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[Album Review] MORE & MORE (9th Mini Album) – TWICE

June 19, 2020June 20, 2020Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged TWICELeave a comment

TWICE returned over two weeks ago with MORE & MORE, which is the title of both their latest mini-album and title track. Unfortunately, it has taken me over the two week mark to actually prepare and post my thoughts on their album. While it doesn’t seem as long but TWICE have already wrapped up their promotions for MORE & MORE. That is the case for a lot of established groups now, as they can afford to perform with shorter promotional periods, which I find a fascinating observation. And they are most likely very busy with other schedules. But while TWICE is done with promotion, I am not done with this era just yet. I need to get the album review out, so let’s keep going!

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

2. Oxygen – One of the main drawing points of Oxygen is its instrumental. It feels fresh and is very unique. I really like all of those effects in the background during the verse, from those wavy effects that appeared behind Nayeon and Jihyo’s first parts in the verse and those clanging percussion synths that featured behind Nayeon and Jihyo’s parts when they appear next in the song (and in all their subsequent sections). The chorus also featured a very nice hollow/deep shimmering sequence, as well, which had a unique charm of its own. They all just gave the song a more dynamic touch and added some unique energy into the song. I also like how much energy they also add to the song through the vocals. The pre-chorus by the main (Jihyo and Nayeon) and lead vocalists (Jeongyeon and Mina) just showed some flair that really made the song so much more interesting. The ‘I really really…really want’ was extremely catchy. The only pitfall the song had was the rapping. It felt unnecessary and really awkward. But other than that, it is a great song. (9.5/10)

3. Firework – Firework opens up with a short Latin guitar sequence, before it becomes infused with some tropical sounds. The pairing of trends, you could call it. It seems like there are some beach sounds, just in case you didn’t get the summery theme of the song. And I will be honest, the instrumental isn’t that draining despite it being two of KPOP’s most overworked trends to date. And while there were some good vocal moments embedded throughout the song, there were a few that also set the song back a bit as well. For example, I just felt they dragged out the chorus just a touch too much, if you understand where I am coming from. I do like the rapping in this song, as it added a little changeup. It was also dragged out as well, but I don’t mind that. (8/10)

4. Make Me Go – From the very first second, I was enjoying the beat that Make Me Go was channeling. It felt mature and sensual in a manner that suits Twice so well. The upbeat nature of the instrumental and its funkiness reminds me of Breakthrough and I felt that this would be an excellent follow up to that track. I really liked how they infuse a bit of brass into the song, giving that extra hook (as I find brass elements in songs to be great appealing mechanisms). But the killing point of the song has to be the low chorus. It had me screaming internally. They sounded so good this way. However, while I was on board with this really cool and catchy chorus, it also brought the weakest moment of the song. The member’s ‘Do It’ felt unnecessary. If it didn’t have that one small detail, then I would have given this a perfect ranking. (9.5/10)

5. Shadow – Shadow continues the album’s direction of a mature sound. We have definitely gone far away from their earlier cutesy works when they first started out. Shadow feels like that track that established mature artists have been putting out for a while now. While its synth-based instrumental is rather plain, I do find the song to be quite easy on the ears, which makes it decent to listen to. Their vocal work is quite good, but I just wished that the song had that TWICE colour to it, which is noticeably missing. The strongest part of the has to be that (not sure what you would call it) but that humming stuff that followed the chorus. It just felt so smooth. I don’t recall any rap sequences and I feel like a mean rap sequence would have been nice to give the song some edge and subsequently stand out. But overall, a decent listen. (8/10)

6. Don’t Call Me Again – Don’t Call Me Again is quite rough around the edges thanks to its characteristic marching band style instrumental. If they found a way to really soften those edges a bit, I would have appreciated it more. More the most part, the song didn’t evoke any emotions out of me. The instrumental was quite linear and their vocal felt very expressionless. It is another song that felt it needed a good rap sequence to cut it down a bit and bring in some relief to the consistency. And I think it would have mixed in neatly into this song. Overall, a passable song. (6/10)

7. Sweet Summer Again – For some odd reason, I can’t tell if the song starts off with the sound of a crowd, a bunch of seagulls or both! I just can’t pinpoint regardless of how many times I listen to the song and thought it would be a funny thing to share. What Sweet Summer Again really brings back to the table is a bright energy, which has been absent for a number of tracks so far. And on the plus side, it feels like your typical TWICE song, based from the energy that comes from it. The vocals and rapping were pretty good . The song had decent hooks and I liked the 90s feel of the instrumental. Overall, a nice song to end the album with. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.1/10

[Special] Road To Kingdom Review – Preliminary Performances

June 19, 2020June 20, 2020Posted in KPOP, SpecialTagged Golden Child, ONEUS, ONF, Pentagon, THE BOYZ, TO1, VERIVERY8 Comments

Welcome all to my very special review to Road To Kingdom. I may have been very silent about the recent series. But I have been eagerly awaiting each performance to appear on YouTube after broadcasting on Thursdays to see what Golden Child, ONEUS, ONF, Pentagon, The Boyz, TOO and VERIVERY have prepared for us. In this special review series, I will be going through the actual rankings that came about from the first three rounds, short reviews of each performance and how I thought the rankings would go! This post will only cover the first episode (i.e. preliminary performances). Please remember, these are my thoughts only. Feel free to comment your ones below.

Preliminary Performances

In the preliminary performances , the groups were limited to 90 seconds to showcase their skills. The rankings in this set of the performances do not impact their ranking throughout the series, so it could be seen as a trial round. The performances are inserted below and I will briefly talk about my thoughts of each performance before getting to the all important rankings.

Beginning – Golden Child

Using a dramatic opening and Shrillex styled instrumentation, Golden Child wows us with a side that we have never seen before. This performance is very different to the visuals and energy we have seen in their Wannabe and Without You comebacks, which were darker and edgier than any of their previous releases. Much more intense and more powerful. I really liked how they connected with one another in this performance. Their stunts looked cool, but it didn’t have too much of a wow factor. My favourite part is when the two members shot each other and the other members fell onto their backs.

Phantom of ONEUS – ONEUS

ONEUS fuses things off with an eerie performance using masks and the intensity of the well known Phantom of the Opera. They then bring in one of their songs, Twilight. I liked how they kept their original choreography in this performance, fusing it all the other theatrics. ONEUS shows off some impressive stunts and dance moves, including the climb and sudden drop of Hwanwoong, and that smooth turn they do on the dance floor while sitting.

Lights On – ONF

ONF probably had the most intense music overall from the preliminary round. They had samples of We Must Love and Why in this performance, allowing them to incorporate some of those choreographies into the 90 seconds they had on stage. But it seems that ONF went a step further with this idea, incorporating a bunch of their past choreographies (including the ones of the songs they haven’t sampled). That is very impressive. Not only that, but they nailed the intensity and synchronisation elements of their choreography.

Road To The Throne – Pentagon

Pentagon begins with a short sequence of their most popular song to date, Shine. While that is lighthearted and fun, this performance was quite the opposite. In a matter of seconds, Wooseok is driven insane with scary masks. We are then met with strong choreography from the other members. The only negative thing I have to say in this whole section is that I feel Pentagon wasted a great deal of the 90 seconds with the Shine opener. I did like the throwback, but I think they could have found a better use of those few seconds at the start.

Sword of Victory – The Boyz

The Boyz kicks off their Road To Kingdom with an exotic sounding instrumental, which allows the group to play with some elegant moves. That is the one word that kept on revolving around in my head while watching this performance. That being said, there were a few crazy highlights that I can’t get over. That opening sequence where Changmin jumps up to a high height to grab the flying sword and Juyeon doing some tricks with a bouncing sword blew my mind.

dysTOOpia – Too

TOO is the newcomer out of all the groups in this competition. They too also included their only well known song, Magnolia to the performance. But they are the only group who put a really rocking dance break in between the two sections of Magnolia, which was rather unique. The opener really showed everyone that they aren’t to be messed with. Then they followed that up with a new routine, which I thought was impressive undertaking. They did keep the later Magnolia section as per this original choreography, but I personally didn’t mind that given everything that came before it.

Face It – VERIVERY

I get a military type of vibe from the performance thanks to their outfits and stomping vibe in the instrumental. Interestingly, there was very little stomping. The performance is something a lot fiercer and darker than what we are used to when it comes to VERIVERY usually. Despite that stomping vibe, I liked how the instrumental piece provided different textures, which allowed members to show off a variety of moves that fit smooth and rough sound textures. Quite clever, if you ask me.

The Final Ranking…

And now we come to the rankings. Probably he most important part of the show. ONF really wowed me with their performance. I felt they were the most creative and really showed off their performance skills to the other participants. And so I ranked them #1 in this preliminary round. As for the dreaded #7 place? That unfortunately went to Pentagon. Their performance felt pretty weak in comparison to the rest and it seemed like they didn’t put their best foot forward. For the rest of the rankings, they are in the table below!

Performance Title	Artist	Actual Ranking	My Ranking
The Sword of Victory	The Boyz	#1	#2
Road To The Throne	Pentagon	#2	#7
Lights On	ONF	#3	#1
Beginning	Golden Child	#4	#3
Face It	VERIVERY	#5	#5
Phantom of ONEUS	ONEUS	#6	#4
Into the dysTOOpia	TOO	#7	#6

And that is it for the preliminary round. Short performances, but definitely enough to get those exciting vibes going. Check back tomorrow for my thoughts on the first official round (‘Song Of King’).

1st Round – Song Of King Review & Rankings
2nd Round – My Song Review & Rankings
3rd Round Part 1 – Collaboration Review & Rankings
3rd Round Part 2 – Your Song Review & Rankings
Final Round – FINAL Review & Rankings

[Review] Oopsy – Weki Meki

June 18, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Weki Meki1 Comment

After dazzling their way with Dazzle Dazzle earlier this year, Weki Meki has returned with their second release of 2020. The new song is called OOPSY and features on the group’s Hide and Seek. As it has only been four months since their Dazzle Dazzle comeback, not much has seemed to happen with the group from what I can recall. And with that, let’s just stuck right into the review.

The main backbone of the instrumental (i.e. beat) for OOPSY is quite generic. It just didn’t feel exciting. A better description would have been ‘pretty linear’. But without the other elements in this song, OOPSY would have gone in that direction. For example, the addition of all those details and sound elements over the top of the main instrumental really helped add an exciting energy to the song. All of that whistling and twinkling effects we get from the instrumental are thanks to the detailing and additional sound elements. It added texture, which resulted in the instrumental in being very appealing. It also added a slight funkiness to the song (i.e. that low guitar strumming during the verses), as well. Add to the song some catchy hooks, such as the ones you hear during the chorus of OOPSY. While I am sure they could have been more defined and dynamic, what we got had a slightly fun tone to it, which helped boost the appeal of the song. The members vocals and rapping were also pretty good as well. It might not be their most skillful display of vocals and rapping, but there was a lot clearness and crispness in their voices. Oh, and while the title does have that childish association to it (which I have noted in reviews for songs with the same time), I found that Weki Meki managed to put a decent mature spin, whilst also keeping that fun tone which is true to their style. Overall, a good song in my opinion.

The music video consist of choreography and very crisp and elegant closeups of the members. So it seems like the group’s music video takes on that close up and choreography formula that feel boring and generic. However, I am slightly convinced that there is more to video which I can’t just seem to decipher. You have one member whispering something to a member with a white cloth over her head. That has to mean something, right? And that glass feather, as well. Their solo shots also look very suspicious, as if they are hiding something within them. On top of that, there was some Morse code that I noticed appearing on screen during the video. Someone deciphered it off YouTube says the Morse code meant ‘I always think about you’ and ‘I will always be with you’. That has to be mean something as well. This video has to have some sort of story or meaning, right???

I liked the choreography. It was rather clean and felt straightforward. It also made the group look a lot more confident and mature, at the same time. It isn’t a mind blowing routine if that what you are looking for. But it definitely makes the members look good and more refined.

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

[Review] God’s Menu – Stray Kids

June 17, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Stray Kids5 Comments

Stray Kids also make their grand comeback today with their new single, Gods Menu and their first studio album, Go Live. I am definitely excited for this comeback and cannot wait to review both the song (in this post) and their new album (hint hint). Prior to this comeback and since their last comeback Levanter, the group released two mixtape tracks, Gone Days and On Track. The group also released English versions of their song and made their official Japanese debut with Japanese versions of their Korean tracks. In addition to that, Stray Kids also released their first original Japanese single album (which I have yet to review) which will serve as opening tracks for an upcoming anime. Definitely a busy first half of the year for Stray Kids.

One of God’s Menu flaws is that it is rather short. I wanted more of it, so naturally I am reaching for the replay button. God’s Menu is a hip-hop based dance track. I felt the instrumentation was quite generic for this style, as we have heard many hip-hop centric songs with similar instrumentation in the past. But what we are shown from the start of the song is that the song is very rap intensive. And Stray Kids is one of those groups with a very strong rap line and this helps open the song in a captivating the song instantly lifts up once we get to the chorus. The song slows down but maintains the suspense for the vocalists to show some of their skills (Bangchan and Jisung also join the vocal line in this song, which I really like). But the rapping takes the win in this song. Remember how I mentioned that I found the instrumentation generic? Another skill that Stray Kids has is that they really know how to hold their ground and blasts us with this powerful and bold chorus. The ‘DU DU DU‘ and the ‘TANG TANG TANG‘ just gives the song so much life and energy. Another observation I have made is that the chorus was quite lengthy and this seems to quicken the song. I also like how the second chorus differed from the first and I also note that Felix is getting the lines that he finally deserve! A lot of positive aspects to outweigh its few negatives. And we can agree that Stray Kids can definitely serve it up.

We all know that Stray Kids music videos are interlinked in one way or another. They released a prequel prior to this comeback confirming just that, so it makes you wonder how this video connects with the rest. And while I can spend so much discussing possible theories, I want to step away and think about this music video as a stand alone music video. One day I will return to discuss possible connections between all their music videos. God’s Menu seems to be a song about making an impression. There is a lot of food references in the song to fit in with the concept and they sing about making flavours stand out. And in the music video, they stood out in one way or another. At the start when everything was in slow motion and Changbin was rapping away at normal speed. The odd placement of people in various scenes (i.e. school girls at the race track, scientists at a construction site, marching band in the kitchen) and the member’s non-matching outfits with the scenery (i.e. they wore chefs outfits at the construction site) all seem to make an impression. And that impression was definitely left on me.

From what I can see in the music video, the choreography looks awesome. Definitely dynamic and powerful to fit the energy of the music. The pre-chorus (i.e. the smoother sections of the song) looked very interesting due to its more subdued vibes. The chorus looked very intense and I wonder what the verses look. Though my favourite section has to be the start of the second verse, which looked awesome in the music video with the camerawork.

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

[Review] Girls – NATURE

June 17, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged NATURELeave a comment

Making their comeback today is NATURE. For those who may not know or remember the group, NATURE is a female group under n.CH Entertainment and the voice behind innocent cutesy tracks such as Allegro Cantabile and I’m So Pretty, and very upbeat bright tracks such as Oopsie (My Bad) and Some (You’ll Be Mine). For the group’s first comeback of 2020, they returned with a complete mature sound change up through the title track, Girls. The group also has a 6 member lineup, but will only be promoting with 6 members only due to various reasons.

As mentioned above, NATURE turns a complete 180 degree with this mature sound. Girls is a change up that I personally did not see coming. And while I do enjoy a change up every now and then, I fear this has taken a once different female group who is willing to standout with crazy instrumentals and catchy hooks and turned them into a generic sounding female group. I just didn’t find the dance track to really have those moments that Oopsie and Some had. I am not really looking for anything unique as well, rather something to catch my attention and give me a reason dig into the track more. It unfortunately didn’t and this disappoints me. That being said, Girls has some good moments as well. Not great enough to resolve the generic issue I just discussed, but good enough to make this song an occasion listen. The pre-chorus build up was quite nice, especially with the member that started off low and built her vocals up. I also dig the bridge of the song, which felt bold and brings something that cuts the generic nature of the song to a degree. It is like a textural autotune is applied to the main member, before the rest of the members echoes in a softened shouting manner. Apart from that, everything just fell into place and that typical category for me.

Given the mature sound, it was expected that their visuals change for this comeback as well. And the music video is does exactly that. There was an article a few days back that the music video was considered a little too graphic for broadcast and wonder how far they took the video to have that warning slapped on it. And it isn’t because the members were sexualised or showing off too much skin. Rather, the warning was in concern for some of the dark and suspenseful imagery. One member was hold a pair of scissors over another’s head with the top facing directly between the eyes in one of the teasers. Teddy bears were gutted and a flying axe closed up the music video with what seemed to be a a scream like synth. There might be a story line somewhere. My guess is that the other members are ghosts and that they are there to drive the member with the long black wavy hair insane and eventually kills her to be one of them. Altogether, it makes the video very intriguing and I quite like that idea.

For the most part, the choreography was a bore to watch. That being said, the post-chorus hook that featured after the first and final chorus really helped bring some edge, which helped make the performance go from boring to slightly exciting. Same thing can be said about that bridge, which brought a little more dynamism to the performance.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 6.6/10

[Review] Secret Story of the Swan – IZ*ONE

June 16, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged IZ*ONE2 Comments

IZ*ONE made their comeback yesterday with their 3rd mini-album, Oneiric Diary, and the title track, Secret Story of the Swan. A review should have been written yesterday, but IZ*ONE’s agency made a last minute call to delay the release of the music video until today. In place of the music video, we were treated to the performance version of their music video along with performances from their comeback showcase. But as I focus on the music video usually, this meant I couldn’t write a whole review. But as we only had to wait a day, I decided to delay the review until today, as well. We last saw the group through their Fiesta promotions early this year.

Each of IZ*ONE’s title tracks have grown on me considerably, regardless of whatever comments I have made in the past regarding the songs. The beauty of time. And with time, maybe Secret Story of the Swan (henceforth Swan) may go in that direction as well. At this present time, I find the song to be very standard and meh. I just didn’t get a level of excitement that I had felt with Fiesta or Violeta. Swan‘s biggest asset is its instrumental, more specifically the chorus. It is the only part that really captures my attention. The drop feels memorable and bold, in comparison to the rest of the instrumental. There is a lot going on in its instrumentally, but it is all tied together very well with the loud crashes that accompany the ‘Like Swan Swan Swan‘ hook. This hook is also a really good element of the song and is helping me warm up to the song (though there is a big hurdle for it help get me over). Everything else in Swan just failed to stand out. The vocal work didn’t have much oomph to it, especially with a standout chorus like this. It was pretty much forgettable during the verses. The rapping had momentum, but it just felt very typical and something that we all heard before. Swan had some highs and lows, with the lows seemingly taking hold of the song. But as I said at the start, maybe time is needed to help make this song more appealing.

While the music video does take on that closeup and choreography formula, I found the music video to be captivating. This is because of the use of chroma-key (i.e. the technical name of the green/blue screen effect). It helped made the video look very pretty, from the purple coloured sky, to the presence of clock gears, to the use of circle. It was quite mesmeric. There might be a bit of a story in the video via symbolism of the different elements in the video, though I didn’t pick anything up. The choreography shots are stunning, as well. Very nice looking music video.

One of the strong points about the performance is that is looks really elegant, which suits the idea of a swan as in the song’s title. At the same time, the choreography finds that sweet point where it can be dynamic, allowing for the performance to take full advantage of the energy from the chorus.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Album Review] Breaking Sensation (2nd Mini Album) – SF9

June 16, 2020June 15, 2020Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged SF9Leave a comment

It is time for another PAR (Past Album Review). And this time, I went with a mini-album as they contain less songs and are much faster to write, as a result. The group that I chose to focus on is one that I have yet to cover on this segment of album reviews. And they definitely need a shout out as they are still underrated! I am talking about SF9, the nine-member male dance group from FNC Entertainment. More recently, the group returned with their 1st album (First Collection) and the title track, Good Guy, which earned them their first wins on the weekly music shows! Finally, some recognition for the group! But today, I will be reviewing the album which contains the first song that attracted my attention, which is Easy Love. Easy Love is part of the group’s second mini-album, Breaking Sensation, which was released back in 2017.

1. Intro: Around Farewell (Intro: 이별 즈음에) – The album kicks off with the rappers do their thing in the introductory manner. I don’t remember listening to this track in the past as it feels very unfamiliar. And it is a pity, as I think Around Farewell would be very suitable for their more recent albums. The track takes on a hip-hop beat. This personally isn’t my usual genre to listen to, but the rappers make it quite captivating. Hwiyoung starts it off with a slow manner, before kicking it up a notch. Youngbin continues the momentum, before Zuho brings his raspy tone into the mix. Chani delivery in this song is more on the rap-speaking side and adds an emotional twist of the song. The song ends with a muffled electronically autotuned ‘No More Easy Love’, leading us to the title track. (8/10)

2. Easy Love (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Easy Love. (8/10)

3. Watch Out – There are two notable elements in the instrumental of Watch Out that I really enjoyed. The first has to be the 90s feel that the instrumental gives (more specifically NSYNC vibes). The second has to be the piano in the background. Together, these two blends together, with the help of other elements, to become a strong track. I liked how hard hitting the chorus because of the beat and piano. The instrumental seems to steal the show for me, so the vocals and rapping didn’t attract too much attention when I do a glance over the track. But when I do focus squarely on the vocals and the rapping, there was a lot of potential behind their vocal work and rapping delivery. I don’t want to comment specifically on any members as the entire vocal/rap element stands out as a whole and makes it hard for me to zone into one member or side. (9/10)

4. Hide & Seek (머리카락 보일라) – With quite heavy and intense tracks so far, Hide & Seek seems to changes it up be infusing some brightness to give off the impression of light and a more easygoing vibe. I personally don’t mind this change up as the track has a nice instrumental that I can’t help but boogie to while writing this review. The vocals and rapping are commendable. I liked how they infused the rapping into the song, and this ended up being standout moments for me. I also liked their vocal energy in this song as it progressed, especially when it came to the chorus. There is just a sweetness to it that I find very appealing. The instrumental seems retro and old school. There is almost a jazzy vibe and I enjoyed the brass that peeked through. (9/10)

5. Fall Down (이러다가 울겠어) – We seem to return to the roots of the album by going with a heavier and more mature sounding part. There is an electronic influence on Fall Down’s instrumental from the very first second. It felt promising at first. But as the song progressed, that opening synth (which is subsequently replayed throughout the instrumental of the track) just lost its promise. The song stayed relatively consistent and everything that was added over it just felt neutral. There wasn’t anything to be excited about. And this rubbed off on the vocals and rapping as well. If I was to pick which I preferred, the rapping takes the edge as the vocal melodies seemed to maintain that neutral gear, which dried out the song. Unfortunately, Fall Down is my pick for skipable track on this album. (6/10)

6. Why (왜 이래) – The final track on the album takes a completely different route to any of the above songs, thanks for the acoustic sound. There were really good vocal moments in the song and the chorus was very addictive with its simple melody. I really liked how they emphasised the title of the song (the ‘Wae Irae’ parts of the chorus). When the rapping came into play, it felt like a nostalgic throwback to some old KPOP from earlier in the decade. Overall, I found it to be a nice closing song for the album and as a song in general. (8.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.1/10

SF9 Member’s Teaser Images for *Breaking Sensation*

[Review] Swear – E’LAST

June 15, 2020December 22, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged E'LASTLeave a comment

One week ago, E’LAST (which is shortened from the term Everlasting) made their debut with their first mini-album, Day Dream, and title track, Swear. But before I proceed further with the review, who is E’LAST? Well, this male group is made of 8 members (Choi In, Rano, Seungyeop, Baekgyeul, Romin, Won Hyuk, Wonjun and Yejun) and is the first group from E Entertainment. Members Won Hyuk and Wonjun have previously participated Produce X 101 and placed in 33rd and 47th on the show. Now that we know a bit more from the group, let’s move onto the review.

My initial listen to the song when the first came out didn’t rule in its favour. And naturally, I passed on the opportunity to review, pushing it behind the pack to focus on other artists of the week. But I ‘rediscovered’ Swear towards the end of week and was drew into its grand and epic nature while it played in the background while I worked. Now, I find the mash of classical orchestra and trap to be quite captivating. That opening medieval sequence really sets the song up. It allowed the group to focus on the more elegant side of classical music, before the song fuses with those trap influences in the second verse (which provided a different form of intensity and tempo). As Swear progressed, we were treated to a build up that hinted towards an epic drop. But once the chorus came around, we are unexpectedly given a slow and paced instrumental sequence. While this does not make sense to me at first, I am enjoying it now because they manage to maintain the intensity and energy in a unique fashion. They could have followed what we thought was coming (i.e. an epic drop), but that could have been seen as typical. I liked that the producers deviated from the formula, which attracts my attention. Similar comments can be made for the delayed climax. You could tell it was coming, but the producers kept on dragging it out, giving it impact once it came around. I was amazed at how amazing the vocals and rapping turned out. At first, I felt like Swear could have been more dynamic, giving the members an opportunity to show off more of their vocal/rapping potential. But we are treated to very powerful vocal moments and memorable hooks, whilst also getting some leeway through the use of trap elements to allow the rappers to fit in and bring their own intensity/some tempo to the song. Overall, an interesting song.

As I spent a fair amount of time on the song part of the review, I will cut to the chase for the music video and performance sections. The set design is really epic and looks amazing. It makes their solo shots a lot more captivating. The members showed off their acting in a satisfying manner, as they looked really hurt after thinking that their partner would stay with them. It gave me the impression that they are only coming to terms of this, which is the journey they take in the lyrics, as well. Big ticks from me for the music video.

We see a bit of elegance at the very start through the opening sequence of the song. As the song progresses, we get more of those epic and grand vibes translated into the choreography. But all is maintained despite the changes in the music. The final section of the bridge and final chorus drew my attention the most in this choreography, as it showed off a lot of potential and intensity from the manners.

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

[Album Review] Delight (2nd Mini Album) – Baekhyun (EXO)

June 14, 2020Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged Baekhyun (EXO), EXO2 Comments

Making his return at the end of last month was Baekhyun. This comeback was in the form of his second mini-album, Delight, which features the title track, Candy. And as you can tell by the title of this post, we will be focusing on his album (as I have already reviewed Candy – link to this review is down below). I have previously reviewed both Baekhyun’s solo debut title track (UN Village) and mini-album (City Lights) when it was released last year. His first mini-album contained really memorable side tracks such as Psycho and Diamond. Continuing his R&B influence, let’s see unwrap the new album and see if it is truly a delight.

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

2. R U Ridin’ – At first, R U Ridin’ begins like a straightforward R&B track. As the song progresses, it defuses into a dance track, thanks to the use of percussion during the chorus. At large, the song would fit neatly into the R&B genre. The chorus actually reminds me of those trends that people used to put up online, where they danced whilst next to a slow-moving car (excuse my old person’s way of describing this). There seems to be some good energy coming from the track and there is a decent appeal to the song. While there is a likable vibe, the song isn’t my cup of tea or personal style. Sure, there are many R&B tracks that I listen to, but this one comes off as rather plain. It is just not something that I would go out of my way to seek and play. Though, Baekhyun’s vocal work here was really good, particularly those ad-libs he threw into the song at the end. (7/10)

3. Bungee – Bungee gets a slightly more positive review despite it being quite similar to the preceding song with the R&B genre. I find Baekhyun’s use of falsetto to be an attractive aspect of the song. I also find the piano and drum beat synth to help create a dynamic yet soft instrumentation. This separates this and the preceding song apart in a very distinctive manner. Just listen to the piano in the bridge sequence as an example of how more dynamic the instrumental feels. Pairing the vocals and instrumental, we get a pretty smooth track overall that I enjoyed. (8/10)

4. Underwater – What drew my attention to Underwater is that the synths come together to make it feel like we are underwater. It has that wavy type of feel that feels like the bubbles that come about when we try to talk under water (I am sure that most people would know what I am referring to). Just the synths in the background aren’t consistent, so it feels like those bubbles are of varying sizes. Apart from that analogy, the song adopts the R&B genre, once again. He has an impressive display of vocals in this song, go into falsetto during some parts and opting for a slight breathy approach in other parts. I also liked his ad-libs and ‘Ooo’ at the end of the song, which helped ease the song out in a unique manner. (8/10)

5. Poppin’ – We re-enter energetic territory through Poppin’. A much-needed boost for this album as more consecutive R&B tracks could easily drag this album out and would result in a bore. Poppin’ isn’t an overwhelming injection of energy, which keeps it in line with the previous songs. I liked the simple beat of the instrumental and what seems to be a muffled 8-bit type of sound. It gives texture in a subtle way. Overall, the instrumental feels very easygoing and lively, relative to the other songs on this album. The vocals also feel a lot more dynamic and brighter, which helps add additional energy into the song. The chorus is undoubtedly the strongest part of the song, with a catchy ‘Here Now’ hook, though it sounds more like ‘Hey Now’ to me. (8.5/10)

6. Ghost – This is the song that attracted my attention the most prior to listening to the album. I just liked the title of the song. I have a dark soul like that. My expectations were that this would be a grungy or angst number. But that wouldn’t fit into a predominately R&B number. Instead, Ghost opts for an upbeat dance number. And before I go any further, this set up exceed any expectation I had. The instrumental for this song is very attractive, incorporating hand drums, guitars and synths. These seem to be an odd combination, but they come together very nicely and each of these elements have a boldness to them throughout the song. Vocally, Baekhyun sounds amazing. He has the support of a strong chorus with catchy melodies. Together, this song becomes the memorable number of the entire album (and dare I say, a better track that the main track). (10/10)

7. Love Again – The final song the album predominately features acoustic guitars and a deep drumbeat (there is a bit of piano infused later on). Baekhyun’s vocals start off muffled by some autotune, before it goes low and deep. Once the chorus comes along, his vocals stay quite low. But the instrumental seems to go into a soft pop mode. I liked how the acoustic guitar gave the song texture and it became the bold element of the instrumental. For the final moments of the song, Love Again changes it up to infuse little bit of angst before diffusing out back to the acoustic guitar. While this change doesn’t make sense initially, it grew on me and became a very interesting manner to end the song and album with. (8.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.4/10

[Review] My My – SEVENTEEN

June 13, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged SEVENTEEN3 Comments

Yesterday, we were treated to a surprise by SEVENTEEN. The 13-member male group unexpectedly released a music video for My My, ahead of their upcoming June comeback which has been scheduled for the 22nd of June. It seems like everyone was caught off guard with this release as there was no indication of it. I actually thought My My was going to be the groups title track. So it begs the question, what will the actual comeback be like? Until the 22nd, we won’t know. But I can quickly sit down and review this release, as we have both song and music video (and a little choreography – but I won’t cover this) present for a decent review to be written. The group also released a lyric video for Us, Again earlier in the week as well (but as this is no music video, I will not be reviewing it). Let’s get reviewing.

While we are pretty much unsure about what their title track is going to be like, My My serves as a nice introduction to whatever is about to come. I find the song plain and typical sounding, but it doesn’t give off a boring feeling. Rather, it is a versatile song that can precede many others and hence why I think it is a nice introduction. The island/synth based instrumentation was easy going and carefree vibe, which helped it make appealing. It is quite heavy on the beats, but there was a light component to the song which makes it perfect for the Summer season. It is bright and it brings a smile to my face even during the stressful moments of the last two days. What more do you need to ask for? Vocally, I thought it was a strong effort. There were some great moments on the vocal front, such as Woozi’s part in the first verse (never heard him like this before), Vernon and S.Coup’s rapping sequence and the entire bridge section of the song. The chorus has a mildly catchy melody that really felt suitable for this Summery track. While the song comes off as quite likable, it is best serve as a pre-release track only. It just doesn’t have the chops to be a title track, but it is a refreshing number to help kick start the countdown to a new era of Seventeen’s career.

I only paid attention to some of the teasers which gave us a behind the scenes look at the the music video set. It revolves around a flying ship, which the members are travelling on to different places. And this relates to the individual journeys that they are taking (i.e. being oneself and going their way) that they reference in the lyrics. As for what they are doing, it seems to be all fun and games when they park their flying ship. The only person who seems to doing something a little more than hanging out is Vernon, who is making some sort of orange jam. Not sure what it is, but Jun and Joshua seem to be very intro it, as if they are addicted to it. It might just be an orange jam, but it could be something a little more suspicious. This, in turn, could link up to their next music video. That is something I do wonder, if elements of this video pops up in their next music video. But we will find out soon. Overall, it is a nice video that suits the song.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Album Review] The W (3rd Mini Album) – Park Ji Hoon

June 12, 2020Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged Park Ji HoonLeave a comment

And it is now that time of the week for another album review. Fridays and Sundays are dedicated for the more recent album releases. For example, today we will be diving into Park Ji Hoon’s most recent album release, The W. This is the soloist’s 3rd mini-album since his solo debut last year and it also features the title track, Wing. I have been paying close attention to Park Ji Hoon as his title tracks have been quite dynamic in the past and his albums have been good listens. This one is pretty much the same, so let’s see how it sounds.

1. On The Rise – Usually, I do not review the introductory tracks as there are instrumental-based. Sometimes I do comment on them if they do have a uniqueness to them, but I don’t include them in the rating. But any introductory track that consist vocals will contribute to the rating. And On The Rise falls into the latter category. The song features a similar instrumental as the title track (see the review below), just everything is at a very lower tone and slower pace. Park Ji Hoon also uses his deep voice in this song, which reflects well with the instrumental. The deeper tone does give the song a heaviness, but as it is quite short, it comes off as airy, which is ideal for an opener. The catchy ‘Doom Doom Doom‘ from the title track is featured in this track, but the rest of the lyrics are different. (8/10)

2. Wing (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Wing. (7.5/10)

3. Frequency (주파수) – The start to Frequency was quite promising when I first heard for the first time. Unfortunately, the song just didn’t go in the direction I had wanted with that start. I am a little disappointed about this, but the direction it did end up going in was actually quite good. The song opted for a sleek R&B instrumental, which incorporated a really cool piano and squeaky synth combo instrumental break during the bridge that gave the song unexpected life. Otherwise, I would have said that the song went with a slow burning form of R&B. I also did like the rest of the instrumental, when the piano would peek through and there were some funky synths presents to further add some appealing details to the background. Park Ji Hoon actually sounds pretty good here and I liked when he switches to a rap-speaking delivery for a brief moment. Usually, I want more. But I feel like the song does justice with his vocals, which I felt more drawn to. (9/10)

4. Driving – Another great start to a song on this album. This time around, I didn’t have much expectations for it. So Driving ran its course and at the end, I am naturally reaching for the replay button. The song starts with a slow pop type of vibe. It was interesting to note that they returned to this slow pop vibe throughout the track and I liked that, as if they were reminding us of the song’s roots. But what I really liked about the song the most was the fast tempo chorus. In terms of the tempo and melodies, it is quite different to the how the song started and I liked that contrast. The bass helped it become dynamic and energetic. The song would be perfect for when you are driving with the windows down on a nice bright sunny day. Park Ji Hoon’s vocal was very nice. The rapping was good, but I felt that the producers could have taken that sequence up a notch by giving it some more texture in the instrumental. (9/10)

5. Paradise – Paradise combines and mashes different styles, all falling under the realm of EDM. But I think it fits under the house genre, overall. The song seems to play around with texture for a bit. Nothing crazy or concerning, actually relatively tame when you think about it. It starts off with a relatively smooth instrumental and features a very straight forward melody, which made it appeal to those who may want something ‘simple’. The chorus changes up with a more complicated and textural deep house style. At first, the combination of the two seems to not go hand-in-hand, but it slowly grows on you. Unlike the title track, we are eased into the change for a brief few seconds. And this change was minute and didn’t cut the flow of the song, which was an issue in the title track. I liked his husky vocals in this song, which added more texture of the song. (8/10)

5. Let’s Love – It isn’t Summer until you hear some tropical beats in a song. As I have noted in past reviews, it is still in its refreshing stage due to the limited number of tropical 2020 tracks. I do note that the number of these tracks is slowly growing and maybe a few more might remind me of how tiring the genre really is. While that is the current situation for tropical influenced numbers overall, I just don’t hear anything that special with this track to warrant much discussion, apart from the use of piano-like synth in the instrumental. And for that, I find it rather typical sounding. Even Park Ji Hoon’s vocals came off in that manner and probably earns the title for the most skipable track on the album. (7/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.1/10

[Review] No One Knows – Seo Eunkwang (BTOB)

June 11, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged BTOB, Seo Eunkwang (BTOB)Leave a comment

It is time for another review for another Monday release. I believe this is the final Monday release that I will be reviewing and I shall move onto reviews for other days that I may have missed over the weekend. The star of this review is Seo Eunkwang, who is the leader and main vocalist of BTOB. Seo Eunkwang recently returned from his military enlistment earlier this year and marks his return with his first solo mini-album, FoRest: Entrance and the title track, No One Knows. In other related news, the majority of BTOB are currently fulfilling their enlistment, so it might be some time until we hear from the group again.

As mentioned earlier in the week and multiple review posts in the past, main vocalists tend to go down the ballad route as this style allows for their vocals to be shown off. I know I sound like a broken record as I mention it every time I write a review for a solo release by a group’s main vocalist. When it comes to Seo Eunkwang, however, ballad is the way to go. While the work that BTOB have released in the past have been upbeat (take Beep Beep, as an example) and a little crazy at times (referring to some of their side tracks), I just don’t see BTOB’s main vocalist releasing a dance track as a main promotional track. Maybe a slow R&B track, at best. Why? Well, No One Knows is probably a good indication of that. He nails ballads perfectly. Over the 3 and a half minutes or so, I was captivated to the point where I couldn’t write my review while concurrently listening to song. I had to stop typing as I was in awe. Definitely a sign of a good ballad. While the ballad does follow standard backbone with its classical instrumental, there was a nice buildup throughout the song that made it sound so grand and heavy towards the end. I liked the electrical guitar that peeped through at the end, as well. It wasn’t much, but you can still feel its presence in the song. But the real captivating element of the song is Seo Eunkwang’s voice, which we already know is amazing through past solo tracks and his BTOB work. But we hear it in its full glory, which is probably the best thing about this track. Not only does his voice soar, but it powers through the heaviest instrumented parts to be the main element of the song. I really liked how he dragged out the final word, before repeating it 3 more times in short and sharp delivery. Its kind of a ‘Thank you, move along’ type of vibe that suits the song’s lyrics and meaning so well. The other melodies are just so good, it is hard to find a fault in the song. After all, I do like a good ballad and this one is as good as it gets.

The music video opens up with Seo Eun Kwang singing the song to himself. We get a sense in this scene alone that he is very lonely. After all, the song is about being alone, yet pretending that everything is okay. I thought it was a really good video, emphasising loneliness is the recurring theme in all the scenes. And in all these scenes, we see his facial expressions. You can tell that he is very stuck in his thoughts and lonely (yep, that recurring word). He interestingly does not show sadness on his face, though he does carry himself in what seems to be a depressed manner. I liked the cinematography of the music videos and like not all of Eunkwang is the shot. It makes the video artistic and aesthetic in a way.

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

[Review] Hug U – DIA

June 11, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged DIA1 Comment

And now we skip back to a today release. DIA makes their comeback today with Hug U. This is a slightly different looking DIA, as the lineup for this comeback is only five members. If you know your DIA members, Chaeyeon and Somyi are absent from this comeback as they are currently taking a break, while Jenny left the group after their previous promotions (Woowa) due to an injury. Despite only being a five member lineup and the group is still promoting under the name DIA, their management and the five refer to themselves as a unit of the group. But that’s okay, as we will take any form of a DIA comeback, given that they have been absent from the stage since March 2019.

Hug U, to me, feels like they are returning to their early days. Unfortunately, I was looking forward to a track as dynamic as Woowa (their previous single) was. So I was a little disappointed to hear Hug U, initially (to an extent). I am also disappointed as their throwback to this earlier sound might not be a good idea, given that the group was never successful with it. But I am keeping an open mind with the new song. I like their delicate touch that they give the song throw their vocals. And based on their tone, it has definitely sounds like they have matured vocally. There is nice melodies and I can it becoming mildly catchy with multiple listens in the future. Instrumentally, I am not that excited with Hug U. There is a nice graceful touch and a level of prettiness to it, which matches the vocals. As mentioned before, I wanted something dynamic and energizing. Hug U‘s instrumental sadly doesn’t have that. They could have somehow infused some additional energy into the song, but given the dominant use of classical strings in the instrumental, that would be difficult to achieve. I feel like if I was looking for a song that as soothing and graceful at the same time, then this song might be for me. But that I am not into that niche and sadly, this song isn’t for me.

While the song wasn’t up my alley, I actually liked the music video. There is small yet good story to it, which made it worth watching. In this video, it seems like the DIA members are apart and doing their own thing, which may be the reality of over the last year or so. And they all look quite happy alone. Eunchae seems to be planning a reunion party of the members. And it seems like all the members are on board. Jueun, however, did look a little hesitant about going at first. But she is soon reminded of the fond memories during their time to go, so she ultimately decides to go. But it started to rain, which delayed her arrival. Eunchae was quite sadden that Jueun did not turn up at first. But she was definitely relieved when Jueun came late. The members ended up looking at their happiest together, showing their forever bond It feels relevant to the group, who may have experienced a similar thing event while setting up for this comeback. It is a pity that Chaeyeon and Somyi weren’t there, as a full group would have made it more emotional for fans. I also liked the choreography shots as well, as the members looked very pretty in their colourful dresses in those drone shots.

Naturally, their performance is a lot more graceful and pretty to match the song’s style. But I do note that while watching the performance, the song is pretty decent tempo, which allows for their moves to be quite quick. That being said, there is a bit of slowness at some parts, which also helps create a balance in the performance. This, overall, helps makes their choreography visually appealing and a strong point of this comeback.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 6.9/10

[Review] When We Are Us – Super Junior KRY

June 10, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Super Junior, Super Junior KRYLeave a comment

Another Monday release that I need to review. I think there is one more after this one, but I will hold that for tomorrow. Today’s focus will be on Super Junior K.R.Y, which is a subunit of Super Junior’s main vocalists – Kyuhyun, Ryeowook and Yesung. The unit made its debut back in 2006 with The One I Love and we last saw the three promote as a unit in 2015 with the release of the Japanese single, Join Hands. On Monday, the unit made their grand return with When We Are Us and their first ever mini-album of the same name. It is said that this comeback is the start of the many Super Junior activities we will see this year as they celebrate 15 years in the Korean music industry.

As Super Junior K.R.Y is made of main vocalists, it makes the most sense for the unit to go with songs that focuses on their vocals. And as I have stated a lot recently, the most typical way to do this is through a ballad. With that statement, you can tell that When We Are Us is a ballad, singing about longing for a loved one. It feels and sounds like your typical ballad, with those swaying melodies that I always enjoy in ballads and a beautiful instrumental made of the classical piano and strings. Vocally, I don’t think it is worth pointing how breathtaking they sound (FYI, they do sound amazing, as one would expect). They have already showed us long time fans and listeners of KPOP their vocal abilities through Super Junior activities and more recently through their solo endeavours. As for which section caught my attention, I didn’t find anything that memorable to talk about as it is that typical ballad. But as the song progresses towards its peak in the bridge, the song got very interesting very quickly. Sadly, it was brief but that is what you expect from the peak of the song. Here, the soaring vocals are layered on top of each other, before ending with high note harmony with all three members. The ad-libs that follow, along with the final set of harmonies ties the song together nicely. Overall, it is still a nice ballad. Just very typical in a nutshell.

I think I have mentioned this before. But Super Junior is such a senior group that they are well respected by fans and other artists that come after them. And with that mentality that their fans will continue to support them nonetheless, the music video can be dry as a bone. This is what we are experiencing here. Aside from some artsy shots with TVs positioned around them, the sets were incredibly lackluster. While I assume the swimming pool set was meant to offset the darker scenes of the member’s closeup shots and go hand-in-hand with their lyrics (i.e. references to the colour blue and Summer), I can’t help but note how empty it felt. I am not expecting flashing lights and club scenes to fill up the space, but there are many successful ballad music videos with a lot more substance within them.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Overall Rating – 6.6/10

[Review] Butterfly – WJSN (Cosmic Girls)

June 9, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Cosmic Girls, WJSN3 Comments

While there are a few more Monday releases to review, I am going to skip them for now and move onto the Tuesday release. It is time to review WJSN’s Butterfly. We last heard heard from the group in November of last year with As You Wish. Not much has been heard from the group since that round of promotions aside from the fact that the members recently had their 2020 concert, Oblivate, in South Korea and Japan. Butterfly is the lead title track off the group’s eighth mini-album, Neverland.

I am not sure if Butterfly is marketed as a summer single, as it is featured on a standard mini-album rather than a special summer mini-album. But I find that Butterfly strays away from the group’s usual fantastical sounding releases in a similar fashion to what last year’s Summer hit Boogie Up did. Maybe that is a bit too extreme to say that they go in a complete different direction, as there may be that slight influence in the song. But what I do find is Butterfly is much more synth heavy and quite heavy with its instrumentation, overall. There is a good level of bass and I think there is a bit of guitar mixed into it. The instrumental isn’t overwhelming nor do they hold back with its energy. As a result, the song is very upbeat and feels very suitable for the season of refreshing energy and a neat follow up to Boogie Up. In addition to the song’s energy, I find the hooks of he song to be very catchy. They also feel quite bold over the top of the upbeat instrumental. And the members sound freaking fantastic in this song. Good job to Soobin, who handles the high note in Butterfly. I also like Exy’s singing just before her rap sequences kick in. I would have loved to hear more of her in the song though, as her rapping really fits this style. The rest of the members showcase solid vocals, to the point where it is hard to pinpoint who is a sub vocalist in this song. Overall, Butterfly is an amazing Summer hit which I am already enjoying just from today’s listens.

This music video largely adopts that closeup and choreography formula that I dislike in KPOP music video as it feels quite plain. But what Butterfly‘s music video does so well is highlight the member’s beautiful visuals in each of their solo shots. I was in awe when each member had their closeups, as each of these scenes made them look like goddesses and had a really artistic appeal to them. I also liked their use of colours in the music video, particularly in the sets where they shot their choreography shots (as the members were all dressed in white and hence made the colours stand out). It might have used that dreaded formula, but it made good use of it.

I liked how in every opportunity possible, WJSN managed to incorporate some sort of butterfly references into the choreography. It would be insane to count each reference as they do not just limit to just the two hands joined together to make it look like a butterfly slowly flapping it wings. They had moves that used their entire arms to mimic wings and their capes on their outfits really give the performance a heavenly look.

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

[Review] Oh Really – N.Flying

June 9, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged N.Flying1 Comment

N.Flying is due to make their comeback tomorrow on the 10th of June. However, the group unveiled the music video for their latest title track, Oh Really, yesterday. And with that reasoning, it should have been the first review of the week. But as yesterday’s album review took a lot longer than expected and I had to bump N.Flying’s review to today. Oh Really marks the group’s return to a five-member lineup, with the addition of Seo Dong Sung, who is the former leader and bassist of N.Flying’s younger labelmate, HONEYST. For those who don’t know of HONEYST, they were a younger band who debuted in 2017 with Like You and later disbanded in 2019 due to creative differences.

Since the band’s popularity has flourished since the release of Rooftop in early 2019, N.Flying has demonstrated a range of styles within the year alone. And as we move into a new year for the group, Oh Really adds a suitable upbeat Summery style to the band’s portfolio. Paired with what you know is actual instrumentals (as they are band!), I find the song to be quite extremely pleasant and lighthearted, unlike their past upbeat tracks which seem to be more in your face and energetic that this number. In addition to that, some of the guitar work in the song has that Hawaii theme to it, which allows us to associate to the beach environment. As for the members, we know that Seunghyub and Hwesung are capable singers through their past releases and Oh Really is further proof of that. Their vocal work throughout the song is superb, with Hwesung’s section in the bridge being utterly amazing. I wish that their harmonies were further highlighted in this song, as this would be the perfect vehicle for that purpose. My favourite aspect of the song is the really simple but effective hooks that really make this song catch on. It feels as if the hooks go with the flow and doesn’t feel like it is forced onto you or into your mind. Subsequently, I find myself humming along to the music after listening to it. Overall, Oh Really is a memorable song for its simplicity and catchiness. Just another reason to start listening to this underrated band.

Oh Really seems to be a very versatile expression. For the lyrics, the song expresses the term of a relationship context, where their partner is pretending to love them but the members are not willing to give up just yet. Oh Really is used in a pleading manner in the song. But as the music video demonstrates it, it can be used in an affirmation context (i.e. the TV infomercial), in a questioning context (i.e. the antique TV show), in a stressful manner (i.e. the non-working TV remote), in a surprised context (i.e. the award show), in an emotional context (i.e. Hwesung singing in the telephone booth) and a disbelief manner (i.e. that scene where it looks like the members are world leaders sitting at a round table and the newest member is in between the argument). I really liked how these contexts were cleverly weaved into the music video to match the lyrics of the song. The antique TV show is a good example of this, when Cha Hun asks about whether Hwesung can dedicate himself to the antique using the Oh Really hook and, later on with Hwesung expressing how hard it is for him to let go once the antique was smashed on the ground.

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