Category: Reviews

[Review] REWIND – B1A4

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B1A4 is a group that we don’t hear all too often anymore. They were quite popular when they started out, but with the departure of two key members and military enlistment, it has been hard to keep up with them as a group (mainly due to the lack of promotions/releases) but also the individual members. But I am glad that the group is still releasing songs. Part of the Monday comeback rush was B1A4, who returns for the first time in almost three years (their last release being 10 Times) with the song REWIND and their 8th mini-album, Connect.

REWIND takes B1A4 into New Jack Swing territory – a very energetic form of electronic music that instantly takes you back to the late 80s or early 90s. But ever since B1A4 reformed into a trio, the group has had a stake in music that has more of a pleasant vibe. And for REWIND, we do find that B1A4 keeps true to that with some really nice vocal work. B1A4’s execution of the New Jack Swing genre does not overwhelm, maintaining balance and that pleasant vibe I just mentioned. It makes for an interesting combination overall, but I can confirm it works and makes it an easier listen. Personally, I would have liked the melodies to be more prolific and maybe even some strong vocals to match up with the instrumentation, however, just to give REWIND some added oomph. I think that was the only missing aspect of REWIND. That being said, what we did get has a nice ring to it. And as mentioned earlier, it works!

Personally, I don’t get what is going on in the video. We do know (again from Soompi) that REWIND is about “rewinding time in order to meet the person from their dream the previous night”. I kind of get that desire from Gongchan’s scenes in the factory, where he looks very bored, out of place and wants to be somewhere else. But I am not sure where CNU and Sandeul’s scenes fit into this. I did like the choreography scene, where the members and dancers are performing within this massive round table that kind of looks like a clock. And that does have connect up with the desire to rewind time.

Choreography-wise, this comeback features an upbeat routine that matches up with the music – both in the sense of that New Jack Swing style and also the upbeat nature. From the dance practice video that was released, the members and dancers does take me back to their other fun routines that they have performed with in the past.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10 [Updated on 3 March 2024 due to calculation error]

[Review] UNTOUCHABLE – ITZY

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ITZY is nominated for Best Female Performance (Group) for CAKE, while RINGO is nominated for Best International Song by a Korean Artist (Japanese). Support ITZY’s CAKE and RINGO, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today.

Joining the Monday lineup of comeback is ITZY, who makes their comeback today with their comeback with their 2nd studio length album, BORN TO BE. The headline song of the album is the single UNTOUCHABLE. And it appears that JYP Entertainment has gone all out of this comeback, with 2 pre-release tracks (BORN TO BE and Mr. Vampire – the latter I will be reviewing later in the future) and 4 music videos for each of the solo singles from the four member lineup of this comeback (Lia is currently on hiatus, but she also has a solo single on the album and a lyric video was released instead). This is ITZY’s first Korean comeback since CAKE and KILL MY DOUBT.

I love that UNTOUCHABLE is bold and sends a strong and powerful message. However, I don’t think it is the song to win people back. I say that because I am a little iffy on the chorus. While I do like their approach and it standalone makes for a very good centrepiece, I am a little disappointed over the fact the producers chose synths over a rock centric backing for the chorus. The verses were a great incline towards the chorus, and thanks to the guitars in the background, it makes you expect a chorus with a rock vibe to it. We do get some presence of guitar in the chorus, but it isn’t the forefront, which is what I was hoping for. That being said, the chorus we do get in UNTOUCHABLE still comes off as bold and makes for quite a statement piece. The vocals, rapping and overall delivery of the chorus (and other parts of the song) was on point, with the ad-libs at the end serving well. The part of UNTOUCHABLE that could use a revamp are the verses. They fall short from feeling memorable and comes off as more of a blur when you compare it to the choruses. The part of the UNTOUCHABLE that could have used a rethink is the post-chorus, which felt a little werid for me. I am not exactly sure if it fits into the bigger picture that is UNTOUCHABLE.

This music video made me go wow! We are only 8 days into the new year and there might already be a strong contender for Best Music Video of 2024. The crispness and high quality of the video definitely takes it to the next level. You can feel the intensity at the start with all the guards standing around the members, and via the lighting that mimics a prison or lasers directed at them. The members themselves look stunning and fierce throughout the video, depending on which part you are watching. The best part of the video has to the beginnings of the final chorus, with the guards exploding in slow motion and ITZY dancing at normal speed in the midst of that chaos. We also get sole really cool cinematography in the final moments of the video, as well.

I found the performance to be quite striking and bold, which is on par with the song itself. The movements were very sharp and it showcases ITZY’s knife-like precision. There are some graceful moves in the routine and I felt their presence helps balance everything out, so it isn’t too precise and edgy to watch.

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

[Review] BIBORA – SF9

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Support your other favourite artists, songs and performance in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards by clicking here to vote today.

Today has proven to be a busy. Both at work for me and the KPOP industry. Unfortunately, I won’t get through all of the new releases today, but I want to at least tackle one or two. First up, I have selected SF9’s BIBORA, which is featured on their 13th mini-album, Sequence. This is the group’s first comeback since Puzzle and The Piece OF9 a year ago. It is also SF9’s first comeback as a reorganised 8 member group, following the departure of Rowoon (though the group continues to promote with a 7 member lineup due to Jaeyoon’s ongoing military enlistment.

BIBORA goes for a slight club banger style, pulling a lot of its appeal through subtle funky and groovy elements. This definitely pulls me into the track, serving as the initial tick for BIBORA. The subtleness is a trend throughout BIBORA, with the hooks and delivery coming off as subtle. For the hooks, I think they do manage to get there and I feel like the “BIBORA” sung in the chorus and pre-chorus both have a nice ring to it, with the latter catching on. And while I do like the idea of the members’ delivery in BIBORA, I did think it was something that SF9 and their producers could have pushed the boundaries on a bit. What they have pumped out is rather standard and safe for this group. I feel like some more powerful vocals and more prolific melodies could have made BIBORA added some depth to the song. The rapping does attempt to push the boundaries a bit, but I think their placement in the pre-chorus was a bit awkward. I also think their style could have really been back up with some sort of definition. Overall, I find BIBORA to be an alright song. It has a fair bit of pull, but there are some things in it that could be better.

According to SOOMPI, the lyrics of BIBORA “express one’s contrasting feelings of wanting to forget someone but also wanting to return to the time when they were together”. And we see the members portray that to and froing between the two desires throughout the video. There is some good acting in this video. I really like the stormy scenes they perform the chorus in, along with the special effects and overall mature vibes from the video.

Based on what I could see in the music video, the choreography for this comeback looks good. Nothing really stands out, but I liked the fast arm movements in the chorus. Can’t wait to see the rest of the routine.

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

[Review] Love 119 – RIIZE

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RIIZE is nominated for Best New Male Group in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support RIIZE by clicking here to vote today.

Jumping forward to the present day, RIIZE made their comeback today with a new single titled Love 119, following on from their first comeback with Talk Saxy in October 2023. This is also the new male group’s first comeback with a six-member lineup after it was announced that Seunghan would go on indefinite hiatus due to some controversaries.

Another day, another SM track. Out of the three SM tracks I have reviewed this week, Love 119 is definitely more pop-centred than the others based on the instrumentation and how the song is sung. More on that in a second. I really what the producers did with the piano sample used in the song, which is from Izi’s Emergency Room (which was an OST from the the K-Drama Sassy Girl Chun Hyang). The other elements to give Love 119 also helps takes the song further into the pop direction yet maintain a certain level of pleasantness that makes Love 119 enjoyable to listen to. But aside from the sample, nothing too memorable. The track features some good singing from the members, but nothing exactly stand-out. The aspect of Love 119 that I am not 100% entirely keen on at the moment is the chorus, which goes down a chanty direction and contains a cringy line or two (the ‘Vroom‘ really takes the cake here). While I do think repeats of Love 119 will probably engrave the chant into my mind (simple is best and that is what the chant does opt for), a part of me does think that the chant is monotonous and flat. And this unfortunately hinders the loving feeling that comes from the song, which the rest of the lyrics and delivery does gear towards. Overall, a decent pop track to begin the year off on this blog. Maybe a more riveting centrepiece could have taken the song to another level.

The music video sees the members falling in love with at first sight whilst at school, after they each recieve a text message that prophesises that they will fall in love at 6PM on 5 January 2024 (i.e., time of release of the music video). While what we do see in the lead up to that specific time is loving and cute, the events that transpired soon after appears to be more tragic. At the 3:00 minute mark, we hear a news announcer. While I am not entirely sure what is being said here, we do hear the sound of a train crossing. We are also shown shots of the girl that the members fallen in love with, but these shots really emphasise the fact that she is alone and that the members are looking for her. We then see a short glimpse of her at the crossing, an empty platform (the exact one that we see Wonbin on with the girl, presumably at 6PM on 5 January 2024) and the members in tears. Joining the dots, I think it is alluded that she dies soon after. We do see her playing the members in the snow later on, but in latter shots we only see the 6 members and a white butterfly flying around them. Butterflies tend to be used as a way to show that someone is no longer around. Now this theory may be wrong, as it doesn’t really consider the fact that she may have rejected Wonbin on the platform (we do see her shake her head at the end of the montage). Regardless, there is more to the video than the idea of falling in love at first sight and comparing it to an emergency (hence why the song is titled Love 119).

The performance was pleasant to watch, as well. I like how the additional oomph allows them to put in some energy to keep this routine moving, but yet they manage to balance out the choreography with some more delicate and softer movement.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

[Review] Be There For Me – NCT 127

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NCT is nominated for Best Male Group, while MARK (NCT) is nominated for Best Rap Performance, and NCT DREAM and NCT DOJAEJUNG are nominated for Best Subunit (amongst other categories) in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support NCT and their associated acts, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today.

Days prior to Christmas, NCT 127 released a special Winter single, Be There For Me. It follows on from their October 2023 comeback with Fact Check and the commencement of their 3rd world tour – Neo City – The Unity.

The comforting feeling of warmth comes through Be There For Me, especially since this new single steps away from the likes of EDM or synths that we know NCT 127 for (i.e., Fact Check) and into more acoustic territory (the organ in the background at the start signals this for me). The acoustic nature of Be There For Me naturally allows most of the members to showcase vocals and melodies, which were very easy on the ears and enjoyable to listen to. Be There For Me does have some rapping (courtesy of TAEYONG and MARK), and it brought nice rhythm. But they aren’t the most memorable aspect of the song. Aside from being a pleasant listen overall, I don’t have much else to say. My only complaint about Be There For Me probably is a ridiculous one but I found the song to be quite paced and mid-tempo, which does make it feel a bit long-winded. But that doesn’t offset any of the appeal and enjoyment that Be There For Me brings.

The music video brought a smile to my face. But I am not entirely sure if that was because of the combination of music and imagery, or the cringy nature of what is happening in the video. We start off with JOHNNY and JUNGWOO playing ping pong. JUNGWOO accidently hits the ball a bit too hard and it lands in JAEHYUN’s cereal. JUNGWOO and JAEHYUN fight, before DOYOUNG gets them to resolve their conflict so they can all seriously plan out their participation in a furniture auction. They build a chair and some fast auctioning happens, causing the auctioneer to bang their hammer down a little too hard, smashing all the windows. It causes the debris to fly everywhere, mimicking snow, which leads onto a snowglobe transition. That is what I took away from the video. I did like the beginning, which felt lighthearted. But the video got odd from the auction setting onwards.

The choreography was pleasant and enjoyable to watch. Nothing too flashy or too hard.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Review] Rebel – TVXQ!

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Support your other favourite artists, songs and performance in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards by clicking here to vote today.

I am back! And the first song review of 2024 is TVXQ!’s Rebel. It is one of the final songs released in 2023 and serves as the title track from the duo’s 9th Korean studio album, 20&2. This particular album also celebrates the pair’s 20th anniversary. Rebel is also TVXQ!’s first Korean release since 2018’s Truth (though the two members have been more active over the last few years as solo artists). They have been more actively lately as a group in Japan with their last release Lime & Lemon dropping a few months prior.

Leave it to TVXQ! to see off 2023 with an energetic and dramatic track like Rebel. I really liked the hollow percussion in the verses, the glitchy and rough nature of the synths elsewhere in the song (that instrumental break really sells it for me), and the freshness the pop melodies in the pre-choruses bring to Rebel. As for the dramatic turn the chorus takes, I did like the suspenseful direction Rebel takes, but I personally felt it could have gone harder. To me, the chorus just teeters at the edges and doesn’t really fall as hard as you would have expected from listening to the rest of Rebel or just from what you know of TVXQ!. It truly was a missed opportunity to take Rebel to the next level. Vocally, I felt satisfied with those pop melodies we get in the pre-choruses (as mentioned above). However, it is the really low rap-speak that we get from U-KNOW that I am not entirely fond of. I do appreciate that it adds to the suspense and intensity of the track, but it felt a tad too artificial and over-processed for me. But honestly, my nit-picks are pretty minor. The energy, dramatic flair, intensity, suspense and just the familiarity of TVXQ! makes Rebel feel like an indulgence. And given it was released in the final few days of 2023, the timing to indulge in it was just right.

The music video looks cool and works well with the song. The aesthetics throughout looks amazing, especially when it came to the dance break. It looks like a mismatch of things, but they actually work hand-in-hand with each other to create intensity and depth. The bubbling lava, lightning and other imagery we see during the dance break instantly amps up the intensity of that portion of the video/song, taking everything to another level. The eyeball imagery in the first verse and artwork imagery used during two parts of the video was also quite memorable element.

The other super cool part of this comeback is the choreography. The ripple effects, the vibrating parts and that dance break just highlights why TVXQ has been around for 20 years now. They know how to perform and it is something that they do not take lightly.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

[Review] Sour & Sweet – BamBam (GOT7)

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Support your other favourite artists, songs and performance in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards by clicking here to vote today.

Somehow BamBam’s March comeback with Sour & Sweet keeps on being passed up for a review. Obviously, I missed the opportunity to review the soloist’s latest song in March. I have also started a draft of the review a month after its release in April, and then again in August. But I am finally writing a review of Sour & Sweet, the title track of BamBam’s first studio album of the same name. It follows on from his release of Slow Mo at the very start of 2022 and will form the final song review to be posted in 2023.  

Thanks to the synthwave instrumentation of Sour & Sweet, many people have been drawing parallels between this song and The Kid Laroi’s Stay. And I can completely hear that. Sour & Sweet is not better than the international hit itself, but it is still very much a likeable track. The synthwave backing and the fact that BamBam doesn’t go too hard makes for a pleasant track in Sour & Sweet. It all feels wispy and breezy, but yet the hooks keep the song grounded. And these hooks are very effective in keeping the song in your mind. Given the many months between release and this review, you might think that the hooks can’t be that effective. But it has beckoned me to starting writing a version of the review in between that will never see the light of day. BamBam’s delivery in the verses is also quite good. Not as riveting at the chorus, but still enjoyable. The instrumental break continues the momentum of the track with ease and doesn’t disrupt the flow or the song in anyway. Sour & Sweet is a very neat track from BamBam.

The music video shows two sides of BamBam. Based on the title of the song, one side depicts the “sour”, while the other depicts the “sweet”.  In the video, we see BamBam investigate a crime. A crime that is later shown to have been committed the other side of BamBam. To me, it is a little unclear which side is which. I have a feeling that it might not be what we expect, however, given everything is slightly different. You might notice the song title is ‘Sour & Sweet’, when the saying is usually ‘Sweet & Sour’. Similarly, the writing on the newspaper says ‘Evil & Good’, when the saying is usually ‘Good & Evil’. Similarly, the business card he picks up associates ‘Sour’ with white, and ‘Sweet’ with black, when it would more common the other way around. It is quite a different take on things and brings out an aesthetic vibe that makes the music video even more thought provoking. That, or I am overcomplicating things, once again.

BamBam’s live performance skills are definitely shown off during this comeback with a solid routine and engaging performance from the soloist. His impressed me with his consistent live vocals, and the instrumental break highlights his dance performance skills. It is most effective when BamBam dons a jacket of some kind, with the opening of one side of the jacket having the most impact. It looks slightly awkward without the jacket.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Review] The Wonderful Escape – UKISS

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UKISS is nominated for Best “Return to Stage” Comeback in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support UKISS and your other favourite acts by clicking here to vote today.

UKISS is a group who debuted back in 2008 with Not Young. But since their debut, they have become widely known in the KPOP industry for hits like Man Man Ha Ni, Shut Up!, 0330, Neverland (my personal favourite from the group) and a few others. Over the years, there has been a number of lineup changes which reduced the group down to two members at one point. This year, UKISS celebrated their 15-year anniversary as a six-member group (Soohyun, Hoon and Kiseop are joined by Alexander, Eli and AJ as part of this comeback, with the support of other former members) with their first comeback (since 2017) – the mini-album Play List and the title track The Wonderful Escape.

The Wonderful Escape brings to us a nostalgic sound, which is fitting for the purposes of this comeback. The Wonderful Escape has this throwback club vibe to it that feels aligned with the era where the group was at their peak (i.e., late ‘00s and early ‘10s). In addition to that, the song also feels brightly refreshing and upbeat, which gives it an ideal appeal during the summery season that was released in. I really like the prowess and oomph that the members’ vocals bring to in The Wonderful Escape, which gives the song some nice depth and an extra element that is quite meaty to sink into. The rapping was admittedly brief and I am unsure why that was the case. What we got from in The Wonderful Escape fits in really well with the club vibe and EDM nature of the song, and so I wished there was more to it. This was a great return for UKISS. And with news that Alexander and Eli have signed on to keep the group alive with future comebacks with Soohyun, Hoon and Kiseop (plus AJ flagged he would be open to also participating in future promotions), The Wonderful Escape just invigorates my inner KissMe (name of UKISS fanclub).

While I really enjoyed the song , the music video was the disappointing aspect of the comeback for me. Don’t get me wrong, the video (for its majority) was watchable. But, and I am completely aware I am about to sound like an elderly citizen, I just can’t get out of my mind that UKISS is now a group of 30+ years olds who were doing similar scenes in this music video as some of their much younger peers (such as pushing each other in a shopping trolley – that feels very teenage/very young adult behaviour). I also wish the styling was better. Other than that, I did really like the various solo and some pair closeup shots of the group, and all of the indoor choreography scenes (see the feature image). They way the people who created the music video used up the space made it all come out well.

The choreography for the comeback looks good. It isn’t as memorable as their more wildly know routines, but it works well enough for this comeback. It is light and feels rightly upbeat like the music. I like how everyone involved had smiles on throughout the performances, which shows that they all really wanted to be there to celebrate the 15-year anniversary after so long.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Review] MEGAVERSE – Stray Kids

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Stray Kids is nominated for Best Male Group, while Stray Kids’ rappers (HYUNJIN, HAN, CHANGBIN and FELIX) are nominated for Best Rap Performance. Their comeback single S-Class is nominated in a number of categories including Best Male Performance (Group), Best Electronic Song, Best Music Video etc. Support Stray Kids, S-Class and your other favourite acts from 2023 by clicking here to vote today.

Stray Kids have gone above and beyond again with their latest comeback, ROCK-STAR, and the title track LALALALA. In addition to the title track, Stray Kids have also unveiled the music video for MEGAVERSE, thus making it eligible for a song review – the reason as to why we are here today.

MEGAVERSE is quite an intense track, with the track being at its best when the intensity is at its peak. The song goes for some really dramatic synths that sets the tone of the track in a matter of seconds. The flute-y synth in the chorus is very memorable, giving MEGAVERSE that really defining element that instantly makes you remember the likes of MEGAVERSE if you were to hear it standalone elsewhere. But as mentioned at the start, the best part of MEGAVERSE’s instrumentation is towards the end when they really went in hard with the very wild and powerful synth concentration. As for Stray Kids, they did a really great job. FELIX and BANGCHAN’s opening line were so epic, while CHANGBIN, HAN and HYUNJIN’s rapping in the verses were so engaging and had great flow. LEE KNOW did a really good job fitting into the song, as well. SEUNGMIN and I.N were the members I had most concerns, given they shine brightest with more delicate material and MEGAVERSE doesn’t really reflect their wheelhouse. But I am happy to be corrected, as their vocals moments in the pre-chorus ends up being really nice moments of relief, which allows the song to ‘reset’ itself, so that the chorus drop can continually feel invigorating and less tiresome every time it comes back around. MEGAVERSE is a very strong opening track that really showcases who Stray Kids are and their style of music.

The music video opens up with a bored security guard, munching on some food and scribbling on an image of Stray Kids in the newspaper. Yeah… he shouldn’t have done that. Each member of Stray Kids make themselves known to the security guard in the video, with the group first appearing in the elevator on one of the guard’s screen out of nowhere. And without touching him, he faces the force of Stray Kids, who sends him flying into a glass wall and falling down a floor through the floor. This pretty much terrifies the guard, who tries to run away. But he can’t seem to do that, as he finds himself in a constant loop circling back to BANGCHAN, who we all know would go out of his way to protect his fellow members.  In the end, he snaps out of it after a fellow security guard interrupts what appears to be just a moment for the guard. That fellow security guard is TABLO from EPIK HIGH, who makes an unexpected appearance in this video. He is also intrigued by the newspaper. But rather experiencing what the other guard went through, he simply writes his name alongside Stray Kids in the crossword section of the newspaper (which interestingly has a “Next ‘X’?” title), which might be hinting towards a future collaboration between the two.

Ahead of the album drop, MEGAVERSE was performed as part of the group’s 5-Star Dome Tour. Said performance is very angsty and aggressive, matching up with the atmosphere that MEGAVERSE brings out and the delivery the group gives. It is a bold piece that definitely grabs your attention. And like the song itself, this might just become the very performance you might want to introduce non-fans to  Stray Kids.

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

[Review] Top or Cliff – KIM SEJEONG

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KIM SEJEONG’s Top or Cliff is nominated for Best R&B Song and Door is nominated for Best Album in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support KIM SEJEONG’s releases and your other favourite acts by clicking here to vote today.

Following the surprising announcement of Gugudan’s disbandment in 2020, the only member that has managed to stay on my radar is Kim Sejeong. This is more so the result of her growing popularity through the Korean dramas Business Proposal and The Uncanny Encounter. In August of this year, she returned as a solo artist with her first studio album, Door, and the title tracks Top or Cliff and Voyage. The former is the focus of this review post.

Top or Cliff takes us down the R&B path, with a flowy melody and a dramatic instrumentation. The guitar work that kicks off the song has this grip to it, while the dramatic nature of the instrumentation comes to life via the very paced percussion we hear in the background. This all accumulates towards a mature and moody atmosphere. Unfortunately, Top or Cliff doesn’t deviate from this composition at all as the song progresses, which is good for consistency purposes, but it also makes the song feel flat and lackluster as it goes on. I wished there was some sort of concentration of intensity towards the end to make Top or Cliff even more memorable on the instrumental front. Kim Sejeong’s vocals was very soothing, which I found to both complement and contrast with the rest of Top or Cliff. An interesting predicament. The breathy nature of the vocals accentuates the melodies and contributes to the mature and moody atmosphere. Yet it is smooth despite the dramatic flair. Overall, Top or Cliff has the hallmarks of a strong release. But I feel like better development, trajectory and an ending would have made everything even better.

Matching the mature and moody atmosphere of the song is the dark and violent music video. I would say that it feels rather unexpected. But it is a memorable aspect of this comeback. The music video opens up with Kim Sejeong arriving at the mansion. The staff all lineup to greet her at her arrival, but from some of the scenes, there is a level of distrust between her and the staff. I suppose she has a high rank in whatever this organisation is, and the staff (as we see later in the video) are planning a revolt. The staff keeps an eye on her, but she clearly knows that something is happening around the mansion. In the end, she takes action herself and takes down all of the staff themselves. A fight breaks ensues, but ultimately Kim Sejeong wins and burns the place down. While there is a lot of bloodshed in this video, I do find the start of the video where she is dancing around the mansion to be quite aesthetically pleasing. But I am assuming this is supposed to be intention so that it looks like she doesn’t know what is going on. I believe the message, when taking the events of the video and the lyrics into account, shows her strength and determination to not show her weakness.

The performance is very flowy, matching up with the melodies of the song. It looks nice and feels pleasant to watch, but nothing memorable comes from it.

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

[Review] Serenade – BOYNEXTDOOR

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BOYNEXTDOOR is nominated for Best New Male Group in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support BOYNEXTDOOR and your other favourite acts by clicking here to vote today.

The BOYNEXTDOOR release that I promised I would review one day is the single Serenade, the third and final single from their single album WHO!. Today is the day I fulfil the promises I made in their One & Only and But I Like You reviews. Serenade was later featured as part of the group’s first mini-album released in October, Why.., and an album review for Why.. will be published soon.

Of the three debut singles BOYNEXTDOOR had, Serenade offers a more melodic focus. If you know me, I do like tracks that more vocal or melody forward, compared to rapping. And while the melodies in Serenade are quite pleasant and the vocal work we do hear from BOYNEXTDOOR does have some potential (the bridge is the best example of this potential), I wished that the producers of Serenade reeled the song in a bit. The group keeps to their youthful and playful charms in this song, something that they really made sure to emphasise in their both One & Only and But I Like You already. I don’t have an issue with the producers and the group maintaining this energy (as that is their concept), but it does make Serenade feel a bit ‘too much’. Some of the vocals and rapping feels a bit over-the-top and shouty, which detracts from the melodic focus that I mentioned at the start. Elsewhere in Serenade, I really liked how the song ends (though the “I’ll get along with your dad, for you” line makes me laugh), and I thought the various detailing in the instrumental keeps the track charming and on its toes.

The group chases after the person they have a crush on in the music video. And that is the music video in a nutshell. They follow her on the streets, to the place where she hangs out with friends (i.e., the recurring diner) and to her home. Not in a creepy sense, but in a ‘boy next door’ type of fashion that you see in American TV shows, where one party is upstairs and the other party is outside throwing rocks at the window to get the other’s attention. Holding speakers over the top of one’s head whilst outside of another’s home is similar I liked how the dad opens the door at the very end, and the group is taken aback with the presence of the dad. It gives context to the final line of the song mentioned above.

The performance was fun and playful, which works with their image. I really liked the crab walk move they do as a group in the first chorus  

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

[Review] Kangaroo – NCT U

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NCT is nominated for Best Male Group, while MARK (NCT) is nominated for Best Rap Performance, and NCT DREAM and NCT DOJAEJUNG are nominated for Best Subunit (amongst other categories) in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support NCT and their associated acts, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today.

In preparation for an album review for NCT’s Golden Age that dropped back in August with Baggy Jeans and Golden Age at the helm, I have been reviewing the tracks that had an ’archiving video’ released alongside it. And for the final time – what on earth is an archiving video? So far, I have reviewed PADO, The BAT and Alley Oop. But there is one more to review before I can post that album review – Kangaroo.   

TAEIL, KUN, RENJUN, YANGYANG, CHENLE and JISUNG are the members that form the lineup for Kangaroo. Out of the four additional songs that I am reviewing separately from Golden Age, Kangaroo is the least interesting for me. I personally find this track to be fairly standard of the bunch and it doesn’t really offer anything new or memorable that gets me coming back for more. That being said, I don’t personally mind Kangaroo. If it pops up on my queue, I won’t turn away or skip over it. Kangaroo is still a bright and upbeat track. The members make it bubbly and fun with their vocals. And most notably, there is a pleasantness, chillness and carefree vibe which I do see as charming.

The music video is also just as bright as the song, and the members turn on their cute charms to bring it all to life. While I would usually find such concepts to be cringy, it isn’t as bad as it could have been. Maybe they could have expanded on the idea of the ‘escape plan’ that we see in the video. It is just kind of shown and casted aside. I also don’t really see much of a kangaroo reference aside from the paw-like dance move, which I think is a missed opportunity to make the video even more fun than what it is. Plus, I do like kangaroos (though that might be my Australian-side coming through).

The performance is just like the music video. It is definitely bright and cutesy. But I do also see the fun and kind of see the kangaroo reference in the video. Maybe more hopping would have made the performance a bit more aligned with the title, but I enjoyed this aspect of the release nonetheless.

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

[Review] Who’s Next – Lapillus

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A group who I don’t really pay attention to whom I ought to pay attention more to is Lapillus. While I am not 100% sure why, I have a gut feeling that tells me that they should be on my radar. And their latest song, Who’s Next, backs up this thought. Who’s Next was released in June 2023 as part of the group’s second mini-album, Girl’s Round Part.2.

Who’s Next is clearly loud and noisy, but it is the boldness and striking nature of the song that I like best. You can say that the instrumentation plays a part in this (and it does, though I am not 100% impressed with the background – more of that in a second), but I actually put it down to the song’s clear and simple chanty “Tell me who’s next” hook, which does get pretty addictive. The “Na Na Na” refrain that follows the second chorus and ends off the song also has a similar effect. The pre-chorus that leads to the song’s main hook actually sounds quite good and gives a nice incline towards my personal likeable aspect of Who’s Next. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the rest of the song. The verses were a complete miss, with vocals and rapping not coming off as polished. The instrumentation was very typical and dated ‘loud noise’ and I felt it didn’t offer Who’s Next anything new to really set it apart from the competition. I also didn’t feel like it was cohesive, with it feeling like we were more so thrown into the production. Overall, I like Who’s Next’s intention, but not necessary all of its execution.

The music video appears to be pretty sub-par. There just isn’t a whole heap going on over than closeup and choreography in this video. While the background does give off an edgy vibe, the concept either felt plain (i.e., street food laneway) and was pretty overkill (i.e. gun-filled bathroom). The members’ styling was also quite boring. The post-production sucked. For example, the video includes a pretty cool drone shot at 1:10 of the video, with the drone flying through a window. But the editing that follows to merge it with the choreography scene to make it feel like the drone was also going to capture the choreography to make it appear seamless was very elementary and cheapens the whole deal. Also, what on earth is going on at the 2:33 mark, with the camera work capturing all members of the gun filled bathroom. They kind of used a 360° camera on a drone? It feels a bit much and felt distracting from the rest of the video.

I am quite impressed with the routine for this release, particularly when it comes to the chorus and instrumental break. The synchronisation between the members and sharpness of the moves looked cool and edgy. It also felt logical, which I liked.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6.4/10

[Review] nothing but – Young K (DAY6)

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Young K’s let it be summer is nominated for Best Rock Song in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support let it be summer and your other favourite acts by clicking here to vote today.

Young K from DAY6 made his solo debut back in 2021 with the single Guard You. Following that, he carried out his military enlistment until April of this year. In September, he returned as a solo artist, bringing his first studio album Letters with Notes, the pre-release single let it be summer (which I have already reviewed) and the title track nothing but (the latter being the focus of this review).

While let it be summer was an energetic rock track, nothing but goes down the balladry path. The rock/band elements do remain in the instrumentation and the backing is also rather simplistic. These elements and its simplistic approach tones down the energy quite a bit to fit that balladry approach. But it is obvious to me that the execution of the backing remained passionate to enable nothing but to be an effective carrier of Young K’s vocals, which is so damn emotive. You can feel the heartbreak and pain behind his voice, which made the song so impactful to me when I first heard it. And it still remains that way every time I play the song again and again. Aside from that, I found the jerky piano at the start made for a stilling opening and a good beginning. But I would have liked more striking piano work elsewhere in nothing but to complement the beginning somehow. As it is, nothing but is still an emotive rock ballad that serves as a strong addition to Young K’s solo work.

The music video features both Young K and DAHYUN from TWICE, who we see are going through a break up. From Young K’s perspective (based on the lyrics of nothing but), he could feel that the breakup was coming. But he tries to hold onto what is left, as much as he can. We see him lose the ring in a car that is going to be dropped from up high. But no matter way, he tries to find it. DAHYUN drinks all of the water in the glass, and he goes to fill it back up as a way to keep her at the table. We see her hand back the presents that he once bought her – later shown to be frozen in ice (a metaphor for their relationship). But he still smashes his way through the ice to free the items. But no matter what he does, the video shows ultimately ends in their breakup. It is a really abstract yet interesting music video to watch. I also thought the acting of both Young K and DAHYUN was exceptional in this video.  

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10  

[Review] AMNESIA – WOODZ

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WOODZ is nominated for Best Male Soloist and ABYSS is nominated for Best Ballad in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support WOODZ and ABYSS by clicking here to vote today.

WOODZ announced that he will be enlisting into the Korean military later this month. But ahead of this, he also confirmed one final music release, AMNESIA, which dropped on Monday of this week. This follows on from his earlier 2023 comeback with ABYSS and Journey. AMNESIA will also serve as my final ‘new release’ review of 2023, as previously mentioned.

WOODZ kicks off AMNESIA with an alternative-rock ballad approach. And this start alone was breath taking to listen to. His vocals was extremely captivating and you could already feel the emotions behind WOODZ’s voice from this opening verse. Similar comments can be said about the second verse. But for the chorus, WOODZ takes AMNESIA up many notches with a powerful rock sound. And then he pushes the boundaries further with an even more heightened instrumental following the choruses. He has definitely tapped into the rock genre before in his discography, but this is the first time a song really blasts its way through and really grabs your attention. To be fair, the way this powerful rock sound comes off will either makes or breaks AMNESIA for everyone. Some will feel it is too much – it already feels so powerful that it overpowers WOODZ’s vocals in the latter half of the chorus. Others will enjoy it, with the powerful display being indicative of emotional heft AMNESIA delivers and the impact that the song delivers. I am of the latter category, though part of me does agree with the former regarding the overpowered vocals (hence why I raised it). But overall, I felt like the rush of energy from the choruses and the instrumental sequence following the choruses in AMNESIA to be quite exhilarating, which adds to the memorability of the song that firstly began with the captivating vocals in the verses.

In addition to the dark and grungy vibes that are given off at first glance through the rock band/singing scenes, the music video appears to be quite aesthetic. There is a fair bit to unpack in this video, such as the mysterious nature of the blonde person – it looks like they are contributing to WOODZ’s struggle, but they also rescue him. What does this all mean? Also the car crashing down into the room with the bathtub is quite intriguing. AMNESIA, according to Soompi, ‘asks the question what we have forgotten while living today.’. So, I am guessing these aspects of the music video are what WOODZ might have forgotten after moving on from a past relationship, given the parts when he is in a leather jacket does show him more ‘put together’ compared to the bathtub scenes? All very intriguing, and I am not put off by that.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

[Review] BORN TO BE – ITZY

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ITZY is nominated for Best Female Performance (Group) for CAKE, while RINGO is nominated for Best International Song by a Korean Artist (Japanese). Support ITZY’s CAKE and RINGO, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today.

Ahead of their official comeback on 8 January 2024 with their second studio album, ITZY has pre-released the single BORN TO BE. This upcoming comeback will be ITZY’s first return with a four-member lineup, after it was announced that LIA would not be part of this comeback due to anxiety. It also follows on from the group’s CAKE comeback in July of this year and their more recent Japanese single RINGO.

BORN TO BE attempts to become the group’s most powerful and bombastic sound yet, based on the visual aspect of this release (more on that in the music video and performance aspects of this review). And while I do hear it during certain parts of the song, I just don’t think BORN TO BE gets there. I personally thought the song was rather tame. Sure, the instrumental was busy and loud (though it was very clear to me that it was typical and lacked originality), and ITZY’s delivery at times alludes to a powerful undertaking. But I felt something was holding back the song from realizing its full potential. To me, a more innovative instrumental could have resolved some that. For example, I was waiting for some added vibrancy and intensity to kick in during the final chorus to make everything at the end feel more enhanced. That would have made BORN TO BE‘s ending to be more satisfying to end on. Also, I wished the chorus was less monotonous with its ‘Born To Be’ repetitive hook. I felt that really dulls the song down quite a bit. But it isn’t all bad news for ITZY. The shoutier moments of BORN TO BE felt like a statement, and I actually like the stillness (relative to the rest of the song) that the pre-chorus brought to the track. The vocal backing in the instrumental break was actually refreshing and different to the usual synth-only dance breaks we get. Overall, I definitely think more can be done with BORN TO BE.

The music video goes for a darker than usual concept for this performance centric music video. But I also like its simplicity. It might not be apparent, given the different visual effects utilized in the video and the amount of dancers present in video. But when you start breaking it down, there really isn’t much. The room is literally dark, with post-production used to apply a limited yet cool set of visual effects that plays out above the members/dancers. LCD screens are below the members as the ‘floor’, which at times was lava or just a white foundation for the group and dancers to perform and ‘pop’ out on. Minimal lighting was also used – there was enough so that you can see the members/dancers, but not enough such that the background feels like it is darkness. At a certain point, red carpet was introduced along with a rock formation that some of the members danced upon, just to give some form of height and depth to the video (otherwise, the video would have been very flat). I like it, simply because all of the above works well together with the song to show us what was intended out of BORN TO BE.

Performance looks amazing. The synchronisation at the pre-chorus is probably my highlight, simply because the angles at which their arms are at make it super difficult to achieve. The sheer volume of dancers (alongside ITZY) makes the chorus looks epic. And the dance break was awesome to watch. We might just have a contender for the 2024 KPOPREVIEWED Awards already.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 8.1/10