Category: KPOP

[Review] Loveable – JO YURI

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The next solo artist review (don’t worry, I have some more reviews for solo debuts lined up for tomorrow and the weekend) is for JO YURI, who made her solo comeback at the start of this week with Loveable. It is the title track from her second single album, Op.22 Y-Waltz : in Minor, which also dropped on the same day as the single. This release follows her earlier 2022 comeback, Love Shhh!, which I really enjoyed.

I feel that JO YURI is on a roll with her 2022 releases. Love Shhh! was a bright and energetic track that really appealed to my own personal taste and was a definite improvement from her solo debut with GLASSY. Loveable continues that momentum with another bright and energetic song. But it isn’t as great as previous track, to be honest. Loveable‘s verses didn’t have anything memorable to them, which left them behind and forgettable. I wished there was an element or two within the verses to give them a somewhat memorable tinge. This was much needed, especially since the choruses opts for a heftier set of percussion and vocals that had some oomph, which overtook and overpowered the verses by a long mile. I did appreciate the difference between the chorus and the verses, but I also felt the chorus could have had a stronger hook to balance out the song a bit better. The catchiest bit of Loveable comes in the post-chorus hook, i.e. the “Aah, Na Na Na“. It was so catchy and extremely vibrant that it was the only part of Loveable that I took with me the first time I heard the song and still cannot get out of my head. So much so that I feel the post-chorus hook also overtakes and overpowers the chorus, just like how the chorus did the same to the verses. Hence, I feel that balance that I mentioned a moment ago is critically missing from the song. The bridge for Loveable gave a really pleasant moment to the song, between forgettable and powerfully memorable sequences. Jo Yuri surely displayed her vocals throughout the song. Overall, I liked Loveable, but its weight towards one or two sections in the song made it feel unbalanced.

The music video depicts JO YURI as a neighbourhood lookout, who notices the community is feeling down and work behind the scenes to make everyone feel valued and happy once again. She starts out with the young boy, who was trying to pop balloons with a slingshot. He misses and his confidence takes a stumble, but JO YURI helps him out by shooting the balloons from afar to boost his confidence and help him win the big teddy bear. The pink sniper was a bit overkill, but I think the intention is the point here. She then notices a young man feeling deflated, but that he also had a bit of fun with bubbles. So she decides to use the local fountain to generate a lot of bubbles to make the community feel bright and lively again. It was a cute video and a sweet story to tell, even though it attempted to be cutesy when it didn’t need to.

The chorography was quite good. I love the whole routine during the song’s catchiest hook. It definitely matched the energy and and vibrancy of that part in the song. I could have done without the high tables, I think. They don’t add much value to the performance and they easily could have done without them

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

[Review] The Astronaut – JIN (BTS)

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The focus on soloists this week on the blog is quite timely, given the biggest release this week is without a doubt the solo debut of one of the members of the biggest KPOP group at the moment. JIN (from BTS) is the logical choice as the next member of the 7-member group for solo promotions, given that he is expected to be the first member to officially enlist into the military (which I believe will happen some time in the next two months). However, just before he does leave, JIN gives us The Astronaut, the title of his solo debut track and the focus of this review.

You may notice right off the bat that the track feels very Coldplay. Well, you notice and thought right, as both JIN and Coldplay co-wrote The Astronaut. If you pay close attention, you can hear Chris Martin contributing to the song via some of the backing vocals, as well. With this partnership in mind, it does not surprise me that The Astronaut is a pop rock song with a hint of synths. And it is a very beautiful one, at that. It isn’t one of those vibrant and upbeat pop rock songs that I think KPOP has geared towards more. Instead, The Astronaut opts for a slower pace that draws out the song in a captivating and stunning manner. I am glad that the slow pace doesn’t draw out the song to the point of boredom, which easily could have been the case. As for the vocals, I am quite entranced. JIN isn’t the person to come to mind when it comes to vocals in BTS, so I was interested in hearing what he has to offer in terms of his official solo work. In The Astronaut, we get to hear a heartfelt and profound tone from JIN. He utilised his lower tone so well in the song to captivate me. I also enjoyed the moments in the song where his vocals become wispy, which helped make The Astronaut more appealing and dimensional. The Astronaut was incredibly thought out and played towards JIN’s strengths. Sadly, it will be a while until we hear from JIN again, but The Astronaut leaves me (and a lot of listeners) quite satisfied for the next while.

While the song’s lyrics appear to have been written for the fans, the story that was told in the music video was so nice and equally as fitting for The Astronaut‘s lyrics. Essentially, JIN plays an alien, who was left to fend for himself when his spaceship crashed into Earth. During his time on Earth, he befriended a young girl who he hanged out with often. A lot of his fondest memories was with her, where she taught him pastimes and he taught her to ride a bike. One day, the spaceship starts beaming up a light which I guess is a call for Alien JIN to return to his home planet. He leaves behind the young girl who was looking for him with a bike (but not after leaving her with his helmet) and makes his way to the spaceship. When he reaches it, however, he realizes that he made Earth his home and reflects on his time with his friend. He ultimately makes the decision to stay behind and returns home. When the young girl rings the bell on the bike at the end, he see a smile on his face, showing us that he is happy with the big and spontaneous decision.

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

[Review] NITRO – PARK JI HOON

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Park Ji Hoon also made his solo comeback on the same day as the release of the last review. For this solo artist, who has been active for 5 years (on the music front – he was also previously a child actor, which extends his years active beyond 5 years), his new single is titled NITRO and is featured as the lead song from his 6th mini-album, The Answer. We last saw Park Ji Hoon on stage through his Serious comeback, back in October of last year.

The standout aspect to NITRO is its chorus. There was a subtle groove to it, which I quite liked. This, on top of the synthwave backing, was pretty strong centrepiece. The deep “Mmmh” and vocals we do get from PARK JI HOON exuded a mature and sensual vibe, which I also enjoyed. And the oomph that comes from the chorus is what I have been craving from a PARK JI HOON release, as it feels more aligned with his earlier works during his early days as a solo artist which had oomph. Unfortunately, the rest of NITRO is pretty forgettable and plain (and relatively dry). We still got synthwave during the verses and other parts of the song, but it wasn’t as riveting. PARK JI HOON’s husky/raspy vocals could only do so much, so I wished there was a stronger melody to the first verse. I am glad he reverts to rapping for the second verse, but there isn’t much rhythm to it for me to find memorable or (at the very least) alluring enough. His rap is also kept low and in a rap-speak delivery mode, which I felt was too safe for NITRO. Something something more upbeat, punchy and dynamic could have potentially been more eye-opening and given some lift to NITRO. His high note in the bridge was probably the second best moment of NITRO as it felt very clean and well-executed. But it is sandwiched between the same two non-memorable repeats of what felt like the verse, and so I often forgot about its existence. It does make for a nice surprise each time I listened to the song. Overall, NITRO had the foundations and centrepiece to a really good song. It just wasn’t evolved enough elsewhere in the song.

I admit the start of the video where PARK JI HOON is spewing blood was quite an opening. It definitely got me interested to see how or why this scene exists. So essentially, a mysterious figure kidnaps him and forces him to swallow a mysterious bullet. PARK JI HOON then proceeds to run, whilst the bullet weakens him. He gets pretty far and probably realizes the end is coming. The mysterious figure, which is revealed to be PARK JI HOON himself, shoots the PARK JI HOON with the bullet in his system and we presume this is the end. Well, I wished the video ended here as the shooting just ends the storyline. Slightly messy, but not as confusing as what actually did happen. The shot PARK JI HOON wakes up alive, so that bullet made him immortal? We aren’t given an explanation to what it all means, nor about the existence of the second PARK JI HOON. So, we are left with even more questions. Though I can potentially see some parallels with the sexy lyrics of NITRO. Other than that, I did like the darkness of the video and the contrast with the bright white scenes (which I assume was a depiction of Heaven).

Not this most riveting routine to date, but it was good to watch nonetheless. He is a good performer, and I feel like this routine did a decent job of highlighting that. I did like the sensual vibes that the chorus had when the moves were slowed down.

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

[Review] HUSH RUSH – LEE CHAE YEON

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Making her solo debut a few weeks ago is LEE CHAE YEON, who is probably most well-known for being a member of the now disbanded IZ*ONE. Since return to her original company (WM Entertainment, the home of OH My GIRL and ONF), it has been fairly quiet for the soloist. That is up until the 12th October, where she made her debut with HUSH RUSH, which is featured on the debut mini-album of the same name. LEE CHAE YEON is also the older sister of ITZY member Lee Chaeryong.

While I think HUSH RUSH is a fair track to debut with, I am a little disappointed with the end product that emerged. To me, it was plagued by a simple issue that easily could have been resolved by the producers. Put simply, the track sounds pretty much the same from start to end. Consistency might be a player here, but I do not think this is the cause of the issue. Rather, I found the song didn’t differentiate between chorus and verses/pre-choruses. Hence, HUSH RUSH sounded too alike between parts and this ultimately resulted in a neutral and consistent feeling. Some additional definition would have been helpful in this regard. We did get a dash of it, but for some reason it was delayed in the chorus. A slightly different instrumental would have been enough to also resolve the issue. But the slightly different instrumental that the producers did go with was quite minute, and so it was hard to really differentiate the chorus from the rest of the song. Aside from that, however, I thought the rest of HUSH RUSH was executed well. It was quite pleasant and LEE CHAE YEON did a good job of portraying this. Her vocals had this silky texture and brought a nice pop of colour and energy to the song, especially during the parts of the chorus were defined. The pop melodies were quite simple, and sure they could have been more riveting. But they did aid in giving off that pleasant vibe in HUSH RUSH. I liked the tiny uttered repetition of “I love it” that was added to the instrumental of the chorus, and the autotuned “Oh yeah” that you here faintly throughout the background of the song. Nice detailing that added a bit more depth to HUSH RUSH. I do feel that “And now, the breakdown” line was unnecessary, since nothing dynamic really came after it. It just stuck out like a sore thumb in this song. But overall, HUSH RUSH is pleasant and good foot into the industry for LEE CHAE YEON.

I am a bit confused about the video. LEE CHAE YEON is portrayed as a vampire in the video. But she gets to spend the latter half of the video outside, under the sun. That isn’t the issue though. In order for her to spend some time under the sun or “get closer to the humans” as the video puts it, she drank a garlic drink. Now, folklore pretty much says vampires and garlic doesn’t mix. So, I am not sure if I can follow the logic there. Though, I guess it is folklore and you can make up anything about it. Otherwise, it is a fun video that complements the pleasant nature of HUSH RUSH. I commend the video on trying to show the meaning of the song. Essentially, from my interpretation of the lyrics, LEE CHAE YEON (the vampire version) experiences love for the first time, and she really wants to feel it again. She likens it to wanting to be outside under the sun or again.

While I do think the pleasantness of this pop song does limit the extent of her performance, LEE CHAE YEON did an awesome job with the choreography. There was a hint of sexiness to it, but also an energetic kick to it, at the same time. I love the bounce and quick moves to the chorus routine. But most importantly, I think LEE CHAE YEON still managed to show off her performance skills with this routine. You could tell she was a performer through this choreography.

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

[Review] No Rules – BAEKHO

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One of the major focuses this week will be solo rookies. I have covered female and male rookie groups to a degree, but I haven’t even picked up any of the artists that recently kicked off their own solo careers. Well, that changes this week with me covering a few rookie solo artists. First up is actually someone who has been around in KPOP for a while now – 10 years to be exact. The artist is none other than BAEKHO, who made his solo debut last week with No Rules and the mini-album Absolute Zero. For those who don’t know, BAEKHO was a former member of the now disbanded NU’EST and also participated in Produce 101 Season 2. He remains at Pledis Entertainment, following the disbandment of his group earlier this year.

No Rules is another groovy track to add to the ever-growing list of groovy singles from this year alone. While I will admit that No Rules pretty much sounds like a song we have heard time and time before and plays it safe, I still quite enjoyed the the track nonetheless. It is just a no-nonsense display of BAEKHO that just sounds great. I quite liked how profound the groovy undertone is in No Rules, brought forward by the electric guitar (otherwise described as a ‘rock sound’) and an undeniable foot-tapping beat. I also like how there isn’t too much else to the instrumental, which allows that groovy undertone to stand out even more and not become masked by the rest of the backing. Similarly, this also allows BAEKHO’s vocals to fully stand out, as it isn’t complicated (or masked again) by noisy instrumentation and such. BAEKHO himself brings a mature and sensual vibe with his approach, which just suits him and feels more natural. If I was to suggest a way to make the No Rules better, a stronger melody would have been top of my list. While No Rules does have its own individual charm, I do feel that the song could have been more memorable. And the melody would have been the most optimal to get this across, given that I think the rest of No Rules is pretty solid. But that is just my two cents on what I think could have taken No Rules to the next level. Overall, No Rules is a nice and straight forward solo debut for BAEKHO.

The cinematography is probably the best aspect of the music video for me. It pretty much felt like movie-quality to me. Usually, I find this level of cinematography is reserved for videos with a much bigger or meatier plot line to get through. But for this video, I couldn’t really piece together a story. The jumping into pools and the ocean was a bit confusing for me and I am unsure of the meaning behind the temperatures on the wristwatch. My understanding is the song is about wanting to escape, so all of these elements in the music video must be linked up somehow to this desire to run away. Aside from that, I see that BAEKHO’s fit body was on display throughout the video and I am not entirely surprised by that.

As for the performance, the aesthetic was what took the cake for me. It isn’t necessarily sensual (despite some of the outfits suggesting otherwise), but it was definitely mature and different. And I quite liked that impression the performance leaves on me. None of the moves really stood out, but I thought the chairs were a good touch. They aided in giving off that impression/aesthetics and they really make the performance feel whole. Also, that chair flip at the end was very sexy.

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

[Review] Nxde – (G)I-DLE

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As I mentioned in my last review, it is a big week of reviews. And I am namely saying that because of the many song/album reviews I am trying to prepare/post over the coming days. Last week, I completely missed the return of one of KPOP’s trendiest groups of the year. But today, I am going to knock out the review for said comeback on this blog. If you are wondering who I am talking about, it is none other than (G)I-DLE. They had a smash hit with TOMBOY earlier this year. On Monday last week, they returned with what looks like another hit – Nxde.

Let me start off by saying that TOMBOY did end up growing on me after I reviewed it (I acknowledged this in the album review I wrote for I NEVER DIE). So I am hoping that more listens to Nxde might change my perspective. I am of the opinion that it could have been a decent track, with a nice Broadway and old Hollywood influence to it. But there are some major flaws and it is because of these flaws that I hesitate with liking Nxde. Let’s start off with the positive aspects of the song. Firstly, the chorus. It can be broken down into two halves. The first half of the chorus is probably the most memorable aspect of Nxde, with the whisper utterance of the “Yes, I’m a nude” and the somewhat screechy violins. It is also one of my favourite parts of the song. The second half of the chorus fails to capture that same attention, as it opts for a pretty flat melody. But I did like the forceful vocals in this part. The pre-choruses were a nice ramp up to the chorus (though they and the vocal aspect of the verses were pretty standard for KPOP). I did like the additional touch of electric guitars during these pre-choruses, giving Nxde some extra edginess. The anthem sequence at the end was also a strong moment. The English could have been better, but I really like how the energy of Nxde peaks here. Now, with the positives listed, I turn my attention to the flaws of Nxde. I find all the flaws boil down to one particular member – Soyeon. I feel like if her parts were removed (i.e. the awkward intro, her overly energetic rapping in the first verse, her clumsy blur of a rap sequence in the second verse and the line “Now, I draw a luxury nude” in the bridge) and replaced with cleaner, clearer and toned back rap sequences, Nxde would have been much better and stronger. Her parts just attempt to jam her own individual style into the song and it just doesn’t work out. It also doesn’t help that she alone has a massive chunk of the song. On a quick side note, I am full aware that the intro shares the exact same lyrics as that anthem end of Nxde, but I felt Soyeon was trying too hard at the start. It left a poor taste in my mouth – not really the way you would want to start off the song. Overall, I wished Nxde was more refined and clever.

Concept wise, I think the video nailed the various vintage concept styles in this video. We got an amazing old Hollywood style going on with the group performing as showtime girls in the first chorus. We also see Marylin Monroe influence in some of Yuqi and Minnie’s solo scenes at the start of the video. Monroe is also acknowledged and thanked at the end of the video for being an influence. In the second chorus, we see the group don more modern/sleek outfits with a tinge of that vintage feel to it via the jewelry pieces. And then we get a bit of vintage and classical art at the end, with the members performing at an art gallery and posing as pieces of art throughout the video. Banksy was acknowledged as an influence for this part of the video, which I suppose is in reference to that “Nude” painting that is shredded. Needless to say, the visuals and outfits are the highlight of the video.

I liked that the choreography embraced that sensual undertones of the song, going with a memorable ‘pulling a zipper down’ move for the chorus and sexy hip waves. I did think when the sexy undertone was not there, the moves were a bit clumsy. I also feel the choreography is best when the members are in their showtime girls outfit.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.1/10

[Review] Youth – KIHYUN (MONSTA X)

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This review kicks off a big week of reviews coming to you on this blog. And that honour of the day goes to KIHYUN, who returns as a solo artist after his solo debut with VOYAGER seven months ago. The new single is titled Youth and is featured on his first mini-album of the same name. KIHYUN also participated in MONSTA X’s comeback earlier this year, LOVE.

Youth follows on neatly from his solo debut track, with both tracks falls into the rock genre. However, we aren’t talking about copies here. Youth is more on the alternative side of the genre and there is some really good energy coming from the song. Within the first listen, I was digging the sound and having a bit of a dance in my seat. That is probably the best first impression you could get with any song. KIHYUN did a superb job in terms of vocals, once again. I really liked the huskier tone he adopts in the verses of Youth and the way his vocals push upwards to give us a more explosive chorus. The melody was just fine, but I found it to be fulfilling given the way his vocals rode the energy that came from the instrumental. This created a satisfying centrepiece to Youth. His lower vocals at the end of Youth was also stunning way to close up the song, making the song feel complete, especially following the high of the chorus. However, with a few more listens in the bag, I have consistently been caught off guard with the fact that Youth is short. I wanted more to the song. Maybe the ending we got potentially could have been a false one, and KIHYUN had another go at the chorus to catch us off guard. This doesn’t change the fact that Youth is good and that I am happy with Youth. But hopefully we can get a longer title track from KIHYUN in the future.

YOUTH’s lyrics expresses the emotions felt by a person at the crossroads between their younger and current self. It touches on the whole idea of maturing into an adult, but also wishing those days when we were young to return. I felt the music video depicted KIHYUN as his younger and current self quite well. We see KIHYUN as his younger self in the first half of the video, with him jumping about in the bedroom and having fun at the playground, just like a young kid would be doing. His current self is depicted in the second half of the video, but I think we see two sides. We first saw what his younger self had thought he would become when he matures into an adult – dark and lonely. But we a truer representation of KIHYUN now when he is in the studio taking photos and videos towards the end. And he definitely looks content and happy about where he is now. It is a nice video that woks extremely well with the lyrics and has a deep meaning.

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

[Album Review] Girls (2nd Mini Album) – aespa

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Next album review on this blog will be for aespa, who returned with Girls – the title of both their latest lead single and second mini-album. Both dropped in July of this year. Girls features a total of nine tracks, making it feel just like a studio album. But the idea of the mini-album might be the fact that the physical version only features 6 tracks (including the pre-release Illusion, the English and Korean versions of Life’s Too Short and the title track Girls). The digital version bumps the tracklist to the 9 to include the singles Black Mamba, Forever and their Dreams Come True remake. All the links to the releases/reviews can be found down below.

As alluded above, since I have access to the digital version of the album, I will be counting all the tracks as part of the album rating (but only count the two versions of Life’s Too Short as one song). With the housekeeping out of the way, here is my overall remark of the mini-album. And I think some people might not like it. I consider Girls to be a fairly safe release. Out of the new songs, we have a balance of strong and weak songs that cancel each other out. Hence, I don’t feel one way or another about the release. When I factor in the past releases (unsure to why they are included on this mini-album), they do help boost up the rating of this mini-album. I wonder if SM Entertainment was trying to strengthen the album with the presence of their remake and debut singles.

Girls Album Cover

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

2. Illusion (도깨비불) (Pre-Release Track) – I liked the fact that Illusion is more paced and felt more refined, yet still maintaining an EDM-based and a somewhat intense atmosphere. However, I did think aespa and their producers were playing it safe with this song. I felt they could have snuck in a few punches into Illusion just to give it some oomph and power. I feel like the song potentially could have been taken to the next level (pun unintended) had this been the case, whilst also still maintaining the pace/refinement it had opted for. The line “Yummy Yummy Yummy in my Tummy” was a bit off-putting, simply because it felt too childish. (7.5/10)

3. Lingo – Lingo is even more paced than the previous song, and I was not a fan of it. It resulted in Lingo coming off as sluggish and dry. However, the producers kept it interesting by including a harmonica riff into the instrumental. As far as I can remember from the top of my head, I don’t think I have ever heard of a harmonic riff in KPOP before. It is an interesting colour, and one I would love to dive further into. Just with a more upbeat tempo next time around. Their vocals and raps were quite nice in this song. (6.5/10)

4. Life’s Too Short – I have previously reviewed Life’s Too Short in an International Song Review post. I will not be reviewing the Korean version of the song, as a result, and will not factor the Korean version into the final overall album rating I give at the end of album reviews. See the English version of Life’s Too Short on this album for a link to the review of the song.

5. ICU (쉬어가도 돼) – ICU is a soft pop ballad that I thought was stunner. It follows on nicely from Life’s Too Short and features a sweet vocals and melodies that just feels warm and inviting. The instrumental was quite balance and brings a smile to my face, with the soft acoustic guitar being my favourite part. I also love the bolstering of the “and ICU” parts of the song. It is a nice amplification that fits in with the rest of the song, and also helps leave a strong impression on you. My favourite (new) side track on this mini-album. (9/10)

6. Life’s Too Short (English Version) – I have previously reviewed Life’s Too Short in an International Song Review post. Click here to see that review. (8/10)

7. Black Mamba – Click here to read the full review of Black Mamba. (9/10)

8. Forever (약속) – Click here to read the full review of Forever. (9/10)

9. Dreams Come True – At the end of 2021, aespa made a special comeback as part of SM Station, where they remade Dreams Come True, a single previously released back in 1998 by S.E.S. They kicked off the song with a more prominent hip-hop vibe, which is a neat way that makes the original pop song relevant to the younger group. As the song progress, aespa continues to make Dreams Come True their own by infusing a light touch of EDM into the song. What I like is that the producers did not change the iconic melody of the instrumental and chorus, so it maintained resemblance to the original song. They also maintained the gibberish bridge from the original version of the song. If you have not yet, I highly recommend you check out the music video for this release. It was produced by BoA and was so beautifully done. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.3/10

Girls Teaser Image

[Review] HIT YA! – Lapillus

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Before I can return to writing reviews for releases from the past week (plus some other posts such as album reviews and International Song Reviews posts), I need to cover one more female rookie group (just to keep things balanced with the male rookie groups I focused on the previous week). And this one more review will focus on Lapillus, a 6-member female group under MLD Entertainment, the home of Momoland and T1419. The group consists of Chanty, Shana, Yue, Bessie, Seowon, and Haeun, and they all made their debut in June of this year with the single HIT YA!. More recently, Lapillus returned with the single GRATATA, which will be the focus of another review post in the future.

Out of all the female rookie releases I have reviewed this week, HIT YA! is probably the heaviest of all. There is a powerful, edgy, girl crush vibe that comes off strongly from the song. Out of the four reviews I wrote this week for the female rookies, HIT YA! does manage to stand out as a result of this powerful and edgy energy. But when you compare HIT YA! to the rest of the industry and what is out there at the moment (or at the time of HIT YA!‘s release), the song falls into pretty generic territory. It also doesn’t help that the entire second verse was substituted out for an instrumental break. It does add more to that powerful and girl crush vibe that I already mentioned and there is a uniqueness to this approach, but it is done at a pretty large expense. Surely, the producers could have used that segment better to show off the members. As a result, HIT YA! only had a limited amount of time for the members to make a lasting impact. And unfortunately, I don’t think they did. The high notes at the end were definitely a hint at something promising for the group, but they ended up being in the background. Those high notes easily could have breached the surface and become an explosive element. There were potential behind the rappers in the first verse with their solid delivery. But without a second verse, there was a missed opportunity to reiterate it. Even the lyrical hooks were quite lacking, relying on the instrumental of the choruses to be the main centrepiece of the song. I feel lyrical hooks leave much more of an impression, while the instrumental only does so much. So unfortunately, Lapillus’ debut song HIT YA! was riddled with problems that just did not work in their favour. Hopefully, their comeback track GRATATA can be more promising.

While the song isn’t for me, the music video was definitely much better. They got a fairly decent budget for the music video that enabled them to get some cool backgrounds in the post-production department. Their closeups and solo shots were also quite cool, though some better lighting could have shown off the members more successfully. I know they approach the video with a darker and edgier concept in mind, but the backgrounds for some of the scenes turned out to be quite colourful, so I feel like they could have gotten away with some better lighting. The real and built dance sets were probably the most lacking elements in the video, as they come off as quite plain.

The choreography for this release worked well with the song. The members doing a great job of showcasing that edgy and powerful vibe from the song behind each of their moves. I did particularly like the body waves and the right-angled positioning of the arms in the chorus, while some other moves (i.e. the arm shotguns) are becoming dated.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

[Review] RING X RING – Billlie

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I had a bit of an internal debate about which Billlie song I was going to review for this week. While all their songs are unique, I really wanted to kill two birds with one stone by reviewing their more recent release, RING ma Bell (what a wonderful day). The reason why would make sense in a couple of weeks time. But no birds were harmed in the making of this review, as I decided to exclusively focus on debut tracks. For Billlie, that is RING X RING, which was released almost a year ago in November 2021. Billlie is another 7 member group (consisting of Moon Sua, Suhyeon, Haram, Tsuki, Sheon, Siyoon and Haruna) under Mystic Story,

Firstly, I want to apologise for how long this review has taken (a shocking 11 months). It was definitely on my ‘to review’ list since its release, but I never got around to doing that. There was a lot going on during that time. But as I say quite often on this blog, better late than never. RING X RING is, with no doubts whatsoever, a very interesting release. Once you listen to it, it will be obvious to why that is the case. Compared to other KPOP releases we have heard before and since, RING X RING is different. The instrumental experiments with the synths by making it feel all abstract. I liked the idea of that, but I find the instrumental doesn’t come off as intended. There is a fair bit going on (i.e. pulsating bass, twinkling and siren-like synths, a touch of classical influence in the dance break etc.), on top of the heaviness and repetitiveness. But when you consider the instrumental as a whole, it feels more of a blur. Sure, there is still an epic vibe and flair to RING X RING‘s backing, but nothing really sticks out. When we get to the chorus, RING X RING changes momentum momentarily, with a fairly simple melody that contrasts quite strongly with the rest of the song. The change was quite sudden for my liking. And if you read past reviews, you will know I am not a big fan of sudden. It essentially stopped the momentum of that was built in the verses in what felt like a jerk-like motion. This was quite a disappointment, as I did like what I thought the verses and pre-choruses were hurtling towards. However, the choruses were a nice display of their vocal potential. Their vocals were already strong, and I liked the additional boldness and definition their vocals had in the song. Whilst speaking about vocals, I feel the need to mention that their rapping was also displayed strongly. Needlessly to say, what we heard in RING X RING is enough proof that there is potential behind this new group. The biggest take away from RING X RING is that, even after a year, I am not 100% sure if I like it or not. Parts of it I do, parts of it don’t. It just leaves me confused as I don’t know what to think of RING X RING, and that is quite baffling for me.

I note that the video was released on the 10 November 2021, 10 days after Halloween. Some places would have moved onto Thanksgiving or Christmas season by then. However, the video continues to showcase spooky and eerie vibes that reminds me of Halloween. As a fan of the horror, creepiness and dark, I have no issues about the lateness of the video in terms of timing (though it could have been better). But I do have the qualms about how it doesn’t explore this concept further. The choreography scenes literally takes over the video, and it leaves little opportunity for us to really five into the spooky and eerie vibes. And I find that to be disappointing. As for the choreography shots that took over the video, their outfits lacked concept, while the choreography set was pretty plain.

Performance-wise, this group definitely also shows potential. Their choreography was quite cool, with their moves taking on board that unique charm from the song. The start was pretty cool, where each member got a chance to be in focus. The dance break we get in the performance showcases an epic vibe. I just feel the choreography lacks a key point.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.1/10

[Review] SHUT DOWN – CLASS:y

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Two reviews ago, I started to focus on a few female rookie releases of this year that I have yet to review. I will be continuing that focus today. The first of two reviews is on CLASS:y, a 7 member female group under M25 and Universal Music Japan. They were formed via the MBC survival show My Teenage Girl, with the top 7 participants (i.e. Myung Hyungseo, Yoon Chaewon, Hong Hyeju, Kim Riwon, Won Jimin, Park Boeun and Kim Seonyou) forming CLASS:y. They subsequently made their debut back in May with Part 1 of their debut mini-album, Class Is Over, and the title track SHUT DOWN. They later followed up with their comeback Classy, and later this month with Tick Tick Boom and Zealous – all of which will be subject of future reviews.

SHUT DOWN proved to be quite a catchy track, but it took quite a while for it to catch on for me. I don’t think I thought much of SHUT DOWN when it was first released, otherwise I might have been more inclined to review it earlier on. But over time, the dramatic thumping consistently throughout the instrumentation, the squeaky horn synth that plays in the background of the “SHUT DOWN” refrain following the chorus, and that very same repetition ended up making SHUT DOWN being quite memorable. I really liked the extra oomph the members put behind that repetitive sequence (i.e. the shouting and chantiness of the sequence), which helped bolster up the sequence and give it a more epic vibe. All of what I had just listed is pretty much on point with current sounds and styles, but I like the way that CLASS:y and their producers had managed to keep the song exciting and dynamic throughout. However, listening back to SHUT DOWN, there are still a few sore spots to the song that just have not been able to escape the land of generic. Firstly, the actual chorus was not that strong. Compared to the main hook of SHUT DOWN, the chorus itself was pretty boring and plain. The melody here could have been more interesting and stronger, just to keep it on par with the hook and not feel as lacking as it did. Secondly, I felt the group could have done more with their vocals and raps. CLASS:y does have a strong set of vocals and raps as demonstrated in the song, but I wished there was more of a wow moment. I kept on thinking of an epic note or a punchy rap line would have been ideal in this song. And while I do think we did head in that direction during the bridge, it didn’t feel enough. Thirdly, the verses were pretty forgettable. Overall, SHUT DOWN‘s strongest point (i.e. the catchy hook) is its best aspect and a fair first step into the industry.

I feel like we have seen a few apocalypse concept music videos this year, more than any other year. Is KPOP trying to warn us of something? However, this one probably takes the cake, with both an asteroid crashing into Earth and a zombie plague all at once. Though I feel like the latter might be influenced by All of Us Are Dead from earlier in the year. Anyhow, I was pretty okay with the video. It leans towards the cutesy side, but I am not too troubled by this initially. It was a neat fit for the group’s youthful visuals. However, the ending is when I started questioning things. Supercharged inflatable bats and water guns was just a bit too cutesy for my liking. Also, the zombified people in the different protective outfits we see closing in on the members during their choreography shots were a nice touch, but I wished their walking wasn’t as “video game” like.

I quite liked the energy the members put into the performance, particularly during the final sequence. It adds more oomph to the song. I really liked how they changed the moves for that hook in the end, just to give the end of the performance a more intensified zing. The earlier moves for that hook made sense, but felt somewhat weak. I did like how Hyeju flaunt her flexibility during her second sequence – that was a cool moment.

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

[Review] Timeless – THE BOYZ

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Another slight change to the review schedule for today. Sliding in a scheduled post instead of what I had planned for today. Back to normal for tomorrow!

Another album review I will be posting in the near future is for THE BOYZ’s BE AWARE, which dropped mid-August of this year. A week prior to the official release of both BE AWARE and the title track WHISPER, THE BOYZ did pre-release the track Timeless. As it also got a music video, I thought I write a quick review for Timeless.

Timeless is quite a different track to their title track for what became their 7th mini-album. The only common thread between the two songs is the fact that both songs are ideal for the summer season. The major difference, however, is the title track is much more synth-based and a performance piece, whilst Timeless is more approachable and calming to listen to. I use the terms ‘pleasant’ and ‘soothing’ quite often on my blog (and more so this year than any other year), but it is probably the most succinct way to describe the likes of Timeless. I think you can also describe as the song as rather simple, as well.. There really isn’t much to it. The instrumental is less reliant on the synths that have taken over THE BOYZ’s title tracks, instead opting for a mix of piano in the verses and a minimalistic approach with some light tropical synths for the choruses. There is also some intriguing synths at the start the song, which admittedly got me interested in Timeless. I also quite like the bass, which gave the song a bit more body and was a subtle way to build the song. Similarly, the guitar work we get in the bridge and in the final chorus of Timeless was also another subtle way to keep the ball rolling but also not exactly repeat everything that came before it. As for the vocals and raps, the members also kept it simple, with a simple melody. I did like the way members all sung together at the end, giving the ending nice sense of closure and peak, as well. Overall, Timeless was a neat pre-release and I appreciated its presence on the mini-album.

The music video was also quite simple and appeals to the idea that the song is geared towards the Summer season. In this video, the members go on a retreat to the beach, hanging out with one another and enjoying their time together as a group away from spotlights and the stage. I don’t have much to say about the video, mainly that it works well with the song. Also, it shows the members is a less harsher and edgy manner, and that their visuals appear to be more natural. This complements the idea of nature and scenic views that is touched on in the video.

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

[Review] Pop? Pop! – CSR

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Last week, I focused on some male group debuts from this year that I had yet to review. This week, I turn my attention to some female group debuts from this year. While the female group rookie scene has been super intense in particular, there is still a lot of ground to cover. I begin it all off with CSR, a seven member group under POPMUSIC. They debuted back in July of this year with the mini-album Sequence: 7272 and title track Pop? Pop!. Fun fact, the seven members of the group (i.e. Sua, Sihyeon, Yuna, Seoyeon, Duna, Geumhee and Yeham) are all born the year 2005. Before we let that actually sink in, let’s get stuck right in with this review.

Out of all the songs that I will be covering in the next few days for this female group rookie intensive period, Pop? Pop! is probably my favourite release. While I do find some cutesy song releases to be cringy and rely on a lot of the same motifs over time, there have been a few that have really stood out for me. And Pop? Pop! is joining that list. Put simply, Pop? Pop! brings nostalgia upfront because it sounds very similar to some of LOVELYZ’s earlier releases, a group previously active between 2014 to 2021. The synth-pop style of instrumentation and vocals work just brings me back to LOVELYZ’s releases. In addition to the nostalgia, there is a vibrant and refreshing feel to Pop? Pop! that feels very original in 2022. I particularly love the way the title of the song is repeated throughout the song. But instead of being repetitive, it is cleverly weaved into the instrumentation and used as detailing throughout the song. The exclamations of “Pop” during the verses were so addictive and acted like mini explosions of energy that kept even the verses dynamic. Even the refrain following the choruses was quite appealing, probably due to what felt like a faster tempo and the liveliness it gave. As for the actual choruses, they were very nicely done and the melody here was pleasantly inviting. The bridge is where the song changes up a tad bit, with a vibrating synth that we have not really heard in the song yet. It also incorporated a bit of a rap, which isn’t really a LOVELYZ thing. Essentially, the bridge of Pop? Pop! maintained that good energy that comes from the verses and choruses, but in a way that the song doesn’t feel like it is stuck in a loop. Finally, I really enjoyed the way the song ended with the extra “Pop Pop” that also feels more hefty, strongly signaling the end of Pop? Pop!. Overall, I think it is safe to say that Pop? Pop! is a great release. It has been on repeat for me, and I am not even tired of it.

The concept of the group, from KProfiles, is a class of young girls who were born in 2005. Their ages already tick off the latter part, whilst the group goes for the school concept for the first part of their concept. This time around, the visuals and music videos reminds me of GFriend, who is also another disbanded group who was notorious for their school girl concept in their very early days. But this music video features a bit more post-production that makes it feel more cutesy. Personally, since I like the song, I am not too troubled by the extra cuteness, simply because it matches up with the vibrant energy. And the acting isn’t as forced or hard to watch as other examples. I also enjoyed the vibrant colours in this video, with green in this video having a lasting impression on me.

When I watch their performance, I cannot help but smile. While some might argue that is this just down to just the song, I feel the bright energy, their smiles and positive vibes you get from the members also plays a part in getting this reaction out of me.

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

[Review] ANTIFRAGILE – LE SSERAFIM

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I start off this week with a review for a new release, before I turn my focus onto the female rookies that I have promised to review. And kicking off this particular week is LE SSERAFIM, who makes their first comeback with ANTIFRAGILE and the mini-album of the same name. The group’s previous release was their debut single, FEARLESS, which proved to be a massive hit upon its release, so there are some very high expectations with ANTIFRAGILE. Let’s see if they reach and/or exceed those expectations.

ANTIFRAGILE maintains the minimalist style that featured in FEARLESS to a degree. With the success of their debut song and how much I enjoyed the track, I am definitely on board to see how LE SSERAFIM would incorporate it into their new single. For ANTIFRAGILE, the minimalistic impression comes through the hooks of the song, which are more on the spoken or chanty side. To an even lesser degree, their vocals give off a similar impression. There isn’t exactly much going around the hooks of ANTIFRAGILE, hence why I am describing those sequences as ‘minimalistic’. The vocals don’t feel 100% incorporated with the backing, and so the way their vocals and raps interacted with the instrumental gave off the minimalistic feel. I find all of this does set ANTIFRAGILE up quite well, as it provide us with something new (and not a rehashed form of FEARLESS), whilst also maintaining a bit of identity for the group between releases. Now, I touched on some aspects of the song already that I just want to dive deeper into. I found the song’s initial hook (i.e. the ‘Anti ti ti ti fragile‘) to be quite jarring. But at the same time, I can definitely see it growing on me with repeated listens. The rest of the repetitive hooks in the song are just fine and help grows the song’s likeness. The instrumental had some good rhythm, with a slight reggae influence to it. However, while the consistent/repetitive percussion and rhythm keeps ANTIFRAGILE upbeat and appealing, I could have done with less of that faint whistle synth. I feel like that (out of all the repetitive and jarring elements of the song) might do my head in the most and the quickest. The verses of ANTIFRAGILE were probably the most forgettable sequences in the song, as the choruses stand out the most and are the catchiest parts of the song. Overall, I wouldn’t exactly describe ANTIFRAGILE as an exceed expectations, but it definitely heads in that direction.

The concept of the music video is quite an intriguing but clever way of showing the group is ANTIFRAGILE. Essentially, the world is doomed with the flying asteroid crushing into Earth. Everyone around them is running around and panicking, but not LE SSERAFIM, who goes about their day and lives as usual. While it is chaos on the streets, the group are just proving to us it is another day. At the end of the video, the asteroid does make impact with the members. But they come out of it unscathed, showing us that they are indeed ANTIFRAGILE. I think the music video could have used a little more vibrancy, but I do appreciate that there is more colour in this video compared to their last video.

I really liked the bounce they had in the performance, and the use of their muscle pose to show that they are ANTIFRAGILE (i.e. toughness and strongness). I did think the love hearts at the end of the performance were cringy and don’t really reflect the entire three minutes before it. I also think a better killing point move during the ‘Anti ti ti ti fragile’ hook would have been ideal. But a good performance, overall.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Review] We Fresh – Kep1er

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Kep1er is back with a brand new single and mini-album. Titled We Fresh and Troubleshoot respectively, this is the group’s second comeback of the year and since their debut (in Korea), following the likes of WA DA DA and Up!. Since their last comeback. Kep1er also made their debut in Japan with the single Wing Wing, which (like most of the non-Korean releases this year) has not been reviewed yet.

We Fresh is another one of those songs that had quite a bit going on within it, simply because it mashes up multiple influences and sound profiles within the song’s 3:15 minute span. Interestingly, We Fresh isn’t all bad. I found it cohesive enough to enjoy and that the song felt whole. However, naturally with these types of songs, there are parts that I really enjoyed and there are parts that I wish were left out or swapped out for something better. Let’s start off with the stuff within We Fresh that I did like. The punk rock that we get at the start and throughout the background of the song was super cool, and I wished the producers had delved more into that genre (or perhaps develop a song that is just punk rock). I know it is very 2022, but it would be on trend and I am not tired of it. Similarly, I really enjoyed that rock guitar breakdown following the second chorus / just before the bridge (sans Hikaru’s “We’re gon’ to the next” line). It was quite intense and had a great rush of energy, making it a highlight in We Fresh. The shouty vocals and delivery of the chorus worked well in this song, as well. We Fresh definitely had some vibrant energy, and I feel this style of delivery of the chorus complemented the dynamic nature of the song. I also enjoyed the fast pace feel of the song, for the same reasons. There was also a nice buildup in the pre-choruses, courtesy of Xiaoting. As for the parts I disliked in this song, all of the honky brass and horns we get in the song. While I didn’t mind it in the backing behind the vocals during the choruses, I am not definitely not a fan of them when it got squeaky and unsettling during the breakdown within the choruses. This just felt a sour feel that infected all of the brass and horns that we got in We Fresh. And it is quite disappointing, as that makes up a large chunk of the song and the main centre of the song. Overall, We Fresh potentially could have been a strong release for me, but it was weakened for some unwanted inclusions.

I don’t have too much to say about the music video. The visual of the members throughout the solo shots were very cool. Huening Bahiyyih with her samurai sword and Hikaru’s gun fight scene were the ones that left the biggest impression on me throughout this video. I also quite enjoyed the final choreography scene, with the background looking like newspaper or comic clippings and such. Overall, a good video to accompany this release.

The choreography embraces the edgy side of the song, but mixes it with Kep1er’s youthful side that they have shown through both their debut and first comeback singles. It creates for a strong routine that suits Kep1er likeness. I cannot imagine another group pulling off this performance – which is probably one of the highest compliments I can pay to a group. I did wish the choreography associated with the rock breakdown following the second chorus was more intense and concentrated. It was fairly weak, in my opinion.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.6/10

[Review] Parade – Kang Daniel

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A slight change to the review schedule for today. Sliding in a scheduled post instead of what I had planned for today. Back to normal for tomorrow!

Kang Daniel made his last comeback way back in May of this year, with the studio album The Story, and the title track Upside Down. In the months following the release of the album and promotion of the title track, Kang Daniel has released a series of music videos to accompany some side tracks from The Story. I will be covering these releases in anticipation for an album review for The Story next weekend. The first side track with a music video I wish to cover is Parade, the fourth song from The Story’s tracklist. It was the first side track to receive a music video, which dropped at the start of June of this year.

Parade is one of my favourite side tracks from The Story album, and I quite glad it got the music video treatment (more on the video in the next section). The track begins quite eerie with the organs. Kang Daniel’s wispy vocals works really well with this instrumental backing. This vibe lasts for the whole first verse. The chorus then changes the momentum of Parade from eerie into pop territory, which I thought was very interesting. The instrumental is amplified and Kang Daniel’s vocals are given definition with the help of backing vocals. There was a pleasant and yet an almost monotonous vibe to the chorus. But the relatively more dynamic backing to the chorus helped made it appealing and aesthetic to my taste. The eerie vibe and organs return in the second verse with the added trap to follow on neatly from the first chorus. The second chorus repeats. For the bridge, we get that eerie organ back for a brief moment, before the song launches back into the chorus. Even though it sounds repetitive in words, I always found the choruses to be a fascinating contrast to the verses and this is the reason to why I kept on repeating Parade upon its release. The way Kang Daniel ends the song with that “Yeah~” was quite different to the rest of the song, surprising me with something unexpected once again. Overall, Parade is a well crafted song that just sounds better very time you listen to it.

Parade talks about embracing our differences and taking a stand against the world that feels plain and non-autonomous. In the video, Kang Daniel is depicted in a world of office workers, travelling into the office and working a typical 9 to 5 job. He dons a black suit and pretty much looks like everyone else. But when we get to the choruses, the scenes in which he looks plain in changes. Instead of Kang Daniel blending in with everyone, he becomes the centre of attention. The people around him on the train and in the office start dancing with him. Ironically, I quite like how it isn’t freestyled. But rather the choreography feels set and follows a routine. However, I did like how aesthetic it felt. Also, Kang Daniel looks really good in a suit. Like really handsome.

I quite enjoyed the choreography for this release. There isn’t much going on in terms of moves, but you can definitely feel that the thought behind it was definitely present and carefully considered. The lack of emotions somehow added more fuel to the performance and the fact that chorus felt controlled and lacked freedom was still an interesting aspect of the performance, overall.

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