Category: KPOP

[Album Review] ZERO: FEVER EPILOGUE (8th Mini Album) – ATEEZ

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It has been a few weeks from the last album review. But with the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards winners announced during the week (congratulations to all the winners!), it is time to go back to doing the album reviews. And first up is a December release. ATEEZ made their comeback at the start of last month (and year) with ZERO: FEVER EPILOGUE, which is lead by the title tracks Turbulence and The Real (Heung Version). In addition to these tracks, the mini-album consist of 2 other new original tracks, 2 Korean version of past Japanese releases, an outro and previously heard versions of some of their past title tracks that the group previously performed on Kingdom: Legendary War. For the purpose of the review, I will be including all the songs on the album in the final rating aside from the Kingdom: Legendary War versions of their title tracks, as I have already discussed those versions in the past. Without any further delay, here is my review for ZERO: FEVER EPILOGUE.

Zero: Fever Epilogue Album Cover

1. Turbulence (야간비행) (Title Track) – Click here to read Turbulence’s full review. (9/10)

2. Be With You – Be With You is a beautifully instrumented classical ballad that just manages to take my breath away. The piano and violin strings in this song are just stunning, while the vocals and harmonies expertly brings out that emotional tinge that makes Be With You so captivating. Even the rappers tweaked their delivery to be more vocal style to fit in with the balladry genre. Like most ballads, this one builds into that breath-taking piece before easing out so wonderfully. I love this typical trajectory, especially when it is done right. (10/10)

3. The Letter – The Letter takes on a soft R&B pop direction. The opening verse made it feel like a coffee shop music with a bit more oomph. But as the song progresses along, it diverted down a slightly more dynamic path with the inclusion of synths. The vocals and rapping in The Letter were also quite good and adds more dynamic traits to the song. Altogether, it had a nice kick to it and wasn’t as dry if the song had stayed with its coffee shop vibe. (8/10)

4. Still Here (Korean Ver.) – Still Here is a Japanese track that was previously released on the group’s second studio Japanese album, Into A to Z. Still Here is actually a neat pop track, consisting of a decent dosage of synths. I also liked the other parts of the instrumentation, including the guitar in the verses and that atmospheric in the bridge (which gave us a reprieve from the synths mentioned). The vocals and melodies in this song were memorable, while the rapping in the pre-choruses and at the end of the song added more dynamism to the song. (8/10)

5. Better (Korean Ver.) – Better is also another Japanese track, but is from the group’s first Japanese mini-album, Treasure EP. Map to Answer. Better’s biggest selling point is its repetition in the chorus. It is just do memorable and catchy. The group’s vocals and rapping are on point throughout Better and were the group’s best presentation on this album. Jongho’s high notes at the end was quite amazing. Interestingly, Better feels very ‘at home’ for ATEEZ, but also evoked a nostalgic vibe for me with its balladry approach. (9/10)

6. The Real (Heung Ver.) (멋) (흥 : 興 Ver.) (Title Track) – Click here to read The Real’s (Heung Version) full review. (8.5/10)

7. WAVE (Overture) – Track 7 is a shorter and alternative version of ATEEZ’s title track, WAVE, which was performed previously on Kingdom: Legendary War. You can read my thoughts on WAVE (Overture) in the special Kingdom: Legendary War recap posts that I wrote back around when the show was airing here.

8. WONDERLAND (Symphony No. 9 “From The Wonderland”) – This version of WONDERLAND was previously performed during the second round of Kingdom: Legendary War with an epic performance. For my thoughts on WONDERLAND (Symphony No. 9 “From The Wonderland”), you can read them here.

9. Answer (Ode to Joy) (ft. LA POEM)– Answer (Ode to Joy) was performed as part of the third round of Kingdom: Legendary War. My thoughts on Answer (Ode to Joy) can be found here.

10. Outro: Over the Horizon – The outro consists of a very atmospheric instrumentation and a narration (by an unknown member). The narration can also be found as the words wrapped around the logo on the album art. It brings us to the end of both the album but also the Fever series as well, which the group has been actively promoting since mid-2020. This outro track does make me wonder, what is next for ATEEZ?, which I am sure is its intended effect as well. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.6/10

Zero: Fever Epilogue Teaser Image

[Review] Beautiful (Part 3) – Wanna One

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Never did I think this would be pulled off, but Wanna One has regrouped for the release of a special single, Beautiful (Part 3). This new single was performed by the group for the first time at the 2021 MAMAs (with the exception of Lai Kuan Lin, who was promoting in China), and was then confirmed for release on 27 January 2022. For a brief second in the days prior of Beautiful (Part 3)’s release, there was a possibility that the group would be unable to release the song due to some contracts not being signed by companies, but I am glad to see that they managed to pull everything together in time for the scheduled release. There are ongoing plans for a reunion concert and future album release, however, those plans appear to be slightly rocky with Hwang Minhyun and Ong Seong Woo’s companies announcing that their respective artists would not participate due to focus on their own group’s work and scheduling issues. I guess we have to wait and see if a concert and album can occur. But for the time being, we have a special single on our side.

Like the original Beautiful title track and Beautiful (Part 2) (featured as a side track on the group’s first and only studio album), Beautiful (Part 3) falls into the ballad category. It, as a whole track, definitely brings forth a sentimental and nostalgic feeling, which is no doubt the route that the members and the producers were going for. The pre-choruses in Beautiful (Part 3) were a capsule of these exact emotions, as the melodies and some of the lyrics connect the three tracks together. Elsewhere, Beautiful (Part 3) was new and original. I really liked the burst of sound when it came to the chorus. It, along with the rock elements that featured in the choruses, just took the otherwise simple ballad to the next level. Vocally, it was extremely nice to hear everyone as Wanna One again and I am happy to hear that Lai Kuan Lin managed to get a part in the song despite not being part of the reunion performance. Kim Jae Hwan’s vocals stood out the most of the pack, living up to this main vocalist position in the group. That being said, however, all the other members showcased their exceptional vocals in the song, highlighting their improvement from their post-Wanna One days. I am also glad to hear some rapping from the rappers (Kang Daniel, Park Ji Hoon, Kim Woo Jin, Lai Kuan Lin) as the instrumental for Beautiful (Part 3) allowed for it. Overall, Beautiful (Part 3) lives up to its name, just like the original and Part 2 did, and is a ‘beautiful’ reminder of the group.

The music video showcased shots from their MAMA performance back in December 2021, both on-stage and off-stage. It too did exactly what the song did, evoke these sentimental and nostalgic emotions. I liked how the editors synced up with shots of the actual performance with the lyrics of the song, allowing the performance to serve multiple purposes (i.e. MAMA award performance, this music video). I also liked the inserts of behind the scene shots (both video and images). It helped made the video even more special, especially for the fans of the group. I also wish to point out that it was extremely nice to see the members be given an opportunity to interact with fans and the audience (though from the stage, but still better than nothing!).

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

[Review] Play – Yuju

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After almost a year following GFriend’s disbandment, members of the group are finally returning to the limelight post-disbandment. Starting things off last week was Yuju, who made her solo debut with the single Play and mini-album Rec. For those who missed it, Yuju signed on with Konnect Entertainment back in September, which is owned by Kang Daniel, home to Chancellor and (partly) CL. We will be seeing more of her fellow members next month, so keep your eyes peeled for that in February.

The first time I listened to Play, I was very unimpressed. I think my initial thoughts about the song was that I wanted more. But repeat listens to Play has helped warm up the song for me, and I actually think it is a decent piece now. That being said, Play does have a number of flaws that still ultimately hinders its appeal. Let’s explore what these flaws are. The instrumental for this pop track was a bit of a hit and miss for me. The atmospheric and seductive nature of the background was definitely a hit for me. However, it was also a bit of a drag and stagnated the track (the ‘miss’ part), reducing the appeal of the background. Thankfully, this is offset partially by the oriental touches that adds detail the background. It gave the background a lot more appeal and made it so much interesting. Thank the heavens for this! I I am glad it wasn’t overused, but I kind of wanted something more elsewhere to feel up the rest of Play. The melodies and vocals for the most part were pretty uninspiring and lacked much profile. I don’t think it was Yuju’s best vocal work to date, as it kind of emphasised and drew out a monotone vibe (which isn’t a great idea for a debut track). But on the plus side, Play does show Yuju in a more mature limelight, which is definitely different to the tracks we have heard from her in the past. The main hook, which we hear at the start of the chorus, was had a decent ring to it. But it wasn’t enough to really make the track that memorable. Overall and reflecting upon my thoughts above, I feel like Play had enough to just make it into decent territory.

While this music video also followed the closeup and choreography formula, I did think its aesthetics were executed extremely well. When you think of oriental influences, the colour red comes to mind and I liked how the entire background of the contemporary parts of the video were this red colour. To offset or prevent the red colour from being overwhelming, the second verse and chorus scenes took on a blue hue and featured a more traditional look. Yuju looks the best here, donning a modern look that takes on the traditional elements. I also like how parts of the bridge blended the red and blue colours to tie the video together. The silhouette shots of the choreography were also very cool looking and adds onto modern aspects of the video.

The performance looked extremely elegant, which I think fits in well with the song. The moves just had this gracefulness to them that made the overall performance look really nice. I really liked the bend and slow outstretching arms that followed the main portion of the chorus. It felt iconic for me. I also like the wave of the dancers in the background in the final moments of the routine.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance -8/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] Slow Mo – BamBam (GOT7)

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As you can probably tell, I am now reviewing the tracks released later in the week from last week. Next up on the reviewing block is BamBam’s Slow Mo. This latest song from the GOT7 member is featured on his second mini-album, B, alongside the pre-release single Who Are You (which was released back in the last week of December and features Red Velvet’s Seulgi). This is BamBam’s first official solo release since his solo debut with riBBon in June of last year.

Slow Mo thrives on the fact that it is atmospheric and a gentle track. While we hear similar songs with the same descriptors all the time, they usually isn’t the lead track on an album or even a dance track. This alone makes Slow Mo unique and stands out, even thought its elements aren’t intended to do so. In addition to the atmospheric vibes of the song, there were hip-hop influences in Slow Mo and I liked how the beat helped balance out the song and kept Slow Mo‘s lightness weighted. BamBam’s vocals were on display throughout this track and I liked how he kept his delivery soft and light to match the other elements of the song. The chorus was definitely a prime example of his vocals on full display, with the verses taking on a bit of a rapping tone. Everything was quite soothing and calming, which works well with the instrumentation. The melodies and hooks were probably the most lacking component of the song, simply because they didn’t appear to be as memorable. I also feel that repeat listens to the song might dull it, but I guess that is a ‘wait and see’ matter. What I needed the most in Slow Mo was a bit of a punch to keep me interested in the song, and I feel the producers of Slow Mo delivered with that brief yet subtly intense dance break we get at the 2:10 mark of the music video. It just fits in so well with the instrumentation and overall vibes, but also gave the song a little bit more oomph. Overall, Slow Mo was a great track. It might be slightly weak in certain areas, but its execution and delivery overall can overlook that flaw.

I really like the bright pastel colours used as the video’s colour palette. It just felt so fitting for this song. Anything too harsh or bold would have obviously clashed with the song. Aside from that, the music video consisted of a mixture of ordinary (i.e. some of the interior shots) and aesthetic shots (i.e. all of the shots in which looked like they were an ‘exterior’ shot), along with some high quality choreography shots. I would have liked the video to be a bit more interesting in some regards, though. It is one of those videos you just need to watch once as you kind of seen all of it, and doesn’t pull me back for a replay.

The performance was probably the outlier of this comeback. It felt a bit loud, compared to what I would have thought the choreography would look liked (i.e. wideness, energy thrown into delivery or the fast pace nature of some of the moves). Don’t worry though, as it still managed to work well with the song nonetheless, capitalising on the heftier beats of the song.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating -7.5/10

[Review] Chronograph – VICTON

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Just over a week ago, VICTON made their comeback with their latest single, Chronograph. This new song is featured as the main track on their third single album, which also shares the same name. Chronograph is the group’s first official comeback since their full group 2021 release, What I Said. Later in the year, member Han Seung Woo enlisted into the military. Then, the group started promotions as a six member group by celebrating their fifth anniversary with Sweet Travel. The group continues with six members for the promotions and release of Chronograph.

It has been more than a week since the song was release, but Chronograph just hasn’t really caught on for me. The reasons to why I am think this way about Chronograph will become apparent. It is still a decent song, nonetheless. I just thought considering how the elements within Chronograph are essentially what I sought after in songs, I would have enjoyed it more. Anyhow, the instrumental was extremely funky with the rhythmic guitar and synth lines. It is on trend, quite dynamic and it is a mix that we have heard before. I could hear something along the lines of NCT 127’s Superhuman or something SHINee-esque in the background. While the instrumental does bring those memories back, the vocals and rapping are what sets the songs apart. In Chronograph, the vocals are bold and strong, making them standout over the vibrantly funky background. I quite like this, but I did think the melodies and delivery were a bit mainstream and not as exciting. As for the rapping, I do like how Hanse’s sequence adds a bit of edgy flair, different energy and fast pace to the song. But I do personally find his sequence sticks out too much in Chronograph and this disrupts the flow of the song to a degree. I kind of wished he tweaked his style to be a bit more fitting with the rest of Chronograph. Subin’s deep voice when he takes on some rap-speaking (but more on the spoken side), on the other hand, was extremely fitting for this song. Overall, a decent song with some good points. I just find the song held back a bit to really enjoy it to its full extent.

I found the music video to consist of some great visuals of the members. Sure, the video takes on that typical choreography and closeup formula that I bang on about being mainstream, but I feel that the closeups for this video do a lot. For the concept (and I am not entirely sure myself), but I see it as a ‘timeless’ concept. The song is about wanting to spend more time with their lover. A chronograph which the members sing a lot about is a device that can both act as a stopwatch and tell the time, which would aid with the keeping pace of the time and stopping time will allow it to be with their lover for longer. The chronograph itself is shown throughout the video. But in addition to this, I see the focus on some optical illusions (i.e. has no end) and art (i.e. timeless pieces), which all represents this idea of timeless in a more abstract manner. There is also video cameras recording the members (possibly representing that memories when recorded as there forever) and time paused just as a rock falls into a car. Again, I am not entirely sure if that timeless is the intended concept, but that is what I got out of this video.

I liked how they started off the performance. Not entirely sure what it was meant to be, but it was smooth and looks complicated. As for the rest of the performance, there was some clock hand references and some sharp moves, which helped make the performance looked cool and fast pace. But unfortunately, nothing memorable pinged me from the performance.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.4/10

[Review] Feelin’ Like – PENTAGON

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Starting this week off is PENTAGON with their new single, Feelin’ Like, which is featured on the group’s 12th (!) mini-album since debut, In:vite U. This release marks the return of Jinho, who has been absent from PENTAGON’s promotions since after Dr. BeBe and the group’s appearance on Road To Kingdom due to his mandatory military enlistment. It is also the first release from the group since DO or NOT, and some of the group members (Yuto, Kino and Wooseok) released the digital single Cerberus.

Feelin’ Like is quite a sophisticated, classy and very trendy new track from the group. The bass line adds this funky beat that is quite on trend at the moment in KPOP, but its deepness gives off a mature vibe. The chorus for Feelin’ Like is definitely a more concentrated sequence of what I have describe so far. What is pretty cool is that the bass line also gives off a catwalk or modelling type of vibe (which I will touch on in the music video portion of the review) – almost attitude heavy and sassy in a way. I have been a big fan of this vibe in the past. But I also feel that Feelin’ Like is a bit neutral in some regards. Nothing really pinged me as memorable when it came to the vocals or melodies. While it all fits in with the sophisticated and model-like direction, I do feel like the vocals and melodies lacked in its ability to make Feelin’ Like more interesting. Jinho’s high note was pretty good, however, and it is definitely nice to hear him again after his hiatus. The chorus, despite the praises and likeable elements I already mentioned, also feel victim to this neutrality and this was due to the lack of vocals. I wished there was a second part to the chorus, just to give the song some meatiness. The rapping (courtesy of Wooseok and Yuto), on the other hand, was quite good, and really gave the song that oomph that it needed. But unfortunately, I don’t think it was enough for Feelin’ Like. Overall, I am split over the song but I am leaning towards liking it, as always. Despite that, I am definitely of the opinion that Feelin’ Like could have had more.

With a song like Feelin’ Like being so sophisticated and classy, PENTAGON really nailed it with their obvious arty and mature concept. The whole music video was shot with the group as centre of attention, as you would expect art to be in an art gallery, that centrepiece in a museum exhibition or that model on the runway, which plays into the mythology story behind the song’s lyrics (the story of Pygmalion and Galatea). There were confident vibes and classy outfits throughout this whole video. I liked how they brought out the runway for the end of the video. It was the one set I was expecting to see when I heard the teasers and saw the concept images for this comeback, and they delivered with their visuals during this section alone. I would have liked to see them up the dial a bit during some parts – some of their suits could have been more showstopping and the lighting could have been more dynamic to fit the chorus. But overall, a strong video.

The performance for this comeback looks good. It brought out the maturity that the song had, but that didn’t get in the way of the dance performance. I also liked the edgy vibes they brought to the stage for the rappers’ section. It fitted in with the concept and sound style during those moments in which it was warranted, changing the performance up a bit (but not in an extreme fashion). None of the moves were memorable, but that doesn’t mean this performance was a letdown.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] Just Breath – JinJin & Rocky (ASTRO)

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I end the working week with the review of the final Monday release. I did not expect to take five days to review all the releases from one day, but here we are. The final release is Just Breath, which is the debut single for ASTRO’s newest and second unit, JinJin & Rocky. It is featured on the unit’s first mini-album, Restore. This is ASTRO’s first release of the year, following 2021’s ONE and After Midnight. The unit also follows in the footsteps of the group’s first unit, Moonbin & Sanha, who debuted back in 2020 with Bad Idea, and MJ’s 2021 solo debut, Get Set Yo (which I have not reviewed yet).

Heading into Just Breath, I was expecting something edgy, and potentially hip-hop aligned or rap heavy at the very least. This expectation comes from the idea that they are ASTRO’s rappers. So, I was genuinely surprised when I started hearing old school funky pop music coming from the speakers when I checked out the release on Monday. Just Breath (which is a mildly annoying title, as it should be Just Breathe, just to be grammatically correct) is definitely loaded with exciting and fun energy. And it is the type of upbeat energy that keeps you on your feet whilst listen to the song. Everything from the percussion to the brass in the instrumental breaks were on point and an absolute blast to listen to. There were some moments within the song, like the marching sequence and a few of the exclamations, that I feel would be most effective to Korean speakers. As a non-Korean speaker, I don’t get them as much, but I didn’t mind them. Aside from the marching sequence, the exclamations added to energy of the song. As expected, Just Breath did consist of rapping from the pair. JinJin definitely had great momentum and kept the energy up throughout the song with his vibrant and energetic delivery. Rocky did participate in some rapping with a rap-speak delivery, but his main contribution to the song were vocals. I was thoroughly impressed with his showcases of vocals capabilities in Just Breath (and may have taken the honor as the standout member in Just Breath. Both brought great character and personality to their parts, making this another impressive release from the day. The chanty end to the song was also a nice way to cap off the song, giving off an inclusive vibe. Unfortunately, Just Breath does lack a solid melody, and I felt the autotune in the bridge to be a bit much (despite fitting in during that moment). But overall, Just Breath is a fun and energetic song with a few nice surprises.

Just like the song, the music video was very fun to watch and had some comedic moments that even I chuckled at. It appears like JinJin and Rocky are both bachelors and have their own struggles. But at the end of the day (well during the day, given how early they started drinking), they know how to really enjoy themselves and realize that it is best to be with others. They were pretty wild, and this made the video extremely enjoyable and captured the vibes of the song very well. Their acting (I am going to assume some of it was acting, though their natural personalities would definitely be at play in this video, as well) was superb. I liked how their energy was inclusive of everyone, and they even got the old lady at the food stand to have a bit of fun.

Their acting in the video is one thing, but the fun and party vibes they showed on stage is just pure confidence. That alone has really earned them a a lot of praise from me. From their expressions to the way they moved about on stage, everything felt free and fun. The best parts had to be the brassy sequences of the song, where the pair and dancers do their mini skips and jumps. It was definitely the peak moments in terms of energy. Rocky’s split was a surprise and him holding the soju bottle in the music video while dancing was also a memorable highlight.

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

[Review] DM – fromis_9

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The fifth (!) release from Monday to be reviewed is fromis_9 latest comeback single, DM, which is featured on the group’s fourth mini-album since debut (and their first mini-album release under Pledis Entertainment). DM follows the likes of fromis_9’s 2021 releases WE GO and Talk & Talk, with the latter earning the group’s first music show win in over three years.

DM is another song that I really enjoyed. It isn’t the most mind-blowing piece, nor is it fromis_9’s best work since their debut (Love Bomb still holds onto that title). But there is such as pure tone and crisp nature to DM that makes it so good. It is a pop track with no frills, and is quite light, soft and pleasant (in a positive sense) as well. If you want something that isn’t complicated, then DM is a song for you. What I quite enjoyed about DM is the vocals. The members really show a solid skillset in this song. I am particularly impressed with the chorus, as the vocals here really boosted the song up and brought a very nice sense of vibrancy to the song. The dolphin-like high note in the final chorus was another impressive moment and extremely shocking (in a good manner) detail to end DM with. The melody at the start of the chorus really captures your attention and helps kick off the chorus in a memorable sense. I also liked how DM pushes the group down a mature route (in comparison to their earlier works) without going dark or edgy, which helps the song and group come off as refreshing (as mentioned before). I do wish the rest of the song a more memorable tinge as well. Everything we did get complimented the chorus, but I feel something more could have been done in the verses, for example, to really take the song to the next level yet maintain the pleasantness of the song. Overall, DM is a strong yet pleasant song for fromis_9.

The music video for this release was good. The video consist of nothing more than a magnitude of closeup and choreography shots. But before you think I make the comment about the music video having just the common formula of closeup and choreography, I think it was intentional for this release. The song is not complicated, and as repeated many times already, takes on an pleasant and light tone. Hence, I feel the producers for this music video thought a simple and straightforward video would make the most sense to compliment the song. In addition to that, the group’s visuals were shown off and the sets looked nice. I liked how the colours in this video were not overly bold. Instead, they all had a pleasant tone, not too harsh or too light.

Same thing can be said about the choreography. It isn’t anything special or innovative, but the choreography we did get was pleasant as well (just like the other elements of the comeback). I did like the start of the chorus, where they move towards the camera in time with the opening melody (helps make the moment appear more memorable) and that hugging bit right at the end.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

[Review] 1, 2, 3 – AB6IX

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Also making their comeback on Monday was AB6IX, who returns with the new single 1, 2, 3 and special album, Complete with You. This comeback comes after AB6IX returned with CHERRY and MO’ COMPLETE (their second studio album since debut) in September of last year, and debuted in Japan with the Japanese version of CHERRY two months later.

1, 2, 3 is another fun and upbeat track that I quite enjoyed from Monday. It wasn’t my absolute favourite from the day in question, but it was definitely heading in that direction. Just like the song I had just reviewed, I find 1, 2, 3 to be wholesome and sweet, but these descriptors come about for different reasons. Put simply, 1, 2, 3 is a song dedicated to their fans (ABNEWs) and such feelings of wholesome and sweetness is a way the group is reaching out to their fans. I am quite sure the messaging and vibes from the song are making ABNEWs (and some potentially new listeners swoon over AB6IX). Personally, I am not as affected by this, but I still enjoyed the song nonetheless. I liked the funky pop nature of the song had. It, along with the beat of 1, 2, 3, was fun, upbeat and bright. What I thought made 1, 2, 3 even more likeable were the instrumental elements that gave the song a vibrant sense of colour. The guitar twangs in the chorus and brass in the post-chorus hook following the second and final choruses where the members became chanty with the ‘Let’s dance, 1, 2, 3, Let’s Dance, Left and Right‘ are prime examples of this. These are very typical when you think about it, but I thought they were well used in the song. The vocals and rapping quite solid, and were the main mechanisms to bring forth that wholesome/sweet combo. The bridge was quite cool, where 1, 2, 3 changes it up with a somewhat balladry-like approach. I liked how it wasn’t an extreme change to the song and how it cut the momentum briefly, but brought it back up for the final chorus. It also provided a bit of relief from the song, in case you felt the vibrancy and colour was a bit too much or repetitive, which I felt the song was also going towards. Overall, I feel that 1, 2 , 3 was another great and enjoyable song from AB6IX.

I was wary when I saw the ‘PERFORMANCE M/V’ part of the video’s title. I expected this to be a straight forward performance piece. But it ended up being a lot more. Sure, the performance plays a very prominent role throughout the video. But I quite like what else they did to the video. For example, I loved the curved corner rectangles at the start of the video and how it was used to introduce each of the members one by one. The black and white was also quite cool. The rectangles returned in a conveyor belt like use during the first post-chorus hook sequence. I thought this was a clever reuse of the style and pulls the video together nicely. Elsewhere, the video shows the different stages of preparing and going through with a serenade. When you consider the fact that the song was dedicated for the fans, I am sure an idea of a serenade from the members was given thumbs up. I just wished there was a bit more to the serenade in the video, as it seems a bit lackluster in terms of execution at least from my end and rushed to fit the song (maybe a brief interlude might have helped out).

Performance for 1, 2, 3 was great. The moves were relatively simple compared to their other releases, but they definitely worked well with the song. The whole chorus routine was quite fun to watch, and I liked when the later part of the sequence where the members move in a X shape just before Donghyun’s solo moment in the chorus. It just added a bit of sharpness to the routine.

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

[Review] SMILEY – YENA ft. BIBI

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Next up on the reviewing block is probably my favourite release from Monday. That title goes to YENA’s solo debut track, SMILEY, which also features soloist BIBI. The track is featured on YENA’s first solo mini-album, which shares the same name as the title track with a cute smiley face preceding it (ˣ‿ˣ (SMiLEY)). For those who don’t know YENA, you might better recognize her with her full name, Choi Yena, and she is one of the former IZ*ONE members to recently make their debut. She does so from under Yuehua Entertainment, which is home to EVERGLOW and WOODZ. She is also known for being Choi Sungmin’s (former member of SPEED and COED School) sister.

SMILEY (the song) does exactly what the title says. It made me smile and I can’t seem to get it out of my head. The amount of times I have revisited the song over the last few days since its release may suggest a bit of an obsession towards the song. I have no regrets and I can’t help it that I am totally loving it. There is so much to point out, despite it being a relatively simple track. SMILEY steers down the pop rock sound, with an energetic and upbeat instrumentation that brings forth a nostalgic vibe of the 2000s pop rock. YENA’s vocals were perfectly executed throughout the song, adding sweetness, cuteness (to give SMILEY a bubble-gum tinge to the track) and is such a great carrier of the melodies and hooks within SMILEY. The pairing of both vocals and instrumentation just makes me want to get up and dance (like the guy in the video) and it is quite infectious. I also like the autotuned pre-chorus, which acts like a mini momentum builder to the chorus and helps makes the centerpiece more explosive. BIBI’s featuring in the song is quite interesting as it offsets YENA. But at no point does BIBI overshadows YENA, and the edginess that BIBI brings to SMILEY helps balances out the song to prevent it from becoming oversaturated in sweetness and cuteness. Personally, I don’t think that was going to be a problem (this time around), but I see where the BIBI’s featuring is coming from. It also helped that BIBI’s sequence also used a higher tone, which compliments YENA’s vocals. Another thing about SMILEY that I really enjoyed is the messaging behind the track, which simply says to keep on smiling. Overall, SMILEY is a fun, addictive and wholesome song that I just cannot get enough of.

I will be honest, the opening to the music video when I watched it for the first time was a bit cringy. While it does set up the music video and YENA’s character as this smiley superhero, it just felt a bit too much for me. Now, after watching the music video a few times, the cringy undertones aren’t really there anymore. Anyhow, YENA’s character is a superhero whose superpower is to spread smiles everywhere. She does so after helping a boy get a balloon off the roof of the building (an important detail). After she spreads her happiness in the diner, she leaves to spread her happiness in the darkest depths of the planet (the Shady, who conveniently lives in the snowiest and coldest place on Earth). BIBI arrives to spread her darkness around, but I think she ends up being more interested in helping YENA by sending some of her power to help YENA combat the cold by upgrading her outfit with a bit of BIBI’s own dark taste. Unfortunately, the cold is too much and YENA collapses. But we do see the SHADY becoming infected with YENA’s happiness and goes out to help her. It turns out SHADY was actually the little boy who appeared at the start of the video and repays YENA’s action by helping her out. So, YENA recovers, continues to spread her happiness around the world (and turns it into a rubber duck in the process), returns to the diner at the start of the video to just rock it out. A fun, cute and playful concept that I really enjoyed.

The performance makes my smile even wider with YENA’s cuteness dominating the performance. Just like the concept of the video, the performance was fun, playful and definitely energetic and bubbly as well. Very suitable for the song and its energy!

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

[Review] Make Me Happy – Wheein (Mamamoo)

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My next review is for Wheein’s solo comeback, which was dropped on the Sunday that had just past! Leading her latest mini-album, Whee, is the title track Make Me Happy, which music video also dropped on the same day. Both Make Me Happy and Whee is also her first release as a solo artist outside of RBW, which is still managing her Mamamoo activities. In June of last year, Wheein had chosen not to renew her personal contract with RBW, but did sign another contract to stay on as a Mamamoo member so that the quartet would continue on for the next while Her lost solo release under RBW last year’s water color. A few months later, it was announced that Wheein had signed on with THEL1VE, which is a label founded by Ravi (VIXX member), and is also home to Ailee.

Right from the get-go, Make Me Happy is such a pleasant and soothing track. There is a lot of enjoy in the song. To me, Make Me Happy comes off as an upbeat R&B track that has a tinge of retro flair to the song. Not really the most mind-blowing combination, but it is still appreciable and stunning at times. The bass line gives the song a nice oomph, which prevents it from dulling and increases the appeal of the song by many folds as opposed to the track going down the standard R&B sound. Wheein’s vocals bring a delicate touch to the song. Her vocals are whispery and light, while the melodies were smooth and flowy. I liked the pairing of the upbeat instrumentation with Wheein’s vocals. They offset the flaws of each other and creates a harmonious track that I find is very pretty, beautiful and an enjoyable track to relax or chill to. However, I do feel like my opening statement is a bit of a double edge sword to the song. While being pleasant and soothing is a great thing at times, I do think this is Make My Happy‘s biggest issue. And it is simply due to the competition that both the song and Wheein faces. In the midst of releases that have dropped this week so far, I don’t know if ‘pleasant and soothing’ is the right way to go. It is quite a crowd to navigate in. For example, if I wasn’t writing a review blog, I think I would have missed the release despite being a fan of Mamamoo, due to the fact that it is a Sunday release and that I tend to steer towards more lively and dynamic tracks (which yesterday and today is in abundance of).

To compliment the pretty song is an equally as pretty music video. There was such a heavy presence of flowers and butterflies throughout the video, and Wheein’s visuals got more and more breathtaking as the video went on. The purple dress and the flower head piece, as she walked down that hall, was definitely the money shot for me in this video. The visual work at the start and the post-production throughout the video (such as that beautiful hole in the wall and Wheein bursting into butterflies) definitely took the video to the next level. I also like the overall colour palette of the video. There were a mixture of pastels and stronger tones throughout the video, which helps makes this music video look less muted.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10

[Review] Can’t Control Myself – Taeyeon (SNSD)

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Next up is Taeyeon’s Can’t Control Myself, which is the pre-release single for her upcoming third studio album. Her last release was Weekend, back in July of last year. Now regarding this soon-to-be-released album, all we know at this current stage is that it will be dropping some time in February and will feature Can’t Control Myself. Other than that, we are still awaiting further teasers, hints and other tidbits from Taeyeon or SM Entertainment. Until then, here is my review for Can’t Control Myself.

Can’t Control Myself is a ballad that showcases Taeyeon’s vocals, as most ballads do for the singer that is performing them. And like usual, Taeyeon sounds really great in the song. The melodies are also quite gripping to listen to. But what make Can’t Control Myself different to other ballads is the presence of the punk that we get in the chorus, which amps up the song to a whole new level and makes it relatively more powerful. It is also brings a different sound and dynamic to the genre than acoustic, rock or classical ballads that are in abundance in the KPOP industry. Other parts of the song that were quite impressive as well was that guitar work we get in the first pre-chorus (it felt like it was an acoustic guitar, and if so, then the transition between it and the electric guitar in the chorus was quite powerful) and the pairing of the piano melody and the English lines in the bridge (i.e. ‘Feels like heaven, feels like hell‘, the sarcastic laughs and ‘… I don’t care‘). The emptiness behind this sequence alone and the memorable nature of the melody around these lines in the bridge is another reason (on top of the punk ballad sound) to why I have revisited Can’t Control Myself so many times tonight already.

The song is all about how longing for love from someone who would cause them pain in the end (taken from SOOMPI). In this music video, we see the aftermath of a breakdown of Taeyeon’s relationship. This breakup, despite she knowing what it would do to her, literally destroys Taeyeon, who subsequently kills him at some point. Note that she is washing her hands of blood at the start of the video whilst still wearing a ring. That start has to be in the video for a reason. I am guessing she couldn’t accept reality and kills him. What we see on stage (the performance of how they meet and reunite) were all fragments of her imagination and not a retelling of their relationship (i.e. how they met etc.). Instead, I think he is literally attached to this ‘perfect’ world that she had created for herself on stage, where they are preforming the perfect love story. But when we see him backstage and behind the crowd of reporters, Taeyeon is just broken. The way he also carries on as if nothing is happening (i.e. no awkwardness, no anger, no happiness) seems to back up the theory that he is dead, is quite haunting and is a ghost that only Taeyeon can see and hence is constantly being reminded of. This theory also explains why he continued acting as a stage actor at the end of the video, and why no one noticed Taeyeon’s massive breakdown on stage (which I think the constant reminder was a breaking point for her). I hope this theory makes sense, as I think it explains a lot and is quite a different story to have.

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

[Review] VILLIAN – DRIPPIN

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There are a lot of comebacks dropping today, so expect the reviews to be posted over the next few days or so. Randomly selected to be the first release on the reviewing block is DRIPPIN’s comeback song, VILLIAN, which is featured on the group’s third mini-album of the same name. This is the group’s first comeback since last year’s release of Free Pass and the special single Vertigo (I highly recommend this Universe promotional single).

DRIPPIN revisits the groovy sound in VILLIAN thanks to the funky electronic bass line that runs throughout the song. The grooviness is felt the most during the song’s verses, while it felt somewhat lacking in the chorus due to the other instrumentation overwhelming the plate a bit. The grooviness is still there, however, it just felt less prevalent for me and I don’t recognise its presence as instantaneously as per the verses. This is more of an observation however, and I still thought VILLIAN had a decent backing to it. But when I compare to the wider industry, VILLIAN falters on the innovation side. As the vocals, I liked how powerful and forceful they got with their lines in the chorus. It definitely adds vibrancy and energy to the song that makes VILLIAN better. I also enjoyed the vocals at the very start of the song, as they ease into it. It was breathy and slightly sensual, which I think the members could have explored more in VILLIAN. The soaring high note from Hyeop was also impressive, though I wished it was slightly longer to be even more satisfying. Dongyun and Alex’s rapping were pretty good as well, though I wished they had more than half of the second verse. VILLIAN‘s outro did a good job of maintaining the momentum for that extra bit longer, making the end satisfying as well. Overall, VILLIAN is a decent song from the group with me wishing for (as usual).

Per usual, I am not entirely sure what the story of this music video is. The group became villains for this music video, as per the lyrics of the song, and went out to evoke havoc on the world. While their powers seem to help each other out and earlier scenes suggest that they had banded together, I can’t really tell if they are helping each/banded together for a common mission or whether they just want to cause havoc (or maybe, their mission was to cause havoc because they are villains). I wished the storyline came together to have an endpoint or a conclusion, just so whatever story was happening was clearer. But aside from that, a strong concept potential and awesome post-production.

The performance for this comeback was strong and powerful, which matches up with the energy that is exuded from the song. Nothing really stood out at me, but the entire routine worked well with the song and it is still a worthwhile performance to watch.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] skinz – OnlyOneOf

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Ending the week is OnlyOneOf, who returns with their fourth mini-album, Instinct Part 2 and the title track, skinz. Last year, we saw the group return with the very bold libidO (side note: the song itself has grown on me since I reviewed it), which earned them a lot of attention for their LGBTQIA+ concept and provocative stage performance. The group did release a number of other tracks throughout the remainder of 2021, but they did not get reviews due to their lack of a music video of some sort. Since libidO, the group became less of one member, Love (the now former leader of the group) who withdrew from the group unexpectedly in August last year.

skinz is another bold song from this week, with the boldness attributed to the song’s instrumentation. It features a glitchy bass sound which is a very peculiar choice. Despite the foreignness of this style, however, skinz‘s glitchy nature of background gives the song some uniqueness and individualistic points that sets it apart from other songs. I also felt the electronic components of instrumental was interesting, as it reminded me of a concentrated version of libidO‘s instrumental. Not sure if other people felt that or if was the intentional effect, but I thought it made skinz a good follow up to the preceding title track. We do get some relief from the glitchy instrumentation, which may be jarring for some already, in the pre-choruses, where a slightly smoother texture overtakes the background. I like this reprieve, as I think a consistent glitchy pattern would have made the song a bit too much for my taste, as well. As for the vocals and rapping, I liked the sensual energy it brought to the song. Their extra breathy tones made skinz alluring and intriguing to listen to. Boldness was another idea running through my mind. They retained the breathy tones for the autotuned moments as well. The rapping follows the same effect (and I did like the more whispery touch the rapping in the bridge had). However, I wished the raps had a bit more bite to them or used in a different manner to add a different dynamic to the song. I think this would have developed the song even further. Otherwise, Skinz upon multiple replays, could most likely come across as like and like/too consistent throughout. Overall, a strong track from the group overall

The music video continues the LGBTQIA+ theme that was noted to be a key part of the libidO music video. In this music video, however, it isn’t in your face as much. Instead, it was more subtle compared to last year’s video. We are invited on a road trip with the members of OnlyOneOf, with the video shot entirely in our POV. For the most part, it looked like the members were having fun throughout the music video: going to the beach, singing karaoke, having a munch etc. However, we do get some scenes that seemingly hint at something between the different pairs of members. At the end of the video, we are thrown a bit of a twist – the start of the road trip restarts without us – suggesting that everything about the road trip might have been a piece of our imagination. This might also extend to the concept and apply to the libidO music video as well. The dance performance, on the other hand, continues the boldness from the previous comeback and this was actively portrayed in the choreography shots. I also liked the idea of the glitchy stage, which made the video more relevant to the song.

The performance, as mentioned above, manages to continue the same sensual and bold themes. But compared to their previous comeback, I find this performance to be even more heavy handed, despite it not containing any moves that had the same effect as the bridge section from last year. That being said, there was still a lot of body rolling, skin showing, abs reveals and other striking movements. None of this deters me from the routine, and I quite enjoyed the resultant aesthetics of the performance.

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

[Review] Devil – Max Changmin (TVXQ)

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Today is a Max Changmin day, as I review a third song from the soloist, who made his official solo comeback today. The song in question for this review, along with the title of his second mini-album that also dropped today, is Devil. Serving as pre-releases for this release is Fever and Maniac, which I had just posted reviews for in a double review format. The last time we saw Max Changmin as a solo artist was through his 2020 release Chocolate and more recently his Japanese single Devil in December 2021 (which I am hoping to review soon).

Devil continues the string of unique and individualistic releases from Max Changmin with an epic and bone-chilling track. I have a personal playlist of epic and thrilling sounding tracks that I have heard over time (i.e. movie sound tracks, songs used to back intense moments from TV shows and other general tracks that I have come across with epic vibes that puts me on the edge of my seat), and Devil would fit right into that playlist. From the very first second, Devil itself stands out from the crowd with its acapella ‘hoo hoo‘ background and Changmin’s lower tone. Some striking guitar and percussion work comes into play soon after, but they are kept very minimalistic for the time being. All of this continues up until we get to the chorus, which is separated by a brief moment of silence and a slightly roughed up autotuned ‘So let it rain‘ line, before we are launched into an epic chorus that is made of the exact same instrumentations already mentioned (including the acapella that provides us the ‘Rain on me‘ lines in the chorus). and features an intense drop. It is definitely a bold and worthwhile endpoint. Like the other songs reviewed today, Changmin pairs his voice with the instrumentation and throws in some tension as he raises his vocals. The melodies aren’t as striking, which is a tad disappointing. But that can be overlooked by the execution and epicness of the chorus His vocals are once again shown off in the brief second verse and bright, before we are brought back to the chorus each time. His high notes were so satisfying and just added so much more oomph to the song. He finishes in an amazing manner, with an ad-lib that brought nice closure to an otherwise thrilling song. Overall, Devil leaves me impressed and in awe – which is definitely continuing thread of the whole comeback. Can’t wait to listen to the album.

Per usual, I am not entirely sure what is going on in this video. From the ending (spoiler alert), it appears that Changmin is the devil. So I guess, the video is some sort of origin story. Again, not entirely sure. But what I am sure is that I really enjoyed the dark vibes from the video. It is a dark intensity that I look for when KPOP does ‘dark concepts’, to which only a few acts have managed to pull off before. And the forest scenes in this video nailed it. I also liked how minimalistic the video was as well (like the song), but there was still so much going on at the same time. The flashes in time with the beat for the chorus were also a great idea.

The performance of this release is quite aesthetic. From what I can observe from the music video, it fits the epic vibe and flair of the song quite well. The second chorus looks amazing with Changmin in the middle and the dancers surrounding him. Also the spin in the final chorus looks stunning. I do hope we get to see a live performance of Devil with all these elements in it!

Song – 9.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.3/10

[Double Review] Fever + Maniac – Max Changmin (TVXQ)

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Max Changmin starts the year off with a bunch of new releases. All of these new releases (plus a few more songs) form part of his second mini-album, Devil, which officially dropped today. Per usual, I will be focusing on the releases with music videos. As the post type ‘double review’ insinuates, I will be reviewing two releases in this post which in my mind act as the pre-releases for this new album. The first is titled Fever, which ‘stage’ video dropped on 8 January 2022. The second is for Maniac, which ‘promotional’ video dropped on 10 January 2022.

Fever kicks off promotions for the new album with an impressive and captivating track. Fever opens up with some jazzy influences and teases us with some rock as well. His voice flirts with us for a moment, just briefly before Fever builds to its full potential. Within less than half a minute, Fever has changed its tune. The song now brings out heavier and powerful drumming, while Changmin ups his vocals to a higher and powerful tone to compliment the change in momentum. While percussion becomes a prominent part of Fever from then on, the piano and rock influences do not falter and are consistently present throughout the rest of the song. As Fever progresses, the instrumental gets more intense (especially each time we re-enter the chorus) and Changmin pushes his vocals in both direction, impressively showing off both his high and low registers throughout the song. However, that is not all. For the best parts of Fever, it has to be everything from the instrumental dance break (that forms the bridge onwards). The concentrated rock and the interjection of the piano melody for the dance break, followed by Changmin literally blowing me away with his high notes on top of the powerful drumming that feels more like slams at this point. I am in awe every time I listen to Fever.

Maniac left me speechless when I listened to the song the first time around. Second and third time around, I was enjoying myself and the exciting tempo and relentless energy that was coming from the Maniac. And it is still hard to sit down to review this song without nodding or tapping along to the beat. Maniac takes on a completely different vibe to Fever, going down a more Queen influenced and theatrical path with its style and sound. I just loved the colour and vibrancy that was coming from Maniac, a definite positive aspect of the song. It is also quite unique and is very fresh, as a result. Another positive aspect of the song has to be the showcase of Changmin’s vocals, which are undoubtedly superb in this song. His voice just captivates you in this track as well, and pulls you in. The character behind his vocals compliment the theatrical side of the song, and the vibrancy his vocals bring to the song just amps Maniac to new heights. I really like the different types of melodies used throughout Maniac, including the ascending and descending melodies in the choruses and bridge. Overall, both Fever and Maniac are bold numbers in their own right, with each coming off as different and appealing at the same time.

Fever‘s video is more straightforward, as it is a stage video. Essentially, the performance is the main focus of the video and it appears that Changmin is singing the track live (due to the presence of the microphone on his face – but I hesitate in calling this a live performance for now). The stage looked cool, though I think the lighting at times could have been better. I also wished his outfit was a bit more unique and not cliché. Maniac on the other hand has a more fleshed out music video, with influences from Alfred Hitchcock being a prominent feature of the video. For those who are not familiar, the music video carried influences from Psycho and The Shining, as well as Martin Scorsese’s The King of Comedy. But to fit the brighter and upbeat tone, the video strayed away from the horror elements (though it looks like we did get a touch of that still) but more so on colour and vibrancy. I also liked how the video was separated into acts, further bringing the theatrical influences from the song to the video as well.

Maniac does not have a performance, so I will skip over that. However, Fever does. And it is a bold and powerful routine, just like the song. What makes it bold would be more so the ambition of pulling off a live performance with this song. And when I mean live, I mean live vocals and the same energy as we got in the video! I would love to see Changmin perform Fever live. I doubt there would be any issue on his part, and I will be very impressed with any attempt of it.

Fever
Song – 10/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.4/10

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