Category: Reviews

[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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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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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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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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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