There is a new debut in the midst of the onslaught of comebacks in the month of November. THE MAN BLK is a 10 member male group under Stardium and their member lineup consists of Jinhwan, Sungyong, Se-ung, Junwon, Hyeongseok, Chanyi, Woojin, Seungho, Jeongyu and Taewoo. Free Fall is the group’s debut title track, which is featured on the group’s first mini-album, Various Colors.
I think Free Fall does a good job of showcasing the group’s vocals and rapping ability. The song can be described as a synth-based ballad, which tends to be an interesting combination of what is usually dance music and the soothing nature of a ballad. And this allows for the focus on the vocals and raps to be prominent. What I did like about the song is that it has a very mature feel to it, which is one bold move. This makes the song memorable for me. I did like the atmosphere and the instrumental of the song, which does fit into the common sound we hear nowadays. But it isn’t all praises for this song. The biggest lacking element in the song is momentum. It relies too much on that soothing nature that it doesn’t really accumulate energy like all other dance songs do. The song is repetitive and doesn’t really have any elements to dispell this repetitiveness. And as a result, the song does feel quite dry.
To match the mature sound of the song, many of the scenes in the music video had slow motion applied for to it. Not too bothered by it as it is quite fitting but it makes the video a tad slow. Also, I thought the Autumn style they members went for in all their scenes was definitely fitting for the song and season. The brown, grey and golden colour palette were also quite nice. Besides that, the music video shows choreography and close-ups, so there isn’t much else to talk about.
Starting off the performance is actually a pretty nice ‘free fall’. It may be the simplest of things but what I have determined here is that ‘sometimes simple is best’. And it starts the performance with impact. The performance is quite fitting for the slow nature of the song. It looked graceful and elegant at times.
Song – 7.5/10 Music Video – 7/10 Performance – 8/10 Music Video – 7.5/10
ATEEZ made their debut at the end of October with Treasure. Since the release, the group have been actively promoting both Treasure and Pirate King on the weekly music shows. In my Treasure review, I did state that Pirate King was some sort of pre-debut single for the group and I believe I misstated that it wasn’t included in the actual album release (I was wrong with this latter bit). Their debut allowed for the release of the music video and proper promotions for the track, bumping it up to title track status.
When I heard the ‘Pirate King‘ titled, I expected something along the lines of Pirates of the Carribean. Don’t ask me why that is the first thing that popped into my head but it just did. The song isn’t anything like that official soundtrack. Instead, we get a very bombastic EDM track, which did have a slight theatrical flair and actually could be a part of a soundtrack to some sort of grand movie. I really like some of the synths in the song, which added electrifying details to the song to make it very appealing. The main concern with the song was that the instrumental was quite heavy and loud (not really an ideal track to blast over and over again). One of the possibilities that this could lead to is the overshadowing of the vocals and raps. However, this wasn’t the case as both vocals and raps were definitely well-heard and clear. And like their debut single, vocals and raps were on point!
We don’t have an actual music video for Pirate King, but instead, we have a performance version. For those who are new, you can get two official videos for a title track – the actual music video and a performance version (if there is choreography involved, though this one tends to be optional for some groups). Usually, you get the performance video in one set only. But we are treated to various sets for this video, which I believe to be the same deserts observed in the Treasure music video. It is quite good and the editing between the sets was great.
Amazing performance. The way they moved looked so cool. I particularly like the formation at the start of the second verse and the chorus. And that ending was so powerful. Honestly, I think I know which group I need to look out for (performance wise) next year!
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 7/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 7.9/10
Since wrapping up their promotions for Regular a few weeks back, we have been teased with an impending return with the repackaged version of their first studio album, And now, NCT 127 has returned for the third time this year with Simon Says, which the title track off their 1st Repackaged Album, Regulate. Interestingly, the music video for Simon Says was released well ahead of the actual release of the repackaged album. But we aren’t here to talk about this experimental release method. Instead, Simon Says to start this review!
Simon Says is a return to that hip-hop and electronic sound that NCT 127 hasn’t really done that much this year. Touch was a rather bright release, while Regular was an attempt at the Latin trend. So, it is quite nice to go back to some familiar territory. The instrumental has this experimental side to it, which makes it interesting as the style isn’t that clear-cut as their past songs. The verses are formed to give attention towards the rappers, who do a really good job with the song. There are attitude and charisma flowing throughout. The song focuses on the vocalists through the bridge of the song. While it is a little short, we do great a nice little breather from the intensity of the verses/chorus. As for the chorus, I thought it was quite catchy. The song is quite powerful and definitely aggressive in a more subtle manner. Overall, Simon Says is a pretty cool song.
The music video takes that aggressive and powerful nature touched upon earlier and develops into a very aesthetic music video. There is definitely some sort of message hidden throughout this video through the symbolism that I am no way near smart enough to understand. Here are what I could see. Taeyong is Simon, as he is the leader of the subunit and all the members move around him. He is also the first member to take off his mask and the rest of the members follow suit. And talking about the masks, how amazing do they look? Visuals along, this is one video to watch.
Like all the other components of this comeback, the performance is very intense and dynamic. Each of the members do a really good job at captivating the audience through their charisma alone. Their moves make this comeback so much better. My favourite part has to be the fast-paced chorus.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 9/10
Making his second comeback of the year so far is Hwang Chi Yeul. His first release of 2018 is My Only Star, which was unveiled back in April. The soloist returned on Tuesday of this week with Learn To Love, his first digital single release.
Learn To Love no doubt takes on what the soloist does best, ballads. And like the rest of his title tracks, Learn To Love is another typical ballad. It has a nice orchestral-like instrumental, which is rather standard of ballads. It was definitely quite nice sounding though, so I am not too much troubled by the typical nature of the song. Hwang Chi Yeul brings his raspy vocals into play, which I quite like. His voice captivates you, which is definitely a selling point of any ballad. I did like how his vocals pushed higher and felt more emotionally influenced during the chorus, allowing the song to be boosted in appeal. The song peaked wonderfully during the bridge, with the combination of his vocals and the instrumental, reaching up higher than before. I do want to see him go into different areas of ballads or music one day, as his stages on Immortal Song proves his potential. But this is still quite nice.
The song sounds quite sad but when you inspect the lyrics and the video, there really isn’t a hint of sadness (at least how I am interpreting them). The lyrics seemed to be a commitment to love at the start of a relationship. He sings “I did not know that that I was the only one learning to love”, which seems to show that the two are starting their love life afresh with each other. The music video shows that through scenes of the two getting to know each other and slowing things down. A few times they seem to go in for a kiss but they hold back (most likely in their own past relationships, they rushed things). I did think the dullness of the colours/filter was a little too dark, which made me think the song was a sad one at first. But other than that, it was a good video.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 7/10 Overall Rating – 7.6/10
NATURE is back with a brand new song, titled SOME (You’ll Be Mine)! For those who do not know NATURE, they are a relatively new group who debuted with Allegro Cantabile back in August. They were meant to debut with 9 members, however, one member left just before they debuted (she did not participate in promotions but was still featured n the music video). With this comeback, the number of members is bumped back up to 9 with the addition of Loha.
If you were looking for a song similar to Allegro Cantabile, you have come to the wrong place. But if you came for something a little more out there, you may stay and have a listen. SOME start off a standard KPOP track, bright and bubbly. But the chorus is a little different, going with seems to be an addictive EDM drop that I am digging a fair bit. It attracts attention and hypes up the atmosphere. It caught me off guard but I really did enjoy the chorus. I thought the pre-chorus section was amazing, which I thought was a great limbo between the bright start and the dramatic change for the chorus. The rapping to the song was awesome, fitting in extremely nicely. And I thought the vocal work was showcased well, where both the vocals and the raps draw you in. The bridge slows it down but I didn’t mind it too much as the buildup back to the chorus was awesome. Overall, it is another great song for this week.
The first thing that jumped right at me was the colours. I thought it was extremely bold and very bright, which definitely matches the atmosphere of the song. It does fall under the category of a typical music video but it is the atmosphere of it that makes this a great watch. The classroom set reminded me of a combination of TWICE’s One More Time colour palette, while the classroom reminded me of TWICE’s Signal. I am not trying to suggest that they copied but rather point out an observation I made. I feel like with the song’s drop and the dance moves, they could have been more out-there. For example, funny costumes would have been fun in this video.
I think the main focus of this comeback is the dance. Once again, I am reminded of another group’s performance. If you cast your mind to Momoland’s Wonderful Love choreography for EDM remix, I think this would be the equivalent to that. And once again, the choreography during the chorus lived up to the song’s crazy drop, atmosphere and expectations.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 8.7/10
Wanna One has returned with their assumingly final release before their impending disbandment at the end of the year (even though that hasn’t been 100% confirmed yet). This final release comes in the form of 111 = 1 (Power of Destiny) – I couldn’t include the number bit in the title of this post as its format doesn’t show properly. The album consisted of 11 songs, including an intro track (which I didn’t include in the review), the title track Spring Breeze and a special CD only track.
3. Home (집) – Home is what I wanted when I mentioned something more energetic and upbeat in my Spring Breeze review. Home is an upbeat dance track, with a very normal instrumental and I admit that the song is quite linear throughout. Despite that, the song has impact, which does level out the linear nature. I thought the song’s instrumental had a decent build-up, which allowed the chorus to be very strong. Vocals were showcased in a very cool manner, with a very melodic factor reeling me in for more. The raps were perfect for the song. A right level of energy and roughness made it fit right in. I do hope they have a performance for this as I want one so badly. (9/10)
4. Flower Bomb (불꽃놀이) – Living up to the second half of the title, the chorus was explosive in comparison to the rest of the song. This is what I wanted with the song when I first heard the title. The burst of energy made the song robust and appealing. The vocals and raps were still at the forefront of the song, which was a concern at first given the nature of the chorus instrumentation. But I am glad that they were clear because their vocals in this song were a nice element. Besides the chorus explosion, I thought the delayed and staggered explosive nature of the final chorus was a really great way to make the song less repetitive and more interesting. (8/10)
5. One Love (묻고싶다) – I like the overall sound of One Love. It starts off as a typical R&B song, but it picks up into something a little more upbeat and intriguing. I really like the slight twist that follows the main chorus (the ‘One Love…’ lines) because it gave a punch to the song, which made it enjoyable (and hence that ‘typical’ nature disappeared). What makes this song even better is that it showcases the rappers (Daniel, Jihoon, Guanlin and Woojin), who usually do not get much limelight in some of the group’s other songs. The vocalists were also amazing, but I felt the song did the rappers justice. (8/10)
6. Deeper – Deeper is my pick for the most aesthetic song on the entire album. Not just the lyrics but I thought the sound was rather aesthetically pleasing. I thought the vocals (excluding the chorus vocals) and the raps had a heavy tone to them, which I guess goes hand-in-hand with the ‘Deeper’ title. I thought their echo-y ‘Deeper’ to be a very strong and interesting hook to the song. The vocals at this part seem to be like shouting, which contrasts nicely with the rest of the deep and husky vocals/raps you hear in the song. I thought the instrumental was nice, which went for a piano and drum beat mix. (8/10)
7. Hide And Seek (술래) – Hide And Seek is similar to slow ballad-like song on this album. Like most songs on the album, the vocals are quite crisp and clear. I thought the rapping added a nice dynamic to the song, particularly during the bridge. The melody of this song was decent, making me sway along to it. The only issue is that it doesn’t lose that typical feeling. It just feels like any ballad and that doesn’t really live up to the standard set by the other songs on the album. Hence, I find it to be the least captivating. But don’t misunderstand, the song isn’t terrible in any way. (6.5/10)
8. Awake – I think if we were to pick one member who stood out in the synth-heavy Awake, it would have to be Woojin. His rap sections were just so amazing. I really like the fast tempo of the song during the chorus and the upbeat nature was quite addictive. Vocally, the song was awesome. I thought the people who sang the chorus had the best bit of the song (besides Woojin’s rap sequences). It is one song that I personally want to see a performance, as I think they can nail it a dance to this song. Personally, it is one of my favourite tracks on the album. (9/10)
9. 12th Star – This song is only present on the physical album, so I wasn’t going to review it. However, after checking a lyric video for it on YouTube, it will be rather disappointing to miss out on talking about this ballad. There is a lot of emotion in this song, which you can hear behind the voices of both singers and rappers. I liked the many attempts to keep the song from becoming too repetitive, which is a common occurrence in ballads. The harmonizing at the end and the slight stillness in the instrumental kept the song appealing and impactful. (8/10)
10. Pine Tree (소나무) – Pine Tree is a touching tribute to their parents. It is a pop ballad that sums up their gratitude to those who raised them from young. With such an emotional song, you can’t help but wonder how their parents reacted to the song. Surely, some tears were shed, and smiles were formed. I felt like every member shined in this song. I am not saying that because it was for their parents. But I genuinely thought everyone was well-balanced with one another and no one really became showcased, so it was not just a song for their own parents but for each other’s parents, as well. (9/10)
11. Beautiful(Part II) – When I first heard the highlight medley, I was automatically drawn to this track. The reasons were obvious. It has a more pronounced ballad feel, with the much slower and more orchestral heavy instrumental in the background. There are a few familiar melodies and moments from Part 1, with a number of tweaks throughout the song. I like how with some of the lines that were the same between the two songs were sung in a different manner in this one, giving a new form to the older song. The rappers also had a fair amount of singing lines in this song, which I thought was nice (as they have good voices). Overall, Beautiful (Part 2) is a beautiful ending to the album. (10/10)
Baek A Yeon is the second artist to make their comeback today. The soloist from JYP Entertainment returned with Sorry To Myself, which is the title track off her fourth mini-album, Dear Me. This is her first comeback since Sweet Lies (featuring The Barberettes), which was released at the start of last year.
Sorry To Myself, as expected from the title, is a very emotionally driven ballad. Baek Ah Yeon’s recent title tracks have been of the brighter nature, so it is nice to see something different than the usual. Honestly, I had the chose to two ballads to review today and I chose this one because I was more drawn to it. There is something about her voice that makes the song sound so heartbreaking and desperate. Maybe it is because you can hear a hint of innocence, which makes the song so much more impactful. I really like the melody in the chorus, which I believe to be the strongest peak of the song. As for the instrumentation, there isn’t anything special about it. Instead, it is rather standard. But besides that, it is a good song.
The music video shows a heartbroken girl, who is reminded of her ex-partner through many things. We are treated to a number of flashbacks during their happy memories, to make sense to why apples and a rubber duck keychain makes her sad (i.e. fond memories of her partner). We are then shown the moment they break up, which is the start of her devastation. I thought the actress’ acting was amazing, especially during the scenes where she is all alone. She took the emotion behind the vocals and portrayed it successfully in the video. From what I saw I think there was a turning point where she started to retreat in a confident manner, which went extremely well with the ‘He doesn’t deserve to be hated’ lyrics.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8/10
This is the comeback that I have been waiting for all week. EXID has finally returned, along with Solji who has been absent from group promotions for almost two years now! Welcome back Solji! Their comeback single is titled as I Love You and is their first comeback since Lady, which was released back in April. Since then, the group (with Solji) made their official Japanese debut with their hit track, Up & Down.
I Love You opens up with the most addictive hook of the year. I have no idea if I will find it annoying in the future, but at the moment, I am totally digging it. It is definitely attention-grabbing. The verses were good but there isn’t much to talk about. I like how the chorus comes into play. Both Hyelin and Solji have ‘louder’ sections with their vocals jumping right at you. It is unexpecting but it manages to fit in. To avoid being too repetitive, the song takes a change for the second verse, becoming a lot more techno-y and much sexier. I love Hani’s whisper that comes at the end of the verse, which I thought was another highlight of the song. I do think the Solji’s high note at the end clashed with the song, making the ending appear slightly messy. But other than that, I Love You is probably my next favourite song.
Hopefully, you did not gag throughout this music video. EXID did a lot of gagging, which seems a little odd at first. I had a quick look at the lyrics but they don’t really fit the gagging into the song. It seems like there is some sort of regret going on, as Hani changes the course of the video to prevent each member from gagging/throwing up by editing some footage, which allows everyone to spend a more enjoyable night. And the worst thing after a night out is the hangover in the morning! I liked the comedic effect the video touched on and the Elmo character in the background for some of the scenes. The music video was also very colourful, which I thought added to the atmosphere of the video.
And I love the choreography. The moves associated to the hook were simple and can potentially rival their Up & Down hip thrust that drove them to the top of the charts. It was also sexy and oozed confidence, which is right up EXID’s alley. I also thought it was rather interesting they staggered the same dance move in the middle of the song, which I thought was a nice effect.
Song – 9.5/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 9/10
HIGHLIGHT is back with their third mini-album, Outro. This is the group’s first comeback since Celebrate (the group’s second mini-album under the name HIGHLIGHT), which featured the title track Can Be Better. The title track for Outro is Loved and it is also the first single to not feature Doojoon, who is currently carrying out his military enlistment. I believe this is also the group’s last release for the time being as other members will be enlisting in the next year. But in the meanwhile, let’s have a look at Loved.
The song started off as your standard dance track. The start felt very ‘done-before’, leaving the start to be underwhelming to my ears. However, the song started to pick up around Junhyung’s rap. From then on, the song started to gain momentum. But my most favourite part was the chorus. While the concept was rather ‘done-before’, it was totally awesome. The kick the distorted violin gave was much needed and very attention-grabbing. The way it presented was rather bold and I liked that. It did remind me of Ribbon, which also had violins of the same nature. The vocals were pretty good overall, with all the members doing an amazing job. I particularly like the autotuned ‘사랑했나봐’ just before the chorus. I also liked how mature it sounded, compared to their title tracks from last year which I wasn’t much of a fan of.
I liked the way the video was shot. It seems to show the actress walking through each of the member’s scenes and then the HIGHLIGHT members turning up a second too late. It doesn’t sound like a very normalised topic when it comes to Korean media but I think it was well shot. It goes hand-in-hand with the lyrics, particularly the ‘I will wait for you’ line towards the end of the song. I also like the choreography shots. Especially, the change between lack of colour to an infusion of colour, which resulted in some life and energy to the video.
The choreography, from what I can see in the music video, looks amazing. I think the chorus looked really cool and the staggering that they do with the backup dancers for the second half of the chorus was extremely smart and allowed for some aesthetics. I would like to see what else the dance will offer, so most likely I will return to update this section.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 8/10 (I will return to update this section) Overall Rating – 8.5/10
Wanna One has returned with what could be their last album release before their scheduled disbandment at the end of the year. The album is titled 1¹¹=1 (Power Of Destiny) and it features the title track, Spring Breeze. But despite the talk of this being their last release, there are ongoing rumours that are giving fans some hopefulness of contract extensions, with concert venues booked for January of the next year and the need to represent Wanna One at the award shows occurring at the start of next year. Whatever the outcome is, Wanna One and their influence will never be forgotten!
Spring Breeze is another dance track to add to Wanna One’s portfolio with the inclusion of some synth pop in the background. Like the song’s title and lyrics, the song felt fitting for a nice breezy day. You know those scenes with long grass on a nice sunny day with a constant breeze. That’s the day I am imagining when I listen to this song. I was quite surprised by the final outcome of the track, as I thought they would have gone with something a little more ‘Energetic‘ or upbeat. But they went with calming and soothing, instead. Like Beautiful, Spring Breeze zone right into the group’s vocals which I thought were nice, overall. The raps, on the other hand, were underwhelming for me. I guess I something a little more hard-hitting when it came to the raps, rather than rap-speaking. I think the way they ended the song, with all the members joining in, was an excellent way to close the song but also close this chapter with each other.
While there are many ways to interpret a song and a music video, if you are given the context you can only interpret them one way. There is no doubt that this is what I am doing with this comeback as it seems to be the right interpretation. The video shows the members having fun with each other. They enjoy each other’s company through the many interactions together. I particularly like the panning from left to right just before the choruses, which shows the members just doing that, similar to their chorus in I.P.U. But their close-ups show something else. The members look very passionate and intense in their close-ups, which could potentially be showing how sad they are in regards to their end. I found those scenes to be heartbreaking yet touching. I thought the choreography scenes looked spectacular with regards to the grand sets they had.
[Updated: My original comments still stand] We do not get to see much of their dance in the music video and their first live performance isn’t until this Thursday. However, the music video shows what I think will be the highlights and the main pointers to their choreography. I liked how they fitted their dancing into the slower tempo and how it looked extremely graceful. My favourite bit has to be the choreography for the first half of the first chorus (when Jaehwan starts singing). Their movements were so fluid yet strong in a subtle way.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 10/10 Performance – 9/10 [Updated: Original Performance Score Remains] Overall Rating – 9.3/10
BTOB made their return with Beautiful Pain (the title track) and a special mini-album, Hour Moment. This is the first release without Eunkwang (as I have mentioned already) enlisted into the military a few months back. Despite being without their main vocalist, BTOB has effortlessly filled the void that Eunkwang left with one anothe], expected of a group with amazing vocalists and rappers. So without any more delays, let’s have a quick look at their album.
Hour Moment Album Cover
1..Friend (Pre-release Track) –I liked the progression between a ballad-like start to an upbeat and inspiring sound at the end and during the choruses. The message of the song expresses gratitude to their friends, which plays in nicely with the members impending military enlistment. Eunkwang, who enlisted a few months back, participated this song and it is nice to hear his voice once again. While I am on the topic of vocals, everyone sounded amazing here, especially Ilhoon’s vocals during the second half of the chorus and Peniel’s raps in the second verse. (9/10)
2. Like It – Like Friend,Like It follows the same pattern. It actually starts off slower and softer than compared to the previous song. But it picks up a little sooner, at the start of Ilhoon’s vocal lines which is still in the verses. The song is R&B based, with a lot of the synths in the instrumental reminding me of the R&B genre. I felt the song was a little more straight forward and typical, in comparison to the rest of the songs. Nothing new about this track. But in the wise words of the song’s hook, ‘I like it’. (8/10)
3. Butterfly (나비) – We now come to the softer side of the album. Unlike the previous songs, there isn’t a turn in the instrumental which incorporates electronic synths and make it into an upbeat song. Instead, the guitar in the instrumental remains throughout, reminding me of some folksy songs. I like how their vocals weren’t extravagant in this song, instead opting for something that felt a little more constricted in a number of manners (such as pitch and volume). But nonetheless, the vocals were quite nice. I liked the hushed rapping, which felt fitting. (8/10)
4. Please (제발) – It is finally nice to hear Ilhoon return to some rapping. I say that because his section stands out the quite a bit. From his section onwards, the song turns into a power ballad, boasting a very dramatic (yet sparingly used) orchestral instrumental, power vocals from the vocalists and smashing raps from the rappers. Everything comes together to form a very powerful and well backed track. The highlight of the song has to go to Peniel’s rapping, which climaxes the song perfectly and fitting in with the power ballad side of the song extremely well. (10/10)
One of my goals for the next year is to work on my scheduling of reviews. Particularly debuts from much smaller companies. I tend to wait a few weeks in order to write the reviews (and I don’t really have a good enough excuse to why I do so). So while I am trying to work that out, let’s have a closer look at DreamNote, who is a female group from iME KOREA. The group is made up of 8 members (Sumin, Eunjo, Habin, Lara, Hanbyeol, Miso, Youi and Boni). and their debut track shares the same name as their group name, DREAM NOTE.
For me, DREAM NOTE sticks out for some reasons but becomes hidden for others. The group’s debut single is of the cutesy nature that literally made me cringe during my first listen. Their vocals seemed mediocre at best throughout the song. There just didn’t seem to be any impressive moments. However, the song has a decent hook that I can see growing on me. And the instrumental of the song isn’t all cutesy. There is a potential for a powerful song, given the instrumental of the song. I also find the saxophone at the end of the song adding a nice touch that felt just right then and there (probably my favourite section has to be the final chorus onwards with the presence of the saxophones to thank for that).
And as expected, the music video is full of colour. That is the common side order that you will get when it comes to a cutesy song. The girls are also acting cutesy, which is expected. The entire video is about them trying to find some objects to put into those toy capsule machine to obtain a key that opens the door. In a way, similar to an escape room type of concept. They just have a lot of un along the way. My only problem, they could have saved the trouble, turned the knob and the key would have still come out without the addition of the pebbles and a pomegranate. They probably took the longest time of all the participants and one of the girls lost a tooth along the way. Damn.
The performance I watched for this review showed the members have very strong vocals, especially with a fast paced and high energy dance like this one. I really like the chanting them did at the very end, which I thought was very uplifting and nice. As for the dance, nothing too impressive but still decent to watch.
Song – 6/10 Music Video – 6/10 Performance – 7/10 Overall Rating – 6.2/10
Since their last comeback with Jelly (released in July 2017). a lot has happened with the members of HOTSHOT. Taehyun joined JBJ who promoted for a period of a few months before disbanding in April of this year. Timoteo and Hojung participated on The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project and placed 10th and 3rd place respectively. As a result, Hojung joined the show’s male project group, UNB. Despite all of this, HOTSHOT has regrouped (with the exception of Sungwoon, who is still a part of Wanna One) with the release of I Hate You.
I lowkey was expecting something along the lines of Jelly, which actually became quite addictive over time with the subtle aesthetics of the synths. I Hate You is a completely different song. It doesn’t rely on synths or electronic sounds, which is already a big difference. It feels more like a ballad, just there is enough in the instrumentation to allow the song to feature some choreography. The song is emotionally driven, which you can hear through their vocals. Their vocals are quite nice in the song. It isn’t the powerful vocals that I tend to prefer when it comes to ballads but it was enough to make me feel different feelings as the song progressed. I really like the “니가 미워” (nega miwo) hook at the very start of the chorus. There is something about it that makes it so beautiful and I quite like that.
The lyrics of the song essentially show their heartbreak and frustrations towards a lover who left unexpectedly. And the video does that. But instead of using the same ‘let’s film her physically walking away from the members’ over and over again, the video uses different ways to show that. While there were some cliche shots in the video, such as the girl disappearing around a corner, the video saw more creative ways such as having the lead actress die in one of their arms to represent ‘leaving’. I really like the contrast of colours throughout the video. The warm golden colour represents their happy moments but the darker scenes showcased loneliness and coldness. It is a well thought-out video.
As expected, the performance didn’t fall into a ballad category and featured choreography. I liked how sharp the chorus looked. While the song doesn’t really call for that, it worked in an interesting manner alongside the song. I also liked how the choreography didn’t feel constricting. The speed at which their movements were performed at and the wide motions really made the video feel quite strong.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 8.5/10
Unfortunately, I did not follow Produce 48 despite promises to myself that I would actually check out the show this time around. However, as usual, a group was produced from the Top 12 members from the show, who are now known as IZ*ONE. They made their debut two weeks ago with La Vie en Rose (link below) and their mini-album COLOR*IZ. Today, we will be having a closer look at their mini-album, starting now!
COLOR*IZ Album Cover
1..Beautiful Colour (아름다운 색) – IZ*ONE opens their debut mini-album with a fairly strong song. It is a bright and bubbly song that is quite colourful at the same time. I thought the chorus was rather soothing and melodic. The vocals were strong, showcasing different techniques. It particularly like the second half of the chorus and the falsetto leading up to it. The raps were decent and fitted in well with the rest of the song. It does sound typical when compared to other b-side tracks of other artists but other than that, it was quite nice. (8/10)
2. O’ My! – What stands out for me in this song is the instrumental. It does feel a lot cutesier than the previous song and it isn’t overwhelming, which is always a good thing when it comes to cutesy songs. Going back to the instrumental, I really like the dynamic electronic side of it. I thought that added a nice touch and kept it balanced. I thought the main hook of the song (O’ My!) was quite addictive. Vocals were good but I thought a little more rapping could have brought a little extra something to the song to really being to the next level. (8.5/10)
4. Memory (비밀의 시간) – Memory is the first ballad of the album. And the way it sounded reminded me of the ballad that Produce 101 Season 2 ended with. There is a touching side of the song and it doesn’t feel as emotional as a love song ballad. I think their vocals in this song was their very best throughout the entire album. I would love to hear more ballads from IZ*ONE if this is the quality and standard they will continually release. I really like it when they sung together at the end. The instrumental was plain for my taste but other than that, it was almost perfect. (9/10)
5. We Together (앞으로 잘 부탁해) – We have now entered the Produce 48 territory, where the girls have re-recorded their songs from the finale using the final IZ*ONE lineup. We Together was quite nice, giving off nostalgic vibes through their instrumental and chorus. It fits squarely in the pop genre and there isn’t much to the chorus to really differentiate the song from other artists. However, I did like the extra kick in the bridge, which I thought gave the song a unique twist. I also liked the electric guitars at the end. (8/10)
6. Crush On You (반해버리잖아?) (好きになっちゃうだろう?) – This may be due to my lack of musical skills or just my personal preference, but I thought the combinations of vocals and instrumentation is a little off-putting. They just didn’t seem to be connected and it felt a little uncomfortable (but not all the time. It was mainly felt during the lead up to the chorus). The instrumentation for this song reminded me of 8-bit music (i.e. like the music you get with retro video games), However, since IZ*ONE is both a Japanese and Korean music group, it was still nice to see something for the Japanese market despite the album being promoted in Korea so far. (6/10)
7. In Our Dreams (꿈을 꾸는 동안) (夢を見ている間) – I mentioned in Memory that the latter song felt like the ballad that ended their run on Produce 48. Well, here is the actual ballad that did end their time on the show. Many of the same comments under Memory can be rewritten here. What I did like about the song that hasn’t been motioned yet is that In Our Dream felt a lot warmer and you could feel a lot more emotion in this song. Once again, good vocals are present, but I actually preferred the vocals of the earlier song. But given its position on the album, it was a nice finale for the debut mini-album. (7/10)
D-CRUNCH made their debut in August of this year with Palace. Unfortunately, I didn’t get around to reviewing Palace. Luckily, D-CRUNCH announced their first comeback with Stealer and today will be having a closer look at Stealer. For those who don’t know the group, they are a 9-member male group under All-S Company. The members are Hyunwook,. Hyunho, O.V, Minhyuk, Hyunwoo, Hyunoh, Chanyoung, Jungseung and Dylan.
The first thing about the song that jumps out at me is its intensity. For a group with more rappers than vocalists, this intensity at the forefront of the song is expected. I like how they infused the electronic music genre with hip-hop but there were moments in the instrumental that felt exotic, reminding me of BLOCK B’s Nilli Mambo. And like Nilli Mambo, there were also moments that felt theatrical and grand. The many rappers bring an overwhelming rough texture to the song yet each of their sections is individualistic and this allows the intensity to grow exponentially. The vocalists also shine despite it being a rap-dominant song with their choruses and pre-choruses being clear and very melodic in a way that matches the rest of the song. Altogether, the song proves that this rookie group has potential and talent in a variety of domains.
The music video lives up to the music. The level of intensity of the song is matched by the edginess in the music video. I think there was a plotline to the video somewhere in the midst of all the choreography and closeup shots but it wasn’t easily decipherable due to its limited screen time (I think they were searching for something). Putting that aside, I thought the editing for this video was pretty cool. I liked how the transition matched the pre-chorus melody and instrumental moments. I like how dark the video felt, which goes back to that obvious edgy vibe. Maybe if they focused more on the plotline as the song does feel theatrical enough for one, the video would have had an extra level of appeal.
The choreography itself was quite good. But I couldn’t stop thinking that they could have done more. The performance I watched seemed to focus on live vocals (which were quite stable), so this limited the level of intensity their dance routine could of have. I wanted to see the torches on the stage as I thought their torch opener in the music video looked really cool but that was removed due to time limitations. If they managed to match the energy/ in the music video, I think this would have been a winning performance.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8/10
This is not a drill. But BLACKPINK is returning! Just not as a quartet this time around. Instead, it has been confirmed by YG Entertainment that each member will be making their solo debut. Jennie’s solo release kicks off the series of solo debuts for each member with the title track titled appropriately, SOLO. We last heard from BLACKPINK via their smashing hit, DDU-DU DDU-DU.
This is one unique song. And I am really liking it. But before we jump into a shocking in-depth description, I must apologise for my lack of music terminology. This is going to be really hard. I thought the song had a nice minimisalitc vibe, especially in the opening verse. I also like those spaced out tapping (cannot think of the right word here) sounds which give off a classy yet epic vibe. Very ear-catching. I thought the pre-choruses was nailed perfectly. Her vocals just sound so good during this section. The chorus takes a turn and drops that minimalistic vibe. Instead, the aesthetics here are turned up, giving Jennie an opportunity to showcase some dance. I actually enjoyed the ‘SOLO LOLOLO‘ hook. I thought her rapping was on point and very sleek. I was hoping for the final chorus to have more a kick but they maintained the same chorus (with slight changes), which I didn’t mind. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was different yet so appealing.
So, the message behind the song is confidence. More specifically (and I quote this from SOOMPI): “Many women are in a relationship where they give up a lot of things just to be loved by someone else. But even though they put in a lot of effort, in many cases, it will return to them as pain. The song talks about being free rather than making up a fake version of yourself.” So the video shows two sides of Jennie. The first is showing her as hurt and in pain. The second is confident and strong. And this was rather cool. I liked the way the video was shot, with the cinematography being a major highlight for me. I actually enjoyed her final dance scene with the 20+ backup dancers. Jennie stood out in that crowd but yet the aesthetic of it was just through the roof.
The choreography for this looks amazing. I personally want to see how this would look on stage because the choreography for the first chorus looked more freestyle. But for the second and final choruses, I thought everything looked bold and very charismatic, obviously the exact vibes that Jennie was going for.
Song – 10/10 Music Video – 10/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 9.8/10
KPOPREVIEWED 