-choruses makes the incline towards the chorus to be feel very familiar. The chorus interestingly brings a nice pop of colour, turning away from the atmosphere that Chill Kill started off with. The harmonies when the members sing together also brings forth that familiar sense that I just mentioned. I also like the splash of retro in the bridge, which was a nice change in sound. The thumping beat that accompanies the bridge was a nice touch and adds to the pop energy of the song, while the vocals were beautiful. Now the song isn’t perfect, and the high pitched flute-like synth in the chorus is a prime example of this. It is one of the unlikeable aspects of Chill Kill due to its unsettling nature. But thinking back to the roots of Chill Kill, I wonder if that was intentional. I am also not a fan of how the song suddenly fades away in the end. It feels incomplete and I wished the ending was more satisfying. Looking back at the entirety of Chill Kill, I also wish the song went deeper into the energies it exuded, by concentrating the creepy/eerie energy of the verses and the pop influences of the chorus, to really take it to the next level. Something felt missing from Chill Kill and I think it was that.

The music video for Chill Kill features the members being trapped in the basement and it looks like they were held captive by the man with no face in the picture. They try to entertain themselves to pass time, but try not to attract too much attention to themselves. One day, they hear a disturbance upstairs and Wendy (and after a while, the rest of the group) go investigate. It is unclear whether the man with no face dies during the disturbance, or whether Wendy has something to do it (given there was a short period of time in which she was alone upstairs and there is a scene where there is blood on her face). But what we do know is that the members discover the body. Determined not ruin their lives, the members hatch a plan to hide the body and crime scene. During the sequence of washing blood, cleaning the floors and rolling the body up in a rug, there are two members to look out for. Firstly, Yeri is seen detached from the group during the cleaning scenes. I think she realizes that Wendy might have something to do with the death and the members didn’t just stumble into a crime scene. If not that, I think stepping into the blood might give her some trauma and her becoming ‘detached’ by watching the TV is her way of coping with the situation. Wendy is seen breaking down a number of times, and she goes off by herself at one point (presumably to hand herself in and save the rest of the group). But Seulgi holds her back. And with the support of one another, they end up staying together. The members go out to buy gasoline to douse the body and house they are in (though, I did find it funny that the group took the bus with massive bottles of gasoline). After setting the place on fire and watching it for a bit, they run away. But they are later caught by the authorities (maybe someone noticed them on the bus =and reported it to the police). However, we do see the members stick together at the very end. Interesting music video and I love these darker concepts from Red Velvet.

The choreography that we do see in the music video looks quite good. Nothing really stands out. But knowing Red Velvet’s track record for their performances, I don’t think we need to worry about that – it would still be worth watching. The chorus routine matches up quite well with the pop sound of the choruses, and I like the smiling energy they have during this same sequence.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.9/10

[Review] Do It – Youngjae (GOT7)

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 2 Comments

Youngjae made his solo comeback last week with his first studio album and title track, both of which are titled Do It. Since his last review on the blog (2022’s SUGAR), Youngjae has gone a tour with following his 2022 mini-album that Sugar is featured on, released a digital single Err Day earlier this year (which is featured on the new album), and has been active in a musical and on his radio show.

Youngjae’s Do It is a simple and melodic pop track. It is simple to the point where there isn’t too much to say about the song, which can either be a good or bad observation. Since I am a fan of Youngjae’s, I will admit I lean towards the “good”. Do It is straight forward, easy to get into and feels like an extension of Youngjae’s bubbly and ‘boy next door’ personality that I have grown to associate with the artist. The instrumental was warm and inviting, featuring a slight groove that makes the background enjoyable. Youngjae, himself, offers a lightness to Do It via his vocals and melodies that makes it a pleasant and easy-on-the-ears listen (as already mentioned). The flow of Do It is also quite good. While everything I have mention points towards Do It being a very lovely song to listen to, I do find Do It to be quite quite reserved and safe. It barely strays away from how it starts. I wish Youngjae offered something with a bit more flair, especially since I do think that Youngjae has the potential to offer something else that isn’t too straight forward and simple. But nonetheless, Do It is still an enjoyable song.

While Do It is pretty safe and simple, the music video is much more than that. In the music video for Do It, we see Youngjae develop a crush on a waitress at the diner. He follows her out of the diner when she goes out to throw out the trash, but he is met with no one outside and a truck crashes into him shortly after. From there, we see Youngjae wake up in his bed (very much alive) and the calendar flip backwards, suggesting a Groundhog Day type of scenario. Throughout the subsequent scenes, we see Youngjae pursue the waitress in what looks to be romantic scenes (e.g., the infamous Tobey McGuire Spiderman catching his crush/lunch tray of food scene; putting headphones on his crush’s head like in that one romantic movie; shooting a zombie to save his crush from being bitten etc.). But they all end horribly in some form (e.g., Youngjae fails at catching the food and causes a mess for his crush to clean up/looks uncool; rocks up to the party with headphones in hand but finds crush is embracing someone else; crush was already bitten, turned into a zombie and ends up biting Youngjae), which all result in Youngjae waking up at the start of the same day. The only way out is to successfully catch the waitress’ attention. And in the end, we don’t really know if he was successful – though the ending is open ended. Other than that, the video shows off the bubbly and fun side of Youngjae, exploring different concepts and looks that all look great on Youngjae.

Every time I watch the performance for Do It, I found myself smiling. That bubbly (recurring word of the post!) and fun nature comes through the choreography, and Youngjae’s interaction with the dancers adds to that directly. I really like the set of moves at the start of the chorus (up until and including the body wave) – this sequence pretty serves as the key dance point of the routine.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Review] Drama – aespa

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 4 Comments

Also making their comeback yesterday was aespa, who returns for the first time since their Better Things single in August. Earlier in the year, it was their single Spicy and third Korean mini-album MY WORLD (both of which are nominated in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards). Yesterday’s return is with the single Drama and the same-named fourth mini-album.

Drama is probably aespa’s most serious and darkest release yet. And like most other aespa songs, the Drama falls into ther usual electronic dance sound, this time around paired with hip-hop influences and what is described as “an aggressive drum sound and sophisticated synth bass”. However, parts of Drama felt like it was being held back (more on this in a second). When I first heard of the song yesterday, I was super impressed with the verses of Drama. It made for a very good opening and had me sticking around for more. The members’ rapping (Karina’s fast “Ziggy Ziggy Zag, I’m new” was an instant standout line for me) and vocals were very well done, while the clanging synths instrumental felt alluring. As for the chorus, I am a bit disappointed with how plain the producers and members took it. It just felt expressionless and I wished there was character to Drama‘s choruses to it. I also felt the “Drama-ma-ma” and “Trauma-ma-ma” hooks to be a little unimaginative and it went on for one too many rounds, but I must admit they have potential to be ear-wormy moving forward. The bridge itself shows some really good vocals from NingNing and Winter, however I wished the instrumental wasn’t as paced as it was. It really dampened Winter’s high note. I also felt like the final chorus and outro was missing some added concentration in its instrumentation and intensity to signal the end of the song and give us an unforgettable ending. The vocals were all there, but (again) the instrumental felt like it was holding everything back. I wished there was more to Drama, just to make the song more satisfying and have a more energised chorus.

What a super cool music video. Drama has a lot going on, in terms of a plotline and amazing yet simple choreography shots that just give off so much impact. The consistent red on black makes re-emphasises the seriousness of the video and song. While I am not entirely sure what exactly is going on in the video, the video opens up with four intriguing rules that give off a sense to not trust anyone, even the other members from the looks of it. There is also an epic sword fight between the members during the first chorus sequence. As already mentioned, the choreography shots where the members are dressed in black, dancing on the red platform and surrounded by dancers was a very simple yet looked so effortless. The second verse showed a really cool montage of the members dancing (with the dancers) with nothing but pitch darkness surrounding them and the lighting purely focused on them. The outdoor dance location in the carpark with the cars going around them in circle was also an amazing set of scenes.

The performance looks pretty good, as well. I did feel like it was lacking a defining move, as nothing really jumped out at me with that potential. But I did like their more sensual focus in this routine, particularly with the abundance of slower and deliberate movements.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.1/10

[Review] LALALALA – Stray Kids

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 7 Comments

Stray Kids is officially back with a brand new single titled LALALALA, which is the lead single off their 8th mini-album, ROCK-STAR. This releases follows from an already busy 2023 for the group, which has consisted of a studio-length album (headlined by the single S-Class, which has been nominated for multiple awards in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards), 2 Japanese comebacks (The Sound and Social Path – both of which has been nominated for an award in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, as well), the continuation of their MANIAC world tour and their 5-STAR Dome Tour (just to name a few key event/releases).

For me, the standout moment in LALALALA is its chorus. It is definitely a continuation of the dynamic and bombastic energy that the group have continuously presented to the audience in their choruses over multiple songs. LALALALA‘s beat translates into foot-stomping energy (which goes hand-in-hand with the performance), while the chorus lines were short, snappy and hooky. The shouty delivery does mean the chorus forgo melodies, but I am not too troubled by it. But nonetheless, it is a sequence that I would gladly go back to. Similarly, the outro sequence, featuring Seungmin and Lee Know’s vocals and Bangchan’s falsetto, ends LALALALA extremely well. On the other hand, the rest of LALALALA just doesn’t feel memorable enough – this comment only comes after a lot of listens to LALALALA under the belt. Yes, the rest of LALALALA (i.e., the verses and bridge) has everything you expect when it comes to a Stray Kids title track, such as powerful rapping and the energy from these sequences never lets up. And I wish to emphasise that the verses and bridge are not bad in any way. But there just wasn’t anything new in these sequences, which made LALALALA feel plain by Stray Kids’ standards and leaves me disappointed with LALALALA. Great centrepiece, but LALALALA could have been better had the rest of the song done more.

Once again, the cinematography seen in the music video is amazing. Particularly, the drone shots at the end of the video were epic and showcases the scale that is LALALALA‘s music video when everyone from all corners of the video are performing LALALALA with the group. From what I can gather from Stray Kids’ reaction to the music video, it begins with the marching band kids (a recurring set of costumes in Stray Kids’ music video) we see throughout the video feeling four types of emotions on stage – anger, happiness, sadness and pleasure, represented by the Hanja characters (and probably all the different settings we see in the video). But as the video progresses, 3 emotions (anger, happiness and sadness) disappear, leaving only pleasure (‘rak’ as pronounced in Korean) behind, highlighting that the kids ultimately felt pleasure whilst performing on stage. Stray Kids’ themselves also theorised that the eight kids on stage are younger versions of themselves (by drawing parallels to their height), which then provides the meaning that Stray Kids feels pleasure whilst performing on stage.

Stray Kids really know how to put on a performance, and I feel that LALALALA‘s performance is testament to that. I really liked the vibration parts at the start the choreography and the foot-stomping in the chorus really channels the energy of LALALALA super well.

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

[Review] CRUSH – ZEROBASEONE

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 6 Comments

One of the most successful debuts of the year (and in KPOP ever) has made their first comeback this week. Previously, ZEROBASEONE set records with their 1st mini-album Youth In The Shade, such as becoming the most pre-ordered debut KPOP album and being the first ever KPOP debut album to sell more than 1 million copies. This week, the group returns with their 2nd mini-album, Melting Point, and the lead single CRUSH.

CRUSH starts off strong, in my opinion. YUJIN’s smooth vocals to open up the song, TAERAE’s powerful line, RICKY and GYUVIN’s punchy delivery, JIWOONG’s slightly shouty rap line and MATTHEW’s sleek rapping all came together to create quite a first verse. I also enjoyed the the incline in the instrumentation towards the chorus. But things started to unravel when CRUSH opts for a descending melody to lead into the first chorus. I am not a big fan of the cluttering drum line that takes centre stage in CRUSH. While it is undeniably striking, it is also very jarring and detached from the rest of the instrumentation. The vocals also take on a shouty motif, which makes sense given the group has to channel the same energy in order to be heard over the drum line. But it also feels unimaginative. Somehow, the drumming does meld well into the second half of the chorus. While I do like the more melodic turn this half of the chorus takes, I do find it a bit plain and unexciting. If the song opted for a structure like the one final chorus but with a much stronger melody, I would have enjoyed CRUSH a lot more. The second verse comes along and features some rapping, but nothing as memorable as in the pre-chorus (which we do get a repeat of). CRUSH‘s bridge was a bore and there is nothing to remember it by. While CRUSH does attempt to do something bolder with the clanging drumline, that itself doesn’t sit well with me. And everything else, aside from the first verse and final chorus (albeit a strong melody), just didn’t feel memorable enough.

The music video is pretty cool. The post-production special effects, which made the members feel statue or art-like, definitively took the video to the next level. The cinematography of these same shots look super cool. ZHANGHAO’s shots at the start and end were without doubt the most memorable shots of the video, with the knight armory and sword in the rock. It made think of King Arthur and the Excalibur. I feel like there should be story in all of this, but I am not entirely sure. I wished the song had a similar effect.

The synchronisation makes for a very cool dance performance. I did wish the moves were sharper, just to give the performance a greater knife-edge impression. But it was a good routine, overall.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.4/10

[Review] Feel Me – Golden Child

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 3 Comments

It has been over a year since Golden Child’s last Korean comeback with the single Replay and the mini-album AURA. Apart from one Japanese comeback (CRAYON), the group has been fairly quiet. That was until yesterday, when the group released their newest single Feel Me and the single album of the same name. The group is currently down one member – this time being Y (who is carrying out his military enlistment), while the group did regain Daeyeol (who completed his military enlistment earlier this year).

Feel Me brings a very satisfying and enjoyable dose of rock to the table. It had me feeling the track from the very first listen I have Feel Me yesterday. I really like the retro profile that the rock elements in Feel Me has, which is a refreshing change to the ongoing rock presence that is happening in KPOP. Both the drumming and guitar work in the background just hits me in the right spot when I listen to the song, though I think more bite to the guitar riffs at the end of the song. Feel Me also features some atmospheric synths in the background, which complements the rock sound extremely well. All of the instrumental works hand-in-hand with the members vocals, which brings some really nice and crisp melodies to the song. All of this creates a very delicate atmosphere, yet also keeps Feel Me punchy and dynamic as you would expect from the rock genre. The rapping was nicely done, working towards the subdued nature of the rest of the song, rather than overpowering with an intense sequence. Come to the think of it, I also quite liked the contrast between the verses and choruses. The high note and electronic glitchiness that occurs in the lead into the final chorus was serves well as the peak of Feel Me. However, I wished this was backed up with some more prolific ad-libs to just give the final sequence a bit more edge. The wait that Woolim Entertainment made us go through was definitely unenjoyable, but I am glad that Golden Child was able to return with such a good song after this year hiatus.

Feel Me tells us the story of youth who have grown together, expressing the beauty of youth and a comforting message (taken from Soompi). And we see that in the music video, with the members hanging out with one another – having fun and also go through some hard times with one another. I also think the video highlights the concept of losing someone, which could be due to different circumstances, such as the members going separate ways. Someone on YouTube did point out that 2024 is Golden Child’s 7th year since their debut, which usually means contracts are up for renewal (though I am hoping this group continues on past 7 years). It is a good portrayal of the ‘coming of age’ concept, which I am sure everyone can really relate to in some way. The haziness of the video was a nice touch, as it makes us feel like we are reminiscing Golden Child’s story in this music video.

Choreography-wise, I like how it feels pretty breezy and not as intense. This complements the music extremely well. No move really stands out. But I have to admit, seeing them perform Feel Me hits differently. Solid performance skills and delivery definitely made Feel Me worthy of a few replays.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10

[Review] MANIAC – VIVIZ

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 3 Comments

It has been fairly quiet from VIVIZ lately, with their last release being PULL UP from January of this year. The female group makes their comeback today with the single MANIAC, which is the lead single from their 4th mini-album, Virus.

MANIAC is another song to fall into the subdued trend that is happening in KPOP. But it falls quite hard into the trend, as I don’t feel there is much going in on the song. More on this in a second. Describing MANIAC as subdued is quite an interesting takeaway for me, given there are rock elements in the chorus that does help boost the profile of the song. I really like the crunchiness that these rock elements bring to MANIAC and being subdued with rock elements does bring an intriguing factor to the song. There is also a slight grooviness to the song, as well. But beyond that, everything else feels flat. The vocals felt very processed, and I am not sure if all of it was necessary. Furthermore, there isn’t much character to VIVIZ’s vocals, which also contributes to the flatness of the song. MANIAC also falls flat on the melody front, with nothing sparking any interest from me. There are some decent moments in the song which do speak to me, such as the opening hook of MANIAC‘s chorus and the flow of the bridge. But these only add up to making MANIAC an alright listen. I do hope that more listens do help me get into the song, as it has only been a few hours since MANIAC‘s release. But I am probably not going to hold my breath over that.

The music video does feel a lot more interesting, as it shows an alternative reality where VIVIZ, who are a band who has been through some rough times in this alternate reality, splitting up and going their separate ways. It starts with SinB stepping away with a solo career, then Umji leaves Eunha behind to do some travelling and Eunha ends with an office job. But the love the members have for each other bring them all back and their reunite in the end. I am not entirely sure if that is the real story behind the music video, as I can’t work find the meaning of the lyrics or the song’s message anywhere on the internet. But for now, my interpretation makes sense in my head and I quite like the story it is telling me. Aside from that, the colours in the music video look super nice and dreamy, which I think works well with the group.

The choreography for the comeback is pretty good. It brings out a slight sensual energy and fits in well with the song as is. I do hope that diagonal formation bit occurs on stage, as that formation used as a transition looks cool.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

[Review] Rising – tripleS

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 1 Comment

tripleS is one of the debuts this year that I have yet to review on the blog. Today, I will finally get around to reviewing their March 2023 debut with lead single, Rising, from their debut mini-album Assemble. What makes tripleS an interesting debut is that the group is still expanding via the addition of new members to reach the group’s confirmed 24 member lineup. As such, throughout 2023, tripleS has seen the addition of new members to form new subunits – +(KR)ystal Eyes, Acid Eyes, LOVElution and EVOLution (I will be returning to reviewing these unit’s releases in the future). But as of today, 16 members have been announced as part of tripleS’ final lineup, with more subunits and new members on the way. tripleS’ debut back in March with Rising only features 10 of the members – Yoon Seo-yeon, Jeong Hye-rin, Lee Ji-woo, Kim Chae-yeon, Kim Yoo-yeon, Kim Soo-min, Kim Na-kyoung, Gong Yu-bin, Kaede and Seo Da-hyun.

Rising definitely heads in the right direction in terms of a being a standout debut track. While I didn’t pay too much attention to the track when it was first released, I did turn my head towards the debut track a few times since then. And those few times have managed to convince me that Rising is a likeable track. Rising‘s rhythmic groovy instrumental and beat is quite sleek and keeps the song moving along. It also gives off a subdued vibe to the dance pop track, which is very much on trend in the KPOP industry. The instrumental steers closer to the pop genre as we get into the chorus territory, and I liked the bright and boosted energy they manage to give off during this sequence. The “La La La” in the background is a catchy element that I am surprisingly not tired over despite it being repetitively looped. The instrumental sequence we get following the post first chorus and its flourishes keeps the dynamic energy going. The vocals and rapping from tripleS in Rising is very solid and that subdued vibe comes off in a charming manner through their delivery. But while I do like Rising, there are some flaws and lacking elements that ultimately holds back the track for me. The biggest flaw is that Rising‘s shortness, which I also see as a strength. I liked that Rising is filling, as it does have a fair bit to it in a short amount of time and doesn’t mess around with that. But at the same time, the shortness does mean there isn’t opportunity for Rising to do more, such as having a similar (but not the same) instrumental sequence following the final chorus. In addition to that, I feel like Rising also lacks a catchier centric hook and melodies that could have taken the song to the next level. But overall, a very strong debut effort that I honestly should have reviewed earlier.

The music video sees the group hang out with one another after the sun goes down to dance, watch dance performances with one another and attend a concert of their favourite artists (i.e., themselves). The video highlights Rising‘s lyrics well, which calls out society for saying they support the dreams of individuals, but ultimately looks down on the individual who want to be different. In the video, it is the group’s love for dance that people say they support, but the same people who gives them weird looks for pursuing that passion – such as the other school students at the bus stop. By extension, sneaking out at night probably alludes the members parents do a similar thing to them. But the video also does show that the members have each other and are connected with one other by their common dream. I also like how the video ends with how it started, with the members sleeping on the bus travelling home after a busy night.

The choreography is good, but I think it could have been better. The routine could have been more polished with better synchronisation between the members on stage. I also felt like the members were pretty focused on looking cool and serious, which resulted in the dance moves looking less powerful then what it could have been.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 8.1/10

[Review] Guilty – TAEMIN (SHINee)

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , 5 Comments

After over a 2 year hiatus as a solo artist (due to his mandatory military enlistment), TAEMIN is officially back with a brand new mini-album and title track, both of which are titled Guilty. The last time we heard from TAEMIN (as a solo artist) is through his Advice comeback in 2021. More recently, following the completion of his military enlistment, TAEMIN did return as part of SHINee’s comeback HARD from earlier on in this year.

Haunting is how I would personally describe Guilty. And it does that from the very first second, thanks to the instrumentation. The mix of some low beats and orchestral elements makes Guilty super atmospheric and evocative. The orchestral elements also adds a striking component to the song, at the same time. This in combination with TAEMIN’s vocals creates quite a piece. TAEMIN captivates with his singing in Guilty. For the most part, he sings in a slow and dragged out manner. It feels sensual and sultry, which is a style that we know that TAEMIN does best. We also get some powerful moments from TAEMIN via high notes and some stronger and really heavenly vocal work at other points in Guilty. The second verse also features some rapping from the soloist, which fits in amazingly well, and some deep whispery vocals in the pre-choruses that adds to that haunting vibe that I mentioned at the start of this section. Guilty is also definitely well-produced, with a lot of thought put towards the planning of when the vocals or instrumental comes into play. This just makes Guilty even more riveting and captivating to listen to, overall. If I had to be critical about something, I would have like more memorable melodies. But honestly, the music and vocals take care of that side of things for Guilty anyway.

The music video features a zombie-esque storyline (how fitting for the day before Halloween). But rather than it being gory and another horror conceptualized music video (beware – there is still some of this, like the emerging hands that looks like it was going to bend his neck just before the first chorus, but we are shown soon after that TAEMIN is just jerking around like zombie and TAEMIN’s zombie bite mark which he digs his fingers into), there is actually more to the video than just brain eating zombies. The zombie virus shown in the video is compared to the idea of selfish love portrayed in the lyrics of Guilty, where it causing pain to the other person while claiming it as one’s own way of loving (taken from SOOMPI). It is definitely a different and unexpected take on something that is quite terrifying and it keeps it quite terrifying. TAEMIN’s acting in this video is superb, with the zombie-like jerking throughout the video and the emotions you can see on his face when he is stilled and thinking about his lover.

If what we see in the music video is the choreography (i.e., the jerky movements that we saw during first chorus), then this is going to be a routine that you do not want to miss. It feels very artistic and contemporary. The ‘arm under the shirt’ move brings a sensual vibe to the table, which I thought looks very cool. The rest of the routine that we did see in the music video also captures the music quite well. For now, I am giving it a 9/10, just because it is unknown what the entire routine will look like. But it can be an easy 10/10 should the stage performance for Guilty replicate all of what we see in the music video (and I will return to update the review accordingly if that is the case).

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

[Review] HEARTRIS – NiziU

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

NIziU is JYP Entertainment’s resident Japanese female group, who made their debut back in 2020, following their formation through the survival program Nizi Project. Since then, they have released an abundance of title tracks, including Step and a Step, Take A Picture, Poppin’ Shakin’, Clap Clap, Paradise and Coconut. But today, NiziU makes their South Korean debut with the single album Press Play and the title track HEARTRIS.

HEARTRIS is a playful and cutesy synth-pop track that, from what I know of NiziU, suits the group quite well. If you haven’t noticed, the song’s title, HEARTRIS, is a play on the ‘Heart’ and the infamous ‘Tetris’ game. Parts of the synth work for this song resembles the 8-bit style of the background tune that you hear while playing a game of Tetris. But to suit the group and give it some modern zing, HEARTRIS‘ background is a lot poppier and much more colourful, which still works super well. We also get some cool piano-like work in the verses’ background and a dreamier motif that serves as the song’s pre-chorus. It is definitely a nice relief from the constantly energy that comes from the 8-bit styled instrumental. The vocal work HEARTRIS is super strong, working effortlessly to convey the cutesy melodies that are contained in this song. The rapping was also a great addition to the song, giving HEARTRIS a tinge of cool energy to make the song feel less ‘overly cute’. HEARTRIS‘ hooks are super catchy and addictive, as well. My favourite has to be the sing-song chanty “I’m coming down” post-chorus hook, which I honestly cannot get out of my mind. Overall, HEARTRIS is a very strong debut for the young yet seasoned group.

The music video sees the group following Felix (from Stray Kids), who is definitely known for his handsome looks. At first, I thought the group were following him because they had a crush on him, which is the path in which I would expect most KPOP music videos to go down. But instead, it turns out that they were following him for the blue teddy bear attached to his backpack. And Felix, well, he ended up falling into the manhole in the road. Guess it is not his day. Later on, it shown that the members have been busy, hunting for the teddy bears (and tricking countless people, at the same time) and have only one left to find. And that final teddy bear happens to go past their basement windows, which causes all of the members to spring into action to retrieve the bear (using whatever means necessary). Honestly, this was a very refreshing and lively take on a common KPOP music video trope, and makes for an interesting watch. I also like the anime version of the members and Felix.

The choreography for this debut is super cool. I really liked their use of angles in the routine, especially with the tutting we see towards the end. This angles is definitely the most recognisable part of the Tetris game, so it is a nice element to have in the choreography to connect the concept and the choreography together. The synchronisation and the members’ bubbly expressions, from what I can see in the music video, are also worth mentioning.

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