Category: KPOP

[Review] PRESENT – Moonbyul (MAMAMOO)

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Another KPOP act to make her comeback towards the end of the year is Moonbyul. For some odd reason, Moonbyul’s comeback with PRESENT felt out of the blue. But I cannot pinpoint why I feel that is the case. It might be due to the fact that she has been quite busy in 2022, with a fairly active start to the year with solo releases LUNATIC and C.I.T.T, participated in MAMAMOO’s first subunit with SOLAR, and she just returned with the rest of MAMAMOO for ILLELLA. Anyhow, Moonbyul’s comeback is titled PRESENT (as already mentioned) and its release coincides with her 30th birthday. Happy belated birthday Moonbyul!

Just listening to the song alone, PRESENT is, put simply, a pleasant song about Moonbyul’s wishes for her birthday. Nothing more, nothing less. The track falls into the R&B realm, but it does features a bit of funk through some brass elements in the chorus, which helps liven up the song a bit and give it some groovy energy. It isn’t anything major or show-stopping. Rather, it just invokes a happy and gleeful tone that contributes to the pleasant nature of the song. Whilst PRESENT is primarily about her birthday, Moonbyul also adds a bit of holiday flair with the addition of sleigh bells to the song each time Christmas is mentioned in the lyrics, as she makes references to the fact her birthday is just three days out from Christmas. And you cannot really celebrate a birthday that close without acknowledging the upcoming holiday in some manner. Melody and hook-wise, nothing stands really stands out. But I did feel Moonbyul’s nasally tone was quite comforting in the song, and I enjoyed her weaving in and out of vocals and rapping throughout the song. PRESENT isn’t anything spectacular, but it is a nice listen nonetheless.

Just how I mentioned how it is hard to celebrate a birthday just a couple of days out from Christmas without making reference of some kind to the holiday, this video references both birthday and holiday. In addition to seeing Moonbyul set up and celebrate her own birthday, there are also Christmas/holiday references throughout the video. Overall, it is a cute video to watch and there was a nice warm tone to it. In particular, I quite liked the whole montage during the bridge that brings Moonbyul to the cake. There was something with the spotlight and the idea behind the montage that made it a memorable scene/shot for me.

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

[Review] Beautiful Liar – MONSTA X

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MONSTA X also made their comeback on Monday alongside SF9. Beautiful Liar is the title of their latest track and it leads the group’s 12th mini-album, Reason. It follows the group’s early 2022 comeback with LOVE (which I nominated as Best Rap or Hip Hop Song of 2022 in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards) and their 11th mini-album SHAPE OF LOVE, the release of Late Night Feels (a collaboration with San Feldt), and contracts renewal where all but one member renewed their contracts with Starship Entertainment (with the exception of I.M, who left Starship Entertainment but confirmed that he will continue to promote as part of MONSTA X).

The electric guitar start to Beautiful Liar and the punk rock influence from the electric guitar’s presence for the rest of the song has to be one the most exhilarating starts to a song. It leaves such a strong impression that it makes Beautiful Liar really irresistible to me. I really do want to say similar comments to Beautiful Liar‘s instrumental, but the choruses (which I will discuss a little later) do hold me back from saying that. Anyhow, the first verse (which is actually the first run of the chorus, but it is delivered in a manner that made it feel like a verse) features such a sleek vocal line from I.M, Minhyuk and Hyungwon, while I.M and Jooheon really takes it up a notch with a rap sequence in the second verse that really delivers impact. Each of the verses is followed by Kihyun, who blasts us with his powerful vocals as the electric guitars ramp up the song. The choruses had a neat melody that has a memorable ring and it felt emotional yet charming. However. if I had one complaint about Beautiful Liar, it is that the chorus could have more oomph in the instrumental department. This would forces the vocals to be more powerful, which I reckon would have done wonders to Beautiful Liar. The way the pre-choruses ramped up to the chorus suggested a continuation of that exhilarating start and an electrifying nature, but we never got to see that become reality. It was interesting that in place of a what should have been the second chorus (third, if you count the first verse – I do not), Beautiful Liar skips to a second rap verse before bringing back the chorus for a final run. But this is not a complaint, as this structure gives us a second dosage of awesome rapping from the rappers (which I am all for). I do think there was a missed opportunity for the group to have concentrated the momentum and energy to form part of the final chorus to give Beautiful Liar a more deserving and punchy end (just to end the song on a higher note). But overall, Beautiful Liar is still a strong song, which works really well for MONSTA X, despite the complaint and suggestion around the choruses.

I am not exactly sure what the video for this comeback is about. But I do have a theory. The cloaked people surrounding the the members throughout the video represent the lies MONSTA X’s partners have told them. At first, the members want to protect their love for said partner, thinking their love is real and the lies are lie themselves. A fight against the cloaked figures ensures. Note their red jackets, with the colour red being referenced in the lyrics through the line “At the end of your red tongue, like the color of red, you got sores, I will kiss, I love your lies.“, suggesting that the love the members have for their partner is still very real. But as the video progresses, we see the members change into outfits that have a black and white theme to them. The white in the middle of the video donned by I.M most likely represents a sense of innocence in their mind, whereas the all-black clothing worn by the other members represents a toxic version of themselves that has come about from the lies. We see the toxicity break loose (i.e. stomping to break the glass) and take over the minds of the members. In real life, this results in the members (once dressed in red) to become dressed in black and white checkered outfits, represents the lies/toxicity are slowly taking over and corrupting the members. And instead of a fight like at the start of the video, the members are hyping up the crowd of cloaked figures (i.e. lies), which may represent to us that the members are now embracing the lies that their partner once told them. And while we don’t see this, I think the members are supposed to become cloaked figures as well, once the lies/toxicity fully takes over. It is a bit of a crude theory and I may be wrong. But if I am right, I liked the idea of the symbolism.

From what we can see in the music video, the choreography for this comeback looks pretty decent. But as I have yet to see the full performance, I can’t say with 100% certainity whether there is anything that stands out or not. So I will comeback tomorrow or Friday once we do get a live performance to provide proper comments. But for now, accept my interim ratings.

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

[Review] Puzzle – SF9

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SF9 is the first group to make their comeback this week, with their brand new single Puzzle and 12th mini-album, THE PIECE OF9. This comeback follows their SCREAM comeback from mid-last year. It also marks the return of Rowoon who sat out of the SCREAM comeback due to conflicting schedules, bumping the lineup for SF9 this time around to seven members (with Youngbin and Inseong continuing to sit out due to their military enlistments).

Puzzle is another track that goes down the funky and groovy route. But I personally feel that this route is quite light on. There is still enough of it to be detectable, making Puzzle enjoyable and prevents the song from falling into a ‘standard’ dance pop track category. The way the funky and groovy influences are held back also allows me to feel a sense of refinement, something I tend to mention when it comes to SF9’s classier comebacks. Puzzle features a memorable hook during the choruses, which helps bump up the song in my books. I will admit it took a couple of listens for me to feel that way about the hooks. But now that I am into it, I am completely for it. I liked how the rappers got to participate in the choruses, evening out the line distribution. Chani and Zuho taking helm of the first portion of the first two runs of the chorus, while Hwiyoung takes the second portion of the final chorus. I did feel like the vocals and raps were somewhat plain in terms of their delivery, which is probably the reason why it took me a couple of listens to get into Puzzle. Maybe it was purposely done so to bring a charismatic appeal to the group. But I wished the vocals were more expressive or had some sort of uniqueness to them, while I also wished the raps packed more of a punch to them. Overall, Puzzle was a decent track. It could have done better, but Puzzle still works as a solid addition to SF9’s single discography.

The members in this video are putting the clues of a puzzle together to work out. I wished the video showed us a reason for the investigative/suspicious actions, like if something was stolen or someone was killed. Without the context, the video doesn’t feel as exciting to me as it is hyped up to be. From what I can understand, there are two version of the group. The investigators are the version of the members that are dressed in suits, while the version dressed in leather are the ones trying to steer the investigators away from themselves. At first, I thought they were all tracking down Jaeyoon (as he had the burn mark on his skin), but the version of the members dressed in leather jackets were doing some suspicious things with files and what I assume is evidence. Whilst the suits and leather jackets talk is very confusing for the story behind the video, the SF9 definitely look very cool in them.

The choreography is good. I must commend the members on how their moves looked very natural and fluid throughout the routine. I also did like the chorus routine, particularly the first half (i.e. during the “Puzzlin’, Puzzlin’ Puzzlin‘”) line. But other than that, nothing really stood out for me.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.4/10

[Album Review] THE SECOND STEP: CHAPTER TWO (2nd Mini Album) – TREASURE

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Following my last album review (BLACKPINK’s BORN PINK), I thought I also review another YG Entertainment album that I have been holding onto. The album, as you can tell from the title of this post, is TREASURE’s THE SECOND STEP: CHAPTER TWO. It is the group’s second mini-album and was released in October 2022, and it features the title track HELLO, along with four additional side tracks. THE SECOND STEP: CHAPTER TWO follows the group’s earlier comeback in 2022 and first mini-album, THE SECOND STEP: CHAPTER ONE (title track JIKJIN). It is also the first release to not feature Bang Ye Dam and Mashiho, who were on hiatus at the time of the mini-album’s release and subsequently left the group following the mini-album’s release.

THE SECOND STEP: CHAPTER TWO Album Cover

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

2. VolKno (CHOI HYUNSUK, YOSHI & HARUTO) – Following the more pop-centric title is a surprising mix of hip-hop and rock. It is purely electrifying, intense and just so powerful. Everything I ever wanted from a rock release in KPOP is in VolKno. The track is delivered to us by the three rappers of the group, so it is safe to say that their delivery falls into the rap/hip-hop style. And I don’t mind that, as their trio’s delivery just amp up everything else in the song. The best part of the song is when they get chanty during the bridge, which is a nice bright change in direction. I found to be a great head-banging sequence, before the song goes back to its intense rock body. (10/10)

3. CLAP! – CLAP! returns to the mini-album to the bright and pop-like profile that featured in the title track and kicked off the mini-album. There are some added reggae influences to certain parts of the song, which differentiates the song from the title track. The rapping was nicely done and gave CLAP! some much needed oomph. However, the element that really prevented me from enjoying the song are the vocals, which I found to be disappointing. The vocals took on a more standard melody, which ultimately dulled the song for me. I wished the members were more expressive and the melody line was a bit more exciting, just to give CLAP! a much more substantial edge. (6/10)

4. THANK YOU (고마워) (ASAHI & HARUTO) – HARUTO is definitely a busy person as the only TREASURE member to appearing in all five songs on this mini-album. In THANK YOU, HARUTO join forces with ASAHI to give us this pop style song. At first, it sounded more like a pop rock song. But it ended up settling for more on the pop side as THANK YOU progressed along. In the end, I found this song to be quite a pleasant listen and I really did enjoy it. (8/10)

5. HOLD IT IN (물 어둡다) – Ending the mini-album is the album’s most subdued mix, opting for a more prevalent R&B vibe for the most part. But there is more to HOLD IT IN than what meets the eye. For example, we get some relatively soft pop dance backing for the chorus, jazzy ballad styling in the second verse and marching drums in the bridge. Altogether, TREASURE delivers another pleasant ender to the album that just had the right dose of pretty much each of the different styles mentioned whilst also managing to stay cohesive somehow. (7.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.1/10

THE SECOND STEP: CHAPTER TWO Teaser Image

[Album Review] BORN PINK (2nd Studio Album) – BLACKPINK

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Welcome to the first official album review of the year. All the other album reviews I posted so far this year were drafted last year, and my review for BORN PINK is the first album review I have written this year. Woo! There is plenty more album review coming your way, but I thought I start off with a big release from 2022 that I hadn’t looked at just yet. BORN PINK is BLACKPINK’s second studio length album and was released mid-September 2022. It features the pre-release single Pink Venom and the title track Shut Down, alongside down another 6 side tracks. It follows The Album from 2020. Personally, my biggest takeaway from this studio album is that BLACKPINK and their producers could have done more with majority of the side tracks on the album. Despite that comment, there are still some standout and solid tracks on the album to enjoy. So continue reading to see which songs I thought were great and which songs could have been better.

BORN PINK Album Cover

1. Pink Venom (Pre-Release Track) – Click here to read the full review for Pink Venom. (6.5/10)

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

3. Typa Girl – Typa Girl had some potential with the opening synths. It gave off intriguing vibes which I was all excited for. Given BLACKPINK’s consistent sound with majority of their promotional tracks, intriguing is definitely something good. Unfortunately, the intriguingness isn’t worthwhile. Once we enter the verses and choruses, we get that familiar sound profile that we all associate with BLACKPINK. Despite going down the same route as their previous track, Typa Girl’s instrumental continues to disappoint, as there just isn’t a whole heap going on. It does place the focus on the members. But clear vocals and fast rapping just doesn’t make up for the rest of the song, in my opinion. (5/10)

4. Yeah Yeah Yeah – I am glad the disappointment is short lived. Things start looking up for BORN PINK’s side tracks with Yeah Yeah Yeah. I really liked the retro tinge that the song had, especially when the chorus comes along. It is a centrepiece that I look forward to on this album. The vocal work was solid and presented the members in a pleasant light. My only gripe about the song is how cliché the main hook of the song is – just simply being “Just say Yeah Yeah Yeah”. (8/10)

5. Hard To Love (Rosé Solo) – The only member of BLACKPINK to have a solo song on this album is Rosé. The pop feel of the Hard To Love and the guitar work in the chorus were highlights, along with Rosé’s vocals. I particularly like that emotional pull that Rosé subtly provides to Hard To Love, which makes it more riveting to listen to. (9/10)

6. The Happiest Girl – Stealing my attention away from the entirety of this album is The Happiest Girl, which is a stunning and beautiful ballad. This is not exactly a style of music that I associate with BLACKPINK, but it was so well done. Repetition is the song’s biggest and only problem, but that can be easily overlooked when you consider the orchestration and the emotionally fragile vocals of the members caused by the breakup that is imagined in the lyrics. My favourite part of all, if I had to pick, would be Jisoo’s harmonic line “I can stop the tears if I want to”. (10/10)

7. Tally – For me, Tally is a skippable song. It is a decent display of potential from the members themselves and there is a neat swaying melody to the song. But apart from that, there isn’t much to remember about Tally. It is probably more because Tally follows The Happiest Girl – all of my attention is directed towards the previous song and I don’t have much more to share for Tally. But I felt the instrumental was plain, while there isn’t much of a hook to the song other than the aforementioned melody. (6/10)

8. Ready For Love – Final song on the album is Ready For Love. It is another pre-release single released back in July 2022 which I had not reviewed as the song was marketed to us as a promotional single for PUBG Mobile at the time. But its inclusion on the album allows me to finally review it! I quite liked the EDM chorus (definitely the highlight of the song) and the house pop style the rest of the song opted for. BLACKPINK themselves sound quite good in the song, but the hooks again were repetitive and I wished there were more to the hooks of Ready For Love. (7.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.5/10

BORN PINK Teaser Image

[Review] HALAZIA – ATEEZ

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ATEEZ is nominated for Best Male Group, Best Stage Presence, Best Ballad (for Turbulence) and Best Electronic Song (for Guerrilla) in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support ATEEZ along with your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today. Be quick, as voting closes tomorrow night!

The final major comeback of 2022 belonged to ATEEZ, which dropped two days prior to the new year. Whilst everyone was busy preparing for the new year celebrations, ATEEZ is sliding us new music. The new single is titled HALAZIA and forms part of the group’s first Korean single album, Spin Off: From the Witness. This is also the group’s first musical release since Guerrilla in July 2022 and their third Japanese single, Paradigm, in November 2022 (which has yet to be reviewed).

HALAZIA is another one of those songs that I would describe as ‘interesting’. For the most part, the track does sound very ATEEZ-like, with its intense dance style. We are given a solid display of vocals in the first verse and more rhythmic and upbeat rapping in the second verse. The group goes full steam ahead towards the chorus with a strong pre-chorus, with a great stomping incline and church organs that builds suspense towards the main centrepiece of the song. The interesting aspect of HALAZIA comes via the chorus, which I am not exactly sure of. I love the concept of the breathy cult-like chants and instrumental that kicks it off. It stilled HALAZIA in a way that felt aesthetic and unique. But when you consider the pre-chorus was built up towards what felt like could have been a powerful and intense chorus, what we got felt like a loss of momentum and just didn’t live up to expectations. The second half of the chorus brought forward a completely different atmosphere, with a rapid intense rush of electronic element driving the song forward. Personally, I felt the two halves of the chorus did not cohesively come together and the mad rush of the second half felt like the producers was trying to make up for the lost momentum of the first half. However, I did think both halves had charm in their own way. The most impressive part of HALAZIA comes during the bridge, in the form of rapping from both Hongjoong and Mingi. I really liked the impact and force they brought to their parts in the bridge. This then led to the final sequence of HALAZIA, which was a blast of EDM and a shouty delivery that reminded me of Guerrilla‘s chorus. Overall, HALAZIA had great promise and almost got there. I just think the song needed to be better focused and cohesive in its central sequence to be more effective.

What really gets me with these music videos of a shared universe that spans over multiple videos is the amount of planning that must have already occurred to ensure the full story is told once the plot wraps up. And factoring in music, a unique concept that enables the storyline to be told, these comebacks must be planned many months (even a year) in advance. I applaud the people behind this, as this is something I cannot even imagine in my mind. Anyhow, the music video for HALAZIA connects to the world that was introduced as part of Guerrilla, where the emotions were stolen from the people (which really made them all creepy and I quite liked this chilling aesthetic). But the trailer to this comeback tells us that the world population was awaiting the return of ATEEZ (in the form of the infamous black hats they donned during their early days/concepts) to give them hope. But instead of that form of ATEEZ, a new version of ATEEZ has popped up instead. We are unsure this new form of ATEEZ brings, but they rally up the population to take back gravity (one of the other things they lost). What this all means, I have no clue whatsoever. And that ending with the ball dropping onto San like that is very suspenseful and mysterious. Hopefully, we will find out more in the next video.

ATEEZ once again impresses with the choreography. The intensity and power the members channel through was just so riveting to watch. In addition to that, the pre-chorus routine felt so sleek, while the cult-like profile of the first half of the chorus came through the choreography in a very captivating fashion. A routine I highly recommend you watch!

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

[Review] Madness – MOONBIN & SANHA (ASTRO)

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Moonbin & Sanha are nominated for Best Subunit in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support Moonbin & Sanha, along with your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today. Be quick, as voting closes tomorrow night!

This week also sees the return of MOOBIN & SANHA, one of the two currently active subunits from ASTRO. If you can’t tell by the name of the subunit, the group consist of Moobin and Sanha, and they debuted with in 2020 with Bad Idea. Last year, the pair returned with the title track WHO and their second mini-album REFUGE. Yesterday, the pair dropped their third mini-album, Incense, and the title track Madness.

Madness features a funky and groovy energy to its dance pop profile. But before you assume, the track isn’t necessarily colourful like most funky and groovy songs. Madness also features a serious and a subtle powerful tone to it throughout its run that prevents a colourful or vivid tone to form, which actually allows the sound to fit neatly into the unit’s discography. I found this to be create a decent listen and a definite improvement from their last comeback. Madness features a solid set of vocals from both members, though I wished there was more of a zing to their delivery to make the song a bit more interesting. They were not competing with the instrumental in anyway, but I think a bit of volume (and even some definition) would have worked really well in Moobin and Sanha’s favour to allow them to stand out in Madness. A more interesting melody or delivery some sort would have great as well. There were some moments in which Madness could have built itself on, such as the pop start to the pre-chorus and rapping from Sanha (and briefly from Moobin). But ultimately, Madness joins the long list of songs that lack something memorable. The final aspect of Madness that disappointed me was the repetitiveness. I did like the repetitiveness at first, but with multiple listens, the song is drying up quite quickly. The final chorus doesn’t offer anything new to the song that the first two runs of the chorus had already offered. Overall, Madness is an appreciated step in the right direction for the duo, in my opinion. It just needs more to it.

The song likens the spread of one’s charm to the addictiveness of a scent, resulting in another person to be driven to a point of madness or insanity. And the two charms that we need to be wary of, based on the music video, belongs to both Moonbin and Sanha. In the video, we see them developing scents and breaking into a piece of ice that containing a bouquet of flowers, which might be the ultimate scent they are trying to achieve. I really liked the darkness of the sets, especially the choreography and solo sets we see at the end of the video. I also enjoyed how well timed the video is. When the song launches into the second chorus, we see the pair desperately breaking their way through the block of ice. It plays into the idea of madness slightly, which I thought was clever.

I liked the choreography, but there isn’t much that stands out in a memorable sense. Instead, I appreciated the smoothness that the choreography had, which worked well with certain moments of the song and gave a nice contrast during the song’s more jagged moments (i.e. the chorus).

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

[Review] OMG – NewJeans

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NewJeans is nominated for Best New Female Group, Best Group Choreography (Female) for Hype Boy and Best R&B Song for Attention in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support NewJeans and all your other favourite artists, songs and performances before voting closes this Friday by clicking here to vote.

As mentioned in the previous review for NewJean’s Ditto, I will also be covering the group’s first official comeback single, OMG, which officially dropped two days ago. This comes after the group debuted with Cookie (and pre-releases Attention and Hype Boy) in 2022, contributing to what has resulted in very intense battle for new female groups and debuts this award season in the KPOP industry.

It has been a couple of days since OMG‘s release and this short gap between release and review have really allowed me to evaluate the song and consider my thoughts on it. To me, OMG is an ‘alright’ song. I liked how NewJeans have forged themselves a unique sound in KPOP and this sound does comes through in OMG, despite the track gearing towards more mainstream pop and hip-hop influences. I enjoyed the upbeat nature of the instrumental, which comes to life as a result of the percussive and trap elements. NewJeans also sounds quite nice throughout the song. Their vocals really show off a youthful appearance compared to their previous releases and the brightness really cuts through the over-consistency that OMG was potentially heading in. What really held OMG back, for me, is the lack of a memorable element of some kind. Despite the number of listens of OMG over the last few days, I have failed to notice anything that really capture my attention and makes the song stay in my mind once the song ends. This is quite disappointing given the hype leading to OMG. Had the song had something more memorable to it, OMG could have ringed through. But because there isn’t a memorable ring or tinge to the song, I am not convinced that this is their greatest track. That being said, OMG had some pretty big shoes to fill following the likes the Attention and Hype Boy.

When I watch the music video for OMG, I can’t help but wonder whether the friends who Heesoo supposedly lost from the Ditto music videos (according to my theory) were sent to the asylum. When I wrote that storyline up based on what I saw, I hadn’t considered the events of OMG. But now watching the OMG’s music video and also considering how the school scenes were included as part of the performance videos, I am leaning towards a change my storyline – that Heesoo’s friends were sent to the asylum. The video also includes a bit of a twist towards the end, with the friends reminding themselves that they are actually NewJeans, which might also further alter the story theory I wrote for the Ditto music video. I quite liked the rewind montage that follows and the addition of a snippet of Attention to the video. Apart from that, I liked how they tackled the topic of mental health. It can be quite touchy topic, but my first impression of NewJean’s take was that it is light, felt liberating, and refreshing, which is much different to the more usual serious tone mental health garners in Western media.

I quite enjoyed the 90s touch some of their outfits had. It probably will be a case of regret in the future when NewJeans attempts more mature concepts, but it works really well at this point in time. As for the choreography, I really enjoyed the whole chorus sequence of the routine. Dubbed as the ‘OMG and crab dance’ according to the 1theKILLPO video, I do find the second half of the sequence to be more impressive, with the synchronisation and execution leaving me floored.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

[Review] Ditto – NewJeans

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NewJeans is nominated for Best New Female Group, Best Group Choreography (Female) for Hype Boy and Best R&B Song for Attention in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support NewJeans and all your other favourite artists, songs and performances before voting closes this Friday by clicking here to vote.

The first two official reviews of 2023 belongs to NewJeans, one of the new female groups who literally took over 2022 with a series of releases including Attention, Hype Boy and Cookie. And judging by the digital charts at the time of writing this review, it looks like 2023 is also on their radar for a take-over, as well. The first review tackles their recent pre-release single, Ditto, which was actually released in the final weeks of the 2022. It was released in preparation for their early 2023 comeback, which officially dropped yesterday. And you guessed it, I will be covering OMG in my next review tomorrow.

While I did check out the new song while I was on break, I didn’t pay much attention to it and haven’t formed an opinion on Ditto until today. But I am happy to report upon further consideration today for this review, I quite enjoyed Ditto. The song just feels so atmospheric and dreamy with its lo-fi approach, making it hard to dislike the song. The smoothness of NewJeans vocals pairs extremely well with that same atmospheric and dreamy nature of Ditto, and helped make it become such a captivating piece. The melodies also build on this and have a memorable ring to them, which just adds more substance to the song. And while it was rather subtle, there is enough bass and percussion in Ditto to help keep it slightly upbeat and riveting enough to keep the song itself grounded. I also enjoyed the consistency of the bass and percussion in the song this time around, which to me added a hypnotic effect to the song that does wonders. The only thing about Ditto I am not 100% sure of at this stage is the longevity of the song. I feel like the song is designed to be quite effective in the moment, but repeat listens might just dull Ditto down. I am not tired of Ditto just yet, but it it is interesting thought to have crossed my mind whilst writing this review.

The music videos for Ditto was impressive. That’s right, the plural there signifies multiple version – two versions in the case of Ditto – Side A and Side B. Side A shows the group NewJeans as a group of friends, with a sixth member of their friendship group (Heesoo) filming the group as they go about their high school days. Interestingly, during Side A, Heesoo never appears on camera with NewJeans. As a side plot, Heesoo develops a crush on a male student. But the main story of Side A is that NewJeans might not have existed at all, and that Heesoo was only imagining their existence through the camera. Her not appearing on camera with the others adds fuel to that storyline. As for Side B, we see that Heesoo is imagining the existence of NewJeans at the school. But it is revealed in later scenes within Side B that NewJeans do exist outside of the school, and that Heesoo only watches them afar and had created NewJeans as a fantasy for her school life. We do see her drop her camera from the top of the building in Side B, which signifies the destruction of her fantasy, her growing up, which leads her to date the guy she had developed a crush on. At the end of Side B, we begin with the start of Side A (confusing, I know). The scenes on the video however do show Heesoo subtly on camera with a group of girls (but in a haunting manner, we don’t see their faces whatsoever), which leads me to suspect that the group of friends did exist at one point. But she lost them in some sort of accident (which would explain her cast). She later became deluded into thinking that the group of friends still existed and NewJeans was that friend group, but she slowly comes to terms that is not the case and comes to accept that her friends are no longer with her. It is all a bit confusing, but that is my take on the video. I really liked the 90s/early 00s aesthetic and the creepy factor that underlays parts of the video, which gives an added flavour that keeps the videos interesting.

I really liked how the choreography looks for this particular release. And this comes through many layers. Firstly, I liked how it was weaved into the music videos. Secondly, I really liked how the choreographer really embodied NewJeans youth and made it feel like teenagers were just freestyling and having some fun, rather than a set routine that feels rehearsed and refined. The subtle bounce we got added to this fun nature, in my opinion. Thirdly, NewJeans chemistry was quite cool and the smiles they shared with one another made the performance feel so much more convincing.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 9/10 [Updated ‘Overall Rating’ on 12/08/2023]

[Album Review] Hello, World (1st Mini Album) – Xdinary Heroes

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Xdinary Heroes is nominated for Best New Male Group and Best Band Performance in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support Xdinary Heroes, and your other favourite artists, songs, and performance by clicking here to vote today!

As flagged a couple of weeks ago through my review of the side track Strawberry Cake, I will be reviewing Xdinary Heroes’ first mini-album since their debut. The mini-album is titled Hello, World and was released back in July of 2022. Alongside Strawberry Cake, the mini-album also features the title track Test Me and 3 additional side tracks. More recently, the band returned in November with a second mini-album, Overload, which I will be returning to review some time in the near future! In the meanwhile, here is my review for Hello, World. It explores more of the band’s potential that they displayed through their debut single (Happy Death Day) whilst also exploring more of the rock genre. Both of which highlights the force that Xdinary Heroes could become in the future.

Hello, World Album Cover

1. Test Me (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Test Me. (7.5/10)

2. Knock Down – Knock Down is an awesome rock track. The verses showed promise, but the highlight came during the chorus. The chorus had a beat that had head-nodding potential. It is then followed by some really memorable and catchy ‘Na Na Na’ and some interjections from the members. The bridge had some amazing hype energy that allowed the song to reach a cool and fantastic beat. (9/10)

3. Sucker Punch – If the previous song had head nodding potential, then Sucker Punch had some foot stomping potential. This created a really strong atmosphere, and it also showed off some great vocals. Then they took a pause to make way for the pre-chorus, before launching into the satisfying chorus that goes in hard. We do get some ‘Na Na Na’ in this song, as well, but they were not as in the previous song. The bridge, however, was the highlight of Sucker Punch. It also had some great hype energy in the first half. We go into acoustic-like territory for the second half of the bridge, which served as a nice stilling moment, before an instrumental moment comes to launch us back into the final chorus. (9/10)

4. Strawberry Cake – Click here to read the full review for Strawberry Cake. (8/10)

5. Pirates – Out of all the songs on this mini-album, Pirates is probably Xdinary Heroes’ best foot forward in their vocal department. Their vocals (despite being autotuned to varying degrees) in this song were super impressive, especially during the soaring pre-choruses and at the end. I thought the slower tempo and paced instrumental was very interesting and creates a somewhat tense but unique backdrop, while the brass was a very intriguing addition to the song. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.3/10

Hello, World Teaser Image

[Album Review] Troubleshooter (3rd Mini Album) – Kep1er

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Kep1er is nominated for Best New Female Group in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support Kep1er and your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today.

Kep1er is one of the busier groups this year, with back-to-back activities including their debut in January with WA DA DA, their appearance on Queendom 2, their comeback with Up!, their Japanese debut with Wing Wing, and now their latest comeback with We Fresh (their latest title track) and Troubleshooter (the title of their latest mini-album release – which is the focus of this review). Kep1er definitely deserves a break! The latter releases officially dropped mid-October of this year, and there is an additional four tracks on this mini-album, including a remastered version of THE GIRLS (Kep1er’s Queendom 2 finale release).

Fun fact: I started off 2022 with a review of Kep1er’s debut single WA DA DA. I didn’t realize it at the time until I was actually finalising this album review, that I am also closing out 2022 with this album review for Kep1er. What a coincidence!

Troubleshooter Album Cover

1. We Fresh (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for We Fresh. (7.5/10)

2. Lion Tamer – Lion Tamer is a bit on the typical side of KPOP in today’s standard, but this doesn’t stop it having a cool chorus. To me, it sounded like there was a bit of attitude to it, which gave Kep1er to offer something with a bit more personality which isn’t cuteness. I enjoyed the whistles in the instrumental and the very subtle use of synths that reminded me of a safari or the wilderness. I did think the track could have gone harder and honed in all of the pop energy that Lion Tamer was already exuding. We just needed that oomph to take this song to the next level. (7/10)

3. Downtown – Downtown continues that ‘different side to the group’ idea that I just touched on. This time around, Kep1er goes with an even more mature pop sound that I am totally digging. So much so, I think this is the mini-album’s highlight, and it should have been picked as the title track. It is a smooth mid-tempo number that just exudes so much sleekness. A cool concept idea is having the members strut down the city streets, and this track would have been an ideal backing to that idea. The members did a wonderful job at owning this style and I would love to see a performance of Downtown in the future. (9/10)

4. Dreams – The final new song that the mini-album has to offer is Dreams, even though it was performed once before prior to the album’s release. It is another nice synthpop track, with a dreamy set of synths and some neat beats in the background. I liked Kep1er’s delivery within Dreams, which opted for paced vocals that complemented the dreamy instrumental quite well. The rapping was rather straight-forward and worked, but they should have gone with something less one-dimensional for this department. Altogether, however, Dreams pretty much reminded me of past KPOP hits within the dreamy realm of pop. Nostalgic. (8/10)

5. THE GIRLS (Can’t Turn Me Down) (Remastered) – I previously reviewed THE GIRLS through my review of the finale of Queendom 2. I will carry my song rating from that review over for the final album rating below. Read my thoughts on THE GIRLS by clicking here. (7/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.7/10

Troubleshooter Teaser Image

[Album Review] 28 Reasons (1st Mini Album) – SEULGI (Red Velvet)

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SEULGI is nominated for Best New Female Soloist and Best Solo Choreography (Female) in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support SEULGI and your other favourite artists, songs and performance by clicking here to vote today.

SEULGI made her solo debut weeks ago with 28 Reasons, the title of both her title track and her debut mini-album. Today, I will be reviewing her mini-album, which features an additional five tracks alongside 28 Reasons (the title track). More recently, SEULGI has returned with Red Velvet for their latest release, Birthday. But this particular review is for SEULGI and her high calibre solo debut mini-album, so let’s go!

28 Reasons Album Cover

1. 28 Reasons (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for 28 Reasons. (8/10)

2. Dead Man Runnin’ – Dead Man Runnin’ is the track that sticks in my mind the most from this mini-album. It is haunting to R&B listen to, but it just remains with you. It might be the due to the soaring chorus that inclines out of nowhere but manages to do so in a stylish manner. It might be due to the lyrics, which expresses the vengeance one intends for the person who caused them pain. But I think it is because of SEULGI’s vocals, which leaves my jaw hanging open and complete floored each time I listen to the song. (10/10)

3. Bad Boy, Sad Girl (ft. Be’O) – In a completely different style, SEULGI brings to the album a hint of cutesy vocals in this otherwise R&B number. For the most part, Bad Boy, Sad Girl was a fine song. But the issue for me comes about when BE’O starts. I felt the way he started his featuring was a bit too overpowering for my liking. While his featuring does settle down and does allow SEULGI to come back into the song, I am still not keen with that shock. But we do get some good harmonies from the pair. (7/10)

4. Anywhere But Home – Anywhere But Home is a pleasant track to my ears, featuring an upbeat and funky backdrop (thanks to the bassline). There is also an atmospheric undertone to the single, which helps the single come off as dreamy. And SEULGI’s smooth vocals complement this dreamy aspect so well. The melodies were catchy and memorable. The electric guitar riffs at the very end of the song were really cool. My only question is regarding the start, which didn’t add much value to Anywhere But Home in my opinion, aside from reiterating the title. (8/10)

5. Los Angeles – I really enjoyed the suspense the verses of Los Angeles had going on. It brought a clubbing beat to the track that felt sensual and flirty in a way. I like how the song gears towards the chorus, before the beat drops into EDM territory. The whole journey was really exciting and cool. It does repeat and the rest of Los Angeles doesn’t offer anything new in the lead up or during second or third rounds at the EDM drop. But it is still a blast that I would gladly put on my playlist. (9/10)

6. Crown – Crown returns us back to the haunting vibes that we got at the start of the mini-album (and also ends the album). There is also a regal vibe and tone to Crown, which is just so fitting for the song and SEULGI herself. SEULGI again wows me with her vocals, especially during the chorus, where she serves us with upfront and backing vocals. As the song progresses, the instrumental gets heavier and heavier, and I feel like SEULGI follows through with her vocals. Altogether, it is an amazing end to the album. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.5/10

28 Reasons Teaser Image

[Review] PLAY – LUCY

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LUCY is nominated for Best Band Performance for their PLAY release in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support LUCY, and your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today!

There are a few releases that I have nominated in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards this year that I have yet to review, and I am hoping to review some of them before the year ends. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to review all of them by the end of the year, so apologies in advance if I don’t post a review for your favourite group or song. First up is LUCY, who is a four member male band that I first reviewed last year as part of the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards rush at the end of last year, but the band has been active since 2020. This year, I have nominated them for Best Band Performance once again, but for their 2022 single, PLAY. It is the title track from the band’s first studio album release, Childhood, which was released in August of this year.

PLAY starts off with a soothing and soft band background that almost mimics a soft ballad or a very soft pop rock track. When we get to the chorus, the instrumentation amplifies. But it is more of a mild amplification that retains the sentiment and soothing tone that started off PLAY, whilst also keeping the track light and airy. At the same time, the amplification also brings a burst of brightness to the song that helped give PLAY a bit more to talk about and I found to be quite appealing and enjoyable. The second verse and chorus repeats exactly what we heard in the first verse and chorus combination, but we do get a brief second of children laughter before the second chorus (which complements the meaning behind the song – more of this in the next section of the review). I liked the ‘echo’ that comes into play during the bridge of PLAY, giving the sense of depth. I also enjoyed the inclusion of the children’s “Na Na Na” and more laughter. This time around, it fits into the larger picture that is PLAY. In addition to the band instrumentation, LUCY’s unique addition of violin is present throughout PLAY, but I wished the violin was a bit stronger and more upfront. This would really allow LUCY shine even brighter. As for the vocals, I really like the nasally tone that the members brought to the song. And this gives PLAY a memorable tinge. The melodies unfortunately didn’t have the same effect. They were pleasant, but they just were not enough to make PLAY more memorable. Overall, a really nice track. Some improvements could be helping in bumping my PLAY‘s appeal. But still a great listen nonetheless.

PLAY presents the message to embrace your childhood, even as an adult. And that is what we see happen in the video. The video features a typical Korean salaryman, who could be in his late 20s or 30s, and whose life is quite grey and dull (which is the literally theme of the start and end of the video). When he slides down the slide at the start of the video, he enters a world full of colour and brightness. But he is only wearing black, representing his detached and deflated mood and feelings. Whatever he does, wherever he goes, he just can’t seem to get out of this mindset. And I don’t blame him. Adulting pressures are definitely hard and not advertised. On the train, he is thrown side to side and squashed by people. At work, he is scolded by his manager. At work parties, he is left with a burnt piece of meat despite being the one cooking it. When he boards the taxi, he wants to be in his own world. And while at the shops, he is emotionless and dejected from the world. But in the midst of all of that, we also see a child version of him, who embraces his youth and childhood, and the world instantly looks better. Sometimes we just need to think back to our childhood to remind ourselves of what life used to be. The child him is running around and having fun, interacting with the band. He is having parties with his co-workers and even enjoying his taxi ride. In the end, the salaryman slides down the slide, returning us to the beginning of the video with the grey colour scheme. He still looks sad and deflated, but you can hear a lady call out to him (presumably his mother), and a smile presents on his face soon after. And I quite like this conclusion, that it is a reminder that at the end of the day, whilst we are all adults, we are still a child because we are someone’s child. So embrace the childhood, as to many of us, it is inherently part of our lives already. Quite a nice and pleasant music video, with a beautiful reminder at the end.

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

[Album Review] OK Episode 1: OK, NOT (5th Mini Album) – CIX

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Support CIX in the Best Overall Artist and Song categories of the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards by clicking here to vote and nominate today!

One of the final album I am looking at the end of this year belongs to CIX. OK Episode 1: OK, NOT is the group’s fifth mini-album to date, dropped in August of this year and features a total of four songs (including the title track 458). It is a mini-album that I knew I had to write a review for once I vetted the album to see if it is worth writing an album review for. Wonder why? Keep on reading to see my thoughts on this amazing and mind-blowing release.

OK Episode 1: OK, NOT Album Cover

1. Without You – For me, the blend of hard and soft tones really makes Without You stand out for me. The verses were predominately the softer moments of the song. It was delicate and fragile at times, which the members did an amazing job of showing. The choruses are obviously when the song goes in hard, with the pop rock side of the song coming to life in the main chorus while a splash of EDM comes through during the post-chorus hook (which was quite catchy). The dynamic between this makes the song super interesting. A standout from the beginning. On a side note (and this doesn’t factor in with the rating that will follow), but I felt the performance aspect for this song went in too hard and felt mismatching for the overall piece. (10/10)

2. 458 (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for 458. (8/10)

3. Bend The Rules – Bend The Rules brings together groovy guitar and intriguing synths to create an unexpected mix. If you were to pull the two sides of the instrumentation apart, you would not think they would work well with one another. But somehow, they come together quite well and I really enjoyed it. Bend The Rules is definitely well delivered. The vocals brings a smooth element to the song, while the rapping gives Bend The Rules a more intense feel. An interesting combination that works well on many fronts. (9/10)

4. Drown In Luv – Closing up the mini-album is Drown In Luv, which has an amazing instrumental arrangement. It is a combination of classical instrumentation and soft pop rock. Again, a combination that doesn’t sound like it works. But you got to give Drown In Luv a try, because it does! Vocally, it is stunner and puts CIX on full display. Interestingly, it is when the members come together to repetitively deliver the title that was the ultimately highlight, with the rest of the song following through. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9.3/10

OK Episode 1: OK, NOT Teaser Image

[Review] Uh-Heung – DKZ

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DKZ is nominated for Rising Star and Most Underrated Song (for Cupid) in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support DKZ and your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today.

Final song review of the year! And the honour this year goes to DKZ! DKZ has had a very big year in 2022. They rose on the charts with their biggest hit yet, Cupid, and scored their first music show win since their debut in 2019 with their latest single, Uh-Heung. Both of these aspects played a part in earning them a nomination in the Rising Star category of the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Today, I will be reviewing that latest single, Uh-Heung, which was released in October of this year.

Uh-Heung is a 180° turn around from DKZ’s other 2022 comeback (Cupid). That previous comeback was all bright and bubbly. Uh-Heung, on the other hand, is all dark and intense. While I do enjoy a change in sound or style, I did hope that DKZ was going to pull off something unique, given dark and intense is pretty ordinary territory for male groups in KPOP. Unfortunately, I don’t think they pulled off something unique. Uh-Heung had all the basic hallmarks of a typical male release. However, there are aspects of the song that still allowed me to enjoy Uh-Heung, however I still believe it is firmly rooted in that ‘typical territory’. The greatest appealing aspect of the song is he presence of the guitar at the start of the song. It started off the dance track in a very cool and refreshing manner. It hooked me in from the start and reeled me in for the rest of Uh-Heung. Interestingly, the guitar is replaced in the second verse with some traditional Korean instruments, which I thought was okay. It wasn’t as interesting or riveting as other examples of traditional instrumentation in an intense dance track as I felt like it was overpowered by the synths. But it was a decent effort. If I had it my way, I would have stuck to one or the other (preference is the guitar work at the start of the song), as it does create a bit of a mix-bag. The second big thing about Uh-Heung is the intensity of this track, which I find to be full-on, especially in the chorus. It felt like the tempo increased out of nowhere. But the increase created a very cool and robust backing that got the adrenaline running in your body. I also really like the rappers’ line that bridges the pre-choruses and choruses together. There was something quite invigorating from those lines that launched into the chorus and made it more intense and epic. Talking about rapping, both Jaechan and Sehyeon really shined in this song and showed off raspy tones that matched the intense side of Uh-Heung. The anthem-like chant at the end of Uh-Heung was also a great way to end off the intense track, by intensifying the track in a way that successfully caps it off. Overall, while DKZ does turn to typical territory in Uh-Heung, the group and their producers managed to make Uh-Heung shine enough for me to really enjoy the song.

Something I didn’t mention in the song component of the review is that Uh-Heung is the sound that a tiger makes, and there are tiger sounds throughout the song to further intensify the song. With this in mind, it makes sense for a tiger component to appear in music video. For Uh-Heung, the tiger comes at the start of the video, when we see Jaechan running away from something that looks like tiger (based on the shadow). Later on, we see Jaechan being cornered by someone donning a motorcycle helmet that has tiger prints over it, which is later revealed to be Jaechan himself. But what does this mean? Well, Soompi’s says the song ‘delivers the message of walking one’s own path with confidence and bravery in a world rife with temptation and fear’, and I think that the two Jaechan’s are one person – one that is walking with confidence and bravery, while the other is tempted and in fear from the world. Guessing on the intensity of the song, confident and brave Jaechan wins. The rest of the music video is quite cool, aside from the inflatable tube men we get in the background of one of the choreography scenes. They looked funny (as they always do) and don’t really add much fear or power to the video (though the messages written on them might say otherwise).

The intensity follows through in the choreography aspect of the comeback. And while the moves where the members go ‘Uh-Heung‘ definitely adds to the intensity and powerful energy, the constant repeats of it did feel a bit cringy. I much prefer the scratch move, which was less cringy and more subtle.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Album Review] Jack In The Box (1st Studio Album) – j-hope (BTS)

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j-hope is nominated for Best Male Soloist, Best Rap Performance (for Arson), Best Rap or Hip-Hop Song (for MORE) and other categories in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. BTS is also nominated for Best Stage Prescence and Best Special Performance. Support j-hope and BTS, along with your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today.

Another long overdue album review is finally here. Cast your mind back to earlier this year when BTS confirmed that they would be focusing on solo ventures in the foreseeable future. Soon after, j-hope was confirmed to be the first member to release new solo music following the announcement. Come June, j-hope released his first studio-length album, Jack In The Box, featuring the title track Arson, the pre-release single MORE, and 8 other singles. I was a bit hesitant about reviewing this album, as I am not a big fan of rap or hip-hop music, which is what j-hope has released in the past. But after deciding to just do it, Jack In The Box proved to be much more than rap or hip-hop music. Continue reading to see what else j-hope had to offer in Jack In The Box.

Jack In The Box Album Cover

1. Intro – The intro to the album isn’t an instrumental piece like most other introductory tracks. Instead, for Jack In The Box, the intro was a segment of the narration of the mythical story of Pandora’s Box. The narration zones into the part of the story, where after releasing all the darkness and evil from the box, Pandora discovered hope. Soon after, the narration cuts out.

2. Pandora’s Box – While on topic, Pandora’s Box is the next track on the album. And it is a hip-hop track that goes in hard. There is a fair bit of angst behind j-hope’s delivery in the verses, which equates to a very passionate and intense track about his life as an idol. The chanting chorus was definitely the peak of the track, and leaves a deep impression on you in the final moments. (8/10)

3. MORE (Pre-Release Track) – Click here to read the full review for MORE. (8.5/10)

4. Stop (세상에 나쁜 사람은 없다) – Stop follows on neatly from MORE, continuing that urban-like feel that was present in MORE. When I listen to this track, I can imagine a music video of j-hope rapping whilst walking down the street. The track explores the topic of human nature, and I liked how he included audio of an arrest going on in the background. Going back to that idea of a music video, it sounds like he could walk past the situation and observe it play out in the music video. Other than that, Stop is a lot more laidback and finishes up quicker than you expect. (8/10)

5. = (Equal Sign) – Equal Sign flaunts both vocals and rapping over a hip-hop instrumental that I found to be quite refreshing and easy on the ears. I also like the funky undertones Equal Sign had, thanks to that bass. I really enjoyed how smooth yet deep j-hope’s vocals, which contrasted really nicely to the rapping in the first half of the song. The way he sung reminded me of the chorus of Where is The Love, an equally (pun unintended) hopefully track. (10/10)

6. Music Box: Reflection – Heavy breathing, which I presume is j-hope was catching his breath, is played alongside the music box tune and some scratchy and dark synths. The music box tune and synths are two clashing opposites, but they come together to really create what felt like a deep interlude for the album.

7. What If … – I really liked how the piano/keyboard starts off striking (which is a sample from Shimmy Shimmy Ya by Ol’ Dirty Bastard) and is slowly incorporated into the background of the grungy hip-hop beat. It was quite a smooth incorporation. Given the grungy hip-hop, What If… brings back rapper j-hope, who goes down low and brings us a raspy tone to the mix. (8/10)

8. Safety Zone – j-hope brings soulful R&B to the album through with Safety Zone. And it makes sense, as the lyrics expresses j-hope’s desire for a ‘safe zone’ where he can clear headed and step away from his stressful life. I really liked the ‘Ooo’ in the background and the soulful vocals that come through at the end of the song. It makes Safety Zone a lot more emotive and yearning. His rapping was slow and paced in this song, which helped him expressed his confusion over where his ‘safe zone’ is. Overall, a well put together track that made me feel for j-hope. (10/10)

9. Future – Future was quite a change up in terms of sound, when you compare it to the rest of this songs on it. Future is a lot more upbeat, cheerful, playful and vibrant. And this works really well with the song’s more hopeful lyrics. I also like how j-hope sounds like he has a smile on his face whilst recording the song. There is a bit of a child’s choir in the background, which was a nice touch to the song. (8/10)

10. Arson (방화) – Click here to read the full review for Arson. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.6/10

Jack In The Box Teaser Image