Category: KPOP

[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

[Review] Marvelous – MIRAE

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Returning today is MIRAE, with their new single and third mini-album, Marvelous. The new release comes after MIRAE wrapped up 2021 with their debut single KILLA and first comeback single, Splash. The group have been receiving nominations for Best New Male Group or Best Rookie Group throughout the current award season, with them also receiving a nomination for the equivalent award in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. I will be announcing the winners in the near future. But until then, here are my thoughts on Marvelous (the title track).

Marvelous is a bold dance track that just really jumps right out at me. The boldness and ‘jumps right out at me’ part can be attributed to the catchy hook at the song begins with (i.e. the ‘Ma Ma Ma Mars‘ and the ‘Na Na Na Now‘). And this alone is quite addictive. Otherwise, Marvelous is a strong dance pop genre song. It is on the more typical side, but it is still a clean and upbeat dance track. The catchiness of the hook adds a vibrant tone to Marvelous and takes the song to the next level. The verses were pretty good, with solid vocals/rapping from the members and an intense instrumental buildup paired with some slightly monotonous yet powerful rapping for the pre-choruses. Said pre-choruses were actually another highlight in Marvelous for me. As for the bridge, it was the most interesting part of the song. There are two halves to it. The first half features vocals that seemingly adds a bit of flirty attitude and flair to the song. I quite enjoyed it. The second half of the bridge is more so an EDM break, where a shrilling texture is added to the song. Some vocals remain here, but the melody is lost in favour for the instrumental. This was a more dynamic change, but it added a different flavour to the song. Overall, I appreciated how the bridge kept the charge and momentum of the song, despite changing Marvelous a bit. It also added excitement to the song, which is a common theme across the board throughout Marvelous.

I am not entirely sure what is happening the video, but I might have a theory. It opens up with Dongpyo running away from someone. He is also coming from the direction of Mars based on the ‘To Mars’ sign on the door, which might indicate his origin as Mars. Anyhow, he later wakes up and looks into the space via his telescope, before donning an astronaut’s helmet and appearing in front of the other members (which I am guessing are on Earth). His presence intrigues the other members (and also felt slightly creepy during certain parts) and they follow him to the room with the big telescope and planets around them. I am not entirely sure what the significance of this big room is, but my big guess is that the room awakens everyone (they had no idea who he was at first, but at the end seemed to know him quite well). It appears like the entire mission was Dongpyo to reunite with his friends who also used to be on Mars as well (based the scene we get of them on Mars and the existence of the photograph), but they were somehow taken to Earth and their memories were wiped. In the end, the friends reunite. A slightly confusing storyline, but overall a good concept.

The routine looks dynamic and energetic, fitting the song quite well. The bridge section of the routine also adds to the powerfulness of the choreography. It is a bit hard for me to make further comments as we are limited based on what we got in the music video. But for now, I think what we saw is good enough for a 8/10 rating.

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

[Review] Unforgettable – Kim Jae Hwan

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One of the comebacks that occurred whilst I was on break for Christmas and New Years was made by Kim Jae Hwan. The soloist wraps up the year with his fourth mini-album (The Letter), which was released as soon as the Christmas holidays had passed and we were in that limbo awaiting the new year. Leading the charge on this mini-album is the title track Unforgettable. This is Kim Jae Hwan’s second comeback in 2021, with the first being April’s I Wouldn’t Look For You.

Unforgettable is a ballad that captivates me. And I am sure the song has captivated a lot more people as well. Without a doubt, the standout element of Unforgettable is Kim Jae Hwan’s vocals, who really portrays the heartfelt emotions and sadness behind the lyrics so well. I really enjoyed how powerful and piercing the vocals are during the chorus, with this really pulling your attention right into his vocals and helps with captivating me. The instrumental for Unforgettable is more on the typical side of ballads, with an orchestral backdrop to Kim Jae Hwan’s vocals. But this doesn’t weaken the song. In fact, I feel that the orchestral elements help build Unforgettable, allowing Kim Jae Hwan’s vocals to reach its powerful nature in a balanced and regulated manner. And like other ballads that captivate me, Unforgettable gets me closing my eyes to take the entire song in and swaying along to the melody – signs of a great ballad. To me, there is nothing wrong with Unforgettable, earning the second 10/10 of the year!

In addition to the emotional vocals we get from Kim Jae Hwan, the music video brings an additional emotional layer that really gets to you. Well, it did for me, at least. Kim Jae Hwan sings about unforgettable memories, which the music video shows he shares with the female character. The pair appears to be quite close, donning matching wooden rings. However, we do see that there is a bit of hesitancy in the relationship from both parties. Soon, we are lead to believe that the couple breaks up and we see Kim Jae Hwan adjust to the lack of his companion. However, I think the ending reveals that she in fact had passed on (this was a bit of a hazy detail in the story, and I wished it was better clarified) and that he was laying flowers at the site where she died, with the flowers bounded to one another with the same wooden ring in which the pair had exchanged with one another. While this wasn’t a plot twist, it just made the story incredibly sadder to watch and made the song more emotional upon reflection. Kim Jae Hwan’s acting in the video was also very good in this video.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10

[Review] Blessed-Cursed – ENHYPEN

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Also beginning the week off is ENHYPEN, who is back with their latest single, Blessed-Cursed. The new single is the title track from the newly released repackaged version of the group’s first studio album, once titled Dimension: Dilemma and now retitled as Dimension: Answer (both of which I will be fast-tracking/reviewing as one album review post this coming weekend!). Previously, the title track for Dimension: Dilemma was Tamed-Dashed, which was released back in October 2021.

Blessed-Cursed in a mix of hip-hop and rock. which is an interesting blend of styles. The electrifying rock was more so in the background, coming through underneath the trap elements. Both blended well with one another, brought on great energy and were a satisfying combination that ENHYPEN pulled off well. Naturally, I feel that the two genres do go hand-in-hand with one another, as intensity is something I associate with both genres of music. And no surprises here, I feel like this intensity was a common thread that pulled the two sides together to form Blessed-Cursed. It was quite a tense track to listen to, and for some reason I felt wrong to pause the song half way while listening to it. You could also feel the intensity in Blessed-Cursed via the vocals and rapping. I do wish that the ENHYPEN members were more ‘in-your-face’ with their delivery. They seemed to come to us in that direction, but as usual, I wanted more. Blessed-Cursed also ends in an unsatisfying manner, and I wished the song had better closure. Overall, I feel like Blessed-Cursed was a pleasant track, with a few minor improvements to make it even better. But I do feel like it is a bit safe. I wished Blessed-Cursed was more experimental. While staying safe seems to be the way to go with newer groups, I do feel like ENHYPEN’s in a position to try something new and stand out (with their success thus far and their company to back them up if it the experimentation were to backfire).

The music video goes back in time to the moment in which the world ticked over to the new century and millennium (i.e. the countdown between 1999 and 2000). Concept-wise, it was fun to see cinematography and outfits from that era. Only people in 1990s could pull off wide ankle pants like what we saw in the video, and make it not be a terrible look. Well, with a few exceptions – ENHYPEN now falls into that group. But other than that, the crispness of the quality of the video and the vibrant colours we did get (blue, white and red) are all definitely from a modern era. It was a good video overall that showed off visual and choreography. Fun fact: I found it funny that the concept went back to 1999/2000, given that none of the members were born then (the oldest member, Heeseung, was born in 2001).

The choreography for this comeback incorporates that intensity that I mentioned earlier in the review really well. It is a strong performance from the group, as always, but powerful in a subtle manner. I really like the various hand work in the performance, particularly the vibrating hand movements we saw when the members sing ‘Don’t Stop‘ in the pre-chorus.

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

[Review] DESSERT – Kim Yo Han (WEi)

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Kickstarting the new week is Kim Yo Han’s solo comeback. For those who don’t know Kim Yo Han, he currently the leader of WEi (a six member male group under Oui Entertainment) and is a former member of the short-lived X1 project group formed via Produce X 101. He is also an actor, currently known for the recently ended School 2021 drama. On the music front, Kim Yo Han made his solo debut a month prior to his debut as part of WEi with No More back in 2020. Today, Kim Yo Han returns with the mini-album Illusion and title track, DESSERT.

Kim Yo Han’s return is a more track when compared to No More. That one I was not much of a fan of. As for DESSERT, I feel that it fairs a bit better. However, reading over my review of No More, I can’t help but notice that a few elements of his solo debut track were also brought over into DESSERT, namely his vocals. I still find them dry and bland in DESSERT as per my main gripe about his solo debut track. They just don’t excite me, nor provide much expression or character to the song. There was a bit of amplification for the chorus. And while I did enjoy the pop melody here, I am still of the opinion that more can be done on the vocal front for this song. The bridge was interesting, with Kim Yo Han playing towards his strength here. Instead of a usual high note as per most KPOP songs, he instead opts to fade his vocals out. It isn’t spectacular, but it different aspect to other songs which I had noticed, and made the relaunch into the final chorus satisfying. As for DESSERT‘s instrumentation, I felt that it was too mainstream and safe – not really offering more than other KPOP dance tracks. However, I do appreciate the funky touch it had, which helped make the song a bit more appealing to my ears. This really helped pull me through the song and made DESSERT‘s centrepiece a bit more enjoyable. Once again, Kim Yo Han’s rapping was the song’s best part and pairing it with the funky nature of the instrumental was wonderful. Overall, DESSERT is a step in the right direction but still doesn’t show Kim Yo Han off as much.

Like the song itself, the music video and overall concept for this comeback takes on a much darker concept than when we last saw him as a solo artist. The mysterious vibes at the start of the video really pulled me, and I naturally wanted to find out what happens in the video. In the music video, we see Kim Yo Han tied up and undergo a transformation from pure to dark. At one point in the music video, we see Kim Yo Han take a bite of an apple, representation of the forbidden fruit, which caused the transformation. The forbidden fruit in this video represents the irresistible love in which Kim Yo Han likens to dessert in the lyrics. It is a topic that has been approached by many concepts in the past, but it is interesting to see how different companies and groups portray the story. And I feel like this music video did it clearly and well, whilst also using a lot of red.

The performance has a sensual tinge to it, which made the performance interesting and kept me around for the whole performance. Some of Kim Yo Han’s facial expressions were also on point. I also liked the laidback vibes that I also got from the performance, which were well incorporated and helps makes it more alluring.

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

[Album Review] Return of The Girl (3rd Mini Album) – EVERGLOW

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The first official album review I have written in the near year belongs to EVERGLOW, who made their comeback with their 3rd mini-album, Return of The Girl, last month. Leading the album is Pirate, which is followed by four additional new songs (all of which are reviewed below). Return of the Girl is another promising release for the female group, with amazing songs throughout that pushed the album into ‘recommended territory’. Check out the song’s below and see if you agree!

Return of The Girl Album Cover

1. Back Together – Interestingly, the album starts off with a ballad in the form of Back Together. It starts off as soothing and mellow ballad with a meaningful tone. Along the way, Back Together picks up and amplifies its instrumental whilst still having the vocal work remain in that ballad territory. Having this occur once was definitely amazing. But what I really liked about the song is how it dips back into the soothing and mellow start and resurges once again, replicating the same cathartic feel a second time around. Back Together also emphasizes and showcases EVERGLOW’s vocals, which were stunning throughout the song. (9/10)

2. Pirate (Title Track) – Click here to read Pirate’s full review. (10/10)

3. Don’t Speak – Don’t Speak is a funky retro track. I really like the personality and character behind their vocals, especially in the verses. It added to the already appealing instrumental, which was super vibrant and bright – exactly what you look for in a retro dance track. The chorus seemed to bring a bubblegum pop tinge to the song, which was pleasant. I wished the chorus had a bit more funk to it, so that is concentrate what we got in the verses. The rapping and the EDM backing was a great change up. Overall, Don’t Speak was a nice track. (8.5/10)

4. Nighty Night – Judging from the title of the song, you would have expected that Nighty Night would be a lullaby. Well, don’t be surprised, but it was no lullaby. Nighty Night was a EDM dance track. I really liked the energy and intensity that came from the song. It definitely promises a great stage. Vocally, I didn’t hear anything worthwhile mentioning, though they definitely did contribute to the energy already mentioned. (8/10)

5. Company – Company is an even more concentrated and intense EDM track. There seems to be an exotic influence in the instrumentation, which adds a different flavour to the song when you compare to other (possibly more straightforward) EDM tracks. I liked the stomping effects that the chorus, though I did wish it hit harder and were more profound. On the note of the vocal department, Company showcases and has more memorable vocal work which adds so much more to the song. And like Nighty Night, Company definitely promises another great stage. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.9/10

Return of The Girl Teaser Image

[Review] Universe_ – ONEWE

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Returning earlier in the week was ONEWE, with their new lead single, Universe_. And yes, the underscore is purposely present in the title of the song for whatever reason. Universe_ is featured on the band’s second mini-album, Planet Nine: Voyager, which dropped on Tuesday. This comeback follows the June 2021 release of Planet Nine: Alter Ego and Rain To Be, the release of single STAR (which I will review at a later date), and the release of the collaboration single with their brother group ONEUS, STAY (which I will also review at a later date).

I found Universe_ to be a stunning and beautiful track. The new song is a ballad for the most part, though the song develops more into a rock ballad as the song builds. Universe_ starts off as a very delicate piece with soothing and warm keyboard melody and soft vocals from both Yonghoon and Dongmyeong. This lasts for all of the first verse, before Yonghoon takes us into the chorus. I love the breathtaking nature of Yonghoon’s part. The instrumental is stripped to its bare minimum (i.e. the sparse use of keyboard once again) before the band instrumentation comes into play. His vocals were also so delicate and soft like how the song started, but ended up escalating in such a satisfying manner as the band instrumentation comes into play. The second verse was a lot shorter, given that it didn’t need to build as much as it maintained the band instrumentation. However, I thought the melody to be so beautiful in this part of the song. Not sure why, given it was the same melody throughout the song, but it just felt so pleasant and neat here. After the second chorus, ONEWE brought to us a relatively powerful electric guitar solo that just has the right punch of energy for Universe_, after which the final chorus is played out with the energy from the guitar solo also being maintained throughout via the presence of some high notes from the band’s two vocalists. To really reiterate Universe_‘s roots as a ballad, the song slows down for its outro, bringing back the song’s delicate and soothing start to close out the song. Overall, Universe_ delivers a great song and addition to ONEWE’s discography.

The emotions didn’t really hit me as much when I listened to the song alone. But it definitely hit me when I listened to the song in tandem with the music video. I liked the homey vibes of the first half of the video. We see the members individually, and then with their love ones. Not entirely sure if they are really the members actual love ones, but I assume the additional characters represent either siblings, friends, lovers, mothers, grandmothers and pets. The members then go on a road trip to bury a time capsule-like object. At first, this part threw me off. It was such a warm vibe video, but then they switched it a industrial mining site in the night time. It was a random change in scenery that I wished wasn’t the case. Maybe something closer to home would have been approriate (i.e. trip down to the beach, for example). Anyhow, after burying the capsule, the members start running around in like a celebratory manner as the song reaches it peak. Those additional characters run alongside them, making it look like whatever is buried in the capsule is actually a piece of those additional characters that the ONEWE members hold dear to their hearts. This got to me (just loved the beauty of this final set of scenes) and it brought a tear to my eyes.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10

[Review] Do It Like This – P1Harmony

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Next up is P1Harmony’s comeback single, Do It Like This, which is featured on the group’s third mini-album since debut, Disharmony: Find Out. This release is their first comeback in eight months, following the likes of Scared, which earned them a nomination in the Best Rap & Hip-Hop Song and is one of my picks for Best Song in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. I will be announcing the official winners of the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards (voted by the fans) later this month, so you will need to wait and see if P1Harmony emerges victorious. In the meanwhile, check out their latest song!

From the get-go, Do It Like This steps back into a more generic territory of hip-hop dance music. This thought registers even before I started comparing the new song with Scared (which holds onto its title as P1Harmony’s best song). Compared to Scared, Do It Like This is definitely less innovative and individualistic. But even though I describe it as ‘generic’ simply because Do It Like This is exactly what I think of when I think of hip-hop and dance together, it isn’t a terrible song whatsoever. Do It Like This is a fun, energetic and party-anthem like song that feels just right. Nothing in the song did not disappoint. The vocals and rapping were nailed perfectly by the members, delivering as much energy and drive to the song as the instrumental had. And while on the topic of the hip-hop dance instrumental, there was a nice sense of groove to the song that made Do It Like This so much more appealing to me (and that is saying a lot given that I am not too much of a hip-hop fan). The hooks make Do It Like This lively and memorable, which adds an additional layer of appeal and catchiness to the song. Furthermore, I think the hooks and overall energy to the song are growing on me, so I see myself diving deeper into the song in the coming days and weeks. The vocal bridge is the section with the biggest question mark for me. I find it doesn’t fit the rest of the song’s hip-hop vibes and would have liked if they went with something more appropriate sounding/fitting. Overall, while a step in a generic direction might have been the case here, Do It Like This still manages to deliver.

I am not entirely sure what the story line for this video is, but it seems like it has something to do with the start of a new age. Piecing the music video and the prologue together, it appears the members finding the place where ‘the light divided from the darkness’, which is where the group ‘resets’ their watches to realign them with the ‘first day’. In other scenes of the video, it appears that the members are partying it up prior to finding that location (based on the dusk like lighting we get) and the night time scenes. And there seems to be some celebration after finding the location, based on the scenes in the day time with the dancers.

The synchronisation is insane in the stage performance for this comeback. It is definitely a highlight for me. Other parts of the choreography that also stood out to me was the platform (made up of the dancers legs) at the start of the performance, the lead member at the start of the chorus rejoining the rest of the members/dancers after having a mini solo moment (again, insane timing and synchonisation here) and the airplane formation we get in the second verse.

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

[Review] Crazy About You – UP10TION

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The next comeback from yesterday to be reviewed is UP10TION, who returned with their 10th mini-album, Novella, which is lead by the title track Crazy About You. This is the group’s first comeback since the release of CONNECTION and SPIN OFF back in June of last year. As per their last comeback and since their 2020 Light comeback, UP10TION continues to promote as an seven member group, with no news of Lee Jin Hyuk or Kim Woo Seok returning to the group any time soon and leader Jinhoo is still serving in the military.

Crazy About You is another decent song, though it might be another forgettable release from the group. Personally, I don’t find anything special or innovative with the song. It just feels like a standard release with a sentimental tone and EDM/orchestral blend instrumentation. Nothing memorable pings me from Crazy About You, which is bit of a disappointment since I think the song is a good indication of UP10TION’s abilities. Following the likes of SPIN OFF, which was a lot more vibrant and punchy with its vocals and instrumentation (though this may be attributed to the Summery season in which it was released), Crazy About You feels like a meh and boring release. But that being said, KPOP has delivered vibrant and punchy dance tracks in the Winter season in the past, and so I think this shouldn’t have limited the song. Anyhow, while Crazy About You does falter in comparison on their previous comeback and is a lot safer in terms sound, there was enough within the song to like still. And well, the entire package was quite enjoyable to listen to. The vocals and rapping from the members were solid work, and the EDM/orchestral blend instrumentation was fine as well. Once again, I reiterate that Crazy About You was not innovative, but as mentioned earlier on, it is still a strong showing overall. I think a strong melody or hook would have made Crazy About You stand out more.

It appears that the UP10TION members have taken on board a more mature look for this comeback. While Crazy About You does take on an undeniable sentimental tone, the members looked sensual and sophisticated look in their choreography scenes and the art gallery scenes. It does sound like a bit of a mismatch in terms of sound and visuals, but I think it works. On the flip side, the members also show boyfriend or boy next door visuals during their flashback scenes, which comes about when they inspect the artworks within the gallery.

I think the main reason to why those outfit works with the sentimental tone is that the choreography takes on the sentimental side of the song. The moves weren’t crazy powerful to match the instrumental, nor sexy as per their outfits. Rather, the moves were more so on the delicate side of things. Like the song, nothing original. But it was a good performance overall. I particularly like the backwards walking in the chorus, and how that helped make the chorus feel fresh each time.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.3/10

[Review] WA DA DA – Kep1er

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Kickstarting what is already shaping to be a busy 2022 is a very long list of comebacks and debuts. The first release that I have selected to be the first review of the year is Kep1er’s debut single, WA DA DA, which officially dropped yesterday. For those who don’t know, Kep1er is a nine-member project group under WAKEONE and Swing Entertainment, formed through the survival show Girls Planet 999. The final lineup of the group consist of Choi Yujin (former CLC member), Shen Xiaoting, Sakamoto Mashiro, Kim Chaehyun, Kim Dayeon, Ezaki Hikaru, Huening Bahiyyih (sister of Heungkai from TXT), Seo Youngeun, Kang Yeseo (former member of Busters). The group was originally meant to debut back in December 2020, but some of the members contracted COVID which resulted in the postponement of their debut to yesterday.

WA DA DA definitely has potential as a debut song. For the most part, I quite enjoyed the song. But there were some parts that I did not like and created holes in an otherwise decent track. I would personally put WA DA DA into the ‘girl crush’ style of music. I know it is a generic sound in KPOP, but I just wished the producers of WA DA DA kept to just that. There seemed to be a desire to capitalise on the member’s youth, and so there are all these cutesy elements inserted into WA DA DA that I believe do not fit in with the the ‘girl crush’ concept. A prime example of this occurring is the two halves of the chorus. I really enjoyed the sassy attitude of the first half of the chorus. This felt great following the promise from the verses and rapping elements in WA DA DA. The second half of the chorus disrupted this energy and diverted the song into a more cutesy direction with high-pitched vocals, which I felt was a wrong move. The producers of the song could have just picked one direction and done that one extremely well, with my obvious preference being the girl crush sound. In other promising areas, the bold and strong vocals in the pre-chorus stood out for me. The other part of WA DA DA which I am a bit torn about is the song’s title and main hook. Looking back, it has its merits and is catchy. But I feel WA DA DA is a bit elementary and childish. It didn’t really fit in with the intense moments of the song, and hence I felt that it brought down the quality of the song. For a debut track and all the hype behind Kep1er, I expected something more solid for WA DA DA and not as flawed.

The music video was definitely going towards that girl crush concept direction, which I didn’t mind. Generic as it is, it isn’t a terrible concept/idea. Just unoriginal. I did like the post-production effects on this video, like how the members kept on disappearing and reappearing during the bridge/first half of the final chorus. Plus all the mini lightnings that were coming from their hands. It added a much cooler vibe to the video.

The performance overall was quite good. Again, I wished the performance went in one of the two directions (i.e. girl crush vs. cutesy). We get a mix of both here. I understand that the performance would need to conform to the song, so they did fine in this department for the WA DA DA that we got. I did like the different ways the members got into formation throughout this performance. I am, however, unsure of the various hand movements they had in the choreography, not sure what what they were to represent, if anything.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 6.9/10

[Album Review] Guilty Pleasure (1st Single Album) – Hwasa (Mamamoo)

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Kicking off the new year is an album review for Hwasa’s latest single album release, Guilty Pleasure, which dropped at the end of November of last year (kind of weird saying that when last year was only two days ago). The single album features the title track I’m a B and two other new tracks from the Mamamoo member. Guilty Pleasure and I’m a B follows Hwasa’s 2020 comeback, Maria, which I reviewed both the mini-album and title track for.

Guilty Pleasure Album Cover

1. FOMO – FOMO is an all-English track that starts off with R&B sound. It is a sound that suits Hwasa and the song had a good beat and rhythm. I quite enjoyed her vocals, especially when it was strengthen by the backing vocals. Striking would be the word I use to describe her. But I note that FOMO wasn’t going anywhere, and I didn’t think I would like the entire song if it were just like this repetitively. That mentality was thrown out the door up when we approached the 1:20 minute mark, where FOMO breaks down and Hwasa brings in this soft, moody and ambient piano ripple. Her voice goes soft and whisper-like, and this really extremely bone-chilling. That change was an extremely bold, and worked a treat as it pays off in making the song memorable and unique. (9/10)

2. I’m a B (Title Track) – Click here for I’m a B full review. (7.5/10)

3. Bless U – Hwasa wows me in Bless U with her vocals. Hwasa already has unique vocals in general and the huskiness and raspiness helps Hwasa stand out from afar. But in Bless U, she builds up her vocals and soars to make this a showstopping track. I cannot help but close my eyes to take it all in. The instrumental was a bit plain for the most part, but I liked how it kept a minimalist vibe so that the focus is purely on Hwasa’s vocals. Despite that, there is still a bit of build within the instrumental of Bless U, and I did like how the song ended with electric guitars. (8.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.3/10

Guilty Pleasure Teaser Image

[Album Review] BLOOD MOON (6th Mini Album) – ONEUS

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ONEUS is nominated for Best Male Group and Most Underrated Artist, Best Outfits (for Black Mirror) and Best Electronic Song (for No Diggity) in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support ONEUS by clicking here to vote for them today(!) as this is the last day in which you can vote!

For the final review of the year, I have elected to review ONEUS’ November album release, BLOOD MOON. I chose BLOOD MOON to be the final review of the year based on the fact that LUNA was such an amazing title track and comeback (based on my personal thoughts – you can read more of my thoughts on the comeback in the full review that I have linked below in the body of the review). I personally felt this held a lot of promise for their album. Well, I don’t want to spoil anything, but based on my personal thoughts it seems like BLOOD MOON is exactly what I had expected. Alongside the title track LUNA, the album also features the tracks Life Is Beautiful and Shut Up 받고 Crazy Hot (which were released as part of the ONEUS Theatre series), a very captivating intro track and an additional three new songs from the group. So without further ado and for the final time in 2021, here is the album review!

BLOOD MOON Album Cover

1. Intro: Window (창 (窓)) – Window hits hard as an intro track. It blends together the traditional oriental sound, with modern day trap to create a powerful, memorable and unique opener to the album. Choi Ye Rim, a Korean traditional musician, provides the song with the folksy vocals from traditional Korean music, and her presence was extremely strong and riveting. ONEUS brings rap and performance to make Window high intensity and bold opener to the album. (9/10)

2. LUNA (월하미인 (月下美人 : LUNA)) (Title Track) – Click here for LUNA’s full review. (9/10)

3. Yes or No (사랑의 결말은 모 아니면 도) – Yes or No is fun and upbeat change to the album’s sound. For the most part, I quite liked it. The instrumental has this summery vibe to it, thanks to the brass elements within Yes or No. The chorus was quite catchy and there was good energy coming from the chorus. The vocal work is pretty good, and the rapping added a bit of heaviness and edgy vibe to the song. However, I wished the producers omitted the xylophone taps, as it heavily weighs down the quality of Yes or No. Firstly, I felt they were a distraction from the song and its reemergence on a regular basis was quite annoying. Secondly, I am not sure what value or purpose they had in Yes or No. Thirdly, it added a monotonous element to the song, which went against the rest of the song. It was a flaw in the song that had a big impact in the end. (8/10)

4. Life Is Beautiful – Click here for Life Is Beautiful’s full review. (9.5/10)

5. Shut Up 받고 Crazy Hot – Click here for Shut Up 받고 Crazy Hot’s full review. (9/10)

6. We’re In Love (헤엄쳐) – We’re In Love was an extremely nice pop track. The entire track was pretty standard and didn’t offer anything innovative. But it manages to tick the box for sounding good and I also felt that We’re in Love was a breezy listen. I can imagine blasting this song on a road trip when the weather is perfectly sunny. The vocal work was great and helped made We’re In Love feel bright and positive, while the rapping helped give the song an electrifying zing and more energy to make it lively. (8.5/10)

7. Who You Are – Who You Are is a R&B track. It too is a bit standard in terms of instrumentation, but I felt that Who You Are is a polished ender to the album. The instrumental was smooth and it had an appealing vibe to it. The song itself shows off the team’s vocals abilities, especially as they soar as the song progresses. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.7/10

BLOOD MOON Teaser Image

[Album Review] Electrified: Urban Nostalgia (6th Mini Album) – Ha Sung Woon

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Ha Sung Woon is nominated for Best Male Soloist, while Sneakers, is also nominated for Best Male Choreography (Solo) in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Click here to support Ha Sung Woon and your other favourite artists.

Ha Sung Woon’s November comeback release is next up on the album review chopping block. The mini-album, which is his sixth one since his solo debut three years ago, is titled Electrified: Urban Nostalgia and is lead by the title track Electrified. As mentioned in Electrified‘s song review post, this mini-album is the last release from Ha Sung Woon whilst under Star Crew Entertainment – the company he has been under since his debut in 2014 as part of HOTSHOT. Thus, this release closes a chapter in Ha Sung Woon’s career. Since the announcement that this would be his last release under his old company, Ha Sung Woon has signed on with Big Planet Made, which is currently home to Soyou, Huh Gak and future debut female group VIVAZ (consisting of Eunha, Sin.B and Umji – former members of GFriend). So while Ha Sung Woon is settling in with his new company and is preparing for new releases, let’s have a listen to Electrified: Urban Nostalgia.

Electrified: Urban Nostalgia Album Cover

1. Back To You – Starting off the album is the blissful sounding Back To You. I really like the airiness of Ha Sung Woon’s vocals throughout this track. Definition to Ha Sung Woon’s vocals was added by the use of backing vocals, and the slight use of autotune at certain times helped blend everything together with the electronic pop instrumentation. Regarding the instrumentation, I liked its lightness and it had such a neat vibe to it. I also really like the presence of the piano, which helped keep Back To You grounded in my opinion. The melodies and hooks were all soothing and catchy as well. A strong start to the album. (9/10)

2. Electrified (Title Track) – Click here for Electrified’s full review. (7.5/10)

3. Fairy Tale – Smoothness takes over the album through Fairy Tale. It is a R&B ballad that sounds really smooth but has a very typical instrumentation. I did think the typical nature of the instrumentation made the song dull at first, but subsequent listens and the song’s overall smoothness has changed that impression. However, I still wish the instrumental isn’t as typical as it is. Ha Sung Woon sounds really nice, utilizing his husky vocals and falsettos throughout the song. The melodies in this song are quite good as well, pulling me in. (7.5/10)

4. Love Sound (ft. Rauas) – Love Sound gives off Christmas vibes. I am not entirely sure if this was meant to be the intention, but I don’t mind it. It gives Love Sound a happy and cheerful tone, which definitely makes the sound more appealing and inviting for me. It also helps change up the tone of the album a bit, as well. The rest of the instrumentation follows that happier tone and brings out that swaying effect I talk about often (regarding ballads). Ha Sung Woon’s vocals, which is pretty much in falsetto mode for majority of the song, also passes off as playful and sweet. Rauas’s hip-hop sequence was quite enjoyable and added a mellow touch to the song. (8.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.1/10

Electrified: Urban Nostalgia Teaser Image

[Album Review] NO LIMIT (10th Mini Album) – MONSTA X

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MONSTA X is nominated for for Best Stage Presence and their single GAMBLER is nominated for Best Concept. MONSTA X member I.M is also nominated for Best Rapper, while God Damn is nominated for Best Rap or Hip-Hop song. Support MONSTA X, I.M and your other favourite acts by voting in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Click here to vote now.

The next album review on this blog is for MONSTA X, who returned in November of this year with the their 10th mini-album, NO LIMIT. The mini-album is lead by the title track Rush Hour and an additional 6 tracks, which will be reviewed below! The mini-album is also the first to not feature Shownu, who enlisted earlier this year. Keep on reading for some of my thoughts on NO LIMIT. In some related news and following the release of this mini-album, MONSTA X went on to release their second studio-length English language album, The Dreaming, which is lead by the new single You Problem and previously release One Day. Just to let you know, I will be reviewing You Problem in a future International Song Review post early next year (once I am back from my break) and am still contemplating on whether to review the new album next year (which is only a few days away now – super yikes).

NO LIMIT Album Cover

1. Rush Hour (Title Track) – Click here for Rush Hour’s full review. (7.5/10)

2. Autobahn – Autobahn starts off promising electronic song and ends up developing into a satisfying dance track with a decent amount of intensity. Auotbahn, for those who don’t know, means motorway/freeway in German, and I can imagine listening to this track while on the road. However, I don’t think I will coasting it down the road, though. Autobahn could have hit harder, especially when it came to the vocals in the song. They seemed to underwhelm. The chorus could also go further than just ‘satisfying’ by really concentrating that intensity. On the other hand, the rappers nailed their sequence and they add great flow and energy into the song. (6.5/10)

3. Ride with U – Ride with U was a ride in itself. It is a very interesting song, with a lot of bold and memorable moments. I really like the groovy instrumentation that really comes through during the chorus. The pre-chorus was this smoothness to it, which makes the chorus punchier. The ‘Talk Talk Talk’ and ‘Love Love Love’ hooks that follow the choruses were very catchy and hard to get out of your head. I like how they stripped the instrumental at the every end, but retained the hook and created this purified outro. I was definitely a fan of that. Vocally and rapping-wise, Ride With U is a strong song. The bridge was also standout moment, really showing those strong vocals and rapping. (9/10)

4. Got Me in Chains – Got Me in Chains definitely got me with its instrumentation. I really like all the textures within Got Me in Chains, which really helped make the song really appealing. Even the subtle ones stood out for me. There were a few parts in which we only get to hear the instrumental in its raw form, and those were the best parts of the song. That however does not outshine the other aspects of Got Me in Chains. The vocal work in this song is pretty damn good, showcasing a sensual vibe during the chorus of the song. The rapping felt clean and neat for this song, which I think is a positive aspect of Got Me in Chains and works well with the sensual vibes from the rest of the song. (9/10)

5. Just Love – MONSTA X takes it down a step with Just Love, a R&B track. The guitar work in this song is very much in the forefront of the song with the vocals. It definitely helps make Just Love fulfilling, and less bare. Half of me is appreciative of this, the other half didn’t like it as much. The vocal work from all the members sounds super good. Even the rappers, in addition to their rapping duties, surprised with solid vocals during the chorus. A satisfying listen overall. (8/10)

6. Mercy – Mercy turns up the dramatic vibe thanks to the combination of orchestra and electronic instrumentation, and this creates a different style of intensity than when I mention intensity in the above songs. Mercy is loaded up with this dramatic style of intensity and I feel that the song is perfect as a OST during the peak of drama or movie where the drama is very heavy between a couple or just people in general. MONSTA X’s vocals added onto that intensity with impactful lines and the rapping we got in Mercy was extremely thrilling and felt ‘edge of your seat’ like. Definitely my style of song and one of my favorites off the album. (10/10)

7. I Got Love – The album ends with a R&B track that ultimately focuses on vocals from all members. I enjoyed their vocals for the most part and you can feel the genuineness behind their vocals. The ‘I Got Love’ line stands out in a memorable manner. The instrumentation was a bit plain but had a nice sleekness to it, going with soft trap and hip-hop direction. It is quite consistent throughout, which made it less appealing as we got to the end. (7/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.1/10

NO LIMIT Teaser Image