Category: Reviews

[Review] On/Off – ONF

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It is time to turn on our listening devices as, ONF is entering the Korean music scene. They come from WM Entertainment, which is the same company that brings us B1A4 and Oh My Girl. The 7-member boy group officially debuted on the 1st of August (last Tuesday) with their mini-album, which shares the same title as the title track, On/Off.

On/Off is a pretty good song but it leaves me with mixed feelings. Some of these parts I find quite nice, while some of them aren’t that appealing. That is the major issue with songs that usually mash multiple styles together. Just this song does keep it consistent and that is one thing I am thankful for. I totally dig the vocals parts of the song. They blend nicely together and felt the most consistent overall. Actually, the first half of the track, I was pleased with the overall sound. The chorus was catchy and attracted my attention. It is the second half that gets me having second thoughts about the song. There was a nice build up but the raps leave that build-up hanging (i.e. there was no drop, which left me feeling quite frustrated)  and it makes the rest of the song feel disjointed, while completely changing up the fun vibes that came from the song (though the fun vibes were later returned to). The raps were decent but my main issue with the song was how they were placed into the song. But overall, it was a nice song for a debut that attracted my attention with its upbeatness and vibrant colour.

I haven’t watched the music video for their debut yet (I know, I am crazy!). So essentially, everything I write here will be my first impressions. I literally have no idea what storyline they were going for. Something about space was the most I got out it. The guys were aliens and attracted the attention of Earth, who sent a pretty human astronaut? I honestly have no idea! Watching it a few times and I am still confused. For a brand new group, the video was amazing in terms of visual quality. The sets looked cool and interesting. The vibrant colours and the smiles that you could see on the member’s faces reflected well with the song.

The choreography was pretty cool Once again, nothing mind blowing but it went well with the track. There were some highlights, such as that ending routine. Though it was impressive. But what impressed me more was the fact regarding how in sync they were with each other.

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

 

[Review] The Real – N.Flying

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It has been a while since we last saw N.Flying on stage. 2015 was their last promotional round (Lonely) before the group went on hiatus for almost 2 years. Since then, the group has announced the addition of a new member, Yoo Hoe-Seung, who participated in Produce 101 Season 2. This comeback is for their second mini-album, The Real: N.Flying and features the title track, The Real.

It’s been so long since their last comeback, that I don’t even remember what their previous two tracks were. But if they were to release more songs like The Real (with a shorter time between releases), I would gladly jump on board the N.Flying train. The song is amazing and their best yet. It is super upbeat and extremely catchy. There seems to be a nice mix between pop and rock in this song, which catches my attention immediately. The vocal work, raps and instrumental work well with each other. I love the short rap sequence and bangs before each chorus. But what makes this song sound so memorable is that the song has so much energy and the delivery of that energy is spot on. Right from the start, the energy that launches us into it was already exceptional. And since it felt like they maintained that same level of energy and momentum, the group managed to score big points (in my book, at least) with this perfect song.

The music video was hilarious and ridiculous (in a good way). Essentially, the group are trying to catch a mermaid. It felt like a play on the whole ‘there are plenty of fish in the sea’ phrase, but the guys are fixated on this particular mermaid, who according to the lyrics, is stunning. Quite a few unsuccessful attempts were made before they decided to sacrifice one of the members to the mermaid (which was the part I started laughing at). The mermaid turned out to be Jang Moonbok, who was a fellow Produce 101 Season 2 trainee. That was one unexpected plot twist that made me laugh even more. What I liked was every time they launched into the chorus, they incorporated that burst of energy by jumping onto their instruments and playing their song. But they incorporated it in a way that worked with the video and I liked that.

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

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[Review] All Night – SNSD

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SNSD is 10 years old!!! The group debuted back in August 2007 and has since become of the biggest and well-known groups in the KPOP industry. Fast forward 10 years, the group (just a few hours back) dropped their 6th studio album and title tracks, Holiday (which I have already written a review for) and All Night!

All Night is a fantastic mix of past and present. The verses of the song give off a retro sound, which reminds me of the 70s and 80s at certain parts. The chorus brings the more recent musical elements, in my opinion. The chorus resembles pop songs that could have been released in the past few months or years. The mix is very interesting as it does give you a feel of how music has travelled through time. The song is quite catchy and attractive. I love the various tempos that the song goes through, from upbeat to more slower sections. The raps and the vocals fit well with the song, but they don’t seem to bring that impact that the song needed. That doesn’t mean I am disappointed with it because I am totally digging the song. But I felt they could have gone that extra mile with the song. If we were looking at All Night and Holiday side-by-side, I think Holiday will win over All Night. But it is still a good song overall.

That retro vibe played well into the music video. Their outfits and the set just looks wonderful in the video. While they did shrink the screen once again, it did make a lot more sense for the retro concept they were going for. Most importantly, the video linked below features a documentary, which I am sure the girls are talking about what SNSD and their journey means to them. I like that approach, but I prefer the song to be in one block, rather it fading in and out. It just feels disjointed and looses the aesthetics of the song. But what makes me even happier is that ending where they bring the old footage of SNSD back, when there were 9 members. It’s beautiful and a nice trip down memory lane.

[Updated] The choreography was actually quite nice. Though it did look odd for a retro styled come back, the performance was worth watching. Once again, it isn’t the best dance of the year but it managed to go well with the song, in general.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10 [Updated] 
Overall Rating – 8/10 [Updated] 

[Review] Holiday – SNSD

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The Queens of KPOP are back to celebrate their 10th year since debut. It has been a wild ride for the girls since their debut on the 5th of August 2007. 10 years on, they are releasing their 6th studio album, which joins the long line of hits from the girl groups. This 6th album is titled as Holiday Night and features two title tracks, Holiday and All Night (the review will be out shortly!).

Holiday just wants to make me get my groove on. It is a flashy song that catches your attention with its show-tune kind of sound. You can expect this song at a musical, but SNSD brings it you on a stage and music video! It’s super catchy and isn’t overly complicated, which makes it easy on the ears. Like the repetition of the “Ho-Ho-Holiday” just make me want to go back and replay the song even more! The vocals work is amazing and the Hyoyeon’s rap fits in really well. The only problem I find is how the song ends. It ends abruptly, which means the song is cut off awkwardly. Given how the song is very upbeat and catchy, an abrupt cut off doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the song. But overall, it is one damn, near-perfect song that will I would gladly see rise to the top of the charts and replay many, many times!

What is my most favourite word to use in these reviews? ‘Amazing’. And guess what else is amazing? SNSD’s music video for Holiday! Oh, that was cheesy. But seriously, this video is totally rocking. That show-tune vibe that I was talking about was shown nicely through the various sets and scenes throughout the video. The sets themselves were highlights of the music video. The final set of the stage gave the video the right atmosphere for their 10-year celebration, which I too, thought was cool. I also loved the featuring of a muppet. During the second verse, the way they managed to film and choreograph the dance to fit the lineup of the members singing (Sooyoung, Yoona, Yuri and Sunny), which I thought was really cool! The video does not disappoint and compliments the song nicely.

While we don’t see much of the choreography in the video, I think there was enough to write about. I do hope that part that I mentioned above is also included in the stage performances. That would look really cool. There just doesn’t seem to be a catchy move or a highlight, which does make it somewhat weaker. But overall, a fair dance.

Song – 9.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 9/10

 

[Review] Where Are You? – CLC

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After their successful comeback with Hobglobin, CLC are back with the brand new mini-album, titled as FREE’SM. It seems like Hobglobin was the start of their movement from the typical cutesy image that they fell into prior to the start of the year. Where Are You? seems to go back in that direction, but instead stays mature.

Right off the bat, it is not my cup of tea. Where Are You? is a very slow song that doesn’t build up whatsoever. Instead, it remains in neutral mode throughout the entire song, which drains any energy, if it ever had any, to begin with. The slowness though does go nicely with the retro sound and their overall concept though. The muffled start and the overall sound does bring you back to the early days (aka the 90s) of KPOP. Some aspects I thought were good, but the same aspects (such as the vocals) could have been many times better. The instrumental is uncaptivating and the song is easily forgettable. It felt like a blank canvas, wanting to be drawn or painted on. But it just didn’t have any content. I have listened to it a number of times already, but I have gone to find other songs right after, instead of reflecting or wanting to go back and replaying it. Maybe it will grow on me, but if I am being honest and follow what my mind is telling me, I don’t have much hopes for it.

I spoke about the ‘borders’ of music videos lately in another review. But that border looked amazing, in comparison to the square we got in this video. I just don’t think it is right to film a video and then have it cute down to such a small section of the screen. Like it is already overdone in video that narrow it down width-wise, but column wise is pretty disappointing. We barely see all the girls in one scene. Moving from that very noticeable issue, the video was made to look dreamy and the innocent concept was brought into play. Overall, they did both nicely. But like the song, the video could have been better (i.e. more of the image). Though, I personally think that this video would suit a more creepy song, as I did get some of those horror vibes from the video.

While I am not much of a fan of this comeback, the choreography was splendid. They did a good job at bringing that innocent side to the dance. It might not be the most mind-blowing dance, but it paired nicely with the song, fitting the tempo and rhythm of the song.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 5.5/10 

 

[Review] Love City – Nine Muses

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Just after a few weeks of finishing promotions for Remember, Nine Muses is officially back with Love City. Their previous mini-album, Muses Diary Part 2: Identity (released in June) has been re-released to become Muses Diary Part 3: Love City. Nine Muses also recently had their first concert since debut.

With just one listen, Nine Muses has managed to grab my attention with one damn good track. Though that is a relatively easy thing to do, the girls managed to also blow me away within the first few seconds of the track. Love City opens up with Sojin’s raps sequence that is covered by auto-tune (but it is still bearable). It did spark a memory in my mind, but I don’t know where I have heard the similar tune before. But Sojin’s raps paves the way for the rest of the song. Sure, the verses of the song were not that memorable. But once the beat drops and you get the intensity of the chorus, everything falls into place quite nicely. The chorus was catchy, the vocals were amazing. It is a song that hypes you up from the start and it keeps that momentum going, which left such a deep impression in my mind. The “L.O.V.E‘ repetition stuck in my mind, even after I started listening to other songs recently released. But what I love the most is the “Chu Chu Chu, Bwa Bwa Bwa, La La La, Stop It Boy” (2:05 mark, for example), which was a more cutesy contrast that went well with the more feminine and intense beat the rest of the song had going for.

The music video was fairly captivating. For the most part, I stayed around for the song. Sadly, I can’t find any English translations for the song yet, so forgive me if my interpretation is way off. From what I see, the girls have finally had enough and are escaping “Love City”. The guys they dated treated them badly and they have decided to not pick that lifestyle anymore. This is clear from the way they seem to have their anger pent up inside of them and how they treat the Ken doll and the poor teddy bear. Moving away from the plot, there were parts in the video that I thought the lighting was off-putting. It might be me being picky, but I thought the lighting in both the day scenes and the dark scenes were pretty bad. The transitions through the screens looked cool. But apart from that, the video was your standard KPOP video (using standard KPOP backdrops).

The choreography shows off their confidence quite well. But there should have been more to it. As mentioned before, the song does get you quite hyped up. And the choreography seems to fall short of that. At least for me. Though the part at the bridge (i.e. when Sojin starts rapping) was pretty badass!

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10

[Review] Sixteen – Samuel Kim

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One of the most popular trainees from the recent season of Produce 101 has made his solo debut, with Sixteen. Samuel Kim was undeniably one of the favourites to make it in the top 11. For unknown reasons, he only made the top 18. For those who don’t know him, Samuel Kim was previously a trainee under Pledis (before moving to his current company, Brave Entertainment) and was part of the now-disbanded duo, 1PUNCH.

The first thing I noticed when I listened to the song was the autotune. While I have expressed my dislike of autotune in the past, I am not too troubled by its usage in this song. It wasn’t as heavy or over-the-top like other songs. But using auto-tune throughout the entire song did make it more noticeable than it should have been. The song is quite good but I don’t think it was strong enough for a debut. There were parts of it which I did like but the rest of the track seemed quite neutral and standard. The chorus was quite catchy and it felt like it was the most dynamic part of the song. The way he opened the chorus and the rhythm that I got out it made it quite enjoyable. The rest of the track did fall short though, feeling quite bland and boring. Changmo’s rap was pretty good, but it did feel somewhat disjointed from the rest of the song.

The music video had some good scenes in there. But what I noticed that some details were cropped out of view because of the borders. The borders made it feel quite constricting and fast editing made everything breeze past. Overall, everything felt nice. The night scenes looked cool and the choreography scenes were awesome. The party and supermarket scenes though seemed very dry and unconvincing. I feel odd writing this (since this is his video), but I felt like the focus was a touch too much on Samuel, when it should have been with the interactions between him with the surroundings and the others in the background. For example, at the party, he threw the confetti up as the camera zoomed onto him. But the others were busy interacting with everyone else but him. So it looked a little awkward.

The choreography looks amazing. It’s not groundbreaking but it pretty good. I could only dream to be half good as he was. The first time I watched the choreography, I didn’t notice the sixteen symbol he made with his hands. But now, I notice it every single time the chorus kicks in! That, to me, was impressive.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

 

[Review] Love Whisper – GFriend

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GFriend is back with a brand new Summer time song. It has been three years since their debut and each of those three years, there has been Summer comebacks from these girls, Me Gusta Tu and Navillera. Is it me, or are they slowly becoming the Princesses of Summer with their comeback? Joining the GFriend Summer lineup is Love Whisper, the title track off their 5th mini-album, Parallel.

The girls with a sweeter sound with this comeback. While the group have had successful singles in the Summer, this one sounds less dynamic and intense as their previous tracks. While there is a GFriend sound to this song, it seemed a lot weak and I can’t help but be disappointed with that (for now). There didn’t seem to be much of a hook to the chorus, which did leave the song hanging. The verses didn’t seem memorable, as well. They, instead, bring out the guns towards the end of the song, when it came to the bridge and final chorus. But then, it was too late to have an impact on the rest of the track. Let’s move onto the better parts of the song. Per usual, the short instrumental break for the infamous dance breaks was included and I thought that alone brought more impact to the song than the other parts. Their vocals seemed really consistent throughout the song, which was something I liked. There is a fresh and vibrant sound that suits the Summer season very nicely, which I liked as well.

The music video seemed a little interesting. The girls find an old radio under the bed and go on an adventure to figure out the source of some sound. Why? That makes it interesting. I guess they heard some sound (i.e. the love whisper) and wanted to know where it came from. In the end, it was a butterfly, which told them there was a tape in the radio. Now, that was pretty disappointing. But it gave a nice touch to the story. What drew my attention of the video though was how it reminded me of the music video for Me Gusta Tu. The scenery and the countryside really do take you back to memories from two years ago.  What I thought was even better was their choreography scene, where they danced in water. It seemed unnecessary in this video, but I can’t help but think how empty the video would have been without it. They are known for their complicated dance moves and if they can pull off this choreography well in the water, I think that gives more than enough reasons to include that in the video.

Just the small snippets alone shows the complexity of the dance. The heel dance move seems hard to pull off in the midst of everything else (Refer to the 1:36 part of the dance and focus on their feet for a few seconds). And when it comes to GFriend, you can’t miss out on the dance break. It looks impressive and 10 times better with water spraying about in the music video.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

[Review] Tomorrow, Today – JJ Project

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It has taken the JJ Project duo five years to make their first comeback since debut. But as the saying says: ‘better late than never’. JJ Project is made up of JB and Jinyoung, who went on to debut as GOT7, released Bounce in 2012. Their latest release, Tomorrow, Today, was released today as part of their first mini-album, Verse 2. This is also the start of the many solo and unit promotions that GOT7 will be undertaking for the second half of 2017.

If you are after a dance track such as Bounce, you have come to the wrong place. Tomorrow, Today is a completely different track, with a completely different song style that we have yet to hear from JJ Project or GOT7 themselves. The song itself is stripped of its standard dance and electronic elements and feels more ballad-like. The instrumental seemed like it was pinched from a DAY6 album, which is a good thing because we all know how good DAY6 instrumentals are. The guitar and the rolling drum beat in this song make me want to go back for some more. But what I liked, even more, is that the song felt pure and untouched. The song gets you into that swaying motion, which I have recently announced my love for.  The melodies just make you feel warm and bubbly. And don’t get me started with their voices. Even as a guy, I find their voices so dreamy and soothing. My favourite part of the entire song was Jinyoung’s part in the chorus, which provided an amazing hook that caught me for the rest of the song. The only part which I felt could have been better or scrapped entirely was the rap. It wasn’t needed and didn’t fit in with the rest of the song.

I am going to be brutally honest here, I found the video extremely boring to watch. Sure, it fits in perfectly with the song’s overall sound and style. Sure, it felt like it gave the viewers some raw footage of the guys while they were on some holiday trip, which I am sure fans enjoyed. But there wasn’t anything amazing to hold me there and make me want to watch and rewatch it some more. Unless I find idols lying on the ground quite captivating, this video just didn’t feel like your standard music video. It felt like a home video that I was awkwardly made to watch when visiting some relatives. Though the scenery was nice and some of the symbolism made sense.

I did like the choreography for this the performance though (I staked out the live stream for the first stage). The symbolism of past and present was more apparent here than the music video, with each member doing selected movements before the other. It too fitted the song and for the rest of the performance, they were in sync with each other, which I thought was cool. Hopefully, what I saw hold and it wasn’t the members missing the timing to sit down or step off the chair together!

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

[Review] Amazing – MYTEEN

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Joining the industry this week is the newly debut boy group from The Music Works. MYTEEN is a 7-member boy group consisting of Taevin, Chun Jin, Eun Su, Xi Heon, Jun Seop, Yu Vin and Han Seul. Their debut single, Amazing is featured on the group’s first mini-album, titled as MYTEEN Go!.
Some people may find a particular member of the group familiar. Yu Vin actually made his debut prior to debuting with the group as he participated Superstar K6. In one of his solo tracks, he features alongside Baek Ji Young in Garosugil, which is one of my personal favourite ballad tracks in KPOP.

The group boasts members of young ages. How young? Well, all of them are born in the late 90s, with one member born in 2001, according to a profile site. And given their young age, it was a little obvious with the route that they would go down (however, don’t be fooled. There is also a video for a more mature concept released). Amazing is a super catchy song that features a very pop-dominating sound.  It has a generic instrumental, which I enjoyed but it didn’t really feel ear-catching. However within the first listen in, the song caught my attention with its great hooks and its simplicity. That can be attributed to the chorus of the song, which definitely sticks in my head after the song finishes. But with more listens, I am drawn to their vocals and raps. For a rookie group, the vocal line is already doing an ‘amazing’ job. They shine the most in the second-half of the song. The rappers sound decent. But they could have had a more energy-filled sequence, which would have showed off more of their potential. I could hear it, but the limited length didn’t play towards their skills. But despite that, the rookie group caught my attention pretty fast and it is definitely an “amazing” song.

I wish I could say the same thing about the music video. But it sadly doesn’t draw my attention. There really isn’t much going on, in the video. The video mainly consisted of close-ups and choreography shots, so there isn’t much to comment on plot wise.The ending did catch me off guard, though.  There was a choreography shot where they danced in water., which usually does amaze me. But I don’t think that was necessary for this video because it didn’t fit in with the aesthetics of the video.

The performance was just what the song called for (and I say that as a compliment!). It had a nice fun feel to it, which suited the song and their ages. It isn’t spectacular, but it did the job nicely.

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

[Review] Newton – Monsta X

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Monsta X has already had an action packed year. They have made two comebacks, Beautiful and Shine Forever, this year.  On top of that, they have been busy going on tour between comebacks and even after their most recent comeback. Now, the group has returned with Newton, a Summer single, just weeks after their Shine Forever comeback.

Even Summer won’t stop Monsta X from releasing an EDM song. And it is a pretty good one, as well. I honestly don’t have much else to say about the song because the song does feel very standard. There really isn’t any amazing aspects that make me go wow or amazes me. But that being said, it is not a terrible song. The Summer feel is very fresh and vibrant. Once the beat drops for the chorus, I couldn’t help bouncing my head along to the music. The vocal work here is quite good, but I felt the verses could have been more memorable. The raps were good but it felt like there could have been more. Even from my comments, it sounds like a typical Summer song. But overall, it is still decent to listen to.

The music video is being described as the prequel to Shine Forever video. If that was the case, then the difference in terms of concept escalated quite quickly. I did like how the colour was vibrant, especially Kihyun’s yellow shirt. Totally suiting the Summer concept. To me, the video felt like a standalone video. The guys were just travelling in a van and having fun on a trip. Not really much else to say about the video. Though, it seems like they shot in the same place where Snuper shot their music video for their most recent comeback. The colours here made the scenery look so much better in comparison to the Snuper video. But both are still pretty good videos, suiting their respective songs perfectly.

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

[Review] Fly High – Dream Catcher

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The girls of Dream Catcher are back with their 1st mini album since their debut at the start of the year. As mentioned, they debuted in January with Chase Me and later returned with Good Night. The mini album is titled as Prequel and features 4 songs alongside their title track, Fly High.

Following their previous tracks that placed them onto their fan’s and my radar, the girls returned with another rock-infused dance track. And like the previous tracks, this would be perfect as an anime opener. I mentioned in the past reviews that Good Night felt less intense in comparison to Catch Me, but it seems like the girls recovered from that ‘slump’. Instead, the track has bursts of energy when the choruses come into play, which provided that intensity. It maintained an appropriate level all throughout. Even some parts that didn’t feel that intense felt okay because they were spaced out and didn’t last long. The bridge was a little iffy. I thought it did take the rock vibes away a little too much but it may just require some warming up to. Once again, their vocals must be mentioned. They were amazing. Everyone shined. But the rapper of the group shined the most with her short parts prior to the choruses and the part at the end. There is a roughness to her voice that suits Dream Catcher songs (and possibly rock songs in general) perfectly. Overall, even though it was released a few hours ago, it will be replayed constantly over the weekend and beyond.

And like the past two videos, the accompanying video to Fly High follows on. But in this case, it was more like a prequel, like the name of the mini-album. My take seems to tell the story of how they got into dark magic, which was seen throughout the Good Night video. And it seems like they innocently stumbled upon it while staying at the mansion, where everything from the first two videos takes place. While the song does have a much brighter sound, the video is definitely creepy, through the ways the members suddenly stares into the camera and or the end, where you see her running through the halls of the mansion, only when you think she is trying to escape, she closes the gate, not letting anyone else in or out. While it doesn’t answer all my questions, it definitely does drag you to the edge of your seat. The cinematography and the editing combined made this an amazing video to watch, especially if you are busy connecting Catch Me, Good Night and now Fly High together to form one story. I hope they continue telling the story and that this is not a trilogy, which is a common trend in KPOP at the moment.

The choreography has big shoes to fill given my comments of the song and the music video. And they manage to do just that. Something that has changed since their debut is their stage presence. Their stage/performance was extremely captivating. Watching their dance moves and formations managed to leave me speechless today.

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

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[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