Category: Reviews

[Review] MELTING POINT – ZEROBASEONE

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As part of their November comeback with the CRUSH, ZEROBASEONE also released a music video for the side track MELTING POINT, which also comes from the same mini-album that CRUSH is featured on and also shares the same name as the side track. Today, I will be reviewing MELTING POINT (in case you can’t already tell).

As a whole, MELTING POINT comes out to be quite a fun track, especially when we get to the more up-tempo chorus. But there are two distinct motifs in this song, both of which complement each other quite well to form the one song that is MELTING POINT. The verses and bridge feature a dreamy approach, which allows the members to showcase a softer and lighter vocal charm. I liked how pleasant these parts of the song are. When we get to the choruses, the instrumentation intensifies and the song becomes hookier. The synths take on a more abrasive profile in the centrepiece of MELTING POINT, which offsets the dreamier approach in the verses and helps makes the chorus more memorable by boldening it. The chorus also makes that fun side of the song more prominent, and the members convey that same vibe off with their vocals. I did kind of wished there was something more to the second verse, so it doesn’t sound like a replica of the first one. But that is a small improvement to an already good side track.

The music video sees the members are all smiles in a winter wonderland. And to match the vibes of MELTING POINT, we also see a much brighter and light-hearted side to the members, a side that we saw in their debut but not the main music video for this comeback. There also seems to be a bit more to the video, with the fairy tale elements like the poison apple, a mirror, horse and telescope. I am not entirely sure what these elements are trying to portray, but I guess they contribute to the members looking for love to thaw out their heart (which might explain why some of the setting does melt away later on in the video), which is the message they express in the song.

The choreography features a slight cute undertone to it, which is a slightly different vibe than ZEROBASEONE has ever shown. Nothing that memorable comes out of the routine. But I did like the all-smile approach to the routine, which matches up with the tone of the song quite well.

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

[Review] Mr. Vampire – ITZY

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Very early on in January 2024 and ahead of the official release of their BORN TO BE album release (led by the title track UNTOUCHABLE), ITZY also pre-released the single Mr. Vampire. Today, I will be reviewing this single. This was the second pre-release from the album (not including the solo releases that are also featured on the BORN TO BE album), with the first being the single that shares the same name as the album, BORN TO BE.

My thoughts on Mr. Vampire is fairly simple. Instrumentally, Mr. Vampire is a fun song to me. I quite enjoyed the percussion that features throughout the track. There are also some harps (in full and rather choppy later on) and whistle-like synths in the chorus (which I find to be quite familiar, but I just cannot pinpoint where I have heard something similar). These all help Mr. Vampire‘s backing piece to be engaging and intriguing to me. In terms of the members and their input into Mr. Vampire, that is where the song unravels for me. It is a fair effort from the group, but the melodies are incredibly dull and the vocal work feels strained. Nothing from the members pings me as memorable. In fact, all of it (if not most) was pretty forgettable. I wished what the members had to offer in Mr. Vampire was striking enough to be on par with the instrumentation. Or just even compelling enough to get a better reaction out of me. But as it stands, the instrumentation was by far the most memorable aspect of the song, and the rest of Mr. Vampire just … well… disappears.

The music video appears as dull as the song did. While I did like the colour palette that was used in the video and the close-up shots of the members do look real nice, there just isn’t anything more to the video (apart from the performance aspect of the release, and even then the song weighs this down as well) that sticks out. I also noticed some poor editing in the later parts of the video, where the lip-syncing just does not match up to the song. I understand the song is about falling in love, but I would have liked a touch of that vampire concept in the video. Maybe a bit of blood or some symbolism that represents the mythological creature.

As mentioned prior, the choreography for this pre-release was also bland and dull. But it is slightly better than the music video. From what I can see, there are vampire references in the routine and the chorus part of the choreography had a slight dynamic touch and sharpness that I was looking for in the other parts of this Mr. Vampire release.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

[Review] Bad News – KISS OF LIFE

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Making their first comeback in November 2023 is KISS OF LIFE, who returns with their second mini-album, Born To Be XX, and the title track Bad News. The latest release from the new female group, which is nominated for Best New Female Group in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards (voting is now closed), follows on from their debut with Shhh in July of this year.

Kicking off Bad News is the guitar twang, which makes for quite a unique sound. As the song progresses to the end, we hear the emergence of a rock vibe alongside that twang. This was a nice development in Bad News, giving that extra oomph to the end to single the final moments. But it also added an extra texture to the song to further its appeal and make it a cooler sound. In addition to the instrumentation, the definite strong vocals and confident rapping we get from the members of KISS OF LIFE really makes Bad News captivating and hard to put down. The boldness and charisma that comes off these vocals and rapping sends a clear message that they are not a group to mess around with and highlights their potential in this industry. Belle’s vocals, in particular, was show-stopping in this song, especially as we get into ad-lib territory. There is also an abundance of hooks to remember the song by, as well. Overall, Bad News definitely shows me that KISS OF LIFE to watch out further in this new generation of KPOP.

The music video for Bad News sees the members stand up for themselves and what they see is right. And I think the Bad News is that they are not afraid of the repercussion that could entail (I think). Not entirely sure of the latter point, but I feel like that is why the home videos and lyrics about the website are about. Anyhow, the video features the members standing up to (what I assume) is a bad ex, a bully, a rude person in an audience and a creep on the train. The members, when confronted by the police, protest against the injustice that they face as a result of standing up for themselves. At the end of the video, it seen that the above are just personal matters and that there is something larger at play. It appears the police chase and riot are a cover for the members to spread out some different news. We see a photographer pick up a top secret document and is engrossed by it. This is followed by some CCTV footage of the members at a rich person’s house, searching through the house. Overall, an interesting concept.

The song really sets up the choreography aspect of the comeback. The performance was super dynamic and engaging to watch. The confidence and sassy attitude was definitely there and probably gave the choreography an extra edge to enjoy. I also really liked the originality of the boxing ring formed by the dancers in the first chorus.  

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

[Review] SEVEN SINS – DRIPPIN

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DRIPPIN’s April 2023 release SEVEN SINS has been on my ‘to review’ list for quite a while now. I have attempted to start a review for SEVEN SINS a few times since April, but it never eventuated into something I could post. But finally, after almost a year from its release, I am finally getting around to reviewing it. SEVEN SINS follows on from the group’s November 2022 release, The One (which was nominated for Best Rock Song of 2023 in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. In case you are wondering, it fell within the eligibility period for the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards and voting has now closed).

For me, the plainness of SEVEN SINS is one of the reasons to why I never felt motivated to prioritise the song for review. It is a solid track, opting for a slow jam type of vibe. I would even go to the lengths of being successful at achieving the goal of being that, partially thanks to the dragged-out melodies of the song, such as the primary hook of SEVEN SINS. But this ultimately dulls down the potential of SEVEN SINS for me. I will admit that the vocal delivery from the members of DRIPPIN was very well executed, and was by far one of the best aspects of the song in my opinion. Contributing to the SEVEN SINS’ overall plainness is the constant etchiness and clangy, which sounds feels like something we have heard before. For me, the lack of innovation holds back on the dynamism of SEVEN SINS. Furthermore, the more paced instrumentation (as a result of the melodies) did call for something a little more heightened down the line to really drive interest in the song. And that never eventuated. It isn’t all bad news for the backing of SEVEN SINS, with the groovy backing to the bridge thanks to the bass, being quite cool. The bridge also serves a memorable “99 Problems” line. While I do get the intentions of what SEVEN SINS should have been, improvements are needed to SEVEN SINS to increase its memorability and get me more excited for the song.

The music video for SEVEN SINS was a positive aspect of the comeback. I can’t remember exactly what my first impression of the video was, but there is a lot going on and there is a mysteriousness to it all that makes it intriguing to watch. The video opens with JUNHO falling into a never-ending hole, before we see the members embrace the seven sins as they interact with one another. JUNHO is the first member to interact with another, so this might play into the lore that DRIPPIN has where JUNHO was a villain. This could be an after-life situation, as his villainous side did supposedly die in their previous video. Aside from the plotline, the aesthetics of the video was really well done and this helped draw more attention to the video.

Despite it being a slow jam type of song, the choreography for SEVEN SINS definitely has a powerfulness to it. What they did well is find a balance between that and the slowed momentum of parts of SEVEN SINS, and never let one taking over the other. All of this made this performance worth watching and highlights the calibre of the team’s performance and dancing skills.   

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

[Review] Haze – LUCY

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One of the nominees for the Most Underrated Song of 2023 as part of the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards was LUCY’s Haze. And today, I will be telling you why. Haze was released back in August of 2023 as part of their Fever mini-album that was also released on the same day. While I had intentions to review it much earlier, I never got around to reviewing it unfortunately. But that changes today. This is the first time I am reviewing a LUCY release since PLAY in 2022.

I honestly do not remember my first impression of Haze. But I definitely remember ‘rediscovering’ the track a while after its release and falling for it, just in time to nominate it as part of the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards (which voting has now ended). There is so much to enjoy in Haze. The soaring vocals sound sublime. The energy from the rock instrumentation really bolsters up the song, while the continuous unique presence of the violin in this band’s composition and the additional strings gives Haze another dimension and to further the already mentioned effect of both vocals and band instrumentation. The “Ah-ha” at the start of the chorus has such a memorable ring to it and is such a blissful moment in the song. The melodies throughout the song were also equally as memorable. But what got to me and really won me over was the sentiment of the song. Not even considering the lyrics, the vocals in Haze just carries such an uplifting and encouraging tone, along with a tinge of emotions that almost got to me. And this is the exactly what you get when you read the lyrics. All of this convinced me how amazing Haze is. And given how it hasn’t got the attention it deserves, it was nominated for Most Underrated Song by me for 2023.  

If the emotion tinge to the vocals weren’t enough to tip me over, the music video did. And for your information, it wasn’t the relatable struggles of study pressures, being bullied or not succeeding at something that you have attempted so many times that was portrayed in the music video by the students. It was actually that montage of LUCY performing together on the field in a circle, engaging with one another that got to me. There is something about this that reminded me of simpler times, hanging out with friends and having a blast with one another. Me getting emotional over that part doesn’t negate the rest of the video, however, with the acting out of the struggles being well displayed. And with the uplifting lyrics, each student saw a happy ending. The haziness was also a nice effect over the video. The post-credit ending of the music video was a bit of a wildcard, as it alludes to Boogie Man, a future release (at the time) which dropped in December 2023. I will be back to review that release at a later date.

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

[Review] NO MORE (MA BOY) – SISTAR19

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SISTAR19 is a duo subunit from the Summer KPOP queens SISTAR, consisting of HYOLYN and BORA, who debuted way back in 2011 with Ma Boy. They made one comeback as a subunit with Gone Not Around Any Longer in 2013. 11 years on since that last comeback, HYOLYN and BORA have regrouped for a comeback and dropped their new single NO MORE (MA BOY) yesterday.

SISTAR19 were very much known for their two distinct hits back in the day, so I was a little unsure how they would navigate the industry a decade on since their last release. But with what I heard in NO MORE (MA BOY), my concerns were truly invalid. The new song really slides right into the current soundscape of the industry with little resistance. NO MORE (MA BOY) kicks off with an synth intro that takes me back to the disco era. For me, this was a very bold star, reminding me of diva-like tracks. And for SISTAR19 to embrace this association makes logical sense. HYOLYN’s vocals are heavenly here, as well. Moving from the intro, the verses feature a funky beat and solid vocals from both HYOLYN and BORA. That’s right, BORA sings in NO MORE (MA BOY) and doesn’t actually rap at all. Her part is brief in the first verse, but she has a more substantial presence in the second verse. Both sound very confident and sexy, which is definitely a hallmark for SISTAR19 songs. Maybe some rapping could have made NO MORE (MA BOY) better, though. What makes NO MORE (MA BOY) a little more interesting than your typical pop song is that the song’s pre-choruses and choruses sound the same. There are some differences, such as the Korean lyrics at the end of each part. But on the whole, both repeats the catchy repetition of ‘No No … No. Nobody’s perfect‘. The main difference is that the pre-choruses see a more stripped back instrumental that allows you to really focus on the vocals, while the choruses goes into the funky and groovy energy a lot harder. While it does leave the song a little empty, I do find that NO MORE (MA BOY)‘s hook and centrepiece (and by large, the song itself) is super simple, direct and effective here.

The music video showcases the sexiness that we know SISTAR19 can pull off. There is a few looks that the pair pull off effortless, such as the sexy cowgirl and the winter looks. Apart from that, I didn’t find much else to the music video. In addition to those looks are the choreography shots, which I will touch on below.

The choreography looks great. I felt this part of the comeback would have been a tall order to fulfil, given that Ma Boy had the infamous body wave and Gone Not Around Any Longer went really sexy. Here, the main move of the entire routine was simple and could potentially become the next iconic dance move that SISTAR is constantly known for. The rest of the routine is quite dynamic. I also do like how they pay homage to their last comeback with the presence of the table, which is used in the routine differently to their former performance.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10 [Updated on 3 March 2024 due to calculation error]

[Review] DASH – NMIXX

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Also making their comeback yesterday was NMIXX, who returned with their 2nd mini-album Fe3O4: Break. Featured on the mini-album is the title track DASH – the focus of this review. But in addition to DASH, the new mini-album also features the pre-release single Soñar (Breaker).

DASH is a very strong effort from NMIXX and is probably one of their best tracks yet! The song intros with DASH‘s catchy main hook (‘I wanna dash, I wanna run it‘), and this initially introduces us to a sassy and confident tone from the group. Also from the get-go, the hip-hop influence is definitely alive and helps gives DASH a nice bounce that I felt encapsulates a more urban style of hip-hop to the song. From there, we move into the verses, which features funky guitar that helps keeps that hip-hop influence alive and solid vocal works from the members. The pre-choruses brings an R&B colour to the song and serves as one of the strongest aspects of DASH. A particular mention has to be given to Bae, whose vocal tone here was just so enticing. We are then taken back to the chorus, where the catchy main hook continues to build on you, and the choruses within the song also features some strong vocals that wasn’t part of the main hook that opens up DASH. For the bridge, the group re-introduces the concept of MIXX pop with a change up that I am actually not troubled by. The change to grungier rock vibes but more vibrant vocals actually felt cleaner and not as jarring as NMIXX’s past MIXX pop tracks. Kyujin’s ending line ‘Um, I just want to continue my pace‘ is pretty iconic and stayed in my mind even after DASH wrapped. I quite liked their new song and the energy that they are showcasing in DASH. Very exciting.

The music video features three main settings – the prison, the street and the pastel clouds. Personally, I feel like there is a story that connects them altogether somehow. But I am clueless as to what that story is. But standalone, I liked the individual components of each part. And considering the song, the three settings work really well with the music that comes about during each respective part. I am also warming up to the styling. At first, I thought they looked a bit awkward with the headwear. But the more I watch the video, the less I am put off by them.

With the hip-hop influence coming from song, I was expecting some complex foot work. While the choreography doesn’t really feature that at all (I am a little disappointed by the omission), I feel like they did a really good job with making the choreography complex with the other half of their bodies. The small details and intricate moves that uses their arms and upper body actually makes this a cool routine and hard to look away.

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

[Review] Good Morning – YENA

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Making her comeback yesterday was YENA, who returned with the single Good Morning and the mini-album of the same name. This is YENA’s first comeback since the release of Hate Rodrigo (which I have yet to, and probably won’t get around to, reviewing). For those who missed it, Hate Rodrigo ended up being quite controversial, as the music video featured images of Olivia Rodrigo (who, if you cannot tell by the title of the song, is the subject of the song) and this was seen as being a trademark and copyright issue. The music video ended up being taken down and re-edited to remove the images, but by then the public was not positively receiving the song as it was perceived to be about hating the famous pop star. In the end, the comeback was cut short and we haven’t heard much from YENA until yesterday.

For Good Morning, YENA takes us down an energetic and powerful pop rock/punk sound, which is bound to wake you up if you have a groggy morning. It definitely takes us back to her debut, which was of a similar sound. It is just Good Morning is very much amped up and bolder. I personally really enjoyed that rush of adrenaline and exhilarating feeling that comes right off the instrumentation of Good Morning. As for YENA’s vocals, one of her strengths is that she sounds extremely youthful, bright and sweet. This always contrasts well with the punk and intense rock vibes, and creates an interesting dynamic. Some female groups and artists have tried to pull it off in the past, but I don’t think anyone has ever been as successful with this style. And Good Morning is another great example to YENA’s repertoire. I also liked the airier and stripped back approach of the bridge, which gives YENA a chance to showcase a different side of her vocals, and I like how it gave her an opportunity to push the boundaries a bit with her vocals. Overall, Good Morning is thrilling and is a great dose if you are looking for a pop/punk rock sound.

The song is about ‘letting go of yesterday’s concerns and tomorrow’s worries while welcoming a good morning’ (taken from SOOMPI). And we see that in this video. We see her either travelling from or to work on the train, with one of the carriages set up to look like an office. We then see that this is like a dream sequence, with her waking up at midnight and see office workers outside her window – how scary indeed! From there, we see her tackle her worries. The masked dancers, I guess, represent her worries and she pulls the microphone from the stone (as a play on the story of The Sword in the Stone) to fight off her worries, which was successful in the end. She manages to fight back and scare them away. Parts of the video looked very cool, while other parts were cutesy and funny. She and the team behind the music video definitely know what they are doing and pulls it off well.

The choreography looks good. YENA doesn’t really participate as much as I had hoped. Instead, she spends most of the time with her microphone and singing live. That being said, the way she is interwoven into the choreography (executed by the dancers) was clever. There was also chemistry between her and the dancers, which is a good thing for the viewers to see.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10

[Review] Angel Eyes – NCT 127

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I know a lot of my reviews lately have been related to NCT, with the most recent reviews being the 4 tracks that had an ’archiving video’ from NCT’s 4th studio album Golden Age, the album review for that particular album, and NCT 127’s special winter single Be There For Me. But ahead of the album review for their fifth studio album Fact Check (released back in October 2023), I will also be spending some time to review the b-side Angel Eyes from the Fact Check album, which also got a full length-track video.

My thoughts on Angel Eyes are super simple. Angel Eyes is a straightforward pop track with great vocals and rapping from all of the members. The pop rock instrumentation is extremely likeable. I personally felt the instrumentation was very clean and crisp, which heightens the pop rock energy and the members’ contributions to the track. Angel Eyes exudes a fun vibe, with my mind picturing everyone is having a blast with one another. It feels wholesome and pulls me in quite easily with its simple melodies. The chorus features everyone singing together, almost coming off in a chanty like manner. While that is sometimes a hit or miss, it works extremely well here in Angel Eyes. It is one of the best side tracks off the Fact Check album and I highly recommend you check it out.  

The track video is rather simple. It shows the members performing live on a stage that is floating in a river near the city. Some shots of the cityscape at night, and the members are casually dressed with evidence of a nice breeze. It would have been cooler to see the members have a bit more fun, but they do look like they are enjoying their time out there on the river.

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

[Review] Quiz – Jeong Sewoon

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

A week ago, Jeong Sewoon made his first solo comeback in almost two years with his 6th mini-album, Quiz, and the title track of the same name. His last comeback was in 2022 with the single Roller Coaster.

Quiz is a cute mid-tempo pop track, with some well-executed vocals from the soloist. The vocals have such a pleasant demeanour to them, and I really like the warm and comforting vibe that he exudes. I liked that he used a variety of techniques and styles to delivers the lyrics, and this helped made Quiz more interesting. The light and easy-going instrumental adds a bubbly charm that works well with Jeong Sewoon’s charms. Quiz‘s melodies have a nice bounce to it, particularly when it comes to the choruses. But while everything was enjoyable altogether, the lack of pull from Quiz isn’t there and this may cause the song to disappear into the crowd of other KPOP releases coming out this month. Let’s hope I am wrong, but it is already starting to look that way for Quiz no matter how much I praise the other aspects of the song.

The music video aspect of the comeback showcases Jeong Sewoon’s cutesy and boyish charms that has stuck with him since his debut. Watching this video and hearing the song together made me smile. And that is one of the greatest responses you can get. Quiz is about comparing the life and world to questions on a test or quiz, and I liked the scenes in which Jeong Sewoon is “studying” whilst going around the neighbourhood. But the best bit comes in during the credits, where Jeong Sewoon is in a bit of a pickle when an orange falls out of the bag he is carrying on his scooter, especially when he goes to retrieve one that just dropped beforehand.

Similar comments can be made about the choreography for this comeback. Cutesy and boyish. Jeong Sewoon doesn’t really participate much, with most of the routine being performed by the dancers. But I liked how the microphone stand ends up being incorporated into the choreography whilst Jeong Sewoon moves away from it briefly to pull the audience into the performance as part of the finale of the song. I thought that was a nice change of pace to the routine.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.6/`10

[Review] dOpamine – OnlyOneOf

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

OnlyOneOf makes their comeback today with their latest single dOpamine and mini-album Things I Can’t Say Love. It is their first comeback since March’s seOul drift (which was featured on their previous mini-album seOul collectiOn) and their BL drama Bump Up Business (which the entire group was casted in, but was led by Nine and Mill).

What I got out of OnlyOneOf’s latest release was that it puts us back in the previous familiar OnlyOneOf territory. And I am all for that! Right off the bat, the airiness and lightness of the vocals in dOpamine, opposite a drum and bass-like instrumental makes for an aesthetic environment. And we have previously got aesthetic sounds from OnlyOneOf through their more well known tracks like libidO. There are some more interesting parts in dOpamine that I am instantly drawn to more than others. But that doesn’t mean the rest of the song isn’t good enough (though I think some improvements on the production side to really bring the vocals and instrumentation together better would have really helped out, especially during that first verse). Personally, I really liked the pre-chorus, which introduces some guitar work into the mix. Junji’s perfectly executed vocals really adds the cherry on top. The chorus features a really nice concentration in the instrumentation, making the track feel sharper and dynamic, which I found to be a good call. The abruptness and glitchy style of the bridge was also a nice yet welcome change up in momentum, which I felt was needed so that dOpamine doesn’t come off repetitive. Overall, the positives outweighs the weaker parts of dOpamine, which honestly is quite a good song in itself.

Abs galore is the first thing I will say about this music video. I really do like it that OnlyOneOf consistently pushes the boundaries in some form through their releases, and that they do it again by showing off their sexier side. I do hope that it is voluntary and that no member is forced into the concept if they are uncomfortable. Beyond that, the music video is a rather standard formula of close ups (the whole middle portion of the video did feel more so an abs showcase) and choreography scenes. But complementary-wise, the video works well with the song.

The choreography looks good. Nothing stands out on its own, but the entire routine together has impact and boldness, which contrasts with both the entirety and component-level of the aesthetic environment I spoke about earlier.

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

[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