BTOB has a few releases under their belt this year already. The group returned with Only One For Me and BTOB-BLUE made their subunit comeback with When It Rains. Now, BTOB has returned with a special mini-album, which is titled HOUR MOMENT and the title track Beautiful Pain. This is the group’s first comeback since Eunkwang unexpectedly enlisted in the military back in August 2018.
BTOB makes their return with a ballad, which was not that unexpected. Beautiful Pain, from the title alone, just screams out ballad. And with BTOB’s known songs being mainly ballads, it was the obvious choice. And with BTOB’s known capabilities, this is a powerhouse ballad. Even with the lack of one strong set of vocals, the three remaining vocalists (Changsub, Sungjae and Hyunsik) do an amazing job of filling that void. I think honourable mentions have to go to Hyunsik and Changsub in the vocal domain. During the bridge, Hyunsik brings his deep husky vocals along that are so captivating and Changsub belts out this amazing high note. I was a little concerned with the rapping but Peniel, Ilhoon and Minhyuk do a wonderful job with each of their sections. My favourite has to be Minhyuk’s buildup. Overall, I really thought the group did an amazing job with Beautiful pain. You can hear the pain through each of their parts and the melody during the chorus was just so nice. The instrumentation wasn’t that special but everything else stands out.
The group sings about the bittersweet ends to their relationship. And as I mentioned in the above paragraph, their emotions could be felt. The same thing goes for the video. There were bittersweet moments when the leading actress makes her appearance around the members but the BTOB members remain in the ‘present’ moment of unable to let go. I think the most impactful moment of the entire video was when Sungjae had the sheets over his head and paced his way around the apartment. It was well shot and I liked the darkness of the video, which really made it more powerful. I also thought Hyunsik’s high note was well planned and incorporated into the video.
[Updated] I think they could have left out the dance entirely for this round of promotions. Though, I think it was more keeping all their ballad releases consistent. The performance was nice, with the backup dancers doing most of the dancing. The members did have some moves but not as much as in the past. I did like Peniel’s cane dance, which did look cool.
Song – 9.5/10 Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 8/10 [Updated] Overall Rating – 9.4/10[Updated]
TWICE returned last week with a brand new mini-album, YES or YES, making this the group’s third comeback this year so far. I have reviewed both What Is Love? and Summer Nights albums, which you can find by clicking the links. YES or YES features the title track of the same title and also the Korean version of their Japanese release BDZ (link below), which the group has been promoting as well during their first week of comeback performances. So scroll down below for the album review!
2. Say You Love Me – I really like the chorus of the song. I loved the tempo and the energy that comes from it. It feels like your typical pop song, if I was going to be objective. But there is something about the ‘You got something I want, and I have something you need’ line that makes it quite an addictive hook. I thought the guitar in the instrumental was nice during the verses and chorus. The vocals were pretty good. I liked the slow down for the ‘rap speak’ section of the song and the breezy sound, which felt quite fitting. (8/10)
3. LALALA – LALALA has a bright retro vibe, which I think would have been ideal in the Summer season. Nonetheless, its presence on the album was quite nice and I thought its upbeat instrumentation was very fun. I personally think the vocals could have been more interesting, but it was still quite good. I really liked the brass in the bridge, which kind of had some showtime flair. I also did like the ‘LaLaLa’ book in the chorus. It isn’t as powerful as some other hooks, but its lightness was very warm. (8/10)
4. Young & Wild – Young & Wild is my favourite track (apart from the title track) on the album. It is probably their most unconventional sounding track. It feels like it has potential to be an edgy hip-hop track, but TWICE keeps it true to their roots and makes it a brighter tune. I find this unique. I liked the way they ended their choruses with the autotuned effect and the thumping in the bridge of the song, which gave that edgy feel that I mentioned before. I thought the rapping was perfect for this song, kicking up that edginess to a new level. Altogether, it becomes their most memorable b-side on this album. (9/10)
5. Sunset – I must admit that Sunset was a letdown. I thought the instrumental just didn’t feel right for the song, especially when you think about how nice the vocals were (which was practically the only part that kept the song going for me). The instrumentation was a mixture of upbeat happiness and electronic music. Yet, there were times that it felt like it was attempting to slow down for some unknown reason as the song progressed. I also felt like the instrumental was quite messy and didn’t feel that inviting. (6/10)
6. After Moon – Like all albums, the ballad is a must. And After Moon is TWICE’s ballad on the album. While TWICE isn’t technically known for their vocals, the group nails this song really well. It isn’t that mind-blowing ballad that I tend to like but it did the job of being the mandatory ballad of the album. I think if they polished the chorus to make it feel a little nicer (it isn’t their vocals that I didn’t agree with, but rather the melody) alongside the chorus, this easily could have been one of my favourite tracks. I liked the orchestral instrumental. (7.5/10)
K.Will made his return earlier this week with the second half of his fourth studio album. The first half, Part 1. Nonfiction, was released last year with Nonfiction as the main title track. The second half of the album is titled Part 2. 想像 (Mood Indigo) and it features the title track, Those Days (그땐 그댄). In the lead up to the album, K.Will also released some singles, which you can also find on the album, such as My Star (which I previously reviewed).
Something that I have not heard much of so far this Fall season are ballads. This is quite odd given that we are almost at the end of the perfect ballad season. So when K.Will confirmed his comeback, I was highly anticipating a great ballad. And that is exactly what we got. His vocals are so damn good in this song, it leaves me breathless. A major reason why I really like K.Will’s voice is that he puts so much emotion behind them. This song is just even more proof of that. The song’s melody is very beautiful, particularly around the chorus. I think that there may be some backing vocals in the chorus and his harmonies are amazing. Finally the instrumental was amazing. Nothing beats a graceful orchestral piece for a ballad. Given that K.Will’s forte is ballads (in my opinion – he also really good R&B songs), he did not disappoint.
The music video features Yoo Yeon Seok as the lead actor, who is a suit tailor. While meeting one of his customers, he meets his ex-girlfriend (who has clearly moved on). Nonetheless, he continues with his job despite looking a tad unhappy. Throughout the video, we see flashbacks of their happy relationship but we don’t get to see why they broke up. Back in the present day, the two awkwardly ignore each other. The girl notices a fishbowl, the same bowl that she bought back in the day for another fish. This brings backs memories, which cause her to shed a tear. Once the job was complete, the couple leave. However, it seems like she wants to say something to her ex prior to leaving but he gives her a smile instead, to tell her everything is okay. I think the acting was wonderful in the video. I also liked how they slow motioned everything to an appropriate speed for the song but also making the video feel impactful.
Song – 10/10 Music Video – 10/10 Overall Rating – 10/10
EXO has returned with their 5th studio album last week, titled as Don’t Mess Up My Tempo. Their lead title track was definitely a rollercoaster of sounds and tempos and it is titled as simply Tempo (link below). Today, the focus is on their album and can I begin by saying how impressed with every song on this album? So without any more delays, here are my thoughts on the album.
2. Sign – When you listen to both Tempo and Sign side-by-side, Sign is the better choice for the title track. Firstly, it doesn’t feel erratic. Secondly, the autotune section that follows the chorus was done wonderfully. It gave the song an intriguing factor while being an excellent addition of texture, which made me like it. While it does feel a little more mainstream, it is a solid track from start to end. Amazing vocals and raps (though I will admit that I prefer the rap sequences from Tempo) were also included in this song. The instrumental was intense and fell on the R&B scale, while also containing a mixture of synths of dubstep and other EDM. It was a great song. (9/10)
3. Ooh La La La(닿은 순간) – Ooh La La La seems to be EXO’s answer to the ongoing Latin trend that has hit KPOP and SM Entertainment as well. And it is not that bad. The song is a lot softer than their other songs (or any of the Latin-influenced songs that we have heard), giving us some relief to the intensity of this album. I really liked the vocals in this song. They were husky and low, which was something different for the group. The harmonies throughout the song (in particular the chorus) were perfect and it made the song flow effortless. There wasn’t rapping in this song, which I was kind of expecting. I am not too troubled by this as the vocals were on point. (8/10)
4. Gravity – The start of Gravity reminded me of Power for a brief second. But the song is not like Power at all. It has a dance techno instrumental which I thought was refined. I would have described the song as smooth but we lost that smoothness factor as the song went along. The vocals matched the song perfectly. They made the song feel cohesive and stand out for all the right reasons. What I loved about the song even more is the presence of the raps, which fits the bill well. They kicked the song up a notch and made the song feel right for a club setting. (9/10)
5. With You (가끔) – I think I found one of the most beautiful songs on the album. It starts off off-tuned, which I thought was going to be mean an awful track. But I was genuinely surprised with the direction the song took. The vocals (which added the beautiful factor to the song) took a soft ballad approach, yet the instrumental was fast tempo dance vibe. This is a very interesting combination. And I would not have expected it to work. Yet it does, and I can’t help stopping but marvel at this song. I really liked the continuous build-up in the first verse, which must be my favourite pick for inclination in any song. The rapping was nice but not their best on this album. (9/10)
6. 24/7 – It started off as another song. The whistling at the start was intriguing yet I lost interest in the song somewhere in the first verse. When the chorus kicked in, there was more than a kick to the song. I would like to describe it as more of a subtle explosion. It got my attention back to the song. As the song went along, there was a gradual build-up in the intensity of the song, which made it bold and appealing. The vocals were soft yet husky at points, which I think really gave the song some character and body. I prefer the final chorus as this is when the song full reaches its peak and doesn’t feel in any way related to how it started, yet still managing to remain true to the song’s roots. (9.5/10)
7. Bad Dream(후폭풍) – I like the way the song sounds but I can’t really figure out a way to describe the song to show this. I personally felt the instrumental could have been more interesting and developed a little more. The instrumental felt jazzy and R&B-ish, mixed nicely with some house. But it felt plain and didn’t really stand out. Same can be said for the vocals and raps. Yet when I listen to the song, I can’t help but groove along. I think a good comparison would have to be The Eve, as I can imagine the group going down a sexy route with this performance. (8/10)
8. Damage – When the song first started, it felt like something you would have gotten back in the day in KPOP. Chanyeol’s raps start the song off in a really pumped-up manner and this momentum continued into the vocals. The chorus was quite epic with a dramatic movie sound to it. I really liked how they incorporated classical instruments into the intense instrumental, particularly in the second verse, which basically a dream for someone who enjoys an orchestral piece. The bridge takes on a classical feel, stripping away the dramatic vibes of the song, which was a nice contrast. Sehun’s responsibility of saying E.X.O reappeared in this song, paying a nice throwback to EXO’s younger days. Altogether, I liked the song. (9/10)
9. Smile On My Face (여기 있을게) – Doing a complete 180° on the album is Smile On My Face, which is a pretty nice ballad. It showcased the vocals of the group and gave us an opportunity to focus on a softer side of the group before we end the album. There were no raps in this song, but I kind of expected given the ballad nature. It isn’t technically a stand out song on the album. It felt like it was there to give us a chance to catch our breathes from enjoying the more intense and dance-based tracks on the album. I like the melody and the swaying nature of the instrumental (which earns a tick from me!). (7.5/10)
10. Oasis (오아시스) – This was a nice closer for the album. There was a very certain level of hope which you could feel in the way the song sounds, which makes sense given the lyrics’ meaning. Vocally, there were many nice moments that make you feel warm and fuzzy. I think this track would have nice to listen during a walk on a nice warm day with blue skies. A cool breeze would make it even more exceptional. I would have expected some rapping in the song, to give the rappers a chance to feature in the closing of the album. But that could have easily changed the dynamic of the song. (8/10)
MXM has returned with a brand new single today. Knock Knock was previously released as part of the duo’s first studio album, More Than Ever, back in August of this year. Today, the duo dropped the TAK remix version of the song. For this review, there may be some comparison between the two versions, as I don’t review the remixed versions of any songs on this site. MXM previously returned with Ya Ya Ya in August, as well.
The original version of Knock Knock had a light feel and almost a bright atmosphere during the verses. And that was quite nice. It is just the EDM in the song didn’t feel grand but rather typical. While I never wrote an album review for this release, I did like the fade out and its transition to classical did give it a defining feature. The remixed version is a complete change. It featured a more intense dubstep sound and this resulted into a darker vibe from the song. And I actually like this version a bit more as dubstep isn’t something that I hear all too often. The vocals and rapping were practically the same between the versions, where both sounded quite nice. What I was personally interested was the ending of the song, which I mentioned above. While they did keep some of that piano as heard in the original, they incorporated some synths in order to keep it from being too distant, which makes the song well balanced. Overall, it was quite nice.
Fitting in with the darker sound is the darker visuals. MXM’s releases for this year (besides Gone Cold) have been quite bright and colourful. Here, there is a particular hazy filter placed over the top of the video, which made everything feel darker and dull. The sets were typical of most music videos but they felt fitting for the aesthetics of the video. In the entire video, I thought the entire sequence where the duo danced by themselves (i..e without the backup dancers) looked quite cool and basically summarised the entire vibe of the music video in a matter of seconds. It is a good video, fitting for the song.
It would be disappointing to see a dance routine for a song titled Knock Knock without some knocking. But don’t worry, there was some knocking action in the routine. While I liked that, I thought the performance was really well done. When the music got intense, their moves did as well. When the music was lightened, it felt lighter and the moves were a lot more fluid. While that seems to be a no-brainer, there have been a few performances that don’t follow this and I find such dances lacking and incomplete. But not this one!
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8.5/10
With schedules for group comebacks becoming more spaced out for many established groups (particularly for male groups due to mandatory enlistment), many members have turned to solo careers. SHINee happens to be one of these groups. Dramas and solo music careers can be placed under the names of the other members but Key has only dabbled in variety shows. Now, he is officially making his solo debut this month and as a special pre-release, Key has released a collaboration with his good friend Soyou titled as Forever Yours.
Following their group promotions with three title tracks and one special repackaged release single, Key’s pre-release is a tropical house EDM styled song. And given the current competition, his song fails to really break any boundaries and stand out. The instrumental is nice but it doesn’t offer anything new to really be amazed at. What does keep this song quite fresh, however, are the vocals of both Key and Soyou. I have to admit that his voice feels very plain in this song. However, with Soyou’s husky vocals and the parts where both of them sing together, their voices brings a nice dynamic to the picture. I liked how Key’s voice was at the forefront of their duet moments, while Souyou’s husky voice stands out from the back. Other than that, I don’t have much else to say about the song.
And like SHINee’s music video, Key takes a fast-paced ride into space in his car. It felt the same producer or director played a part in this video. I really liked the retro feel in this video. The fonts and styles choices of the words that you see in the video remind me of various movie posters and really cringy fonts back in the day. The visuals are quite abstract and I have no clue on how to interpret this odd concoction of visuals. I am a little disappointed that Soyou didn’t appear in the video, which would have been nice if she did.
Song – 6/10 Music Video – 8/10 Overall Rating – 6.8/10
Making their comeback today is Gugudan. They have returned with their fifth mini-album, Act 05. New Action and the title track, Not That Type. Since their last full comeback back in February of this year with The Boots, the group launched a new subunit, Gugudan SEMINA, consisting of Sejeong, Mina and Nayoung. They have also one member less (making Gugudan an 8-member group now), as Hyeyon left the group last month for personal reasons.
With the ongoing trend of exuding confidence, Not That Type is Gugudan’s way of doing so. It is a fierce song that really implants itself into my mind after the first listen. And that is definitely a good thing in this current competitive industry. I like how they used the consistent backbone in the instrumental throughout the song. But they managed to keep it from being repetitive and dry by layering other stuff on top, such as the brass (which I am totally digging) in the pre-chorus. This song boasts great vocals from all the members, which goes hand-in-hand with their confidence message. I think the one thing the song is lacking, which would have made the song even better, was an epic rap sequence. The best part of this entire song has to be the bridge. It fits the song in an unexpecting way and manages to return to its original state from a complete slowdown. Overall, it is a damn good song.
And their music video is just so damn edgy. I really like the urban feel the video had going. I really liked the setting of the video, which already sets it apart from other videos, as they didn’t use any sets that we commonly see or are known to be ‘overused’. I also like their edgy visuals, which suits the song so well. Their charisma and the fierceness that the members alone put into the video was enough to already make it promising. So the combination of all the visual aspects worked wonderfully.
The performance was quite nice. I liked how they split up at the very start into the two smaller groups. You tend to see that for male groups but not so much for female groups. I thought the routine was very energetic, suiting that side of the song quite nicely.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8.8/10
TWICE is back and needless to say, they have already risen to the top of all the digital charts with their latest title track, YES or YES. The track is featured on their 6th mini-album, which shares the same name as the song. This is also TWICE’s 3rd comeback of the year, with What Is Love? and Dance The Night Away also topping charts as soon as they were released.
YES or YES is a very upbeat and energetic song that is very hard to get out of your head after the first listen. At least, that was the case for me. To me, their songs have been getting better and better each time. The song is about confidence and the way they present this pop song oozes with confidence. The verses were nice but the winning part of all TWICE songs has to be the chorus. I like the way they bring every together for the choruses and give us this chanting like effect to the hook of the song. I also like the way they managed to split the lines between members, which give the song some nice textures, as everyone has unique voices. I think I was only let down by one section of the song as it was that part following the ‘Its Simple. Y.E.S.” line in the bridge. I personally didn’t like the way it sounded and thought it unnecessarily extended the song. But that is only minute as the rest of the song makes up for this.
I am completely falling for the visuals of the video. I love the sets (I think some of them are green screened) and the members look stunning. Some of the outfits remind me of their Like Ooh Aah days. Initially, I wasn’t too keen on the haunted theme they had going on. It seemed like they were going down that route for a while, especially with the teasers and Jeongyeon’s creepy driving introduction. But I was rather glad that they deviated from that and had something more light-hearted and fun, which definitely suits their style and song more.
The choreography for this looks amazing. From the very start of the song, the choreography routine looked action-packed, which completely goes well with the song’s upbeat nature. I think it is one of their best performances as a whole yet. I really like the way they transferred between Jeongyeon and Momo during the choruses. Actually, the entire chorus is stunning.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 10/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 9.3/10
SPECTRUM has returned to the stage for the first time since their debut with Light It Up. It is also their first comeback since the tragic loss of their rapper, Kim Dong Yoon, who passed away in July of this year. The news was very unexpecting and I wondered how the group was going to proceed, particularly since they just started. But I am glad that they are doing well enough for a comeback. Their latest title track. What Do I Do?, is featured on the group’s second mini-album, Timeless Moment.
What Do I Do? is one of the songs that has a really good build-up but a very underwhelming chorus. But more on that a little later on. The song starts off with the classic mix of piano and electronic. Very nostalgic. The verses follow quite nicely, with the verses showcasing a good set of vocals from the two members. We continue the vocal momentum with the really well-polished pre-chorus, with the constant beats and the falsetto combination. And now, we approach my initial comments. The drop to the chorus was fine. It is just the repetitive nature of the chorus that causes it to go bland and feel lacking its dynamic nature. We get raps in the second verse and a softer rap sequence during the bridge. Both sounded quite nice. Together, it makes the song quite promising. But the chorus is the main problem.
While I think the video could have had a lot more going on in it, what they did deliver was quite good. I like the way they started with the one guy (sorry, I don’t know any names to the members) walking alone into the abandoned setting, which I recognise to be that set with the concrete staircases. A lot of music videos this year was shot there. I like the way they transitioned between that introductory segment to the actual start of the performance. The rest of the video showcased closeups under coloured lights, which I thought were cool but quite typical and your standard choreography shots.
The performance was good but it wasn’t that impressive. I mean, it felt fitting for the song. But I felt the amount of work the members were putting in for the chorus could have been more worthwhile under an intense sounding chorus. I did like the way they started the entire dance routine.
Song – 7/10 Music Video – 7/10 Performance – 6/10 Overall Rating – 6.8/10
Golden Child returned at the end of the October with their 3rd comeback of the year. I had the opportunity to review all of their mini-album and single album releases for 2018 and I knew I had to do the same for this one. The album is titled as WISH, with the title track Genie, which obviously goes hand-in-hand. The album contains 7 tracks in total, with the first being an intro track. Like always, I have omitted the intro track from the album review.
3. Eyes On You – Eyes On You is better than their title track, in my opinion. It is an energetic electronic track that uses staggering and distortion in its instrumental as its main tactic to make the song quite unique. And while I thought that was pretty cool, they throw in some electric guitars to bring some more life to the song, which was already upbeat (but potentially too electronic and sci-fi sounding). The vocal work was amazing, and the rap sequence was on point! I have listened to this song a number of times already and I just enjoy its uplifting and bright nature. (10/10)
4. I See You – This track is a slight step back to more typical terrain. It brings the electronic instrumentation, but it doesn’t employ any of the unique tactics from Eyes On You, going for a more typical or standard feel. This is no means is a bad thing. Once again, I thought the vocals and raps were really good for this song. The winning section has to be the verses, with the fraction of the verse reminding me of the melody of Lady (which was another amazing b-side track from Golden Child, earlier this year). (9/10)
5. Listen – While this is the group’s most passable track on the album, it is still really good. It is a pop ballad, with guitars at the very forefront of the song that is mixed with a few synths. But the song remains distinctly on its acoustic side, which is quite nice. There were good vocals and the rapping was well fitted for the song. I like how they all come together at the end, which rounds out the song very nicely. I just didn’t feel too much connection to the song. (7.5/10)
6. You Turn Me On Baby – The most questionable title for the group thus far must go to this track. Looking at the tracklist, I questioned its nature and was very glad when I heard its bright and upbeat nature, which is very Golden Child-esque. I don’t think I am personally ready to hear what I initially thought of from the group. But it will happen one day. I thought the instrumental was very clean. The vocals and raps were clear, and nothing felt out of place. (8/10)
7. Would You Be My – This is their ballad for the track. Would You Be My felt like an incomplete title but once you listen to the song, it makes sense. I thought the ‘Would You Be My’ soothing hook was my favourite section of the entire song. Actually, the entire song is quite calming, and it was a very nice track to end with, especially with the upbeat songs we had all before this track. I really liked the ad-libs and the rapping (which gave the song something I personally didn’t know was missing – until I heard it, of course)! (9/10)
As previously mentioned, I will be posting a review for Lee Hong Gi’s collaboration with Cheetah. It actually took a lot longer than expected due to various reasons and I apologise for that. I Am was released a week before Lee Hong Gi’s official solo comeback, Cookie, was released. It is one of the three collaborations on his solo mini album, Do n Do.
Now, this is a collaboration that really works. Lee Hong Gi brings his perfect vocals to the party, while Cheetah brings her well-known rapping style (which felt more like rap-speak for this song. But I am not too troubled as I thought was an excellent touch for this song). And the two really drive the song forward. The party occurs over a really funky backdrop which has brass and energetic vibes which really make the song feel impactful. The song is quite catchy and the chorus is engraved into my mind. It has to come to the point where I become very excited when I know I am going to be listening to the song. And the way they overlap each other at the end of the song, gave the song the perfect ending in my opinion.
The song felt like a party but I didn’t really get that feel from the video. Both Cheetah and Hong Gi sat in a barn and then stood in front of a green screen. I did like the camera work during the scenes in the barn, with the zoom-ins and panning really making up for the lack of liveliness in the video. However, I was less impressed with the camera work in front of the green screen, as it felt too shaky for my liking.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 7/10 Overall Rating – 8.2/10
EXO is officially back with their first comeback in over a year. Usually, EXO makes at least one comeback before the end of the Summer, which has been the case for a few years now. So once Summer ended, I noticed a lot of concerns and memes appear online (such as the group’s continuous performances of Ko Ko Bop and Power – when we last saw them). Their title track, Tempo, is featured on the group’s 5th studio album, Don’t Mess Up My Tempo and it also the first comeback to feature Lay since Lotto.
Bare with me, as the song contains a number of individual parts that were pieced together with hopes to make a decent song. And for the most part, the producers did a good job. Unfortunately, some parts just didn’t work for me. The song started off with an intro, which felt like typical but featured Chen’s heavenly vocals. We then get thrown straight into the very addictive chorus, which is accompanied by squeaking sounds (with how you perceive the squeaky effect directly affecting the way you perceive the lyrics of the song). We then approach the deep-voiced section (performed by Xiumin in the first verse and Baekhyun in the second verse). This attracted a massive ‘no’ response from me. The rapping follows with Sehun and Chanyeol (in their respective verses) doing an amazing job with their sections. Vocals follow after each rap section but I am not amazed by that. I am, however, amazed at the bridge of the song, which slows down the tempo at first and then managed to throw in some acapella. The concern is that does mess with the tempo, contradicting the ‘Don’t Mess With My Tempo’ hook. But it sounds amazing. I did like the way they brought us back to the original chorus to really bring it home and feel upbeat once again. The instrumentation was funky but changed as it went along, adjusting its ‘tempo’, for example. To be honest, the song is a mess. It is a good mess, just with some unnecessary parts.
I wonder what their concept is for this comeback. Their teasers hinted towards motorcycles but that doesn’t seem to be at the forefront of the visuals for this comeback. What I saw was very edgy and seemed to be very aesthetic, using a lot of traditional elements for a KPOP music video. I quite like the video for that. I personally think each member looked really amazing in this comeback, including Lay who was featured in a few scenes (scarcely, however). Everything in this video seems to very elaborate, resulting in a very detailed production. I also liked how everything changed accordingly to the tempo of the song, which I thought was rather cool.
The winning part of this entire comeback is the dance performance. I thought the chorus was extremely dynamic and looked amazing on stage. The performance from today saw the members wear military outfits, so that confused me even more, in terms of the concept. I liked their energy and power they had behind each move and enjoyed the details throughout the dance during the acapella section.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 10/10 Overall Rating – 8.7/10
You may think this is a new group but TST isn’t new. They actually made their debut last year with She and returned later in the year with Mind Control, all under the name Top Secret. Earlier this year, the group returned with Love Story and the new name TST. However, promotions were cut short due to Kyeongha’s misconduct controversy. It was later announced that Kyeongha had left the group. Now, TST is back again as a 6-member group with a brand new single, Paradise.
Paradise started off with some guitar and a small piece of the instrumental used later in the song. What I noticed here and throughout the song was they added a very soft yet striking piano note that replayed in groups of threes. I thought that was really nice, as it added a nice contrast with the rest of the song and made it feel quite artistic. The chorus lost this element and instead opted for a busier chorus made up of mainly synths. I felt like they could have lost some elements in the chorus and it would have been fine as I had a hard time trying to describe the chorus as it was quite swamped. As you went along with the rest of the song, there were a lot of different components featuring at various moments, which kept the song rather interesting. Moving along, I quite liked the chorus due to the melodies and the vocals, especially the ‘Like A Paradise‘ line. I also liked the rapping in the song as it came in at a needed time (despite it being withheld to the end). Overall, an excellent song.
I thought the music video was quite bland. I find the members just sitting around on top of buildings, amusement park rides and other things not that powerful. They did throw in some tears but they weren’t enough. I felt the song could have had a nice nature backdrop, which seems to be an on-trend and relatively cheap alternative to a full-fledged music video. But I am not a producer, so I am sure this was all chosen for a reason. I did like their choreography shots though, which were nice yet pretty standard.
I personally liked this performance. Their choreography was quite graceful and while there were sharp movements, there was its fair share of very delicate moves. I thought the chorus was really nice, especially with the ‘Paradise’ lines and they are running from one side of the stage to the other.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 6/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 7.9/10
N.Flying is another group who has made a very busy year so far. They kicked off 2018 with Hot Potato and returned in May with How R U Today?. Last week, the band returned with a special single which begins their Fly High Project, where the band aims to release a new song every two months for a period of a year. I personally apologise for the delay for this review, as everytime I get around to starting this review, I get tired or am busy with other stuff. But here it is, almost a week later.
This isn’t the first time N.Flying has released a ballad. Some of their earlier works have been of the ballad kind, such as Lonely.Like A Flower is a rather nice ballad. Unfortunately, it isn’t one of those mind-blowing ballads that I would search up and listen to it on its own. Rather, having it random appearing on a playlist will be more impactful. That is because the instrumental is very soft and you would want to stop for a second to appreciate the calmness. I personally like that about this track. With a ballad this slow, I kind of expected only vocals, so I genuinely surprised to see some slow rapping in the song. And for the vocals, they were spectacular. Some people may say this is a typical ballad but I can assure it is not.
For 3/4 of the video, a black and white filter was used. I don’t know why they decided to go with colour at the end but I guess it was done to add some impact and match the peak of the song. I also liked how some of the scenes were slowed down, making it quite fitting for the song. All of this, along with the acting by the members, you can get a sense of how emotional the song is. Personally, I thought the music video was good but it took on board very typical components of a music video for a slow song.
Song – 8.5/10 Music Video – 6/10 Overall Rating – 7.5/10
Stray Kids returned last week with I Am You, the title to their latest promotional track and mini-album. And while I have reviewed their title track, I have yet to look at their album. So today, that is why we are all here! I have reviewed their I Am Who mini-album, which was released back in August and plan to review their debut mini-album (I Am Not) soon! But before we give Stray Kids another opportunity to complete another I Am… sentence, let’s begin the album review.
3. My Side (편) – My Side takes both light and heavy rock sound, mashing them up to create one good track. I have to admit each section does seem like it came from different songs as transitions between the vocal and rap sections weren’t really there (they just cut to the other). I like the intensity that the rap sections (and the final section of the song) give, while the vocals provide us with some melodic moments and relief from the intensity. I feel like the vocals were superior, but the rapping was also quite good. (9/10)
4. Hangover Soup (해장국) – Hangover Soup has this emotional vibe which makes it an exceptional song. The song felt like it began with a much higher tempo and the tempo gradually decreased as the song went on. Not 100% sure whether this was technically true, but it sure felt that way. The vocals and the raps were all tweaked to fit the slower R&B feels that this song features. And it actually resulted in some high-quality delivery of lines and nice falsettos that attracts my attention. Paired with the minimalistic instrumental, I thought this was a very impactful and cool song. (9/10)
5. Get Cool – This song takes a little different turn, with a more light-hearted and fun instrumental. Matching with this is the happier tone in the vocals and raps. I personally don’t mind this song, but no matter how times I listen to it, I can’t seem to get into it. It has a nice rhythm and the fact that is a brighter track makes it stand out. But I think when it comes to Stray Kids, I think I have associated them with a little more intensity and energy, rather than a light-hearted song. (8/10)
6. N/S (극과극) – It seems like N/S stands for ‘North/South’ and N/S goes for a prominent hip-hop tune. What is also interesting is that this song doesn’t really focus on vocals. All the members dabble into rapping of some form, which I think is rather interesting. Usually, these songs make rappers into vocalist, so it is a little unique to have vocals turn into rappers. And if you know me, I don’t tend to enjoy these songs as much. But this one is quite good. It has a nice rhythm and relative simple lyrics that repeat over and over again, allowing it to be engraved into your mind. (8.5/10)
7. 0325 – With the title corresponding with their debut date (25th of March) and the presence of the sirens in their song reminding me of District 9, I expected something along the lines of their debut track. But we get a slightly different track which sounds as good. It doesn’t have that hip-hop or dance feel to it but there is enough in the song to feel like a Stray Kids. I liked how the chorus picked up by using the drum beats and it contrasted nicely with the slightly slower verse. The rapping and vocals aren’t winners on this track, as compared to the other songs but they still showed some talent. Overall, another good track. (8/10)
Making their comeback today was 14U with N.E.W.S. If you are new to 14U, they are a 14-member boy group who made their debut last year with VVV and made their first 2018 comeback with Don’t Be Pretty (which I had reviewed). N.E.W.S is featured on the group’s third single album, which also features an instrumental to the song and an unplugged version.
N.E.W.S jumps on board the Latin train with the presence of the guitar throughout the entire instrumental. And while the Latin influence trend is nice for the ‘broadening of the horizons’, the trend is officially getting boring for me. What does save the song, based on my preferences, were the vocals and raps. Vocally, the song had some drive, especially towards the end when high notes started becoming involved. The rapping also gave the song some momentum and energy, which saved it from being too monotone or ‘linear’ as I always call it. I did also like the melody of the chorus, which also gave the song some more energy and contrast to the bland verses. I feel like the hooks were a little in the weak side. They did have some appeal but it wasn’t as grand as I hoped. Overall, it is an okay song. I just don’t expect myself to be replaying it all the time.
One of the members find this magical compass washed up along the beach and decides to use it, which leads a magical (or creepy) ghostly female figure to them, all dressed in red. It scares some of the members while also intrigues some others, who go looking for her. Besides that, I don’t really know what’s going on. Especially with the guy who had a ship’s wheel appear on his neck as a tattoo, that left me more confused than anything else. Besides the mild confusion, I thought it was a nice video. I liked the way it was shot and didn’t really utilise any crazy effects.
With 14 members, it is going to be easy to make the stage feel a bit too crowded. So I thought them taking some members out of the first two choruses was actually quite smart. I thought the rap section had really cool choreography, especially with the members lying down and doing that drum-like action. Overall, I liked the looks of the performance and how it matched with the song.
Song – 7/10 Music Video – 7.5/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 7.4/10
KPOPREVIEWED 