Category: KPOP

[Album Review] SALUTE / SALUTE: A New Hope (3rd Mini Album / 3rd Mini Album Repackaged) – AB6IX

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This is one big album review post. AB6IX made their comeback way back in October 2020 with SALUTE, the title of both their 3rd mini album and title track. Originally, SALUTE‘s album review was going to be published at the end of December/early January, as did most of the reviews for the albums released in October and November 2020. But when I caught the news of an impending comeback with a repackaged version in January, I ultimately decided to hold off the album review. Today, I will be fast-tracking the album review and posting my thoughts of both the SALUTE mini-album and the SALUTE: A New Hope repackaged version in the one post. Altogether, there are 13 tracks. Two of the song were instrumental versions of the title tracks and another two were rearranged versions of two of their past songs (Surreal from VIVID mini-album and Blind For Love from their 6IXENSE studio album). The rest of the 9 songs are new and will be dissected below.

  • SALUTE Album Cover
  • SALUTE: A New Hope Album Cover

1. APRICTY – APRCITY is a pretty straight forward song. It serves as the opener to the repackaged version. The song features a pleasant level of energy and this promises a lot for the rest of the album. But aside from being a nice pop track, there really isn’t anything that really stands out for me. Maybe the repetition of the title during the chorus, but I don’t think the repetition was enough to make APRICITY one of their best tracks on this album release. (7/10)

2. Stay Young (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Stay Young. (9/10)

3. ENCORE (ft. ABNEW) – For those who don’t know, ABNEW is the name of AB6IX’s fanclub. Given that ABNEW is featured in the song (they chant the ‘Encore’ in the chorus), this is going to be one of those pop songs that are dedicated to fans. ENCORE felt touching and heartfelt. You can hear the smiles on each of the members’ faces and happiness that gleams off their vocals and rapping. I will admit that it is a bit slow for my liking, but it is hard to fault a song that is meant to be for their supportive and passionate fans. (8/10)

4. Mirror – Right off the bat, the album is pumping energy and intensity with Mirror. It is definitely a powerful song that is full of EDM. Some of it mimics the breakage of glass, while other parts give us a taster of what is to come in the title track. It is definitely a song that is ‘full on’. Personally, I don’t mind Mirror as the opening track of the original mini-album. But I would understand why some people might say Mirror is a bit much. Aside from the music, the group handles their vocals and rapping in this song really well. (9/10)

5. SALUTE (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for SALUTE. (7/10)

6. Heaven – Following two powerful songs, Heaven opts for something softer and more melodic. It is definitely a big relief. It is a bit of a typical track for my liking, but it was still enjoyable. I do note that there is some similarity between Heaven and SALUTE, despite being two completely different sounding songs – the potential to be epic. The backing of Heaven features what seems like choir vocals. This could potentially lend to an epic stage performance (provided that it sounds a bit tighter). Heaven also allows us an opportunity to focus more on their vocals, which had a cheerful tone to it. (8/10)

7. Maybe – Maybe follows Heaven and opts for a hip-hop influenced instrumentation during the verses, before developing into more a pop track in the verses. I liked how it started and wished they explored more of it, rather than opting for the pop influence. There wasn’t anything wrong with it. It just felt a bit typical. While Maybe lends well to showcase the vocals of the group, Woojin’s rapping sounds awesome and manages to steal my attention from the vocalists. He blends well into Maybe’s pop sound with his deep voice. (8.5/10)

8. Bloom – Out of all the side tracks on this mini-album, Bloom is my personal favourite. If you know me, I am usually drawn to more vibrant songs and Bloom is definitely a strong example, Bloom had everything from colour, energy and youthfulness in its house styled dance instrumental. On a side note, the house style music also reminded of their previous comebacks. The vocal work and rapping were on point and helped deliver all of the above to make the song even more appealing to me. (10/10)

9. Behind You – Behind You is the mini-album’s mandatory ballad. It is definitely an outlier on this mini-album, but it serves as a very nice and soothing ender to the album. My self-made indicator of a good ballad was activated and I was swaying along to the music. The classical instrumental was typical, but it was amazing to listen to. And the vocal work was stunning, especially when it came to Lee Dae Hwi’s ad-libs. Personally, I felt Woojin’s rapping to be the weakest moment of this song. I don’t think rapping was the right delivery mechanism in this song, which would have helped make this song even super meaningful to their fans. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.4/10

  • SALUTE Teaser Image

[Weekly Chart] 3rd Week of January 2021

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Another week has passed. Before we progress to the next week’s worth of reviews (which will feature Golden Child, Bobby, Dream Catcher, IU and Hyuna to name a few), I will put my mindset into a bit of a reflective mode by writing up another Weekly KPOP Chart post. This particular post is for the 3rd Week of January 2021, as you can tell from the title of the post.

New releases of the week

If you have been tuning into my blog during the week, you would have seen my reviews for the new releases made by AB6IX, ONEUS, Cherry Bullet and CRAVITY. But this is only a small portion of releases from the past week, which also includes Epik High, U-Know Yunho (TVXQ), Berry Good, Chungha, PinkFantasy and SATURDAY. I will try my best to catch up on these reviews (and also the ones that remained from the previous few weeks).

‘Non-KPOP release by a Korean artist’ of the week

If I am correct, this is the first new ‘Non-KPOP release by a Korean artist’ song to be featured in this segment. For those who may have missed it, Baekhyun made his solo debut in Japan with Get You Alone. The music video for this release dropped a few weeks back. But the song officially dropped with the mini-album, BAEKHYUN, this week. This new song will be featured on the upcoming International Song Review post (which has now been scheduled in two weeks time).

Throwback corner *new segment*

The throwback corner will be the section of the post where I show you what else I have been listening to. This will only feature KPOP releases that dropped pre-2021 (or the year we are in). Looking back at my YouTube history, it seems like GFriend’s MAGO is the first song to be featured in this segment. And I am sure you probably know why! Catchy, retro and fun. Must I say any more?

The Chart

And here is the goods! The main reason to why we are all here. Congratulations to Cherry Bullet’s Love So Sweet for debuting at the top of the charts this week. It is such a unique song that definitely got my attention when it was released during the week. For more of the charts, continue scrolling below!

  17th Jan – 23rd Jan 2021
Title Artist Status
1 Love So Sweet Cherry Bullet (new)
2 Stay Young AB6IX (new)
3 Cry For Me TWICE (=)
4 No Diggity ONEUS (new)
5 Crush MCND (▲ 25)
6 My Turn CRAVITY (new)
7 Panorama IZ*ONE (▼ 2)
8 Fav Boyz (Gold Star Remix) A.C.E & Steve Aoki ft. Thutmose (▲ 15)
9 Hop In Uhm Jung Hwa ft. Hwasa (Mamamoo)& DPR LIVE (▲ 32)
10 What I Said VICTON (▼ 6)
11 HWAA (G)I-DLE (▼ 10)
12 ASURABALBALTA T1419 (▲ 2)
13 Last Piece GOT7 (▼ 5)
14 In The Dark Jeong Sewoon (▲ 1)
15 Just Can’t Stop Loving You Jang Hyun Seung (▲ 25)
16 Beautiful Love Oh Sae Beom (▲ 32)
17 Camellia Jukjae & Hyuk (VIXX) (▲ 20)
18 MY TREASURE TREASURE (▼ 16)
19 Eternal Flame Pentagon (▲ 10)
20 Last of Us K-TIGERS ZERO (▲ 18)
21 Switch To Me Rain & Park Jin Young (▼ 5)
22 Resonance NCT (▼ 4)
23 I’m Cold Kim Sung Kyu (Infinite) (▼ 4)
24 BBUSYEO ONEUS (▲ 2)
25 WE STILL (BE WITH YOU) ASTRO (▼ 15)
26 Work It NCT U (▼ 5)
27 ON&ON Hong Eunki (▲ 17)
28 I Can’t Wait N.O.M (▲ 21)
29 Used To This Lee Hanbyul  (▲ 20)
30 Perfume Yubin (▲ 19)

Leaving the charts this week

The following songs have wrapped up their nine week run on the charts and will be removed to make way for new songs:

  • Breath – GOT7
  • 90’s Love – NCT U
  • Work It – NCT U
  • Bad Girl – woo!ah!
  • Understand – Oh Sae Beom
  • My Heart Skip A Beat – PURPLE KISS

[Album Review] MCND Age (3rd Mini Album) – MCND

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The next album review that I want to cover is MCND’s latest comeback. It is the first time I am sitting down to write an album review for the group, who made their debut back in 2020 with Ice Age. Their mini-albums have been on the shortlist for review before, but they ended up being cut due to time constraints. But not this time, as their side tracks on this mini-album deserve from praise. MCND’s new release comes in the form of their third mini-album and is titled MCND Age. The album was released alongside their title track, Crush, on the 8th of January 2021.

MCND Age Album Cover

2. Crush (우당탕) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of Crush. (9/10)

3. LOUDER – Contrary to the name of the song, LOUDER isn’t actually louder than the title track in terms of volume. If anything, I felt like the two songs were on par with one another. But maybe the LOUDER title was based on the boldness of the song. This isn’t the case, however, as the song opts for a pop sound and just doesn’t have definition. But because of the pop direction, LOUDER is somewhat refreshing for MCND, who tend to go for heavier instrumentation and down the hip-hop hole. I find the song to be catchy and the drum work is definitely a highlight. (9/10)

4. KO, OK! – The boxing ring sound effects in KO, OK! aligns a little better with the song’s title. The song is also a lot bolder compared to the previous side track. It kicks off the song with some hype energy through the rap anthem. I liked that the song continuously returned to this hype sequence, driving even more energy into the song. This alone leaves a strong impression on me. The members do a really good job in the song, with both the rapping and vocal work coming off in a memorable manner. The synthesizer was definitely well utilized in this song and brought great texture to the song. It also made the song more addictive and interesting to listen to. (9/10)

5. PLAYER – We slip more into that hip-hop style of music that MCND has associated with themselves by listening to PLAYER. But while hip-hop tends to allow the rappers to shine the most, I find the vocal sections of the pre-chorus to be the most impressive showcase of MCND’s skills set. I find that to be quite interesting. But that doesn’t mean the rappers will let you down because they really help push the energy and intensity of the song. Essentially, if you enjoy abrasiveness effects, relentless energy and a pounding beat, then PLAYER is the song for you. (8/10)

6. Outro (ㅁㅊㄴㄷ) – Personally, I am not sure if this track serves as the outro of the album, or whether the song is simply titled as Outro. With the tracks that have fallen into the hip-hop genre thus far from this album, they have showed some uniqueness that I find quite interesting and different from the competition. Outro, as a whole, seems to step back into that generic side of hip-hop in KPOP. It is still a good song, nonetheless, as the other elements really made me overlook the generism. The piano introduction and the piano during the bridge showcased a nice style of different. I appreciate that the dance side of the song as it potentially could rival other groups whose music style is quite similar to Outro (i.e. ATEEZ). (7.5/10)

7. Not Over (아직 끝난거 아이다) – Not Over seems to be a mix of styles in one song. Luckily, it comes together to be one cohesive track. It quite easily could have been disjointed and lacked harmony. But Not Over remains as one whole. I find the song quite nice, with a playful tone in one section, followed up intense vibe in the next. But it all balances out. Once again, the dance sections of the song provides high hopes for a really bombastic and dynamic performance. The rapping and vocal work also shows some level of skill. Overall, MCND ends the album with an all-rounder. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.4/10

MCND Age Teaser Image

[Review] My Turn – CRAVITY

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The next comeback being covered on my blog occurred back on Tuesday (apologies for the delays, once again). I am talking about CRAVITY’s My Turn, which dropped alongside their third mini-album, HIDEOUT: BE OUR VOICE – SEASON 3. This is their latest comeback following their debut with Break All The Rules and their comeback in August with Flame. The group also promoted Cloud 9 and Ooh-Aah (from their two mini-albums) throughout 2020. So without anymore delay, I present to you my review for CRAVITY’s My Turn.

The biggest elephant in My Turn that needs to be addressed is the chorus. Everything else in the song is just fine, though very unimaginative. Better words to describe the rest of My Turn is generic and plain, given that it felt like your typical edgy dance KPOP track and nothing more. But I can overlook that. Despite that, there was some interesting aspects to the song. The dull metal clanging was intriguing. Vocally and rapping-wise, CRAVITY does sound good and more refined The song’s bridge felt very NCT-esque with the slowed down instrumentation, smooth high note and the brief rapping sequence just before the chorus is brought back into play. The pre-chorus tracked a bit better in my books, with a slightly more promising appeal thanks to the incline in the song’s momentum. But instead of a drop to bring up the dynamics of My Turn or a drop that would drasticially change the direction of the song, the producers went with a childish centrepiece. Never did I think I would hear ‘Vroom Vroom Skrrt‘ as the literal main hook of a song. It felt very elementary. When I heard My Turn for the first time, I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing. As some time has passed, I will admit that I have gotten used to the idea of ‘Vroom Vroom Skkrt’ as the chorus’ main selling point. But all of those thoughts I had initally about it being childish and such still lingers. And that really maintains that disappointment in the chorus. The insrtumental is another element that hones straight into that plainness description, with it not doing much other than maintaining that generic momentum that the verses contained. Overall, disappointed about the chorus of My Turn. And not much feeling towards the rest of the new song.

I think the visuals within the music video for My Turn fairs better than the song. But ultimately, the video is weighed down by the song. There are many aspects of the video that I enjoyed. The set designs and the overall feel of the music video felt like it was very stylish and modern. The lighting really helped in that aspect. The use of black, white and red felt very sleek. But with a song like My Turn, I think the video had wasted potential. A more dynamic song would have made everything in this video even more sasitfying (with some slight adjustments to the lighting to ensure that the dynamics is reflected). I also note that CRAVITY is being blamed for plagarism once again. Firstly, it is not their fault. It is their company’s fault for these accusations. Horrible planning, poor vetting of the creative minds and ideas – all faults are pointed at their management. Starship Entertainment really needs to be up their game became plagarism is never a great word to be associated with a group.

The choreography was actually quite good, It definitely fitting for the song. The edgy concept they were going for with the song was actually abundantly present throughout the performance. I appreciate the serious mode they were in, which made the childish nature of the chorus disappear briefly whilst watching the performance.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.3/10

[Review] Love So Sweet – Cherry Bullet

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Apologies, once again, for drip feeding the song reviews again this week. But the weekend will definitely feature more reviews (and this time I am for real as I will be spending my time indoors away from the hot weather, which means more time on the blog!). The song I want to focus on today is Cherry Bullet’s Love So Sweet (as you can already tell from the title of the post). The now-seven member female group returned on Wednesday with the new song and their very first mini-album, Cherry Rush. This is their first mini-album release since their debut in 2019 with Q&A. This is also their first comeback since Aloha Oe last year.

While I have yet to show it due to my slow reviewing capacity, Love So Sweet is fast becoming a favourite of mine this week. To me, I find the song’s instrumental to be so unique, memorable and addictive all at the same time. The start of the song gave off a modern TWICE-like feel, before settling with a minimalist beat that reminds me of the Western pop industry. The pre-chorus kicks the song up a notch by transitioning the song from bubblegum into a more intensive pop sound. And I really liked how it bridged the gap between the verse and the chorus, which also felt defined. The chorus was fun and continues the energy from the pre-chorus. It definitely honed in the fact that Love So Sweet was of the cutesy nature. But while high pitched vocals and sweet melodies were used, I didn’t find the song overly saturated with this vibe. I did like the paced nature of the instrumentation, which really helped in preventing the song from becoming too overly cutesy. Following the actual vocal section of the chorus comes the song’s best part – the post-chorus hook. It brings back that minimalist vibe of the verse in a really unique and sophisicated manner. It also drives the energy down slightly to give way to the slightly more energetic (relatively to the first verse) second verse. I personally didn’t like the rapping in the bridge, but everything else in the segment was fine. Another really strong moment was the high note and its pairing with the subtle blast of energy for the final chorus. It was very fitting and definitely helped make the song peak in a very satsifying manner. I also like how they borught back that post-chorus hook at the very end, ending the song with the highlight of the entire three minutes. Overall, Love So Sweet is definitely a sweet song. But done in a way that was enjoyable and refined.

I really liked the concept of the music video. Essentially, each chunk of the song has given a particular room or setting. The transition between each room was done by a singular doorway, which was a very unique idea for me. I am certain they reused the same rooms, just with different lighting to give off a different feel and make it seem they set up a new room for each scene. Pretty smart. I also liked the editing at the end of the video, where each set was flashed for one second. It was quite flawless. I tried to work out if one member was out of place or not. But I guess the director had such great attention to detail because I couldn’t pinpoint any issues with the quick transitions.

The cutesy charm of the group came through in the performance. Once again, I am glad it didn’t look over saturated with this. There was no bad moment throughout the choreography. My favourite part has to be the during the post-chorus hook segment and after the high note at which the song peaked (and so did the performance!).

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

[Album Review] 24 Part 2 (1st Studio Album) – Jeong Sewoon

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Jeong Sewoon is back with the second part of his 24 studio album. For those who don’t know or remember, the soloist made an announcement last year for his first studio length album. In July 2020, he made his solo comeback with the first half of his solo studio album, 24, and the title track Say Yes. Since wrapping promotions, Jeong Sewoon remained fairly quiet up until December, when it was confirmed that he would return on Janaury 6 with the second part of 24 and the title track In The Dark. Per usual, Jeong Sewoon has really shown off his music ability with another amazing release. Also, this album review is also the first album review for a 2021 release.

24 Part 2 Album Cover

1. :m (Mind) – Opening the album is :m (Mind), which is a nice acoustic pop track. But there is a bit more to this track, with Jeong Sewoon’s vocals dominating the track and there is a really nice synth touch that transforms :m into something unique. The melody of this track is very simple, yet so moving all at the same time. The swaying criteria can be applied to this song and it definitely helps :m earns the tick of approval. (8/10)

2. In The Dark (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for In The Dark. (9/10)

3. Fine – The upbeat nature of the song and its groovy instrumentation is what attracts my attention at first. And it the same elements that keeps me coming back for more. I really like the guitar work in the chorus and how husky Jeong Sewoon’s voice was during the chorus. It just all made Fine be a standout song. His high note pierces through at the end, but in a very good and satisfying manner. It was also a catchy number that I thoroughly enjoyed. (10/10)

4. DoDoDo – Bringing you back to the olden times is DoDoDo. It is a jazzy number that is quite soothing and mellow-sounding. Paired with the way his voice is filtered through the autotune, DoDoDo sounds like it could be part of a soundtrack of an old movie (when sound was first introduced). I don’t say that in a bad way through, as DoDoDo is quite captivating and a pleasure to listen to. (9/10)

5. Find You (숨은 그림 찾기) – Within seconds of listening to Find You, I just knew it was another perfect song. Jeong Sewoon brings back some of that acoustic guitar and groovy instrumentation in this song. The best part of the instrumentation is when they bring in that more defined guitar work part way through the verses. It felt very refreshing and very blissful. I als like how that energy carries through into the chorus. Find You sounds like a very sweet song and that feeling definitely comes through the lyrics, as well. (10/10)

6. Be A Fool – Ending off the album is Be A Fool, another song that got me swaying along from the very start. There is a hint of a jazz in the instrumental, but Be A Fool can be passed off as a ballad. The instrumental for Be A Fool is quite simple. But simplicity here is definitely a positive, as we get to hear Jeong Sewoon’s vocals in a very clear manner. It felt clean, pure and concentrated all the same time. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9.2/10

24 Part 2 Teaser Image

[Review] No Diggity – ONEUS

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2020 was a big year for ONEUS in terms of promotions. They were definitely busy. The male group started off 2020 with A Song Written Easily and this was promoted whilst the group participated on Road To Kingdom. As part of the Road To Kingdom show, the group dropped their Come Back Home single, which was then followed up with TO BE OR NOT TO BE in August. And unexpectedly, ONEUS dropped BBUYSEO last month as a digital single. And while you would expect ONEUS to finally have a break of some kind, the group announced a 2021 comeback with No Diggity, which is the focus of today’s review. No Diggity is featured on the group’s first studio album, Devil, since their debut in 2019.

No Diggity is a very powerful song. We are teased with the powerfulness at first via the thumping at the start of the song. But this is just a teaser for what is to come. The song reverts to a more typical hip-hop based dance track, yet with a serious tone and explosive energy as it progresses. What I do like is how they kept that connection with the powerful nature by intensifying the instrumentation with rock vibes. The pre-chorus opt for a very KPOP direction. It was pretty plain and felt like music that I have heard before. On a more positive note, it did show off some vocal flair from Seonho and Leedo though. The chorus takes a turn with what would be accurately described as a noisy and expected drop. We all saw it coming and I don’t really know how to feel about that. I also didn’t enjoy the so-called lyrics to the first half of the chorus (they aren’t words!). It felt like a typical move, though it did show off the song’s intensity without much hinderance. Interestingly, when you actually get lyrics in the second half, you can’t hear much of it because they paired the member with the deepest voice (Leedo) in the group with the loudest instrumentation, which lead to the drowning out effect! Said member returns briefly at the start of the second verse with a really strong rap sequence. I appreciate that he was brought back after the chorus died down and that hint of a low growling effect in his voice. Let’s skip forward to the bridge (as the rest of the second verse/chorus was essentially the same as the first verse/chorus), which I think is where the song definitely wows and peaks for me. Firstly, we have strong vocals (i.e. a brief falestto from Keonhee and high note from Seonho). Remember that powerful energy at the very start of the song? Well, you get a rush of it here at the very end during the dance break and final half-chorus. It shows off their fierceness and intense profile in another thrilling section. Overall, No Diggity is defintiely a song you would want to check out if you want something high energy or intense. It just has a bit of a plainness issue in some parts.

The music video is definitely very bold and has a hint of colour, which I thought was pretty expressive. Based on the lyrics and the imagery in the video, I think the music video is about inner conflict for a lover. On one hand, the members wanted to be sweet (represented by the members in their white outfit). And on the other hand, the members’ inner devil comes out to play, showing each member in an insane mode (playing with flame throwers, getting up close and personal with a bear trap, donning the spiky mask etc.). I think the video also shows their transition to the more crazier side, as shown by the members as they are dressed in red. In the song itself, the more powerful rock sections are like the inner devils speaking, while the more melodic sections (pre-chorus and bridge) was when the more sweeter side emerges. So I think my theory is plausible.

Aside from the intense choreography which ONEUS definitely ticked with this performance, another thing that they nailed was the stage presence. I mean, they knew how to captivate us on stage with their performance with their facial expressions and charisma. And that along with the intense choreography drew me into the stage performance.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

[Album Review] INSIDE ME (3rd Mini Album) – Kim Sung Kyu (Infinite)

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It is time to return to the album reviews. Apologies for not posting any over the weekend, when they should have been released per the posting schedule. Today’s focus is Kim Sung Kyu’s INSIDE ME, which is the soloists’ third mini-album since his solo debut in 2012. The title track, I’m Cold, was released alongside the mini-album in December 2020. Kim Sung Kyu’s solo comeback in December came at no better time as I had a massive craving for Infinite in some form. Kim Sung Kyu’s solo releases are enough to suffice this for now. I am hoping for a group release once all the members return from the military. We last heard from Kim Sung Kyu in 2018 through his 10 Stories comeback and the title track, True Love, another aweome comeback from the solo act.

INSIDE ME Album Cover

1. INSIDE ME – While INSIDE ME will not be included in the final rating score, I just want to take a moment to draw attention to this introductory track. I really like the suspenseful vibes of the song. I also like how it felt like a teaser of what is to come, as it literally used some of the instrumentation from the title track.  It also felt like music that Infinite would have released back in the day, with the combination of synths and instruments.

2. I’m Cold (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for I’m Cold. (10/10)

3. Fade (안녕) – Fade continues on with the R&B vibes that featured in I’m Cold. The major difference is that Fade is a lot airer in its instrumentation and slower overall. It kicks off with a somewhat distorted like filter over a music box and Kim Sung Kyu’s utterance of ‘Goodbye’, before proceeding with the familiar R&B vibes I just mentioned. I really like how the electric guitars sound almost like electronic synths, which reminds me of some of his earlier works such as his last solo comeback. His vocals flourish in this song, with the falsettos he opts for being a star attraction. I just wish Fade had a more memorable melody. (8/10)

4. Room – Room diverts away from the R&B that we all know Kim Sung Kyu for. Instead, he opts for a genre that I am sure that everyone is certain the soloist will nail, ballad. I am happy to report that his ballad had me sway along to the music, which we all know is my way of determining the quality of a ballad. But honestly, the buildup of Room was stunning. It starts off like any slow ballad. But as you progress along, the instrumental grows by incorporating more instruments and it develops into an epic backing for the ballad. Kim Sung Kyu’s vocals climb to compliment this buildup and he sounds beautiful and powerful. It is most emotional number on this album and probably his discography as far as I can remember. (10/10)

5. DIVIN’ – Moving away from the heartbreak that has dominated the album thus far, Kim Sung Kyu goes DIVIN’ into a new relationship and sound. The song falls back into the R&B realm of music, but there is more to it. It sounds like there was is a bit of jazz mixed into the instrumentation, which comes together to become a groovy mix, which makes it suitable for a high-end bar. Once again, Kim Sung Kyu’s vocals are quite good. I appreciate that his vocals sound a lot livelier, complimenting groovy instrumentation. Multiple R&B and ballad tracks after one another can be draining in some cases, so it is nice for a change up. (8/10)

6. Climax – Climax is a little unexpected with its upbeat nature. But it is an amazing end to the album. Firstly, Climax is a personal track. It is a song about performing, a passion of Kim Sung Kyu (if you cannot tell). He sings about pushing forward with his career and his motivation is simply his fans. A message like that will have fans swooning over him. Secondly, the instrumentation is very unique and colourful. I really like the electronic nature of the instrumental, which was full of textures (which you know I enjoy). I also enjoyed the choppiness, which was an interesting route in general. The pre-chorus has a very unique vibe by embracing a choppy delivery of the lyrics, which helped made the song so much more alluring. His vocals are superb, once again in this song. TGhere was some questionable uses of autotune in the song though, which doesn’t really capitalise on his vocals as much as the song should have. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9/10

INSIDE ME Teaser Image

[Review] Stay Young – AB6IX

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The first group to be reviewed this week is AB6IX, who made their return with Stay Young today. This new song is the title track off their repackaged version of their third mini-album, Salute: A New Hope. Previously, the group made their epic comeback in October 2020 with SALUTE, via the mini-album of the same name. I have yet to publish my album review for SALUTE. Originally that was going to come out past new years. But as soon as I heard that the quartet was gearing up for a comeback with a repackaged version, I thought I hold it back to include the new side tracks. That should hopefully come out by the end of the month. In the meanwhile, here is my review for Stay Young.

First impressions of the song is that is very different to the grand and epic nature of SALUTE. If I were to compare the two song side by side, SALUTE would be ‘bold’, ‘powerful’ and ’empowering’, which I am sure are words that many listeners would use to describe that number regardless of whether they enjoyed the song or not. Stay Young would definitely be described as ‘toned-back’, ‘delicate’ and ‘warming’, which are without a doubt in a completely different league. The song itself is a dance track that employs a unique combination of textures, classical instrumentation and bouncy synths. It almost felt like a throwback to their title tracks during their debut year which featured a heavy presense of the house genre. Stay Young features a trendier and refreshing mix that makes the song sound more appealing than straightforward house. The textures and classical instrumentation also bring a differen dynamic to the song. I liked how the producers of the song go for a very nice change in textures towards the end of the song, by bring a touch of guitar, squeakier synths, and the re-employment of the textures that I already mentioned. It definitely makes the song more interesting and brings a fresh wave of energy to end the song in a satisfying manner. The bass in this song is also commendable. Woojin’s rapping was definitely quite strong and complimented the song’s bolstering buildup. Their vocal work was quite nice, but it felt best during the chorus. The vocals in the verses were forgettable. But overall, Stay Young is definitely a decent track overall that I am sure fans will enjoy. Props to their slightly different direction, yet still calling it back to their roots.

From what I got from the lyrics, the song is all about staying indivualistic by staying young. I just wished that message was slightly stronger in the music video. But from what I could understand, the theme park was closed, yet the members still managed to get into the theme park and have some fun. They reference that this could be seen as a rebellion, but they see this as being young. I had a slightly more confusing interpretation which invovled the letter flying backwards and the flower in Woong’s hand while they emerge from apocalyptic setting. But I don’t think it is as strong, felt muddled and might make it confusing, which is why I have left it out. I would like to know any theories/interpretation you might have that involve these scenes, as they do feel a bit random. Aside from the messaging, the video actually felt quite nice. The lighting really helped warm the video up. The setting brings about a nostalgic feeling, while their outfits add to the warmth of the video. Good choices, overall.

The choreography was quite good. I found it to be quite enjoyable to watch, especially when it came to the choruses. There was a vibrant blast of energy in the choreography that really help strengthen the song. I also liked how they played with the song’s slight textural change at the end, which made the performance more captivating and fun (depending on which way you look at it).

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Review] Switch To Me – Rain & JYP

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The next collaboration that I wanted to quickly cover was the final release of 2020. Dropping on the 31st of December 2020 was Switch To Me, a collaboration between Rain and JYP. Rain, for those who don’t know, is a well-known soloist in the KPOP music industry and his famous physique that he has flaunted in his musical releases on numerous occasions (the most iconic being Love Song). More recently, he saw a resurgence in his fame through the remergence of his 2018 track Gang, collaborated with Zico for Summer Hate and collaborated with Yoo Jae Suk and Lee Hyori for SSAK. JYP is a male soloist who we all know, thanks to his old school hits (which are considered classics in the industry) and more recently collaborated with Sunmi for When We Disco. But today, we are hear to have a closer look and listen at Switch To Me.

Switch To Me delves into the new jack swing genre, bringing forth a strong retro appeal for their new song and collaboration. It is super jam packed with energy, which is representative of the genre. And knowing Rain and JYP’s style of music, this energy driven song is totally both their styles. In hindsight, Switch To Me is a pretty straightforward song. But there was a few elements that really made this a collaboration enjoyable. Aside from the energy that I have already touch upon, I really liked the chorus of this song. It was quite memorable and catchy. I particularly liked the way they ended their choruses, giving us a little more than a hard finish would have. I really liked their voices in this song. JYP’s sings in his signature style, while Rain employs a little more huskiness than what I remember his voice contains. The rapping in the second verse was quite nice and adds a burst of exciting energy into the song. I don’t have much else to say about Switch To Me, aside from the fact that it is a strong collaboration track and one that I am sure fans of both soloists have enjoyed.

The music video starts off with what feels like a K-drama scene of two frienemies or rivals praising one another by keeping tabs on one another’s recent achievements. I also like how their dialogue touches on the point that Rain used to be an artist under JYP’s guidance and that he learnt everything from JYP himself. Enter in the actress, who Rain and JYP spend their time throughout the music video competing against each other for. There are abs being flaunted, horse riding and expensive cars being driven. But the ending cracks me up with an unsuspected contender turns up. The ending shows the actress walking towards Rain and JYP, with us suspecting that she will choose one of them. But she ends up going for Psy, whom she was very pleased to see. I loved Psy’s face in response to the two singers and Rain’s reaction to the event.

The performance was pretty good. Despite their age, both Rain and JYP commit to the energtic side of the performance. It is really enjoyable and helps liven the song up a lot more than just the instrumentation/song itself. There seems to be a tiny hint of comedy in the performance from how I see things, no doubt a play on Rain’s recent trendiness and JYP’s usual outrageous performance style. I also quite liked the ending, with both singers going for that half split.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Review] Hop In – Uhm Jung Hwa ft. Hwasa (Mamamoo) & DPR LIVE

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During the final days of 2020, we were gifted with a number of releases. Usually, this time of the year is very quiet in terms of releases. But like the entire year as a whole, 2020 was an exception. The first release I want to review is a collabroation between the legendary Uhm Jung Hwa, the trendy Hwasa (from Mamamoo) and DPR Live. The single, titled Hop In, came to life on the 22nd of December and was performed at each of the end of year music festivals.

Hop In starts off with Hwasa in a ballad-like set up. Hwasa has been known to kill ballads in the past and this start is no exception to this trend. But that is only the intro, a small fraction of the song. In a matter of seconds of wrapping up the balladic nature, the song brings in a very energetic and upbeat retro beat (similar to the new jack swing genre of music) that is very lively and brings so much personality to the song. This also marks Uhm jung Hwa’s entrance into the song, which is bold and powerful. All of which definitely suits the legend that Uhm Jung Hwa is. I really like the rock elements in the instrumental, which just amps up the song to a whole new level. DPR Live ‘s featuring is much shorter in comparison to Hwasa’s featuring. At first I enjoyed his part, giving the song some vareity. But as his part progresses on, it just bored me. Hwasa returns at the end of the song to close off the song with that balldry style that she started the song off with. There are two parts of Hop In that I really enjoyed, on top of what I have already pointed out thus far. The first has to be the mini rap-like sequence Uhm Jung Hwa brings to the song towards the end. And the second is the spoken ‘Click Clack’ just before the song’s choruses. Both parts felt iconic and definitely are Uhm Jung Hwa’s strong points. Overall, Hop In was a very strong collaboration between generations that manages to appeal towards the taste of listeners of KPOP today.

I find the music video to be quite well done. It is quite simple, with majority of the music video shot in a dark set and lights being used as effects to fill up the void in the darkness. It is quite effective, as the simplicity allows you to just zone right into Uhm Jung Hwa and Hwasa. And they are performing in leopard print, which fits both of their bold, confident and fierce personas. The coloured lighting in the white rooms were pretty weak and not as bold. I wished they had some oomph to them to be on par with the rest of the music video.

Uhm Jung Hwa and Hwasa are sexy icons. So without a doubt, their performance will go down the sexy route. Those outfits definitely allude to the direction already. It is quite an enjoyable routine and there wasn’t anything overly explicit about it. But despite that, I like that neither holds back, going straight for the boldness that I am sure shocked fans and the Korean public.

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

[Double Review] ASURABALBALTA + Dracula – T1419

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It is time to do some catching up and review a new release from earlier in the week. Killing two birds with one stone, as the saying goes. T1419 made their debut on Monday with ASURABALBALTA. Those who don’t know who T1419, they are a nine-member male group from MLD Entertainment. Because they come from MLD Entertainment, the group is being marketed as the younger-sibling group of MOMOLAND, who also hails from the same company. Fun fact, the name T1419 is based on the current age range of the members (i.e. 14 to 19 years of age). The group also pre-released a single prior to their debut, Dracula, which is the second song in this review today.

While this is a double review, I will be focusing on ASURABALBALTA as that is their debut track. ASURABALBALTA is clearly an attempt of trying to fit into the industry with the dark and serious sound trend that male groups have been going for, particularly in 2020. I do like prefer this style of music from male groups. But T1419’s debut track fails to really captivate and capture my attention. ASURABALBALTA features a powerful instrumental that is undermined by the group’s delivery. The vocals and rapping don’t feature that same level of impact and hence weakens the integrity of the song quite a bit. And even while I describe the instrumental as powerful, I will admit that its content is very unimaginative. I wish there was more to every element. Let the instrumental have that spark it need to make it even more explosive. Let the vocals and rapping have a bit angst behind them to really make the song more captivating. I will give them a second chance when they next comeback rolls around. But ASURABALBALTA is just a listen once song for me.

Dracula was released back before Halloween 2020. I personally don’t remember what I initially thought about Dracula when it was first released. But post-ASURABALBALTA, Dracula has a bit more indivudality, even though it does have a plainness vibe to it. It, too, is an attempt to fit in with the darker sound of male idol groups in the KPOP industry. But there are acoustic guitars and flute work that is mixed into a bass-heavy and squeaky synth instrumentation. I also like the suspenseful bridge of the song, which works with the time period they released the song in. It isn’t exactly a fresh sound, but it definitely has its perks. Dracula also manages to put a bit of ‘life’ into the rapping, which I think is much better than the debut song’s rapping (even though, it is heavily deepened to give off a ‘possessed’ type of aura). The vocals don’t really scream out at me in Dracula, which felt more dried and dulled than ever. I just wished the instrumental (and vocals) had more oomph and energy, which would have Dracula a much more successful debut track than the former song.

ASURABALBALTA‘s music video was pretty one-dimensional. I wanted more to it, as it just opted for the basic choreography and closeup formula. At least, MLD Entertainment could have made the closeups a little more captivating. Aesthetic-wise, the colour palette works extremely well and the edgy vibes are well translated. But that is the best comments I can give for their debut music video. As for Dracula‘s music video, it was a smart video. It is relatively simple music video, featuring just choreography shots. But it taps into that Halloween pretty well. The setting that was chosen for the music video served its purposes for this concept. I really like the bats and chuckled at the randomness of the wolves. But the winning element, without a doubt, has to be the faces of the members. Scary, yes. Mysterious, yes. Creepy, yes. And going back to that ‘smart’ comment, Dracula also serves its purpose of being a teaser to the group, leaving us guessing and asking questions about the members.

T1419’s strongest point has to the choreography and performance. Both ASURABALBALTA and Dracula were strong performances. ASURABALBALTA showcased their syncness and energy quite well. I just wished the song was something more along the lines of the intro, which would have really showed us more of their performance skills. Dracula could have used some more flair, but it was still a decent routine that worked well with the rest of the music video.

ASURABALBALTA
Song – 5.5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6.2/10

Dracula
Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

[Review] HWAA – (G)I-DLE

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Please accept my apology for drip feeding you the reviews like this. Today, we are covering another comeback that occurred on Monday of this week. (G)I-DLE made their comeback with HWAA and the mini-album, I Burn. This release follows their DUMDi DUMDi comeback that occurred back in August of 2020. Since the August comeback, the group has been busy with their Japanese comeback, their return as part of the K/DA lineup and an online fanmeet.

The first thought that popped into my head while listening to HWAA the first time was that this new song reminded me of HANN quite a bit, a previous single by the group. And I guess this was based on the atmopsheric approach that the songs share in common. But HWAA is a little different, as (to me) it has a bit of an edge thanks to the more upbeat instrumentation that the song ended up developing towards. I also find that the more intense moments of the song come during the verses, which is slightly different to HANN’s chorus approach when it came to that atmospheric vibe. And as we have that atmosphereic mindset in play, I was also slightly convinced that the group was going to pull an Oh My God styled chorus, which I personally would have been down for. I specifically note this, however, as I have recently found that I seem to be in the minority of people who actually enjoyed the Oh My God comeback. Obviously with that supposed general consenus, something similar would probably have made HWAA less palatable. I am hoping that this is more satisfying for other listeners to actually appreciate the effort that (G)I-DLE has put in for this song/comeback. I personally enjoyed the chorus, but wished there was something more than the HWAA harmonisation to give it that extra oomph. The rest of the vocal work in the song is superb, especially with Soyeon’s vocals at the start of the song and rapping in the second verse. It is however disappointing to hear that Shuhua only got four seconds of lines in the song. The biggest flaw for me with this song was the ending. Too abrupt for my liking. Overall, HWAA was a great song, though the ending was the biggest let down. And such an ending stays with you.

The music video was very aesthetic and stunning to watch. To me, this would rival any YG Entertainment music video. And this is saying a lot given how I am always amazed at the quality of their videos and the grandness of their set design. HWAA consisted for really beautiful and captivating set designs. The icy landscape with the dying tree in the background, Soyeon’s birdnest, the oriental styled walling and the moonlight garden were just so good. I also find their outfits and visuals stunning. Stealing my attention right away is Yuqi’s haristyle and those dresses with flowery patterns on them. The song doesn’t necessarily suit those dresses, but they work extremely well in that moonlight garden setting.

Hand motions and arm work heavily dominate the choreography. It is commendable how graceful they make the all those motios look during the pre-chorus vocal moments, matching with the music. And I really like how robust they make it look during the chorus, giving it energy and intensity to also match with the music at those parts. Essentially, they are doing the same thing but making it go both ways.

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

[Review] MY TREASURE – TREASURE

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Also making their comeback yesterday was TREASURE. For those who missed the second half of 2020, TREASURE made their debut with BOY back in August and made comebacks with I LOVE YOU and MMM. And with these releases under their belt, the newest male group to the YG Family have been sweeping the rookie awards of this ongoing award season. They are also my pick for best rookie of 2020 (hint hint). This comeback with a full length album and (I guess) the title track, MY TREASURE, was originally hinted to be a December release. But their company made the decision to delay it slightly to allow the members focus on more special performances which they are performing at award shows and end of year music festivals. But as we are now in mid-January (and YG delivered on their promise), we are here today to check out MY TREASURE.

I personally find TREASURE to be a very interesting group, given their company’s background. MY TREASURE doesn’t conform to anything that YG Entertainment is known for. I had that inkling through their earlier releases. But MY TREASURE seems to confirm that TREASURE is going in a different direction to what the roots of the company were based on. The new song itself is very cheerful and vibrant in a pop music manner, which works extremely well with the uplifting nature of the lyrics. I feel that the company/members ultimately chose this song as their comeback track for these characteristics. It definitely brought some light back into our lives after such a hard year. I appreciate this greatly and think the effort pays off, as the song does make you want to smile as you listen to it. I also really like the warm feeling the song gives off thanks to the brass- and string-based instrumentation, particularly during the chorus. Another positive aspect of this song is that with this style, more of TREASURE’s vocals are showcased. I definitely enjoyed this as well, as it really allowed TREASURE to show more of that side of their music. The rapping was still quite good, giving the song some much needed oomph and additional intensity. The hooks were catchy and memorable. But while this upbeat and pop sound is fantastic, I just wished there was more to the song. At the moment, MY TREASURE feels like it could have been pulled off by any other male group. I just wanted a bit more personality and indivduality, adding to what we saw in their earlier works from last year. I also wonder where TREASURE would go from here and how this more pop-centric sound would alter YG Entertainment’s portfolio. But it still a great listen, nonetheless.

With such uplifting lyrics and such a vibrant sound, it was clear that this music video would be along the lines of that bright and cutesy style. I am glad that the members didn’t get dragged into a cutesy concept, as that would be a bit much for me (as always). ‘Bright’ would be the best term to describe the song with. There is a lot of smiles in this music video, and also frowns being turned upside down. I also liked the splash of colour in their sets, making this a really pleasant video to tune into. The video does take a slightly serious turn, showing a lonely child, students taking exams in a very harsh environment and a child blocking their ears from hearing their parents arguing. But we see their hearts shine, showing us that they will shine through the hard times no matter what.

Like the music video, the performance was definitely bright and vibrant. But I will be honest, there isn’t much else to the performance. I didn’t find any moves that were captivating or worth mentioning. You could blame the song, but I felt the creative minds could still manage to find somehow one-up their MMM and other performances.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

[Review] What I Said – VICTON

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VICTON is officially back with their first studio-length album since debut. Titled Voice: The Future is Now, the group launches right into promotions with What I Said as the title track. This comeback was originally scheduled for early December, but the members came into close contact with a person with COVID-19 days prior to their comeback. ‘The company, Plan M Entertainment, decided to postpone the comeback to allow the members to quarantine and ensure that they all had a clean bill of health (which fortunately, they did) for promotions. This follows Mayday, which was released in June of last year and Han Seong Woo’s solo debut with Sacrifice.

What I Said continues the Latin trend that has been going around the industry for the last few years. While this would definitely elicit a groan and a eye roll from some (which does include me), What I Said manages to stand out with the more energetic nature of the instrumental. I think it is better described as an explosion of energy, thanks to the layered instrumental of brass and thumping percussion. The song features a powerful dance pop vibe in the song, which really helps distract me slightly from the Latin influence that is undeniably there. And if you know me, I do like my vibrant pieces of music. So that really enhances What I Said for me. The members do a really good job of matching this vibrancy. From their vocals to the rapping, everything was definitely popped out at me. I liked how their vocals and rapping added an edgy vibe, which fits in with VICTON’s matured profile that they opted for in 2020. I also liked the energy they channeled through the vocals and rapping, giving the song some more power in another form. The hooks of the song made the song even better, giving it that memorability factor that I always looking for in these song. I did find the second verse the most interesting, with the start of verse reminding me of the ‘I Like It Like That‘ sample which was made recognizable most recently through Cardi B’s I Like That. Hanse’s rapping and Chan’s solo moment right after were very captivating and extremely intense. Overall, What I Said might be a bit cliché in some regards. But this is easily overlooked with everything else that VICTON pulls out of the bag.

Personally, I am not exactly sure if the music video sets have much meaning. They look quite extravagant, sleek and definitely something that feels like it was thought out. Furthermore, I am quite sure they reflect parts of the lyrics. But I just can’t seem to pinpoint the exact meaning or message behind the music video. I am always interested in reading theories, so feel free to comment any below that you may have figured out or heard from other viewers/fans. But I can say that the sets are stunning (as already touched on). The camera work looked cool and the video highlighted the visuals of each of the members. I also like their outfits in this video, especially those black jackets and gold detailing.

While the choreography is a great representation of all that energy, intensity and power that I mentioned in the song review section of this post, I felt the choreography was lacking depth and dynamism. I just wanted more with this choreography, something to make me go wow. The synchronization was good, but it just wasn’t paired with jaw-dropping moves that would have enhanced their performance even more.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

[Album Review] One-reeler Act IV (4th Mini Album) – IZ*ONE

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Album reviews for 2021 will continue per the usual schedule next month. In the meanwhile, album reviews will be coming out spontaneously as I complete them. I want to wrap all the album reviews for 2020 this month, whilst also publish the album reviews for January 2021 releases, so I don’t fall behind on them like I did so at the end of 2020. This will also allow me to focus on some of the other posts in January such as the end of year charts and the announcement of the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Award winners. But more on that in the future. This post focuses on IZ*ONE’s fourth mini-album, One-reeler Act IV, which was released at the start of December 2020. It features the title track Panorama and five other songs on the mini-album, so let’s check them out. Let me know what you think of them down in the comments section below.

One-reeler Act IV Album Cover

1. Mise-en-scène – Mise-en-scène follows the same music formula as the rest of their other title tracks. The song starts off in the pop realm and slowly develops into a dance track with a very abrasive drop in the chorus. What Mise-en-scène manages to do well to differentiate itself from the rest of their previous works is the more electronic profile and detailing in the song. This adds so much different texture and helps makes the song standout. (9/10)

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

3. Island – Island is surprisingly what I had expected. It is a cute number confirmed by their vocals and the twinkling effect at the start. But the group manages to put an IZ*ONE spin, bringing that abrasive instrumental I mentioned earlier into the song. That being said, Island is not just noise and it turns out to be a very strong song altogether. I really like the different directions the song does go in, which helps elevate the song’s appeal and prevents it just sounding like an amped up cutesy track. (8/10)

4. Sequence – IZ*ONE tones back the energy of the instrumental ever so slightly in Sequence. The funky and retro instrumental isn’t as rough as the previous tracks. But the song does still have that heightened texture to it, though I would describe it as more sleek in comparison to their other songs. I really like what they did with the chorus, adding more to it as it progressed along. I felt this really made their vocals pop during the chorus, which helped made the song more enjoyable. (9/10)

5. O Sole Mio – At just a glance, I thought it was just another house dance track. Literally, if you blink (whatever the equivalent for hearing is), you would miss the Latin flair hidden behind the house influence. I personally like this ‘touch of Latin’, as the Latin trend has become overused in my books now and I am slowly getting tired of it (though, I do keep my mind open to other clever uses of the trend). Just the house influence does make O Sole Mio sound typical and cliché. The song also sounds like it opted for a ‘touch of matureness’, which I attribute to some of the vocals. The rapping was also a nice addition. (8/10)

6. Slow Journey – Slow Journey is group’s most held back sound on the album, opting for a pop ballad sound. It is very nice, though I wished they removed some of the percussion and disc scratching. It distracted me from the sweet vocals and really bright acoustic guitar work. Otherwise, I reckon the song would have been more delicate and sweeter sounding. (7/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.3/10

One-reeler Act IV Teaser Image