Category: KPOP

[Review] Ugly Dance – ONF

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After Tuesday and yesterday’s intermission from the week, I return to the usual broadcast of reviews for new releases. Today’s review revolves around ONF’s latest release, Ugly Dance. The group returned with a repackaged version of their first studio album, My Name: ONF, and the title track Beautiful Beautiful back in February of this year. It was a very successful comeback for the group with Beautiful Beautiful reach the number one spot on SBS MTV’s The Show, the first time the group has ever reach the number one position on a weekly music show. A month ago, it was announced the group would be return with a repackaged version, which has been retitled as City of ONF, and is headlined with the title track Ugly Dance.

The most intimidating task in the KPOP industry is finding a song that exceeds the standard set by the artist’s best performing and sounding song (to date). For ONF, they successfully one-upped New World with the release of Beautiful Beautiful this year. And now, all eyes are on Ugly Dance to see if it can do the same. It might be the entire reason to why Ugly Dance starts off with a throwback to their previous title track with the song’s main hook. However, Ugly Dance gives it to us in a remixed form, making it to be more orchestral sounding. This is an amazing twist to the really catchy hook from their previous song and it also fits in perfectly with the orchestral approach that parts of the instrumental of Ugly Dance opts for. But that is only the based on the instrumentation that is used to create part of the the background of their new song. The other part takes on a funky hip-hop style, which seems to align with the colourful energy we got from their previous song. Together, Ugly Dance is a very powerful and epic sounding song. In regards to the vocals, ONF really shows off their vocal chops in this song from what I can hear. The instrumentation in this comeback is quite loud, so they really had to ensure they stand out on top of the loud background, And ONF does just that. Everything felt solid and very straightforward on that front, as well. The high notes at the end were probably the most obvious examples of that. For Wyatt’s rapping, his deep spoken tone was very surprising. It felt dynamic despite it coming off as spoken. His deep tone was also very stylish and cool. What I enjoyed the most about the song are the hooks. The ‘1 and 2 and 3 and 4‘ was probably my favourite one as it added a lighthearted and playful vibe to the song. The vocal melodies for the chorus were also quite memorable. The most important question is, however, did Ugly Dance surpass Beautiful Beautiful? My gut (at the present) unfortuately says no. I feel that Beautiful Beautiful had it all, but it edged in front thanks to the colourfulness it brought to the table. But if it is any constaltion, Ugly Dance is defintiely there as one of ONF’s best!

Also lacking colour is the music video for Ugly Dance. The music video isn’t shot in black and white. Rather, it feels quite muted, thanks to the sterile, hospital room-like aesthetic and plainness of the white box ONF got as a set for this music video. They tried to insert some colour in the video (i.e. the alternating black and white outfits; the green borders up top and for the doors; the members’ hair colours), but none of this was really a splash of colour that the video needed to not be as dull as it ended coming off as. It is a bit disappointing, given that the video is the first in KPOP (as far as I can remember) to be shot in 8K. I also didn’t like how the outfits would sudden change between the black and white. It seemed like a bit much for me. But I did like how the music video sits within the same world as the Beautiful Beautiful music video, based on the start. I also liked how the music video captured ONF’s more lighthearted side, with their smiles and interactions playing a part in making this video more appealing to watch.

The choreography for this comeback was a blast! I enjoyed the whole package and the performances so far have been replayed multiple times! Their smiles really give off a playful vibe in the choreography, making the extremely powerful routine a little more lighthearted. And hence, I found the routine to be fitting for the song as a result. I also liked how they inserted elements of Beautiful Beautiful into the routine.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

[Review] ON&ON – Hong Eunki

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Today is one of the days in which we don’t have any musical release. So I thought I take this opportunity to select a song from my ‘Coming Soon’ list to write a review for, which I seem to touch every blue moon. Today’s choice is actually a release from way back in January. Actually, to be precise, this release dropped on 5 January of this year (almost four months ago). I am talking about Hong Eunki’s ON&ON. It caught my attention a few weeks after its release, and has since been on the ‘Coming Soon’ list. As this is my first time reviewing a Hong Eunki release, here is my short rundown of the soloist. He was a former member of Rainz, a project group formed after Produce 101 Season 2, in which he placed 38th on the show. He made his solo debut in 2019 with Blow, and has since made comebacks with Breath, Flower and now ON&ON.

To me, I find that ON&ON has this fresh mix of the groovy trend and deep house. It isn’t reaally much of an interesting mix, nor is it innovative. However, I do appreciate the remergence of different styles and combination once in a while. ON&ON defintiely benefited from this, as I couldn’t really think of another song from the top of my head that has blended the two together in recent times. What is also great about ON&ON is that while the two is a blend of the groovy trend and deep house, neither really felt like a commitment. It was a relatively light mix that felt pleasant enough to enjoy. And I say that in a positive manner. In addition to the instrumentation, ON&ON has this great upbeat vibe and catchy hooks that really caught on. You might argue that it didn’t have much effect, given how delayed this review is. But that shouldn’t mean anything (given my long and growing list of songs that I personally want to review). When it comes to the vocal front, I think ON&ON could have been more interesting. Hong Eunki has some standard vocals that were able to showcase a bit of vocal variety, such as falesttos throughout the song. There was also some decent effects placed over his vocals to give off some texture. But by the end of ON&ON, I was a little bored with the same techniques on the vocal front. But this didn’t really drag down the song for me. Overall, ON&ON was a nice and decent introduction to Hong Eunki for me. I will definitely keep my eyes open for further comebacks from the soloist in the future and hopefully they catch my attention as this one did.

The music video was okay. It tapped the shoulder of the standard choreography and closeup formula that isn’t that inventive. And while the saving grace of that formula is usually amazing and stunning closeup of the artists the music video features, this one doesn’t get up to that level for me. I did like the subtle emphasis on the colour blue, which is a bit interesting. It wasn’t bold in any way, but rather muted. But you could tell the producers were pushing a blue agenda for this music video.

I think the choreographer missed the opportunity to add a bit of a bounce to the routine. This could have potentially made everything better, given that the performance was focused more on generic output, if you understand what I mean. Everything looked standard and felt more like a clash of moves that didn’t really work with one another. I did like his enthuasism and the energy that he conveyed through the routine, however.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.3/10

[Review] CLOSE – AB6IX

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Also making their comeback today is AB6IX, with the release of CLOSE marking their return. CLOSE is featured on the group’s fourth mini-album, Mo’ Complete: Have a Dream. We last heard from AB6IX through their repackaged 3rd mini-album, Salute: A New Hope and the title track Stay Young in January of this year. This also coincided with the release of a remixed version of Why Don’t We’s Fallin’ (Adrenaline) earlier this year as well that AB6IX and the original artists collaborated with for.

CLOSE is a promised return to deep house, a style that ABNEW and other avid AB6IX listeners may find familiar. For those who are not familar with this group, deep house is the style of EDM that AB6IX debuted and followed up with during their debut year (Breathe and Blind For Love) before embarking on a year of different sounds. CLOSE starts off with twinkling synths and warped effects, before heavier synths and percussion come into play. I find all of this contribute to a somewhat brighter and lighter tone than their earlier works. It is an interesting dynamic for the group. I like how refreshing the members sound in the first verse. The pre-chorus is also quite intriguing, as the members come together to sing the sequence together. This too adds to the refreshing tone of the song. For the chorus, CLOSE delves into the more traditional routes of deep house. But layered on top of that are deep textured synths that added an electric touch to the centrepice of the song. For the second verse, the highlight here is Woojin’s rap sequence. The energy he brings to the song resembles AB6IX’s early days, which is what the song is aiming for. Great success there. For CLOSE‘s bridge, I really liked the delayed return to the final chorus. It was a clean transition that added tinge of suspense to the song. It was also reminiscent of Breathe. For the vocals of the song, we saw a solid showcase of them throughout the song. I do think they could have been a bit more dynamic on the hook front to make CLOSE a little more memorable. But overall, CLOSE is a nice return to roots for AB6IX.

While the music video feels like it is a mixture of different scenes, I think the video is fairly straight forward. From what I could tell from the lyrics, a lot of the song is about not worrying about getting lost when you are in the dark. I assume they are referring to the dark moments in life and feeling lost then in the song. But AB6IX portrays this as the darkness you get when you close your eyes when you sleep, which I think is a clever way of presenting this in a visual manner. We see the members sleeping and then waking up in very different locations. But as the lyrics suggest, everything will be okay. We see the members find each other and then a way out of this dreamland. It is a pretty cool video when it comes together like so. I am not sure about the floating rock we get at the end, whether this links up with another video in the future or if there is a detail hidden in the video that I didn’t catch.

The best part of the choreography for CLOSE is the pre-chorus. I really like how Donghyun in the first verse and Daehwi in the second verse interacted with the other members in the pre-chorus sequences. It looked cool and worked really well with the music. For the chorus, nothing felt out of place. Everything was just clean. I also really like Woojin’s rap sequence, which fitted in so well with his image. It also added some intensity to the performance, which was some icing on the cake for me.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

[Review] Drunk-Dazed – ENHYPEN

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New week, new comebacks. First up this week is ENHYPEN’s latest comeback, Drunk-Dazed. It is featured on the group’s second mini-album, Border: Carnival, which also dropped today. This is also the newly debut group’s first comeback since their debut at the very of November of last year, with Border: Day One and Given-Taken. Since their debut, ENHYPEN has scored a number of rookie awards during the KPOP award season that occured throughout December 2020 and January 2021. This is especially an amazing feat, given that they had a month to make an impact on the industry. And with rookie awards coming their way, it seems like ENHYPEN just did. For the KPOPREVIEWED Awards, ENHYPEN wasn’t nominated, nor did they win any awards due to their late debut. Instead, they will be considered as rookies for the upcoming 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards later this year. But there is a long way to go, so let’s start off with a review of their latest single.

Drunk-Dazed is a really powerful pop song. I have to start off by focusing on the chorus, which to me, was the best part of the song. The unquestionable blast of energy that we get thrown into from the chorus was very exhilarating and thrilling. Imagine how it would sound when Drunk-Dazed is on full blast! It doesn’t help that the hooks here were super catchy and addictive. Both worked in harmony to create a really relentless and upbeat part of the song that I thoroughly enjoyed. The verses don’t have that same impact or memorability as the chorus, but they had their charm. Both essentially had the same make up, with its consistent thumping and build-up to the chorus. I really like the rock vibes that comes from verses, which made the energy of the chorus feel like it was brewing in the background of the verses. The pre-chorus had a nice nostaligic ring to it. When it came to the bridge, I was a bit let down by the drawn out nature of the part. It just didn’t feel like a right fit for the song, from my prespective. I was glad it was brief and we returned to the familar tune of the chorus. The extension we got at the end of Drunk-Dazed felt appropriate for the group. Throughout Drunk-Dazed, the members sounded mature or at the very least didn’t feel like they were teenagers. But I detected some bright youthfulness in their tone in that final bit that matches the group’s profile given their young age. Overall, Drunk-Dazed is an addictive song full of great energy, fitting for a party vibe.

And I am glad that party vibe was translated into the music video. It appears the members are werewolves (or vampires, not too sure). They lure a fellow school mate to a party they are having, persumably to suck their blood. After all, she was invited to a bloody birthday party. We get a sense they are after blood by drinking it at the party (i.e. one of the members add blood to a glass of water pre-party, plus the raining blood at the end of the video). The member who we see dancing the blood rain falls to the ground to wake up surrounded by the rest of the group. We then see the school mate arrive with the invitation in hand, unsuspecting of what is about to happen to her. It also appears that the members have been around for a while, with scenes at the party were followed up by scenes of the members celebrating a birthday back in the early 1900s, based on the way the yellow filter was added to mimic the video footage of that time period. In the second verse, we see 1980s style effects, mimicing music videos from that era. There also seems to be a bit of telekinesis, teleportation, pyrokinesis (seems all of this is reminding me of American Horror Story: Coven). I like the story and how they conveyed the clues. Though I am still not clear if they are all werewolves, vampires or a mixture of both.

When it comes to the choreography, I have similar thoughts of it as per the song. I really like the routine during the chorus, including the zombie start and the wavy motion they used to represent the second ‘Dazed Dazed Dazed‘ hook. I also thought them lying on the ground and spinning was a cool move in this routine. Overall, a nice routine.

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

[Album Review] Zero: Fever Part.2 (6th Mini Album) – ATEEZ

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The next album on my reviewing radar is ATEEZ’s latest release, Zero: Fever Part 2. The group’s last comeback featured Part 1 of their Zero: Fever series, featuring the title track Inception. This occured July 2020. And over half a year later, the group has finally returned with the second part of the series. ATEEZ’s latest title track, Fireworks (I’m The One) features on the mini-album, along with four new tracks. In addition to that, the album also features two alternate versions of Take Me Home (one of their new songs) and Fireworks (I’m The One). Per usual, I won’t be reviewing those two tracks and you can find them on YouTube or Spotify if you to check them out. But before you do that, check out my review of the individual songs on this release!

Zero: Fever Part.2 Album Cover

1. Fireworks (I’m The One) – Click here to read the full review for Fireworks (I’m The One). (8/10)

2. The Leaders – The Leaders is definitely something that falls into ATEEZ’s portfolio with its intensity. But this isn’t the usual type of intensity that is reliant on the instrumentation. Instead, I think it is more of how the member captivated me through their rapping and delivery of lines. On that front, there is a lot going on. You have powerful rap lines that dominate the verses to whisper-spoken lines in the chorus. Some of the lines and melodies felt like it easily could be the next trendy hip-hop song that Korea tends to fall in love with every now and then. This is all layered on top of a trap-beat instrumental. This is powerful in its own right and definitely adds to the intensity. Overall, The Leaders is an unconventional song (at first glance) that somehow gets me hooked on and following ATEEZ as my leaders. (9/10)

3. Time of Love – Definitely a 180 degree change from the two songs preceding Time of Love. The third song on the album comes unexpectedly, as it adds a sweet sound to the album following intense numbers. A lot of sunshine and peppiness comes from this song, something that I don’t we would associate with this group whatsoever. But interestingly, I really like how Time of Love stood its ground. It is actually one of my favourite songs off the album. It was a catchy number with memorable hooks. Time of Love’s instrumentation is still synth-dominant, but the energy that comes from it makes me want to smile. The members, regardless of their positions in the group, all sound amazing throughout the song. (9.5/10)

4. Take Me Home – Take Me Home takes a step towards their roots and away from that unexpected change in sound that preceded this song. What makes Take Me Home stand out is its retro sounding background, which really leaves a positive impression on me. Rather staying on the EDM front with their intense sound, this change in style is refreshing and interesting. Take Me Home also showcases the amazing vocals and rap that we know ATEEZ is capable of. The melodic chorus was one of the highlights. Also Hongjoong’s ‘Over and over again’ overlap and rap sequence was really memorable. But you know what spoke to me the most? It was the saxophone solo at the very end. It was an unexpected addition, but one that really caught my attention. (10/10)

5. Celebrate – Celebrate is the final new release on this mini-album. It is another fun song that brings a smile to your face. But it isn’t as unexpected change in sound as Time of Love was. Celebrate is of a different style, opting for what felt was a very upbeat gospel-like tone, mixed with some jazzy notes. There was also choir in the background of the song, emphasizing this style. What Celebrate does so well is showcase the members. I know many of their songs do this already. But honestly, how iconic and powerful were the vocals in this song? Jongho’s ad-libs in the final chorus, San’s tone at the start of the bridge. The rappers also showed off their stuff, with their parts further fueling the energy of the song. Everything comes off as powerful, which is definitely one of the highlights of ATEEZ’s music. (10/10)   

Overall Album Rating – 9.3/10

Zero: Fever Part 2 Teaser Image

[Album Review] Identity: Challenge (2nd Mini Album) – WEi

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Teaser image of WEi for their Identity: Challenge mini-album release

Another album from February makes it way onto the blog. I think I got one more coming your way from the second month of the year (despite us being in the fourth month already). But that will be published tomorrow or next week. For now, I turn my focus to WEi, who released their second mini-album and first comeback on the 24th of February. The mini-album is titled Identity: Challenge, and features the title track All or Nothing. In addition to the title track, the album also features an additional four new songs. This comeback comes after the six-member male group under OUI Entertainment made their debut with Twilight and Identity: First Sight in October of last year.

Identity: Challenge Album Cover

1. All or Nothing (모 아님 도) – Click here to read the full review for All or Nothing. (9/10)

2. Breathing – Breathing follows All or Nothing by delving into EDM. It isn’t as intense as the title track (that was on a whole different level), but Breathing still has that heft to it which I thoroughly enjoyed. Obviously, Breathing’s intensity is not only reflected in the instrumentation. Time and time again, I have made a wish that the rappers should really match the energy of the instrumentation. Dahyeon and Yongha (WEi’s resident rappers) live up that expectation and delivery a smashing sequence that forms part of the bridge. The other members match the intensity with their powerful vocals, which were needed to be heard over the synths and percussion that dominated the background of some parts. The song’s main flaw was its straightforward and no-nonsense approach. Great on many levels, but it resulted in a bit of plainness for me. (9.5/10)

3. Dancing in the Dark – Once again, their next track taps into the EDM realm once again. And like Breathing, it is less intense than its preceding track. I really enjoyed how much the EDM instrumentation really emphasized percussion, giving it a really satisfying glow. Usually, the main driver of an EDM is its synths. But the percussion really made the song stand out for me. I also really liked the peaks of the EDM in Dancing in the Dark, which further adds to that satisfaction. While the vocals and rapping were powerful enough to be heard and definitely reflected that intensity, it all felt like a blur to me as nothing really felt memorable. I was more in tuned with the instrumental, rather than the members. I wished the hooks and melodies were more prevalent and grabbing. (8/10)

4. Diffuser – Diffuser moves away from WEi’s reliance on EDM, opting for something leaning more towards pop. That being said, synths still made up most (if not all) of the instrumentation. It was pleasant and nice, but I don’t have much else to say about it. I felt the pop was more reflected in the ways the members delivered their lines. All the members really shined throughout the song with their sweeter and toned-down vocals. You could also sense a smile behind their vocals, which is a whole different side to the members when you compare this song to the title track. (7/10)

5. Winter, Flower (겨울, 꽂) – No KPOP album is complete without the mandatory ballad and Winter, Flower serves as that track for WEi. It closes the album with a style that very different to the way they opened this mini-album. The background of the Winter, Flower is a traditional orchestra styled instrumental. To me, Winter, Flower is a massive success as it shows that the members are highly capable of different styles. The vocals sound so nice and very powerful. In some ways, it was quite striking. Even the rappers did amazing on the vocal front for this song. (8.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.4/10

Teaser image of WEi for their Identity: Challenge mini-album release
Identity: Challenge Teaser Image

[Review] Loved You – BAE173

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Next up on the blog are some reviews for releases from the last few weeks that I have not yet reviewed. First up is BAE173’s first comeback single, Loved You. This one in particular is one I really wanted find time to write a standalone review for, for a number of reasons. Firstly, this is the first time I am reviewing a BAE173 release. They made their debut earlier this year with Crush On U (which I have yet to review, I will definitely get to it soon!). Other reasons will become apparent as I review this release. But as this is the first time I am reviewing BAE173, I will need to provide a little introduction to the group. BAE173 is a nine-member male group under Pocketdol Studio, consisting of J-Min, Hangyul, Yoojun, Muzin, Junseo, Yongseo, Doha, Bit and Dongpyo. Members Hangyul and Dongpyo may be familiar as they debuted as part of X1 and later formed duo H&D, before disbanding to re-debut as part of BAE173.

What really excited me about Loved You when I first heard, and even now, it is how much it reminded me of Big Bang’s works. To be able to pinpoint that exact feeling is something that is extremely hard, given Big Bang’s vast array of songs under their belt. But as I, like many, miss Big Bang greatly, this puts Loved You in a very favourable light. What I also like about Loved You is that it is a satsifyingly cohesive track. It made for a good listen and nothing felt out of place for me. From the piano work we get in the pre-chorus, to the strumming of guitar in the background of the verses, to the simple instrumental break that we get as part of the bridge. Instrumentally, the song is quite sound and memorable for me. Sure, Loved You could use some improvements in the vocal department. I do admit that they are not as memorable as they could have been. In fact, one might describe their vocals and rapping as rather dull, especially for an instrumental as good as this one. But I think that thought might be a bit extreme as I felt the members were going in the right direction with what they had going on in Loved You. They just could have been a bit more energetic with their delivery in retrospect, especially as the rappers felt very subdued. I think Loved You could have really benefited from something that was more dynamic as this potentially uplifted the song to a whole new level. Overall, Loved You is a really solid song for BAE173, putting them on the radar for new artsists to look out for in 2021.

When I watch the music video for Loved You, I can’t help think that PocketIdol Studio is holding back an extended version. I feel like there is a more fulfilling story to be told, but it had to be cut down to fit the parameters of a music video (even though this one did go for a longer than usual amount of time). As a result, I don’t think I can really form a storyline. But I think there is enough to take a stab at a guess. It seems like the music video revovles around one member, as in one scene the members disappeared leaving only one behind. Similarly, there is one member lyring over his desk in the swimming pool, whereas evertyone is standing around him. My best guess is that the music video talks about the struggles of being alone. But I am not sure what the giant big cat and the flames around the members suggest. Maybe I will revisit this video in a Music Video Theory post (which I planning doing again in the future, but just don’t have the time to restart at the moment). I also like how the music video features an extended version of the song, which I think adds appeal to continually rewatch the video.

The performance that accompanies Loved You is pretty good. My favourite bit has to the be the instrumental break that features the performance’s dance break. Though brief, I felt that it really delivered and showcased the group’s performance skillset. Similarly, I felt the same with the rest of the performance. I just wished the rest was a little more memorable.

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

[Review] Scared – P1Harmony

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The next comeback to occur, and be reviewed, this week was made by P1Harmony. P1Harmony returned on Tuesday (once again, apologies for the delay in the review) with their very first comeback since their debut six months ago in October 2020 with Siren. This latest comeback features the group’s second mini-album, Disharmony: Break Out and the title track Scared.

Right off the bat, Scared really appealed to me with its intense and high level energy. As mentioned in the past, hip-hop isn’t my preferred genre in general, let alone in the Korean music scene. But like all things, there are always exceptions and Scared falls into the latter category for me. I have to admit that I was weirded out by the instrumentation when I first heard the song. The constantly clashing instrumentation, which sounds like a lot of metal falling on top of one another, felt a bit much for me at first. But as I continually replayed the song the next day, it grew considerably on me and it is the element of the song that I look forward to the most when I play the song now. I really liked how that even while the clashing like metal is not explicitly in the foreground of the instrumental, they are still present in the background but in a very muted fashion. It ties everything nicely together, creating a robust backing for this song. As the song delves into the hip-hop genre, the members that flourish the most are the rappers, and their delivery is definitely top notch during the verses. I was definitely head banging my way through the song. I am a little disappointed come to the first and second choruses, as I wished the rappers were more powerful with their delivery in this vital part of the song. They easily could have hit a home run if they were more dynamic. The instrumental in the chorus was definitely energetic, though could have been heightened further in my opinion. This would have helped tie the song together even more tightly. On the other side of the spectrum, the vocals were equally as good. While the rappers did flourish, the vocalists were not shorthanded during their parts of Scared. I mean, Kijung’s vocals during the latter was just on point and quite smooth. Overall, Scared is not song to be scared of. It may overwhelm at first, but it will grow on you.

I am not exactly sure what the story behind the start (and all the relevant scenes throughout the video) were about. My best guess is that each of the people who we see that are non-members were at one point scared of something. But they have joined this cult or following lead by the members of P1Harmony, which tells them not to be scared of anything. Even if the world around you is falling apart. Aside from my botchy storyline, I really like the underground vibes of the music video. It really worked well with the song and really complimented the subtle intensity those additional scenes from the start and throughout the video had.

What a performance! The incorporation of the football into the choreography was a really unique touch. The way the performance goes full circle by bringing back the football at the end, and the whole routine we saw at the end with Theo’s slide and Jungseob’s jumps over the dancers, was amazing. Throw in the choreography we saw throughout the routine, and you have a cool looking dance performance that emphasizes the intensity of the song. If that wasn’t enough, then Soul’s dance break would have been the icing on the cake. And this praise hasn’t factored in the fact they performed the entire performance with live vocals.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.2/10

[Review] INSIDE OUT – NU’EST

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Next up on the blog is the review for INSIDE OUT, NU’EST’s most recent comeback. It dropped on Monday (apologies for the delay in the review) and is featured as the title track on NU’EST’s second Korean studio-length album, Romanticize. This comes after almost a full year since the group last promoted on a Korean stage with I’m In Trouble. The group did release their second studio album in the Japanese market, headlined by Drive, which I have previously reviewed. Romanticize and INSIDE OUT is a full group comeback, however Aron which only partly feature in promotions for the release due to ongoing health concerns. He previously stopped all activities earlier this year as a result of these health concerns. But I am glad that he feels he is well enough to participate as it is always unfortunate for a group to not promote with a full lineup, and the fans who have eagerly been awaiting a full group comeback of their favourite artists.

INSIDE OUT opens up in a very refreshing manner. If that was my initial impression of the song, surely INSIDE OUT would be a knock out of the park. But it didn’t really. Instead, NU’EST’s latest release suffered from a case of being too consistent. I bring back my straight analogy which I hardly use nowadays. The song simply stays within the confines of this straight line, going from point A to B. Sometimes, it is the selling point of the song. But most of the time, I find it a bit too tight for my liking. INSIDE OUT never really peaks or deviates from the line, resulting in a consistent and monotone sound. At the same time, however, I couldn’t really pinpoint anything wrong within the song if I were to extract it to the individual main elements I tend to focus on. The instrumental takes on chill house, which is what brings out that refreshing tone. I also like its minimalist vibes, which was promoted as one of the song’s charms. Maybe this combination added fuel to being overly consistent. The vocals are quite clear and crisp throughout the entire song. It was definitely a solid feature to the song. I wished the rapping (courtesy of JR) was a bit more dynamic. What we heard was fitting for the overall final product. But I think that this additional dynamism could broke the song from its consistency mould and made the song more appealing in that regards. Aside from the rapping, the song’s melodies and hooks are quite catchy. The opening of INSIDE OUT came back as post-chorus hooks and gave the song a little bounce. The vocals also helped the melodies appear a lot smoother, which was nice. But while I give praises for the elements within INSIDE OUT, it is the bigger picture that I find a bit boring.

Like the song, the music video opens in a very striking manner. I really like the way the camera goes around in circles with a very wide angle lens. I also really thought it going upside down was pretty cool. There were also many other cinematography shots that look really cool, so it is a video to check out if you are really into that stuff. I also find the music video to be quite smooth, with the transitions playing a vital role in making this happen. They are all your standard transitions, but the way they come together and blend the various scenes together make this video look so good. I also thought the concept behind the ball to be quite interesting. The ball just keeps on rolling away, which I assume represents the need to run away from their lover. But towards the end of the video, Baekho smashes the ball which I assume represents that they are staying with their love. The dominos could potentially be explained in a similar manner. The start of the video we see a domino piece leave the sequence, which prevents the continuation of the falling dominos. At the end of the video, we see Ren ponder and put down the piece, allowing the dominos to continue falling. My guess is the dominos represent his love for this partner. The start shows his love being cut short, but the end shows the love continuing as per the lyrics.

I liked the choreography that accompanied this release. While it isn’t really a mind blowing performance, I did like the energy exuded from the routine, especially during the chorus. It makes the song feel more lively. My favourite bit has to be the post-chorus hook (i.e. “you are the one I want, eh eh eh, you are the one I need eh eh eh‘). Not only was it catchy, but the moves felt like they could as well.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

[Review] You make Me – DAY6

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DAY6 is officially back with a new mini-album, The Book of Us: Negentropy, which also serves as the final part of their The Book of Us series. This comeback, headlined by the title track You make Me, is also the first comeback in almost a year to feature all the members. For those who may not remember, DAY6 announced a hiatus the day prior to their Zombie comeback. DAY6 briefly made a comeback in August of last year. However only YoungK, Wonpil and Dowoon participated, forming DAY6’s first subunit, Even of Day. Unfortunately, we still won’t be able to see the group as a whole. Firstly, the group and JYP Entertainment confirmed reports that they were not going to promote the release. And secondly, prior to this comeback. member Sungjin enlisted into the military in March. However, he was still part of the recording process of the album and music video.

What I really enjoyed about You make Me are the range of textures that we get in the instrumental. Every part of the song has something unique and different to the rest of the song, which makes for a complex mix. But it somehow comes together and creates an unexpectedly warm atmosphere. The synths from the keyboard in the pre-chorus, the clashing drums and the return of the glitchy keyboard instrumental sequence we get at the end of the first and last chorus with the ‘You. Make. Me.‘, and the clashing drums following the second chorus (underneath Sungjin’s ‘If I. Lose You. …‘). DAY6’s vocal department, once again, shines so brightly throughout You make Me. It isn’t their most powerful or robust release to date. In fact, the vocal work in this song is surprisingly subdued and doesn’t really reflect the energy put through by those climatic instrumental moments. But their vocal work is pretty solid and felt very fulfilling nonetheless. You can also detect a slight tinge of emotions behind their vocals, almost yearning in a way. So they aren’t completely soulless in in this song. Overall, I find You make Me a decent song to listen to and definitely ranks as it is, towards the top end of my rating spectrum. However, at the moment, You make Me feels like it is lacking something. I am not sure what this something is, but the song just has this hard-to-pinpoint incompleteness about it. It could be some vocals that go a step further than what they have, or a more bitey hook to give You make Me a better edge. You make Me is definitely presentable as it is, but it wouldn’t hurt to give it that extra bit more.

Not entirely sure what is happening in this music video. But with a bit of help from the YouTube comments, a theory is formed. The start made it look like he got in a fight and was badly injured. However, he still made it to his girlfriend who is waiting for him. The way she comes to hug him tells me that she hasn’t she hasn’t seen him for a while. They drive off into the distance and along a dark road, his injury starts to catch up to him. He swerves onto the wrong side of a road, causing his girlfriend to be alarmed. She realizes that he has been stabbed and has been bleeding while driving. When they stop, she simply shakes him to not pass out. At this point, I noticed how pale both of them got in this scene. So my guess is that they both died. She probably died a long time ago (hence she greeted him as such at the start of the video but we didn’t realize it at first). And he loses colour (and turns pales) as he drives, so I guess he just died or dies driving away. We see a glimpse of the beach with footprints leading into the ocean as he passes out, before he wakes up in the car and shows her his bandaged wounds. He smiles, while she slaps softly him for causing her alarm. My guess is that he was dead all along. The bandaged wounds were probably some sort of representation of healing wounds as one commenter said (credit goes to Pen cil), as the song (and album series) is all about different emotions. They continue driving until they reach the beach, where they enjoy each others company away from the rest of the world. The beach, based on his vision when he passed out earlier, is probably a representation of the afterlife which to two enjoy together. After putting a story together, the video feel quite nice. I really like the warm and dark tones in the video, representing each stage of life shown in the video (i.e. death and afterlife). I wished the music video had some sort of electronic component to bring that part of the song to life. I am not talking flashy animations or massive LCD screens. More like light strobes behind the members as they perform with their instruments. I think that would fit the aesthetic of the video.

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

[Album Review] Don’t Call Me / Atlantis (7th Studio Album / 7th Studio Album Repackaged) – SHINee

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SHINee’s back! Apologies that it has taken me this long to review the album. The group’s 7th studio album, titled Don’t Call Me (after the title track), was released way back in February 2021. Other albums and songs got in the way, hence why I have pushed the album review so far out. And it was pushed so far out that SHINee had time to release a repackaged version titled Atlantis (also after the title track of the repackaged album). So I thought, why not wait until the entire album is released in its entirety to write an album review. Well, that is where we find today. As a heads up, Don’t Call Me and Atlantis were both very strong releases. I think I found majority of the album to be of a high calibre, which is expected of SHINee given their legendary and powerful status in the industry. To find out about my thoughts on the album, continue reading!

  • Don’t Call Me Album Cover
  • Atlantis Album Cover

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

2. CØDE – CØDE features a deep house instrumentation and a powerful chorus that really grabs your attention. I really liked this effect, but I wished the verses weren’t as boring as they were. Aside from that, CØDE has this nostalgic factor to it as it felt like a SHINee song from its various highs and lows in the instrumentation. The vocals obviously add to that nostalgia, making it a decent song to be included on the album. (7/10)

3. Don’t Call Me (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Don’t Call Me. (10/10)

4. Area (같은 자리) – To me, the falsettos within Area really make this a captivating and aesthetic track. In addition to the vocals, I also enjoyed the warped brass at the end of the song. This is in combination to the subdued and subtle groove that the rest of the instrumentation had. In Area, the consistency was a powerful tool that was well used and helped kept the track engaging for me. This is quite rare for me, as I do enjoy my changes within songs to keep them interesting. But there was so much load and heft in the vocal department, I honestly did not mind. (9/10)

5. Heart Attack – Heart Attack thrives on its bass heavy, bouncy and groovy instrumentation, keeping true to current trends. It feels like a song SHINee would nail on stage, showing off the best of SHINee in the vocal department. (In fact, they did as the song was selected to be their one of their secondary promotional songs, which was performed alongside Don’t Call Me in this comeback week!). I really like how satisfying the chorus sounded when all the members sang together. One element noticeably missing that I think would have made Heart Attack even better was a rap sequence. It would have been great to have one to concentrate the subtle intensity the song exuded without knowing. (8.5/10)

6. Marry You – Taking on the nostalgia of 90s R&B, Marry You zones straight into the vocals of SHINee. From their solo parts in the verses to the extremely smooth chorus, Marry You sounds extremely dreamy. Even the instrumental (aside from the use of that squeaky synth throughout the song, which honestly could have been replaced with something a little more grounded and natural) complimented the vocals so well. (8/10)

7. Days and Years – Days and Years is also another awesome song from the album. I find everything to be so pleasantly captivating. The synth pop instrumental isn’t heavy or overbearing, which makes the song so appealing. It gives off the same vibes and aesthetic that an acoustic song would have, which is remarkable to replicate. The focus on the vocals, once again, makes this song a worthwhile listen. The chorus, sung by all the members together, had a memorable and enjoyable hook. The verses also showed off great technique. Altogether, Days and Years has that edge over the songs preceding it. (10/10)

8. I Really Want You – I Really Want You is the song you want on your playlist for a jam session. The energy that comes from this song is so addictive. So much that I had to force myself away from the replay button or else this album review will never be seen on the blog. Their vocal work is superb and the song finally gives us those rap sequences that was missing from the album (note: this comment was based on the tracklist of Don’t Call Me). I Really Want You also delivers with catchy lines and hook, making this song even better. To me, I Really Want You is this album’s hidden gem. (10/10)

9. Kiss Kiss – Continuing the momentum from the last song is Kiss Kiss. If we were to compare the two songs, Kiss Kiss is more subdued as the instrumental isn’t as explicitly as upbeat as the former. But like the previous song, Kiss Kiss is also quite catchy thanks to the constant repetition of the title and the English lines. I also enjoyed the acoustic nature of the song. However, the song still has its share of synths. Altogether, it really makes the song another great listen on this album. (9/10)

10. Attention – Attention takes an even more subdued approach, opting for a clear example of upbeat R&B. It is also the first song on the album that I am not really digging. While I do like their falsetto vocals when it came to the chorus, it didn’t feel as exciting as had they employed the same technique earlier on in the album. You can blame this on the instrumentation I felt didn’t do the song justice. The instrumental, to me, felt like it was stuck in neutral gear and never really got out of it. (6/10)

11. Body Rhythm – From the first seconds of the song, you can tell that Body Rhythm was going down the sensual route. The song has reggae influences that probably made it even better. While the vocals were solid and worked with the reggae influence, I wished they had a bit more oomph to really make this song click. It felt pretty plain and neutral as we got to the end of the song. (7.5/10)

12. Kind (빈칸) – Kind is the album’s take on a ballad. But knowing it is SHINee, they switch it up by incorporating synths and piano work to give this song a more modern feel. Some of the vocals were also autotuned to give off, what I assume, would be a similar modern feel. And I feel that SHINee delivered on that front. In addition to that, Kind’s vocals were breathtaking, delivering more of that typical ballad front to the song. It was really captivating and engaging as the final song on the album. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.8/10

  • Don’t Call Me Teaser Image
  • Atlantis Teaser Image

[Album Review] Love Or Take (11th Mini Album) – Pentagon

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Up next on the album review block is Pentagon’s Love or Take, which was released in the middle of March 2021. This is the group’s 11th mini-album since their debut in 2016. Love or Take features the title track DO or NOT amongst the seven new songs from Pentagon. It also features all members of Pentagon, aside from Jinho, who is currently enlisted in the military. Fellow member and Pentagon’s leader Hui also enlisted prior to the release of the album and hence is not part of the promotions for the new song. However, Hui still had a hand in producing this album and also participated in the music video filming. This is another great album from the group, with some highlights hidden in the tracklist. Continue reading to find out which songs I considered to be highlights from Love or Take.

LOVE or TAKE Album Cover

1. 10s and (10초 전) – Right off the bat, Pentagon pulled me into the album with their opening song. 10s and opens with a synth pop background that feels quite dreamy in the first few seconds but develops into a very dynamic pop song. Kino counts down from 10 in a whisper, before we are led to the rest of the song. My favourite part of 10s and has to be the countdown chorus, which is jaggered in its presentation. It may sound a bit odd, but it was extremely dynamic and a texture gold mine. The rest of the song was quite upbeat and continues the momentum in a satisfying manner. If I were to be slightly selfish, I would ask for more brightness and spark towards the end to better close the song (and not have it sound like a repeat of earlier sequences in the song). (9/10)

2. DO or NOT (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for DO or NOT. (8.5/10)

3. 1 + 1 – 1 + 1 taps into the R&B genre. The song is quite laid back and casual, never committing to anything heavy or loaded. The best part of this song is that it is a really catchy number. By the end of the song, the ‘Run Run Run Run Run’ hook in the chorus is keyed into your mind and it is the only thing that is on repeat in your mind afterwards. On top of being catchy, I liked the smoothness of the song’s melodies and the vocal work of the members. Altogether, the song was definitely a worthwhile listen that I keep on coming back to. (10/10)

4. Baby I Love You – Baby I Love You is a softer piece of pop music, opting for simpler melodies and hooks. It is actually quite enjoyable, but doesn’t ping as the most interesting or innovative song from this album. What I really like about Baby I Love You is how fitting it is for Pentagon. The entire song has this adorable and sweet energy to it, which reminds me a lot of their earlier works. I am glad that it isn’t oversaturated in that energy though, making it a nice listen. (7.5/10)

5. That’s Me – That’s Me opens up with what probably is the album’s most memorable line, “I’m a super hot, call me funky winky boy”. No clue what it means, but it was quite hilarious the first time I heard it. It is definitely a bit out there. The song’s instrumental also takes a similar approach, opting for an unconventional mix of textures and autotuning to deliver a fun and upbeat track. But while the song quite is memorable and noticeably different from their previous works, I do think the song is repetitive and doesn’t really lead to anywhere. (7/10)

6. Sing-a-Song (노래해) – I like the extra bit of intensity that Sing-a-Song throws at you. Sing-a-song is another fun song that brings out the member’s carefree personality. Instrumentally, there is a fair bit happening in this song. The entire chorus is made up of whistling, tropical house and bouncy synths that add a bit of bass to the song. Each of these insert a different colour, creating that fun-filled and upbeat atmosphere. The member’s differing delivery styles also adds to this infectious atmosphere, making this a much more likeable song and one to put a smile on your face. (8.5/10)

7. Boy in Time (소년감성) (Hui Solo) – Ending the album is a ballad from Hui, who was noticeably absent from promotions as I had mentioned before. No doubt that this song serves as a ‘farewell for now’ type of single for Hui, gifting it to his (and Pentagon’s) fans. Boy in Time has that additional appeal of being so graceful and captivating to listen to. This ballad doesn’t have me swaying along. Instead, I keep still and close my eyes for the duration of this song, allowing Hui’s vocals to take me for a ride. He sounds almost-opera like, which actually seems quite cool and different to usual ballads. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.6/10

LOVE or TAKE Teaser Image

[Review] Love Song – Yoon Ji Sung

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The next review is for Yoon Jin Sung’s recent comeback. After finishing up with Wanna One at the end of 2019, Yoon Ji Sung immediately began his solo career with the release of In The Rain two months after Wanna One disbanding. He later followed up with his comeback I’ll Be There, before going on hiatus for his military enlistment. He officially completed his mandatory military enlistment in November 2020. Yesterday, Yoon Ji Sung released his third mini-album (titled Temperature of Love) and the lead single, Love Song.

Yoon Ji Sung’s pre-military enlistment works have been heavily influenced by the slower paced ballads, fitting for his vocalist status during his Wanna One days. Love Song seems to steer Yoon Ji Sung’s solo work in a new direction, opting for something more upbeat. Unfortunately, it sounds like a typical pop song. But don’t me wrong, I don’t hate it, nor do I think it is terrible song. It does still sound decent and good. But it isn’t really evoking much from me as a listener. Personally, I wouldn’t go of my way to search the song specifically, but I wouldn’t mind hearing it if it randomly popped up on my playlist. And that is based on my experience thus far. I have replayed the song a number of times for this review (on top of listening to the song yesterday when it first came out), but I am failing to notice much that is worth talking about. I had the exact same thoughts for my first initial expression of the song. It is pretty much a song in neutral gear for me, progressing along in a predictable manner. I wished his work was a lot more expressive and engaging. I guess Love Song‘s main driving force is Yoon Ji Sung’s vocals, which was quite solid. While the melodies and hooks were plain and not that memorable, I did like his execution of the chorus and the harmonisation within this section of the song as well. What Yoon Ji Sung could have done to make the song more engaging was commit to the rapping for the second verse. He seems to go in that direction for the second verse, but ends up opting for a rap-sing type of delivery which isn’t as exciting. But unfortunately, I don’t think that would be enough to really make the song a whole heap better.

Love Song is all about missing your significant other. And I guess Yoon Ji Sung portrays it well in the music video, looking bored and unfocused as a result of missing his significant other. That, or he also agrees with my sentiments about the song. But I think the former is a more logical and obvious explanation for this facial expressions. I liked the video revolved around food, which is something essential in life, amongst other things. But the joy of life is sucked out of Yoon Ji Sung, who burns his toast by not paying attention to it, fills up scales instead of bowls for cereal. When he does get that opportunity to communicate with his significant other, he is also quite distracted (i.e. chatting clothed in a warm and steaming bathtub). Aside from actively showcasing the lyrics, the music video was filled with nice colours thanks to the set design and lighting. There is a dullness to them despite picking vibrant colours, which I thought was a great choice for the video and the song.

Like the song, the choreography was pretty unexciting, which fits in with the overall profile of the song. But isn’t a terrible routine, but it was pretty repetitive. I did like the flow of it, as it didn’t feel as tight or strict as other routines. It was freeing, which works well with the pop sound of the song.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 6.5/10
Overall Rating – 6.4/10

[Review] water colour – Wheein (Mamamoo)

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The next comeback to review from earlier in the week was made by Wheein, one of the members of Mamamoo. While Wheein is the final member of the group to release a mini-album under her name, she actually made her solo debut way back in 2018 with the single Easy (featuring Sik-K). She then followed up with the single Good Bye in 2019. This past Tuesday, Wheein returned with the single water color and her debut mini-album, Redd.

Once again, I am using the term ‘pleasant’ to describe water color, but in a good way. Everything in water color felt very balanced and this makes the song extremely satisfyingly to listen to. We are know that Wheein is capable of powerful vocals through her collaborative stages and past work as part of Mamamoo. But water color manages to show off Wheein’s vocals without tapping into that powerhouse mode. As a result, other elements of water color were given an opportunity to shine. They melodies had a nice ring and helped make the song quite flowy. But not too flowy where the song felt like a blur. There were some nice cuts to the flow that make the song more enjoyable (i.e. her brief rap-speak one-liners just prior to the first two chorus), coming in the right time. They also reminded me a bit of Easy. The overall instrumental was quite groovy and brought a nice upbeat vibe to the song. It isn’t the most special or freshest background out there. But it is a nice relief from the loads of intense EDM we get a lot nowadays. It also has this nostalgic factor. I also really like the post-chorus instrumental break with the higher pitched squeaky synths, which brings forth that nostalgic factor even more. The heavily autotuned vocals (not exactly what the technical term for these vocals are) we get in the bridge also bring the same effect. I think water color could have benefited from a catchier and more memorable hook. The hooks we got were good, but the producers of the song should have somehow delivered more oomph to make them more recognisable and engaging. Overall, another nice song under Wheein’s belt.

I am kind of glad that Wheein’s fashion was a bit more typical than the outfits that Solar wore for her solo debut. It is definitely more of her style and fits in the pleasant tone that I mentioned above for the song. I also enjoyed about the fashion was the splash of colour it gave the video. It also made her the centre of attention, allowing her to stand out in what felt like settings that felt relatively plain. Similarly, the dancers also wore multi-coloured clothing. But Wheein’s outfits somehow felt bolder compared to the dancers. Aside from that, the music video opts for a choreography and closeup formula, and I felt there isn’t much else to the video to talk about.

I really like how they brought the grooviness out of the song via the choreography. It was definitely a nice routine, thought I think it could have been better if it was snappier. Like the song, it isn’t the most original routine out there. But it does its job at showcasing Wheein’s performance skills and complimenting the music.

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

[Review] Antidote – Kang Daniel

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The next review on this blog is for Kang Daniel, who yesterday wrapped up his colour trilogy with the release of single Antidote and his 4th mini-album, Yellow. This release comes after the release of PARANOIA back in February this year. Yellow follows the releases of mini-albums Cyan in March 2020 (featuring the title track 2U) and Magenta in August 2020 (featuring the title track Who U Are). It also serves the final chapter of the colour trilogy (as mentioned), which was a project for Kang Daniel ‘to find his true colours as a solo artist’.

Antidote combines your traditional rock with alternative R&B elements to create a very moody and heavy track. The first few seconds of the song opened up in a way that reminded me of PARANOIA. I have nothing against going down that fierce route again, I just don’t want it to be a rehashed version of the February pre-release. But there was nothing to worry about. After those few seconds, we get another loaded song (the song is all about seeking the antidote for heartbreak that you just cannot cure), but it is more held back compared to his previous release. The first verse was essentially a slow buildup to the chorus. The minimalistic instrumental for the first verse felt like it was simmering away and was very much in the backseat. In the forefront was Kang Daniel’s vocals. He started out with a low husky tone before progressing to vocals that were more piercing. The chorus is when the song combines the rock and alternative R&B, which was layered underneath more piercing vocals from the solo artist. The second verse featured a really nice change of sound, opting for the addition of strumming guitars to the verse mix. It kept the song interesting and engaging for me. If the song had replicated the first verse for the second verse, I would have found Antidote very dry and boring. To me, the bridge of Antidote was its weak point. I felt like it abruptly cut the momentum of the song after its second chorus. Furthermore, I wasn’t much of a fan of going back to those simmering vibes (once again) and typical synths. Not really imaginative and innovative. Kang Daniel’s rapping also felt unnecessarily autotuned in this part. Overall, I felt like Antidote was a strong release for Kang Daniel, putting a nice end to his journey with this series. But it could have been better.

Despite the song being quite heavy with its messaging, the music video seems to be a little more colourful and vibrant than what I had expected. But that’s okay. It is different and I like that. I also enjoyed the simplicity in terms of sets. Like the song, this simplicity allows the focus to be purely on Kang Daniel throughout the four minutes. I really like the start where Kang Daniel is surrounded by those broken body parts, symbolizing the pain in which he is seeking a cure for. Him preforming on stage and everyone viewing him through the mobile screens showcases his struggles as a celebrity and the constant awareness that he is in the public eye, which will take a mental toll on his mind. I also really liked the setup of the final choreography sequence, where he (and the dancers) are performing on top of the building and mirrors, which looked quite cool. It would have been nice to see the other two parts of the trilogy be reflected as part of this music video.

As mentioned earlier, I felt the song held back. And I felt this was really well reflected in the performance side of the comeback. His moves aren’t powerful as powerful as his previous comebacks and take on a more fluid approach. I quite like that. It was a captivating performance and showcases a different side of Kang Daniel that I don’t think we have seen before.

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

[Review] Atlantis – SHINee

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After taking a short break to recover from the more than usual reviews over the weekend, I am jumping back into the reviewing chair with this week’s first major release. SHINee made their long awaited comeback back in February with Don’t Call Me (the title of the lead track and title of their 7th studio album), three years after their previous comeback. Two months on, and the group has returned with the the repackaged version of their 7th studio album and the new single, Atlantis. Just a heads up that the album review for Don’t Call Me/Atlantis will be published this weekend. But we are hear about my personal thoughts about the new song, so let’s have a closer listen to Atlantis.

Take all of SHINee’s past work and boil them down into one song. I think that is the best way to describe the nostalgia and my overall thoughts of Atlantis. And that is saying a lot, given all of SHINee’s massive hits. The song starts off what I could describe as its own blank canvas, light guitar strumming that felt like the background was simmering way. It is paired with powerful vocals from Taemin and Key. It is then followed up with an atmospheric pre-chorus, heightened by the presence of those violins and Onew’s soaring vocals. The combination of this pre-chorus builds up effortlessly towards the chorus. The chorus itself combines an intensifying mixture of pulsating synths and percussion that just snowballs exponentially into a thrilling and adrenaline-inducing instrumental piece. And that isn’t enough, as SHINee comes together as one to sing their way through the chorus. I found the hooks and melodies to be quite piercing (in a good way), hooking me further into Atlantis. The song then repeats the sounds and vibes of the first chorus, but replacing Onew’s powerful pre-chorus with an equally as powerful rapping pre-chorus by Minho. Minho sounds different than usual, which I think is the result of throwing energy and intensity behind his delivery. This section is also heightened grungy synths that later evolved into a full on rock sequence. Atlantis then pulls back the pulsating chorus returns, followed up the vocal-centric stripped down bridge and finally ending with that chorus again (with the addition of ad-libs and what felt like added intensity). Overall, Atlantis really took on board all of SHINee’s strengths and moulded it into a song that has blown me (and many others) away.

While I do like the vibrancy of the music video provided by the presence of the members, and all the imagery that the video contained reminding us of the sea (i.e. tentacle in the can, the many appearances of various sea creatures, the visual pattern of ocean and sea), I wish the music video was more dynamic to match the energy of the song. I just feel what we got as a music video just doesn’t do the song justice. The use of the sets were nice, but they added a heavy coating of plainness and stillness to the video, rather than exuding that mature and legendary status that we now (and for a very long time) have associated with SHINee. The most promising set out of all the set was the sandy colour background which the producers applied a holographic sea water pattern over to resemble the shore line.

You cannot tell that in their 13th year and their oldest member is now past 30 with this choreography. SHINee kept themselves synchronized and in beat with the fast tempo of the song. It makes for an amazing routine. To me, it is not the chorus that is the routine’s best moments. Rather, I find the gracefulness of the first pre-chorus and the intensity of the second pre-chorus to be the routine’s best, showcasing two different but strongly compatible sides of SHINee.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10