Category: Reviews

[Review] Only U – Laboum

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Laboum has returned with their second comeback of 2017. They previously released Hwi Hwi back in April and earned their first win on the weekly music shows. Now, they are back with a special Summer album, which shares the same title as their title track, Only U.

The girls join a long list of Summer themed comebacks, which automatically make the expectations of the song quite high. For the most part, I think the song manages to hit that mark. The instrumental just screams Summer from the very start. It has a very nice retro vibe and it definitely makes you smile when you listen to the song. The catchiness of the chorus really does hook you to the song, which I am absolutely loving. I also like how they bring back their cute sound in the song, which I think fits nicely with the style and theme of the rest of the comeback. But honestly, I am a little disappointed. While I did say the song is catchy, I felt like the song didn’t have anything else that was interesting. It felt like it only hit that high standard, rather than overshoot it. Another reason requires me to go back to the vocals in Hwi Hwi. While the vocals here are good, the vocals in this song are not as explosive in the previous song and that does let me down a tiny bit. But regardless, it is definitely a Summer song I am putting onto my playlist.

I don’t mind the video but I think it could have been better. The video shows each girl form a massive crush on the guy, who is waiting for his lover to come (which I am assuming from the two fairy floss sticks he is holding). And that is basically the video summarised in one sentence. Besides the outfits they wear, the video doesn’t feel like it can be associated with the season of Summer. Though, I did think the menu was funny. If you do get a glimpse of the menu, you do notice they sell ‘homemade’ and ‘homemade vegan’. But my favourite: Sno cones.

The choreography is a completely different story. I am totally loving it. While I think they could have gone with a better start to the chorus, the whole thing comes together quite nicely. It does bring back the cute side of the girls that were missed. My most favourite part was the 2:40 mark of the music video. I thought that looked really cool.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10 

 

[Review] Lemonade – Parc Jae Jung & Mark (NCT)

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Friday has just whisked by and as expected, a new SM Station track was dropped. And Mark from NCT has been on a roll with his collaborations. This time, he performs alongside Parc Jae Jung, who is a male solo artist known for winning Superstar K5. Their song, Lemonade, was dropped last Friday.

When it comes to the drink Lemonade, you would associate it with refreshing and cooling. And like the drink, the song comes off in the same way. Lemonade is a nice summer-time RnB track. With Parc Jae Jung’s husky vocals and Mark’s raps, the track becomes a refreshing treat for fans. I personally like the song. It has a nice melody and is relatively simple to get into. It is very easy going and light, in terms of sound. Like in a few of my past reviews, it is always nice to have a step back from the synths and dance tracks that do dominate the KPOP industry. I may not have said much in this review, but it is a good song. Actually, going back to my initial statements, the song is like that refreshing cup of lemonade on a hot Summers day.

The music video features Mark and Parc Jae Jung, who are in turn interested in a girl, who sells lemonade by the beach. Both guys try their best to get her attention, but their attempts end up failing. Mark, on the way to give a flower to her, sees a man (played by Henry) approach her and give her a bouquet, to which she accepts. Parc Jae Jung comforts Mark, but it turns out he saw everything and is hiding his own flower behind his back. The video also features Yoon Jong Shin, who plays the drink truck’s owner (and the girl’s boss). Overall, I thought it was a nice video to watch that had a fun storyline and suited the song’s sweetness.

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

[Review] The Stars of Stars – Snuper

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Snuper is back with the repackaged album of their Back:Hug release, which was dropped in April. Their repackaged album has been retitled as The Stars of Stars, the same title as the promotional song.

The Stars of Stars is a pretty good song. It is extremely refreshing and it can be described as a smooth mix of trance elements. The more happy vibe seems to fit in nicely with the Summer theme that comebacks are aiming to achieve. Their vocals and raps were pretty good. The chorus hooks you in with its melody and catchy lyrics. However, there were disappointing aspects of the song. For example, the instrumental was very consistent. Too consistent. It let the track fall to the more boring side of the spectrum. In agreement with that, the overall instrumental mix was good but not impressive. I was waiting for some more intense or bolder sounds, but that was never seen. Here is where I contradict myself, but I would gladly replay it over and over again, for some reason. But what I said before was what I felt when listened to the song.

It is always hard to find fault in a music video where the idea behind it is to just have some fun. While there were many different scenes in the video, it was all about hanging out and have a good time. And the guys looked like they were having a fun time, while still shooting the music video. The views where they shot the choreography scenes were breathtaking. While I am sure there are people who would disagree about the aesthetics of the wind farms, I think a wide shot of them looks spectacular. The only thing that I felt that the video could have been better at was its colour. It could have been bolder and more vibrant. But that pale filter was applied, which robs the video of that boldness.

I have watched the performance a number of times since yesterday and I can say the introductory segment was amazing.  And while I thought the rest of the choreography suited the song, it just didn’t feel memorable.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

[Review] Dinosaur – AKMU

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AKMU has made an unexpected return with their Summer single, Dinosaur. AKMU previously made their comeback at the start of the year, with their second album and the title track, Last Goodbye.

For some unknown reason, I had always thought the duo would not go down the EDM route, like how every other group is doing so. To me, AKMU is more about individuality when it comes to their music. But I was wrong in my thoughts. While AKMU did go and conform to the EDM genre for this release, they kept their individuality and made it their own style. Even as an EDM song, they managed to strip the unnecessary synths and kept it very light. It was definitely refreshing and easy on the ears. The song itself is catchy and the build up to the drop was as simple as it needed to be. But what I loved the most was how they kept their well-known vocals pure and allowed it to shine through the instrumental. Many EDM tracks tend to smother the vocals into the background or lace the vocals with autotune to allow it to fit in with the rest of the song. But that didn’t happen here, which makes the song stand out to my ears.

This is another amazing video to watch. From what I can tell Chanhyuk is bullied due to his interests and Suhyun is a loner. The two are siblings and both use the power of their imagination to create a world for themselves, where dinosaurs and various different creatures exist. The dinosaur aspect was what Chanhyuk is obsessed about, while Suhyun’s mind created those fuzzy dust balls. This new world allows them to escape reality and have a little bit of fun without the judgement of others. The love how everything felt genuine when you watched the video. We already know their sibling love was real, so it makes the story behind the video even more real. I also got a little Stranger Things vibe from the music video, through the tent in the basement and the bikes that you see the siblings ride throughout the video. Even Suhyun was rocking a dress with a denim jacket, much like Eleven from the TV series.

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

[Review] Rain – KNK

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Dropping their comeback today is KNK, who returns with Rain. The group previously made their return with Sun, Moon, Star a few weeks back, which was the main track from their second single album, Gravity. Today, the group has dropped the repackaged issue of Gravity, which has been retitled as Gravity, Completed, which also serves as their 3rd mini album to date.

The track follows nicely from Sun, Moon, Star, in terms of style. They honestly could have returned with any style of the song of their choice, but they kept it consistent, which made me very happy. I think it is because you don’t hear this sound often anymore since the music industry has now been overrun with electronic synths and influences. I love the instrumental of the track. The use of the saxophone made the heavy instrumental feel a little lighter and gives it a more dynamic appeal. Like the name, I can see myself listening to this one a rainy day. The vocal work of this track is commendable, where each member shone brightly. Seungjun’s part right after the first chorus was my favourite. The verses could have been more memorable, as it was easily forgotten when it jumped to the chorus or when I watch the performance. What made me laugh (even though it was my fault) was that I misunderstood the English in the song. I honestly thought it said ‘I’ll cancel tonight’, which to me made sense. But when I watched the performance, the lyrics were actually ‘I can’t sleep tonight’. That’s my short story that bares no relevance to the review, but overall, it was one amazing song.

As suggested previously, how else to set this music video but with lots of rain. That’s exactly what happened here. It seems each member got into a breakup and the scenes show how they react to it. Some of them end up sulking, while the others end up running after. It is a pretty self-explanatory video and it does have a few KPOP cliches in it. For example, why is there a piano at the end of a tunnel and why do KPOP idols look so detached from the world when they cut themselves? But what I really liked was how each member had a dramatic contact with water, it was edited so they look like they fell into a large body of water. The editing there was amazing and it looked pretty cool. While it did feel like a cliche, I thought it add to the emotional vibes that were coming off from the song.

There were a few artists that made their comeback today. But what got me to write the review for this particular one first (over the others) was the choreography. I freaking love it. I love their use of the umbrellas to aid their transitions and it just perfectly clicks with the song’s style. The performance (from today) left me speechless and this could possibly take my vote for the best choreography of this year.

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

[Review] Hola Hola – KARD

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After 3 pre-debut singles, KARD has finally made their official debut in South Korea with their first mini album and title track, both titled as Hola Hola. Boasting singles such as Oh Na Na, Don’t Recall and Rumour, fans have been looking forward to the debut of the co-ed group for some time. They are currently under DSP Media and the group consists of BM, J.Seph, Jiwoon and Somin.

And like their pre-debut singles, Hola Hola continues on with the group’s notable tropical house sound. And like the name of the track, it curves their once serious tropical house sound into something that fits wonderfully into the Summer season, making it an ideal release for this time of the year. That complaint about their repetitive sound is out the door, with this fresh Summer sound. Out of all the songs released thus far, the vocal work and the rapping in this song from each member are on point. And their best effort yet. What threw me off guard was Jiwoo’s unexpecting rap, that sounds amazing. I love the incorporation of the ‘Oh Na Na‘ into the song, giving you flashbacks to their first single. But most importantly, my most favourite part was the bridge. It made the already catchy song, even more interesting. You can definitely expect me to continuously hit the replay button in the future.

Fitting that Summer sound was definitely the music video, which shows scenery that they shot while they were on tour overseas. For the most part, it was simply shots of them having fun on a nice sunny day. So there isn’t much to talk about. Their choreography shots look amazing. From the video, I think I can see a huge stage presence because their stares just captivated me, all the way through the video.

From what we can see are the incorporation of their key dance moves from Oh Na Na and Rumour. It is also said that Don’t Recall will also be incorporated but I haven’t seen it yet. That would genuinely make the dance interesting and I am already loving their key point for the Hola Hola dance as well.

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

[Review] That Girl – Jung Yonghwa (CN BLUE) ft. Loco

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After a 2 and a half year wait, Jung Yonghwa has finally made his solo comeback with That Girl. The main vocalist of CN BLUE previously made his solo debut in January 2015 with One Fine Day. That Girl is a track from the mini-album, Do Disturb, and the track itself features Loco, a well-known rapper and hip hop artist.

That Girl attracts similar comments to his solo debut tracks, Mileage and One Fine Day. While it doesn’t appeal to my personal tastes, what I did like about the song was the confidence that Yonghwa exerted via his lyrics and the vocalist’s vocals. The brighter sound compliments the catchy sound of the chorus and the melodies are pretty good. But besides all of that, the track just doesn’t seem to hook you in for long. Instead, the verses, which should have continued the momentum from the chorus ended up lacking that energy. Loco’s raps were a big no-no to my ears. It felt foreign and unexpected, which didn’t work with the rest of the track. Actually, his parts felt like a completely different song entirely. Although I only just listened to the track a few times (which means there is room to grow), I can’t stand his final remarks at the end of the song. It was 100% cringy and awkward to listen to. Overall, I guess you can categorise the song as ‘okay’ based on my comments.

The music video wasn’t too bad. I liked the colour and I thought the colour suited the atmosphere that the song had. The confidence, which I mentioned previously in the song part of this review, was portrayed nicely by Yonghwa throughout the video. It was totally evident once he entered the bar at the start of the video. But the side of Yonghwa that needed a little more confidence was Yonghwa in the choreography segments. Though I am not writing a section for the choreography, I can say that it looks pretty good. I know Yonghwa isn’t a dance idol but you could see it was very awkward for him to dance in the video and it made it awkward for us to watch. He starts off good, but that confidence or energy just disappears, which is disappointing. But overall, it was a good video to watch.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7/10 

[Review] Ko Ko Bop – EXO

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EXO has made their return to the stage with their brand new fourth album, titled as The War. The main title track for the album is Ko Ko Bop. Unfortunately, Lay was unable to participate in the album due to his schedule in China, hence why he is missing from the promotional activities. This album alone has already broken a record, prior to the release of the album, proving to everyone the group’s popularity and fandom’s dedication.

The song was disappointing at first glance. A number of listens later and the same perception still holds. I am not exactly into the reggae style that they went with, but I am not turned off by it, as well. It gave the song its unique side. There were some catchy moments, but I don’t think there was enough to make me fall for the song immediately. While the breakdown did make the track interesting to an extent, it just didn’t work with the rest of the track. Their vocals don’t seem that great this time around, which was a disappointment. I was expecting some sort of intensity from the members, but the energy felt very lacking. I know it was a more chilled song, but that doesn’t mean the energy has to be low. The only member I felt did a good job was Chanyeol, whose rap suited the song. I may not have enjoyed Lotto, but this does make Lotto seem like a decent song.

I feel like the music video would raise a few eyebrows. Not referring to the abs or the chest exposure, though, which I am sure would have fans replaying the video purely for observation purposes. But how the video seems to allude to some ways of ‘having a good time’. I am referring to how some of the members look a little stoned. I honestly hope that I am looking at the video is a completely wrong way, but that is what I am getting from it. I say that because of the perception of drugs in South Korea is extremely looked down upon. Personally, I thought the video was could have been better. The guys displayed a carefree and hippy-like image, which I thought was okay. When I look at other EXO videos, I do see more flashy or intense concepts, so this seemed like a step back, though they may not be a bad thing. It seemed fitting for the song, but I am not sure if it is a concept that suits the members. Not a major fan of some of their outfits or hairstyles, as well.

Although we only saw glimpses of the choreography, I think I can say it is quite good. I will return to this part once a stage performance has been uploaded. And while I did not like the breakdown music wise, the accompanying dance for it looked amazing. It calls for some intensity and I think the parts I saw brought just that.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

 

[Review] Jelly – HOTSHOT

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After over two years, HOTSHOT has finally returned with their latest single, Jelly. The group made their debut in 2014 with Take A Shot. They were fairly busy in 2015 with multiple releases but has been absent from the scene since then. The group resurfaced this year with two members participating in Produce 101 Season 2, to which member Sungwoon ranked in 11th place and made it into Wanna One. Hence, the current line-up promoting Jelly is Junhyuk, Timoteo, Kid Monster, Yoonsan and Hojung.

Given the title of the song, I did not expect the song to take the route in which it did. You would associate Jelly with a vibrant and sweeter sound, like the desert itself. However, the song felt quite the opposite. It was definitely a lot more serious and it felt monotone. But this is the one time that the monotone nature did work in the songs favour. The dance instrumental felt very neutral throughout, which brought small bursts of colour to the song, which I thought was a really strong aspect of the song. That small ‘jelly’ break before the chorus starts really gives a moment of suspense, before the chorus starts, which actually does grow on you. After a few listens, I noticed tension in the song, which makes each replay, even more, better than the previous. I would like to say more about the song, but my comments are mainly centred around the instrumental and the overall sound. The member’s vocals and raps felt very neutral. It fitted the instrumental, making it into a good track, but they could have added or done something to the vocals/raps to transform the song into something even better.

I will be honest about the video. It was boring. There were aspects of the video which I liked but I don’t think there was enough to carry the video. The darkness matched the tension which I mentioned earlier. The choreography scenes were quite good. Their close-ups were the boring parts. They did their bit but I am quite sure they could have boosted in some way. The ‘Jelly‘ cut-ins looked good, but for some reason, they make me giggle every time I watch the video.

Like the music video, the choreography could have been better. The dance can already be described as quite good. The sharpness was there, the charisma was also present. The dance just felt sluggish in some parts and lacked energy in other.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 5/10
Performance – 6.5/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

[Review] Kiss Me – WJSN (Cosmic Girls)

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WJSN (Cosmic Girls) has made a surprise to the music scene, just weeks after the end of their promotions for Happy. The new single, titled as Kiss Me, continues on with their Summer sound. The music video itself is also an advertisement for Kiss Me Cosmetics.

I usually do not review songs that come under the advertisement realm. Not that I am against it, but rather I find some of the songs very cheesy. That being said, there are always exceptions and this song is obviously an exception (hence, I am writing this review). Over the entire song, there were many aspects of the song that felt very standard. Their vocals were good, but not amazing. The instrumental gave off a cute and Summery atmosphere, but it wasn’t different in any way from a standard Summer song. But it stands out for different reasons. The cute and sweet sound is a little different from their usual portfolio of songs. Kiss Me felt very warm and lively. The chorus itself felt very catchy. While it was standard in nature, it could have been easily passed as a normal track on their albums. It didn’t necessarily feel like an advertisement. The ‘Kiss Me‘ brand was used in a non-obnoxious way, which I thought was pretty nice.

Once again, there were no obnoxious product placements in the video, which is something that I thoroughly enjoyed. While the cosmetics did get a small section in the video, it felt like a small detail. Hence, I find the music video similar to the song, in a way, it could have been passed a Summer music video. And there was a plot line in the video, which made it more interesting. First of all, the guy in the water park takes notice in one of the members (don’t know the names, my apologies). The girls each take notice in the same guy, but they don’t know that until they share the pictures. Then they start to compete (my assumption) to get his attention. In the end, the guy finds the girl he was after. Okay, maybe it wasn’t an overly interesting plot-line. But when I watched it, it did not feel like a music video centred over a brand. There was some choreography to the video, but I think it would be considered a minor aspect of the video, hence it won’t get its dedicated part. But it looked very simple and feminine, which goes well with the song.

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

[Review] Why, You? – Park Boram

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Park Boram has returned with a brand new single, Why, You? and second mini-album, Orange Moon. The title track also features Samuel Seo, a well-known producer and rapper. Park Boram last release was Dynamic Love, which was released in April of last year.

I am going to be brutally honest. The song was boring. I hate to start off by saying that but it was the most pressing thing that I felt about the song. It doesn’t help that I am writing this review while being extremely tired. I felt the jazzy instrumental contributed to the blandness of the song.  But it as if the producer of the track felt the same thing. That short insert after the chorus to change up the song a bit provided much-needed relief but due to its limited nature, its effect was very limited. That being said, the change up was pretty good. It did make it somewhat interesting for a second. Furthermore, her vocals were pretty good in this song. It was such a pity that it felt slow and sluggish. Once the chorus was reached, the song did get a little better, with the addition of the backing vocals. Samuel Seo’s rap sounded pretty good and suited the song without going over the top. But while I do make small praises here and there, the same initial comments still hold.

Right off the bat, the aesthetics of this music video made it look amazing. It made me so happy. Throw in the magnified sounds of watering the plants, stirring coffee, squeezing the oranges,  and I am thoroughly impressed by the music video’s quality. Not a big fan of the extra effects that are added on, but they did add to the aesthetics. While I was disappointed by the song, I thought the video was excellent.

The performance felt slow and sluggish, much like the song. While there is choreography, it felt like there was not much going on, on the stage. Given the genre, that was given. You can’t have a flashy choreography with a slow song, without going over the top. But with this song, the choreography made the song feel lacking and empty.

Song – 4/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 4/10
Overall Rating – 5.5/10

[Review] Anti – Zico (Block B) ft. G.Soul

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Yesterday, I wrote my review for Zico’s other recent song, Artist. After finishing off my review, I found out that Zico also released Anti‘s music video. I decided to write a separate review for Anti because the music video seemed like something that is worth talking about and it was a little late for me to make it a double review. So, while it is a day late, here is my review for Anti.

Anti, first glance, sounded like a great song and it gets better as you listen to more of it. I personally think the instrumental was pretty good. Firstly, it suited Zico’s rap and G.Soul’s vocals. It did feel a little lacking at times, but for the most part, I thought otherwise. I like it how the instrumental changes up slightly as the song went on, by adding an extra element to the instrumental. It keeps it from getting boring. Zico’s raps felt very dead at the start, but as it progressed you could feel some energy flowing from his lines. If I had felt that energy from the start (or earlier in the song), I think I would have liked the song even more. G.Soul’s vocals were perfect for this song, with the chorus being the main highlight of the song. There were two things that irked me though. The first was the pronunciation of the word ‘Anti‘. It sounded more like ‘Auntie‘, which would have been a completely different song. Secondly, it was the abrupt ending that felt like an edge of the cliff. It doesn’t do it for me. But overall, still a great song!

When I said the video seemed decent, it looked amazing. Definitely got the mysterious and eerie vibes in which the video was presented from the very start. The two ladies standing on the road reminded me of American Horror Story latest season. Zico seemed to be shot in the video and he is shown to travel to hell (hence the burning room) or heaven (which I think was the toilet seat scenes). The video halts before G.Soul comes in to replace Zico. I think, in the end, he was just watching a film on the television, which he ends up turning off. And the ending serves as the start of the Artist video. It is a very confusing video but it has great aesthetics and suited the song quite nicely.

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

[Review] Artist – Zico (Block B)

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Zico, the main rapper from Block B, is back with a brand new mini-album, titled as Television. The main title track of the release is Artist. Alongside Artist, Zico did also release another music video for Anti, which features G.Soul. I actually finished this review and then just found out about the Anti music video so I will write a separate review for it tomorrow. The video looks promising.

Artist takes you back to the more upbeat and rap centred tracks that Zico was initially known for. While there are many singing segments to this song, Zico’s return to rapping felt much needed. Sure, he has many great tracks where he had a more melodic centrepiece but Zico rapping in a solo song felt like a distant memory. Obviously, his vocals and raps are amazing, per usual. It might have been an artistic choice but I did feel like the delivery of the rap was a lot weaker. It did fit the song, but it needed a little more energy to make it sound bolder and more distinctive. Artist had a fun and bright vibe, which (and I say this a lot) suits the current season. While you can tell there was the obvious hip-hop influenced moments in the song, there were other parts that felt more pop-like. But that might be my ears telling me otherwise. Overall, I thought it was a great song.

This video does a pretty good job at trying to be quirky. The individual scenes seem to be pretty tame standalone. But once you put them together, it is a little more out there. I thought the interaction between Zico and the people around him added more energy to the video, which felt needed. I say that because the video felt very standard and neutral for the most part (i.e. there was nothing that made the video stand out). The dancing school girls did catch my attention. Their facial expressions throughout their parts made me laugh. The bright and outdoor feel seems to suit the song’s sound quite nicely. You may notice that there was a small bit of choreography in the video. While I don’t think a stage version will be available anytime soon, it looked fun.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] Red Flavour – Red Velvet

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Summer is in full swing with songs suiting the sun, beach and tropical atmosphere that many associate with the season. Red Velvet has joined the long list of Summer comebacks with their special Summer album, The Red Summer. The main title track is Red Flavour, which has topped charts since its release on Sunday. An album review will be published in a few days for their new release!

From the very start of the song, it does not hold back with its upbeat and vibrant sounds. The super catchy and addictive chorus starts off the song. It definitely did the job it was set out for. It grabs your attention with its repetitive and consistent drum instrumental beat. The vocals are explosive throughout the song, in both the chorus and the verses alike. The questionable deep sounding moans in the back of the song that repeat the words “Red Flavour” were a very odd aspect of the song. But it gave a quirky factor to the song, and I liked that a lot. You have to strain extra hard to make out the words, but once you do, you open yourself to a whole new world, which makes the song sound more dynamic and unique. Wendy’s vocals for the bridge and the ending of the song really gives it a polished finish, which makes the song sound so much more better. The song itself had been replayed multiple times already since its release yesterday, and I think it will get much more in the days to come. The smile you get from listening to the song really puts the song into perspective.  It’s fun and cheerful, a great Summertime song to enjoy and listen to.

I don’t want to say that the video felt last-minute. But I can’t just shake off that feeling. But that doesn’t mean that it was a bad video. Actually, it was quite the opposite. I actually like the video. There was a sense of quirkiness to the video, which I thought went well with that same feeling from the song. The concept around fruit is a no-brainer as we associate fresh fruit with the heat. The video overall had a nice refreshing vibe, which I actually did enjoy and the colours made the video appeal to me more.

I thought the dance during the chorus was amazing, matching the fast pace of the chorus. Overall, it was an impressive performance to watch.

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

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[Review] Young & Free – Xiumin (EXO) & Mark (NCT)

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SM Station tracks have been continuously released on a weekly basis. However, I haven’t reviewed them for a while because I don’t really consider some of them as KPOP. If they feature a KPOP artist, such as this track, the likelihood of it being reviewed will increase vastly compared to tracks that feature indie artists (such as the releases of the past month). Young & Free is this week’s release, which features Xiumin from EXO and Mark from NCT.

Young & Free sounds okay. That is probably the best I can say about the song. It has a nice piano instrumental that remains consistent throughout. While I did describe it as nice, there wasn’t anything that made it interesting. And that left it feeling a little bland and dull in nature. Xiumin’s vocals are okay. I have heard songs where his vocals ended up shining a fair bit, such as in EXO-CBX’s Hey Mama. Here, it didn’t have that backing or support from another artist and that is why I thought it fell a little short. Mark’s rapping is probably the one thing that I did like from the track. Though, I have to admit that Mark’s rapping did feel a little disjointed from the instrumental. His raps do suit more refined or upbeat songs, such as his works in his respective NCT subunits. The song tried its best to remain catchy. But while I do acknowledge that some people would find it catchy and addictive, the hooks present in the song didn’t do much for me.

That paleness is back once again. Once again, it is not bothering but just another observation. Throughout the video, we see Mark and Xiumin hang out with each other and show off their budding friendship. So, there isn’t much else to say about that. Not sure about the ending. Does it mean that they have a very strong imagination? As if they were outside the whole time, but believed they were on stage? Overall, it was a nice video to watch and the song felt fitting for the video.

The video did also show a small section of the choreography. I thought it was nice and also fitting for the song. It’s something simple and easy-going for the song and I personally like that.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

[Review] Party Time – Favorite

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I would like to start off by saying that I will be struggling throughout this review. Why do you ask? The newly-formed girl group’s name is spelt the American way. But I live in Australia. Even my spell-checker is currently yelling at me for spelling ‘favourite’ wrong. Back to the introduction. Favorite is a 6-member girl group currently under Astory Entertainment. They made their debut in the past week with their first mini-album and the title track, Party Time.

This group has managed to score a brand new fan. Their song is like your typical KPOP song, in the sense that it mashes multiple genres together. While I have poorly rated song in the past of the same nature, I am not too troubled by the mix of genres in the song. You can hear electronic, pop and Middle Eastern (during the rap bridge). It honestly sounded quite cool. Like the name suggests, the song does a pretty good job at conveying that party sound. The chorus was quite catchy, though I do get a feeling that it is so repetitive, that I might get annoyed at it, in the future. Their vocal work is quite nice. The way their vocals fit into the song really make it an interesting aspect of the song. The different genres are quite unexpected. Especially the Middle Eastern inspired sounds during the rap bridge. They caught my off guard, but damn, do they really provide suspense and added energy to the song. That was by far my most favourite part of the song. It might not be some people’s ideal track, but I think it is one interesting piece of music and I am totally replaying it.

The music video takes on a creepy vibe, something that you don’t get from the song. However, despite it being an extreme concept to attempt, it does work well with the song. I would have liked to have written a full interpretation of the video, but I got lost very easily, so I am just going to avoid misinterpreting the video for you guys. But if you know or have any idea of what’s going on, comment down below and share with all of us. But overall, the music video was very interesting to watch. And the song adds a little more creepiness to the video, for some reason. Kind of how Ring Around The Rosies is used in horror films.

Their performance isn’t a really great performance. It does do the job, but it doesn’t have a wow-factor or anything memorable. I probably watch the performances for the song mainly.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 5/10
Overall Rating – 8/10