Category: Reviews

[Review] That Day – Lovelyz

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Lovelyz have made their return to the stage with a brand new song, titled as That Day. It is the title track off their 4th mini-album, which is titled as Heal. This is the girls first comeback since Twinkle, which was released at the end of last year.

With the warmer weather in South Korea, That Day is a suitably bright and energetic song. The sound reminds me of their earlier works, which is something that I have noticed with many of their songs. They are quite consistent with their bright and cutesy sound. Not going too overboard but not diverting to something completely unexpected either. What makes this song unique is their chorus. While I can make standard comments regarding the energy and brightness, I want to take a moment to appreciate the way they sang some of their lines. The “hwa” and the “hoo” is extremely ear-catching and it makes the song quite catchy (for me, at least). Vocally, I thought they all sounded great. The instrumental did seem to overpower some of the vocals at certain parts throughout the song but it didn’t seem too troubling. The verses did seem a little boring in comparison to the rest of the song but once again, nothing too concerning. Overall, That Day is another great song that fits snuggly under their portfolio umbrella.

The music video is distinctively bright, which is something that I like quite a bit. It suits the song perfectly. No unnecessary filters and lighting, it sets the video up to be quite promising. I really like the cartoon effects for the ‘Hwa” and the “Hoo“. I have mentioned that recently those do look childish but it looks fine here. Actually, it might even be subtle. For the circus or theme park set looked quite cool as well. Not exactly sure how it fits in with the lyrics but overall, it was a great video to watch.

The choreography was decent. Once again, I thought it was fitting for the song and the chorus was probably my most favourite part. There just wasn’t anything that impressive. Maybe the performance will grow on me? I don’t know, but it was a fair performance to watch.

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

 

[Review] Snapshot – IN2IT

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IN2IT have made their comeback to the stage with Snapshot. This is their first comeback since they debuted last year in October with Amazing. Between these two promotional cycles, IN2IT reformed into a 7-member male group, after the departure of Jinsub due to health issues.

Snapshot is a really nice song. It opens up with a really cool verse, which felt extremely groovy and retro. It also took me back to some of the earlier KPOP releases back in the day. The chorus packed a punch with its instrumental, oozing energy and addictiveness. I do find the lyrics aren’t that catchy, with the main hook (for me at least) being the ‘Heartbeat go fast. Heartbeat go slow‘. We do end up losing that groovy vibe as the song conforms to a typical pop song after the first chorus, however that isn’t much of a problem as the song still manages to remain appealing to my tastes. The vocal work is decent but I think the rapping was the main section that showed some flair in the song. The bridge wasn’t special, being standard at best. However, it is the stripped entrance into the final chorus which I thought was the amazing part of the song, prolonging the drop to make the final chorus feel a little more impactful. Snapshot is a song that I would gladly replay again and again for its energy and the heartbeat lines.

I actually thought the video was rather suitable for the song. While it does have that typical vibe to it, the flashy lights and how classy the members looked made the video feel so much cooler and modern. That screen in the background displays really cool effect that compliments both the set built around it and the members. Talking about the members, they take the modelling concept, as seen by the amount of walking they do down the catwalk.

There seems to be some voguing going on in this choreography. It does fit in with their concept, so it does work. I also really liked the ‘heartbeat go fast, heartbeat go slow‘ moves and the Snapshot move during the chorus. Overall, I thought the entire dance choreography was quite good.

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

[Review] Easy – Wheein (Mamamoo) ft. Sik-K

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Mamamoo seems to be readying themselves for multiple solo releases in the months to come. Moonbyul seems to be releasing something May, while Solar was just confirmed to make her solo comeback. But kicking it all off is Wheein with her solo release Easy. This isn’t her first solo track, however, as she has collaborated alongside with other singers, such as the chart-topping Anymore with Jungkey and Narccius with M&D.

Easy is a very nice sounding R&B track. It features a nice melody, which makes the song flowy and groovy, which is a word I am using quite often nowadays to describe songs. But this is quite groovy, which isn’t something that I commonly associate with R&B. The chorus is also quite catchy, despite it being a style that I am not into. The line ‘Too late too late, your so stupid, stupid‘ is also quite addictive moments in the song. Also featured in the song is her husky vocals. It isn’t something you hear commonly in her Mamamoo work. Instead, she employs a more raspy sound which really sounds alluring and seductive. And while it may not seem like there is any, you could hear some attitude in her voice. She also tries a little bit of rapping, which was really good as well. The ain sequence was handed to Sik-K, who’s featuring is a perfect accompaniment to the other parts of the song.

The music video shows Wheein trying to get the attention of her boyfriend, who doesn’t really seem to care about her anymore. In the lyrics, she sings about how she went after him but now that he doesn’t really care anymore, she is trying to find a way out of their relationship. But what way out are you thinking of? Well, most likely kill your boyfriend using a fist missile didn’t pop into your head. And well, that is what Wheein results to at the very end of the video. Honestly, it makes the video a little more interesting with that quirky and unexpected plot twist. Also featuring in the music video is Hwasa and an amazing colour palette. Overall, it was a good video.

I wouldn’t mind seeing a full performance of this. I don’t think there are any plans to promote this (I am not sure). That small snippet of choreography around the 1:04 – 1:24 seems quite promising. However, as there doesn’t seem to be any hint of promotions (please comment below if I am wrong), I won’t include any performance section in the final rating below.

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

[Special] The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project Song Reviews – Part 3

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Please note these special posts are designed to be long and may require some time to read (if you plan on reading the entire post). To help shorten the length, the music video will be inserted as hyperlinked titles, so feel free to click the title of each section to watch the video. 

The Unit was a survival program by KBS (Korean Broadcasting Station) to help reboot the unsung and little-known KPOP acts of the industry (i.e. to give some groups and singers that second chance of debuting). The show was hosted by Rain and aired from October 2017 to February 2018.

With the impending debut of both the final lineup of the male (UNB) and female (UNI.T) groups (i.e. the end goal of all the contestants), I thought it would be nice to take some time to look back on the competition. This is a 3 part weekly special, which I will be looking at the performances and songs that emerged from the show.

This week’s (the 3rd and final part) post focuses on the songs that were performed during the Final Mission: Final Stage Battle. Note that I will be basing my reviews on the performances during the final episode.

Raise Me Up – Euijin (BIGFLO), Daewon (MADTOWN), Hojung (HOTSHOT), Feeldog (BIGSTAR), Kijoong (IM), Dongmyeong (MAS), Chan (A.C.E), Marco (Hot Blood Youth), Lee Geon (MADTOWN)

The song opens with a soft piano piece but progresses into an EDM track. Maybe because this has been done quite a bit already, it just seems a little plain. However, it was still decent to listen to. I feel like the song could have benefited with a more intense drop, channelling the same intensity as their dance break. The members did shine, showing off good delivery for the raps and amazing vocal work. Personally, the performance was a little boring to watch, with none of the moves impressing me. I think with a more intense instrumental or drop, there could have been a better set fo moves to complement the increased intensity. The main attraction is the dance break which gave that needed intensity that the song (and performance) lacked overall.

Dancing With The Devil – Rockhyun (100%), Jun (UKISS), Kim Timoteo (B.I.G), Ji Hansol, Donghyun (Boyfriend), Seyong (MYNAME), Jeup (IMFACT), Hangyul (IM), Suwoong (Boys Republic)

I think the killer part of the song has to be the line ‘Now I’m dancing with the devil‘, being the one part I want to hear over and over again. The song definitely feels a lot more intense, which the previous lacked. The chorus felt more flowy however I thought the instrumental was plain, not really living up to the rest of the song. I did like the pre-chorus, though. The performance was quite good, working well with the song. Once again, I think they could have enhanced the performance with a more intense set of moves to balance out that intensity. I did really feel like their facial expression looked a little devilish, which does suit the title of the song (and made the performance that little more captivating).

Ting – Semmi (Matilda), Somyi (DIA), Lee Suji, Jiwon (Park Sisters), Euna Kim, Yang Jiwon (Spica), Lee Hyunjoo, ZN (Laboum), Dan-A (Matilda)

First impression of the song was that it was a major letdown. But with multiple listens, the song does grow on you. The chorus was catchy, which was definitely the highlight of the entire song. However, there were some letdown. The verses were easily forgotten, the rap bridge wasn’t necessary and I thought the song ended a little too suddenly. The performance was cute, fun and lively. Some of the members, however, don’t really suit the concept, which felt something within the kid’s domain. However, it was still a decent performance to watch.

You & I – Euijin (Sonamoo), Woohee (Dal Shabet), Yebin (DIA), NC.A, Yoonjo, Yeoeun (Melody Day), Shin Jihoon, Chahee (Melody Day), Lee Borim

Once again, I have a favourite on this list. And another song on the female side of the competition manages to take over my list. With the sound alone, this song seems to match the age ranges of all the members (including the final line up). It has a mature yet bright sound. The chorus was nice and captivating, with the structure of the chorus being a highlight for me (and it sounded as a result). The verses weren’t that memorable however still pleasant-sounding. The raps were good, fitting nicely into the song, which the vocal work was equally as promising. The performance also felt more mature yet still managing to fit into the bright side of the spectrum.

Present – All Artists Listed Above

In all these survival shows, there is one song that is dedicated to the fans, who have supported each individual contestant and the show. Sometimes these song are quite heartfelt and emotional. But Present wasn’t that. It evoked no tears, nor was it bittersweet. Instead, it felt cheerful and happy, which makes the ending for fans and these contestants a lot better (in my opinion). The vocals and raps were equally as nice, while the song had a nice melody.

Click here for Part 1 of The Unit Song Review

Click here for Part 2 of The Unit Song Review

Thank you for all reading these Special posts for The Unit. The first of the next set of Special posts will be revealed to you all on 2nd of May.

[Review] The Light – IMFACT

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IMFACT have made their return to the stage with The Light. This is their first comeback since Tension Up, which was released last year. Since their last comeback, 4 members (of the 5) participated in The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project. Jeup ranked the highest at 11th missing out on a position as part of UNB, while Ungjae, Taeho and Jian ranked 26th, 27th and 49th respectively.

The Light combines hip-hop, pop and electronic music, which is a common combination nowadays. The question is whether they make it work. And for the most part, I thought the song was rather cool. I really enjoyed the chorus, which was upbeat and unique. That high pitch synth really made the song stand out, along with the upbeat nature providing energy that I did not expect whatsoever, particular during the opening rap. The rapping parts of the song were okay. They weren’t terrible but they felt mismatched with the rest of the song. They just didn’t feel as captivating but did allow the chorus to take me by surprise. The vocal sections of the song (i.e. pre-chorus and bridge) were pretty nice. I thought they were the better parts of the song. The real winner is the chorus which I cannot stop thinking about.

The music video had this really cool element to it. I really like that holographic lighting they used and the sets were awesome. The stylists also gave them completely different looks, to the point where I couldn’t recognise anyone. I almost thought they got new members. The abandoned sets looked cool and I like how the choreography sets had flashy lights, which felt worked well with the chorus. Besides that, I don’t have much else to say.

Surprisingly, there weren’t much choreography scenes in the music video. While that isn’t a problem, I would have expected more choreography. At the moment, I can’t seem to find a showcase or live performance, so I shall return once I find one.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – To Be Updated
Overall Rating – 7.3/10

[Review] Call Your Name – JBJ

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Despite some talks of contract extensions for the popular JBJ, they have just unveiled their final comeback song, Call Your Name. Call Your Name is featured on their 1st full-length album, which consists of all their previous tracks such as My Flower and Fantasy, while also featuring 2 new tracks. It will be sad to see them go however it does mean that they will be returning to their original groups and hopefully we will see them all on stage once again.

Listening to the song the first time around, it sounded very bittersweet. It didn’t help that I watched the video as well. More on that later. While it is an upbeat sound, there is still a heavy atmosphere surrounding the song. The lyrics aren’t much help with dissolving this atmosphere with touching lines like ‘We both knew the end but why did we give love to each other‘ and ‘Let’s meet again on a fine day‘. Even though I was not a fan of JBJ, it does sadden me when I see such lyrics in a farewell song. The song had a nice yet very typical (in today’s standard) instrumental. I like the alternating vocals and raps throughout the song and the rapping in this song (for both rappers) felt extremely fitting. I particularly loved the rapping just before each chorus, pairing well with the violins in the background. The drops into the chorus were nice and following that buildup, felt somewhat epic.

As mentioned previously, the music video was no help with the bittersweet feels from the song. There were moments throughout the video where the members (individually) looked away from what was going on, knowing that these are their final moments together. Arghhh… The feels. Besides that, the music video featured a nice beach scenery, where the members hang out for the day, before going back inland to camp. The music video looked like they were having a lot of fun and I thought they pretty much enjoyed their time.

As far as I am aware, there is no choreography for this comeback. As far as I know, they won’t be promoting it. This final comeback was just their final say of goodbyes to their fans. Though, if something is uploaded involving a choreography, I will update this part as soon as possible.

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

[Review] Scentist – VIXX

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VIXX have made their return to the stage with Scentist and their 3rd full-length album, EAU DE VIXX. This is their first comeback as a full group since Shangri-La was released back in May last year. The concept for this comeback is ‘scents‘, which when combined with ‘artists‘ becomes ‘Scentist‘. Their teasers have also been presented in a way that resembles perfumes and colognes.

Scentist takes on a softer approach compared to any of their past title tracks. It feels very elegant and classy, despite being EDM based. The verses had nothing that special, in my opinion. However, its the buildup to the chorus that has me excited. It isn’t a sharp climb nor does it employ obvious instrumental techniques to show off the buildup. Instead, they kept it soft (to match the other parts of the song) and you had to listen closely to figure out whether that buildup was there or not. And the vocals during that section was amazing. The chorus was nice but I feel like they could have gone with something a bit bolder, which in my mind, might enhance the song to a whole new level. The chorus seemed catchy and it may grow into an addictive song. Ravi’s raps paired with the song quite well and I like Ken and Leo’s harmonies at the end. Scentist is another great song for VIXX, which went for something a little different to what we were used to.

The music video was amazing. I really liked the laboratory scenes where they made their perfumes. The white background with the white cabinets and tables allowed the colours of the other items to really pop. It also allowed the individual members to be the centre of attention. There were a few things that I am a little confused about, such as the car and the snake. A part of me feels like they were creating some kind of reverse ageing potion, with the young kid copying Ravi (and Ken – not sure) at the end of the video. Overall, I liked how the music video looked and it seemed like an interesting story can be pulled from it.

Earlier this year, VIXX garnered attention for their end of year performance of Shangri-La. This particular comeback seems to take notes from that performance and Shangri-La itself, as it is rather elegant and classy. When the song picks up for the chorus, the dance moves seem to become intense, which I think is extremely ideal. I really like N’s moment at 0:40 of the music video, which I think can rival N’s killer smile during the Dynamite promotions.

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

[Review] Baby – The Rose

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One of the aims of this site is to introduce some of the audience to new groups whom they might not have heard of. And I think many of you all may enjoy the songs that The Rose put out. Just, they have been around for a year now and I somehow forgot about them (whoops). Please accept my many apologies. The Rose is a 4-member band under J&Star Company. They debuted last year with Sorry and returned in October with Like We Used To. This comeback features their title track, Baby and their first mini-album, Void.

I really like this alternative/indie rock sound that they have going on in the song. It isn’t that head-banging type of music but it isn’t a slow rock type of song. Instead, it is in between the two, offering both within the same song. Usually, when it comes to bands in KPOP, we focus on the guitarists or vocalists. The drumming this song was awesome, giving the song some suspense without needing to peak anywhere along the way. It only took me one listen to become amazed. Surely, their vocals were awesome. The main attraction (and the reason why I am quickly typing this up) is the launch into the final chorus, which felt so well done. That retro keyboard synth type sound that felt completely misplaced in the entire song, yet still managing to fit in a way to keep the song engaging. It was unexpecting but overall, it a unique touch. Baby, along with their other tracks (I’ve linked them above), manage to fall into my style of music, making them a group that I am always excited to listen to.

The music video is quite interesting. It seems like the main vocalist lost his girlfriend somehow (whether it was a breakup or some other circumstance), with her disappearing throughout the start of the video. The rest of the scenes have him revisiting the places he associates with her to try to see her again. Clearly, he is drunk and not that sane in the video. It is quite captivating to watch. The music definitely enhances the video, pairing nicely with each other. I really like the introduction of the flashy band scene, which makes sense as they are rocking it out during that final chorus/instrumental part. It looked awesome, cool and amazing!

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10

[Review] Gangsta – NOIR

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There is a new boy group in town and some of the members also happen to come from Produce 101 Season 2 (last year). NOIR is an 8-member boy group from LUK Factory, consisting of Seunghoon, Yeonkuk, Junyoung (former member of INX) Yooseung, Siheon, Hoyeon, Siha, Minhyuk and Daewon. Their debut mini-album, titled as Twenty Noir, features Gangsta as the title track.

The song starts off with its intense EDM instrumental at the very start, with its powerful sound trying to get you excited for whatever is about to come. I am absolutely loving the energy that is channeled through and the awesome drop that comes. That screeching high-pitch synth is a little off-putting but it does become a charming point in the instrumental. I also noticed that the instrumental stays within the same domain, however, it changes up every section, which does keep things interesting. Also interesting was that the dance break took up the second verse, which is uncommon (from what I remember). The group features a decent lineup of vocalists but this song was made so the rappers could shine. And in the entire track, I absolutely enjoyed the ending as it got faster (and more intense). The slowing down made sense but it made the song just feel typical in the end. If they ended the song as the song was getting faster, that would have been mindblowing, so it was a major pity. Overall, it is a great debut track.

The music video shows some sort of graduation formal party, with the members in the background doing their thing at the party. And when I say that, I meant their jobs (i.e. waiting, greeting guests, hosting etc.). It gets to the point in the night where they award the prom queen. Clearly, the guys were not impressed with the initial choice. They seek out the one girl who they thought was worthy. As cliche as it sounds, she was a shy girl in the corner and she wore glasses, which were taken off before she was crowned prom queen. And in all of this, the video was shot to make the hall look very small. Yet, it took them a decent amount of time (in the music video’s world) to get to her. Despite that, it was a nice video to watch. The choreography scenes looked cool.

More about the choreography, it matched the intensity that the song had oozing from it. While they did look like they were fairly in sync, I think the choreography would have been enhanced to a better level by finetuning that element. The dance break was cool.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

[Review] Potion – Eric Nam ft. Woodie Gochild

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Eric Nam made his return with Honestly last week. But around 18 hours beforehand (this is just a random guess based on my memory), Eric Nam unveiled a pre-released music video for another track on the album, titled as Potion. This song features Woodie Gochild (whom I have never heard before). After a quick Google search, the featuring rapper was a contestant on last year’s Show Me The Money season.

Potion has this Latin feel with what seems like an instrumental that mashes your typical Latin sound with electronic music. The song is quite addictive, with its upbeat vibes being its main driving force. In a way, the chorus also presents itself as a groovy song, which definitely helps make it memorable. The ‘Pour It Up, Pour It Up” line has me a little confused literally but the way it incorporated into the song does give the song some hype. Eric Nam also sounds good but it isn’t his vocal work in the song that I am a fan of. Instead, Woodie Gochild’s featuring rap was amazing It was at a faster pace than the rest of the song, which definitely was a nice contrast to the normal paced music. It also kept the song going and made it become more interesting, preventing the song overall from getting too repetitive. I think Potion might be the better song out of the two (compared with Honestly), mainly due to the rap.

If you are wondering what type of potion Eric Nam is taking, it is the infamous alcohol. My guess is that the alcohol he is drinking is tequila since he is in Mexico. The lighting in the video is an interesting aspect, as some scenes, you can’t really see much. But I think that is a way of making the ‘drunk’ effect more prevalent. During the rap section, we also see Eric Nam ‘dance’, which I thought seemed like a fun scene to film. Overall, I thought it was an okay video, complimenting with the song.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 6.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.4/10

[Review] Love Tint – Hyungseop X Euiwoong

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I, unfortunately, skipped writing a review for Hyungseop and Euiwoong’s debut as a duo last year (most probably due to a lack of time). The two members, Ahn Hyungseop and Lee Eui Woong, made their debut last year with It Will Be Good in November last year. They previously participated in Season 2 of Produce 101. They are currently managed by Yuehua Entertainment, which also manages UNIQ and Cosmic Girls (alongside Starship Entertainment).

Love Tint can easily be described as a Summertime song, with its use of the tropical house genre to portray that bright and refreshing vibe that you commonly associate with the EDM genre. It, interestingly strips away the EDM during the verses, opting it only to be present during the chorus.  That being said, the verse still had synths present but in no ways as much as the chorus. This allows the chorus to be more impactful and become a lot bolder. It also easily becomes the highlight of the song, with it being the most memorable part. Vocally, the duo sounds nice. But there wasn’t anything in it to make me become amazed. The rapping felt a little more promising, kick in when it was required. The bridge seems very typical for these EDM songs, with the buildup very predictable but still working nicely. Overall, it does feel like the song does fall into that ‘standard’ boat but it was still pleasant to listen to.

It is a typical music video for the Summertime track. It is a bright video that features beautiful landscape and scenery that is bound to make become some envious (like me. Winter is fast approaching where I live). It seems like the video is shot somewhere in China, not too particularly sure. I am a little confused about why the sky turned purple in some scenes. But besides that, it was a very fitting video for the song.

I liked how bright their performance was. No, I am not talking about the lighting but rather the energy that comes with their choreography. It isn’t energetic but there is a vibe that I am not too sure how to exactly describe. It was a graceful dance, which felt fitting for the slower parts of the song.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.2/10

[Review] Still Love You – Lee Hong Gi (FT Island) & Yoo Hwe Seung (N.Flying)

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FNC Entertainment recently launched FNC Lab, which gives an opportunity, for artists who participate, to experiment with music and release new songs for listeners to hear. In a way, the program seems to be the company’s own version of SM Station. The first song to come from FNC Lab is Still Love You, a collaboration between FT Island’s Lee Hong Gi and N.Flying’s Yoo Hwe Seung.

Obviously, the main focus of this review will be on the vocals. But before we get to that, the song is a ballad with such an amazing instrumental that really gives the song that solid foundation to build on. And now we snap back to the vocals. We all know how capable Lee Hong Gi is with his voice. We have seen in it his amazing solo debut and through FT Island. Per usual, he sounds spectacular in this song. I really liked the way he started the song and the chorus. However, the true winner in this track has to be Yoo Hwe Seung. While he does seem like a capable vocalist in N.Flying, I did not expect him to outshine Lee Hong Gi by miles away. That high note was amazing. I may not be a singer but damn, that was something. I also listened to the audio before watching the video, so imagine the surprise I got when I realized who did the high note. Even after all this time, I am still blown away by that particular section. He managed to pair so well with Lee Hong Gi and this is a collaboration that I am happy to see again (fingers crossed) in the future. 

It seems like the Lee Hong Ki and Yoo Hwe Seung is in some sort of love triangle with the lady. Interestingly, it seems like she parts way with both of them in the video after seemingly realized that both vocalists are in love with her. She is clearly distraught about making the decision and ends up leaving them both. It is a relatively simple video and storyline that still manages to be captivating but lets the song do the talking.

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

[Review] Only One – UNB

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UNB made their debut last week with hopes of rebooting the careers of each member who made it through The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project survival TV show. Their debut consisted of two title tracks, Sense (which I reviewed last week) and Only One (which its music video was released during the week). For those who are unaware, I will be doing a special post for the music video of Sense later in the year. Unfortunately, I won’t be doing the same for this music video.

Only One is my type of song. Very easy on the ears yet still impactful in many ways. The particularly like the song because it uses a melodic piece as its backing, which is something that isn’t unheard of but definitely something that can be heard more of. The vocals and raps for the song quite heavy on the emotional side, which you can’t deny it makes the song so much more heartfelt and impactful. I really liked the soft piano start and the buildup, which allowed the chorus to be some much more epic and grander. Like Sense, I also liked how they brought the start of the song back to the end (yeah, it is a little confusing, but makes sense once you listen to the song) to finish the song, which also felt like a full circle this time around.

The music video is a 7 minute long, which gave each member ample time to appear on screen, which is a well-played move by their managing company. The music video essentially tells how each person is struggling (as shown by the many ropes bound around them, the thorns, the locked doors, the emptiness around them). But it shows that hope is always there (through the rays of sunshine that appear for each of them). Slowly, they make their way out of their confines and walk towards the light (i.e. the end of the tunnel), which says that there is always hope. That was my quick take on the video. It, once again, is rather artistic and quite aesthetic. Another great video to watch with a powerful message.

The performance was amazing. It took my breath away watching their very fluid and artistic moves. I like it how they don’t always stay together on stage, with a small group breaking away. The choreography was very fitting for the song and it is definitely something you shouldn’t miss out on.

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

 

[Review] Honestly – Eric Nam

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Making his first album release since 2016’s Interview is Eric Nam with Honestly. The main title track also shares the same name. Despite it being his first mini-album release in 2 years, Eric Nam has still been on stage and released many digital singles. His latest single was Hold Me, which was released around the Christmas season last year. He also released Potion on the same day as his comeback, which I will hopefully review tomorrow.

Honestly brings back the tropical house genre which hasn’t been heard for the past few weeks (I think. I have been a little preoccupied so everything has been wiped from my head). It manages to incorporate his signature vocals into an upbeat sound, which reminds me of his Can’t Help Myself days, which was an evidently fun and bright song to listen to. But with Honestly, the electronic components are ‘held back’ or a lot softer, in terms of intensity, which definitely compliments his vocals. While it did sound generic for the most part, the song still manages to shine through. Particularly the pre-chorus, where his voice was all raspy and he emphasized each word. The end of the song manages to pick the song up. It does feel somewhat incomplete, however, as I did expect a ‘final chorus’ to follow right after that pickup, which now felt a little late. The final ending also felt abrupt, which doesn’t play well in my books. But Honestly is still a decent track to check out, so do listen to it.

The music video was shot entirely in Mexico. And like most internationally shot videos, a lot of emphases is on the landscape or townscape. And Eric Nam was still the centre of attention, so there was a nice balance. The video did, however, feel quite meh. It just didn’t really highlight the song in my opinion and it just wasn’t as breathtaking as other internationally shot videos.

For those who have longtime fans of Eric Nam, seeing him dance is always a weird feeling. He does look somewhat uncomfortable in the performance. The presence of the backup dancers definitely lifted the song’s energy. The final moments when the song does pick up worked well, managing to further push the energy, making it decent to watch.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 6.8/10

 

[Review] Lo Siento – Super Junior (ft. Leslie Grace)

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Super Junior has made their return with their Play repackaged album, which has been appropriately retitled as Replay. Lo Siento is their title track for this new repackaged album, which features Leslie Grace in the official song and KARD’s Jiwoo and Somin in the live performances. For this round of promotions, Heechul has stated beforehand that he is sitting out (despite appearing in the music video), with Siwon rejoining the lineup.

Lo Siento is a nice song. The Latin pop sound provides the song with its backbone and the Korean is layered on top through the lyrics. That being said, all of Leslie Grace’s parts throughout the song was in Spanish, so it was fairly interesting to hear the switch between Korean and Spanish. Do I think it is a good idea? Probably not. since it does get a little confusing at certain points. But what they manage to do a great job is harmonising their parts together, which give the song that extra punch of energy. The song had a groovy chorus, which was quite nice. The repetition of Lo Siento just kept on replaying in my mind, even after the song ended. It could have used some energy to keep it more interesting, particularly towards the end of the song (to change up and keep the song from being too repetitive when it comes to the instrumental). I particularly liked the dance break instrumental, which gave the song some hype and energy to keep us on edge. Vocally, the song was okay. Though I expected some Latin flair on that front. I am personally not a fan of the raps, mainly because they didn’t really ‘move’ me or felt needed.

The music video was okay. I apologise to the audience here for offending them, but I feel like Shindong’s parts in the video looked quite awkward and creepy. Moving on, I thought the video felt relatively standard. There just wasn’t anything captivating or amazing in it. However, I liked the editing of the video, which allowed members to appear multiple times in one scene. I really like the colours palette that they used, fitting into the song perfectly. 

The live performance (which features KARD) was the one thing that I wanted to talk about in this review. I freaking enjoyed it. Instead of the Spanish lyrics, they got the girls to sing in Korean, which was a good move made by their company. The choreography itself was quite nice, with the chemistry between the two teams giving me a reason to continuously rewatch the performance.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.1/10

[Review] Blooming Day – EXO-CBX

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EXO-CBX has made their grand return with Blooming Day and their 2nd mini-album, which also shares the same name as the title track. It has been over a year since their subunit debut with the addictive Hey Mama!, which I am always grooving to when it randomly starts playing on my phone. Given that testimony, I am extremely excited to hear what they have in store for us.

Blooming Day is extremely groovy. That is the first thing that clicked in my head once the chorus kicked in. But it isn’t the type of groovy like in Hey Mama. Rather it employs a more subtle approach to present that grooviness, which allows the song to become more impactful. I really like the start of the song, which felt very minimalistic with the drum beat in the background. What was a little interesting was how every so often they included a drum beat that had a rough texture, which I thought was cool. I thought the chorus was quite nice, with the softer first half and the louder ‘Oh Baby‘ second half. What also screams at me (not literally) are the vocals, which just sound so smooth in this song. It goes well with the subtle nature of the instrumental. When they sing together during the bridge, my breath was taken away (especially when Chen’s high note was thrown into the mix). In summary, while it does sound a lot different to Hey Mama, it manages to have the same effect on you!

While I don’t think it was their intention, the video actually came off as mysterious. They were lurking in the trees (or bush) and some of their solo shots just added extra mysteriousness (especially in the wide shots with no one else). There was one particular scene where Baekhyun shoots Chen in the head with the slingshot. That reminded me of Red Velvet’s Russian Roulette (by the way he fell). It is another aesthetic video that is visually appealing. The minimalistic vibes in this video work extremely well with the song. Overall, I thought it was a nice and pleasant video to watch.

[Updated] I liked how everything was well-timed to each drum beat and clap. It made the entire choreography quite cohesive with the song. Besides that, I didn’t find this choreography to be that memorable. I guess that is due to the level of seriousness that weighed down the performance.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 7/10 [Updated]
Overall Rating – 9.1/10 [Updated]