Category: Reviews

[Review] Spring Breeze – Kim Jae Hwan

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Making his solo comeback yesterday was Kim Jae Hwan, with his newest single Spring Breeze. It is Kim Jae Hwan’s first release of the year, with his last comeback being in September 2022 with BACK THEN and Empty Dream. More recently, we heard him as part of fellow Wanna One member Park Woo Jin’s solo debut album, featuring in the pre-release single Self Portrait. On other related matters for his comeback, here is a fun fact! Wanna One, the project group that Kim Jae Hwan used to be part of, previously released a single that shares the name as his latest title track – Spring Breeze. Anyway, with that now out of the way, let’s get stuck right into the newer song.

With a title like Spring Breeze, this contemporary pop song is fittingly breezy. The main drawing element in the instrumental is a folksy flute or whistle. It isn’t striking, like how flutes and whistles are usually used in KPOP nowadays. Instead, it is quite light and soft, but it is distinct enough to be noticed. The guitar work adds what feels like a complimentary acoustic flair to the song. The rest of the instrumental, through percussion and beat, adds some body and meat to the song. Despite that, the instrumental for Spring Breeze remains quite balanced overall, which enables that ‘breezy’ descriptor to be applied to the song. Kim Jae Hwan brings even more heft to Spring Breeze via his vocals, which helps makes him stand out quite a bit. In particular, this vocals soars during the pre-choruses, creating the impression of an incline in momentum. Interestingly, Kim Jae Hwan then opts for a lower tone to begin the choruses, creating a relatively striking moment for Spring Breeze. This adds a bit more appeal to the song, as it is clever way of drawing attention to the song. My main issue is the fact I didn’t get much out of the melodies and hooks aside that they sound decent. I feel that is partly due to the design of the song. They literally flow by and they don’t really have much of an anchor to become memorable. This becomes a problem when you do a more casual listen and aren’t exactly paying attention towards the details of the song. These elements that usually become the centerpiece of the song, but instead they end up flowing out the other ear soon after. It isn’t an indication of the melodies/hooks sounding bad persay, but rather a lack of opportunity to process them. Overall, Spring Breeze is a nice track to listen to. But as indicated by my comments on the melodies/hooks, Spring Breeze could easily be lost to the strong competition around it.

The music video is miss for me. I really liked the flowy and breezy bits of the video, which makes complete sense for a song about memories that appear again during the months of Spring that is titled Spring Breeze. However, I am not entirely sure about the more striking looks of the video, such as Kim Jae Hwan’s full black outfit and the bold blue circle on the ground during some of the solo/choreography shots. They just don’t fit the rest of the aesthetics of the video, in my opinion.

I did have concerns, given how light the song, where the choreography would lean towards. And the fact that it easily could have been overdone. But the choreography gears towards a more aesthetic approach, which is a safe move. The routine appears graceful, softly delivered and smooth, not sharp and impactful like other routines out there. This compliments the song well. The ending with the tree formation by the remembers reminds me of EXO’s Wolf for some reason. Trees have appeared in choreographies since 2013, so I am not sure why the flashbacks are happening here.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 6,5/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.4/10

[Review] Love Me Like This – NMIXX

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A week after their Young, Dumb, Stupid pre-release, NMIXX has officially returned with their latest single, Love Me Like This, and their 1st mini-album, Expérgo. Both the new single and first mini-album follows the releases of O.O, DICE and Funky Glitter Christmas. It is also the first major comeback to not feature former member Jinni, who left the group following the release of Funky Glitter Christmas at the end of last year. NMIXX has since reformed into a six-member group.

It appears that the producers behind NMIXX have learnt what stability is. During the entire first listen I gave to Love Me Like This, I was bracing for that wild and unexpecting change in the instrumentation and sound. But we never got that. Instead, Love Me Like This stayed relatively consistent and cohesive throughout, which I really appreciated. Love Me Like This is described as an upbeat R&B pop track, however I got more of a hip-hop impression initially through the bouncy beat and delivery that Love Me Like This adopts in its verses. The vocals and rapping in the verses do give the song character, however their delivery during the verses could have been strength somehow to give more of a wow factor. The pre-choruses was a definite highlight for me, with the melody and vocals here giving such a nice pop to the song. Lily’s delivery of the first pre-chorus, in particular, is my favourite part in this entire song. Then, the song slips into a chanty refrain for the chorus. Here, I can feel more of the R&B coming through. And although, “Love me like this, Love me like that” does come off as repetitive, I find this super effective. Give me by the end of the review and I will probably have the chorus keyed into my head. I did want more body to the instrumentation for the chorus, as it just doesn’t carry on the momentum that the pre-chorus was pushing the song towards. The touch of rock that we get in the second half of the chorus was ideal and it really helped strength Love Me Like This further. The weakest point of the song for me was the bridge. It was a very neutral part of the song that didn’t get a much of a reaction out of me. Overall, every release that NMIXX has made since their debut has shown improvement, with Love Me Like This their best effort yet. Compared to their debut, I am actually excited to see what their next release is like based on this trajectory.

Like the bridge of the song, the music video doesn’t get much out of me. I just didn’t find much of a connection to the sets used. I did like the brief Wizard of Oz type of set for the one-liner about a tin heart and I felt the white choreography set had impact. But the hallway and bedroom were a bit of a miss for me. Aside of that, I thought their stylists did an awesome job of showing off an edgy, hip-hop vibe with some of the outfits. But I also liked the pop of colour that some of the outfits had, which is fitting for the group and their youthful charms.

Choreography for this comeback looks awesome. I liked the entire chorus routine, as it makes such a strong impression and helps raise the impact level of the chorus. It also relieves some of that repetitiveness that the lyrics and beat brings, as each move was different and prevented the over-emphasis of repetition.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Review] Top Tier – PARK WOO JIN (AB6IX)

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Here is another review for a release from a few weeks back. PARK WOO JIN, the rapper of AB6IX and former Wanna One member, made his solo debut back at the end of February with the single Top Tier and his debut mini-album, oWn. Top Tier follows the pre-release of the single Self Portrait (which accompanies Top Tier on the new mini-album) and features fellow former Wanna One member Kim Jae Hwan. Unfortunately, that release doesn’t have a music video and so I won’t be reviewing it in the standard song format. But it my revisited in an album review if I choose to write one for oWn. But for now, here are my thoughts on Top Tier.

I found Top Tier to be a very typical hip-hop release. I do commend the effort in which both PARK WOO JIN and Top Tier goes in hard and that the energy does have a relentless side to it. But Top Tier’s downfall is its repetitive nature. The repetition comes through the instrumentation and the song’s main hook. The former basically sounded the same all throughout its 2:50 minute run time. A bit more variety in the backing piece could have made Top Tier more dynamic and this would have improved the song by a great deal. The latter just felt monotonous and didn’t elicit anything memorable, which is not ideal for the song’s central moment. All of this adds up to a disappointing song. As mentioned just now, I wished there was more to Top Tier, maybe building on the intensity by way of an abrasively instrumented instrumental break to make way for a dance break in the choreography, or even a bolder and expressive hook that drives the energy upwards and doesn’t stay flat. But while my disappointment with Top Tier is abundant, I do commend PARK WOO JIN’s delivery and flow throughout the song. He himself definitely propels the song forward, as is the main driving force that makes up (partially) the effect of the plain and repetitive nature of Top Tier. The pre-choruses provided a brief look into the PARK WOO JIN’s husky vocals and this was an strong showing of skill as well. Overall, Top Tier does show off PARK WOO JIN to a degree, but I wished the song itself had more to it.

The music video shows PARK WOO JIN as different types of top tier individuals. We see him as the winner of an arcade game fight (who might also be the leader of a dance crew), the winning avatar in the game, a king on a throne (who might double up as the next individual), and a highly acclaimed artist. I liked how the video intertwines all of these different ‘top tier’ individuals into what felt like a cohesive video. I also enjoyed the darker tone the video took, which matches the heaviness of PARK WOO JIN’s song.

Choreography-wise, I felt that the routine did a decently good job of showing off the intensity the song had and the energy that PARK WOO JIN had injected into the song with its delivery. But nothing stood out to me in the performance that makes me want to go back for a re-watch.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.9/`10

[Review] Love or Die – TNX

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As mentioned constantly throughout this blog, I have many artists and releases that I have yet to review. One of those releases come from TNX. For those who don’t know TNX, they are a relatively new group in KPOP who debuted as a six male group, formed through the survival audition program Loud in 2022, with Move. This week, the male group returns for the first time with their second single, Love or Die and second mini-album Love Never Dies. The group also pre-released the single I Need U ahead of the release of both Love or Die and the mini-album, which I promise I will review one day.

Love or Die is a definite improvement from their debut track. The group moves away from the standard and typical sound that male groups put out constantly that TNX (and their producers) fell in the trap of releasing as their debut single. Instead, TNX went with a different sound in Love or Die, opting for a punkish rock influence sound. Love or Die is by no means a new or innovative sound, but at least it comes off as refreshing and different from the rest of the competition. The autotuned beginning was quite striking, while that punkish rock influence gave a boldness to the song. The energy that is exuded from the verses is very neat and just gives a fresh breath of life that allows the members to really pop out from within the song. I also felt like their vocals and rapping were super clear throughout the song, and I really appreciated that. The choruses goes a slightly different direction to what I had expected. There was a clear incline in momentum and forwardness in the verses and pre-choruses. Naturally, I felt the choruses were going to add more to the song and at least progress that energy and momentum. But instead, Love or Die‘s main centrepiece switches it up with taking it all down a notch. I felt this cuts the flow and dampens the potential to the song, to a degree. Something harder, stronger and more intense felt like it was more ideal. But to be honest, this isn’t much of a deal breaker for me, as I still thought TNX did a really good job with what they presented to us in the choruses of Love or Die. And likewise, the same can be said with the rest of Love or Die.

Based on what I saw and my interpretation of the lyrics of the song, it looks like the members are coming to terms of a rejection from someone who they thought loved them. Hence, there was dejected emotions and facial expressions on the members’ faces. And given their young ages, it was fitting they did this in the more typical school age concept that we see in KPOP often for groups starting out. But even with that, there is a slightly edgy visual tone through some of the other scenes in the video, such as the abandoned plane scenery and some of the warehouse. All of these complimented each other quite well, and created a cohesive video.

I really liked the forcefulness and aggression the routine had during the verses, which channels the emotions expressed in the song quite well. Particular mention needs to be made to the start of the final chorus, which is where the aggression was the strongest. It makes for a riveting performance on stage and highlights the group’s potential. My only qualm about the performance is how the latter parts of the chorus didn’t feel fitting alongside the rest of the song.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.1/10

[Review] Rover – KAI (EXO)

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KAI from EXO continues his solo ventures this week with his second solo comeback since debuting as a solo artist back in 2020. The new single and mini-album is titled Rover, and the new release follows the likes of Mmmh and Peaches.

First listen into Rover, and I am happy to say that I am digging the new song. To me, Rover felt more representative of KAI as a performer and would have served as a more logical comeback single following Mmmh. Peaches does have it is own charm and unique profile, but Rover really does a better job at highlighting the potential KAI has as a solo artist. His vocals in the verses were so immaculate and creates a really great opening to the dance pop song. Even from the first verse, you can sense the subtle intensity that is building in the background. This helps makes the Rover‘s choruses more impactful, with the stomping beat, the subtle exotic tinge that comes through the instrumentation via the wind instrument in the background and the sparse use of those twinkling effects creating a really strong backing to Rover‘s centrepice. The hooks here are so extremely catchy. Simple repetition is done quite often, but it sounds so effective in Rover. KAI follows up the first chorus with some deep speak-rap that intertwines really well into the song. The bridge shows KAI’s most impressive vocal sequence in the song. with particular mention to that high note that felt very needed after that bridge. And to close out Rover, some deep and seductive rapping from KAI extends out Rover just that bit more to give us another run at the catchy and addictive simplicity that is Rover‘s chorus. Overall, I think it is safe to say that I am impressed with Rover and KAI himself in this comeback.

When it comes to the music video, I am a bit confused over the concept of the music video. There is a plot line within the video, as the introduction shows KAI making a fake identification card, which presents to the lady behind the window. But she is also the owner of the hair shop that KAI works in. But asides from the confusing concept/plotline, there are a few good elements to the video. The aesthetic created with KAI, the ballerinas and the masked dancers was very cool. The contrast here was definitely something that stood out to me. Also, while we are talking about KAI, his sexy looks were very much on display on this video and he looked extremely fashionable throughout with this many different looks. His most iconic one from this music video has to be the one where he wears the bandana like how the older ladies might wear when they go outside.

Again, KAI does not disappoint with his performance of Rover. The routine for the chorus was very cool, especially with the stomping that starts the segment off. Body waves and rolls makes prominent feature in the choreography as well. What also really helps make KAI such a great performer and this routine more charming are his facial expressions, which make everything a lot more alluring and worth watching.

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

[Review] Young, Dumb, Stupid – NMIXX

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Just right after their fellow labelmates made their comeback at the end of last week, NMIXX is gearing up for their their second comeback. Ahead of the comeback which will occur in a week’s time, NMIXX has released Young, Dumb, Stupid as a pre-release single to get us all excited for the upcoming return of the group. This upcoming comeback also is their first release since the departure of Jinni, who exited the group back in December following the release of Funky Glitter Christmas.

Young, Dumb, Stupid is quite different from their previous tracks, which have attempted to mash up multiple different styles into one song. Instead, this pre-release offering keeps it relatively consistent, which I appreciated. But then again, this is just the pre-release – we just don’t know what is lurking around the corner just yet. Young, Dumb, Stupid is not bad, just a more standard affair, even in the realm of consistent songs. We had a strong opening with the rapping, before the song becomes more like your cutesy KPOP track. This is backed up by the chorus of the song, which samples the Brother John nursery rhyme, which ultimately gives the first half of the chorus and the rest of the song a very child-like exterior – miles away from the stronger and attitude-heavy driven title tracks NMIXX has put out previously. What I personally don’t like is how the lyrics of that very segment conforms to their usual messaging, yet fills at odds with the sound. It just isn’t a combination that works with me. The second half of the chorus attempts to unravel that child-like first half by giving us a meatier melody that doesn’t have the same connotations as the first half. I personally liked this half a lot more, especially when it came to Lily’s execution of it. But it was just so brief and didn’t have enough time to be digested before we are going back to the verse and bridge (which were okay). Haewon’s final sequence in the song was also a positive that I must commend on. Overall, I am not troubled by Young, Dumb, Stupid. It might be the fact that the song is a side track on the mini-album, and not the title track. Had it been the title track, I think this entire section would be written very differently with the common theme of disappointment. But that was not the case, and so guess we got to see what NMIXX and their producers have in store for us next week.

Pink and purple is the colour scheme of this music video. It seems a bit cliché, but I guess that is the typical colour scheme for feminine youth. Aside from that, the music video features a pair of glasses that some of the members don to discover a different world around them. I wished they kept with the concept, as it was there one second and gone the next. The post-production was pretty solid, with the visual effects giving this video a bit more substance than the members being cutesy, closeup and choreography shots.

Based on what I could see in the music video, the choreography looked good. Nothing stands out as an iconic move, but it felt fun, cute and lively, all of which works well with the song.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.3/10

[Review] P.O.W! (Play On The World) – Cherry Bullet

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Also making their comeback earlier this week was Cherry Bullet. The group’s newest single is titled P.O.W!, which stands for Play On The World. It leads their third mini-album, Cherry Blast, which was also released on the same day as P.O.W!. We last saw Cherry Bullet through their Love In Space promotions early last year.

P.O.W! throws the group a couple of different sounds, but none of them sticks. In the end, I find P.O.W! to be a bit of a mess and not that memorable, as a result. Let’s break down the song a bit. P.O.W! opens up with a dash of hip-hop influence, before the verses become a lot more pop centric with its percussive instrumental approach. The pre-chorus features a different pop motif, opting for delicateness. The chorus then features P.O.W!‘s most interesting sound, a heavy club-like beat that gives off an intriguing character and serious tone (and one I personally wished P.O.W! kept with, as it is definitely draws in my attention). But then, the chorus’ second half disrupts the energy and replaces it with a bubblegum pop like sound that detracts away from any effect created by the earlier parts of the song, let alone the first half of the chorus. All of this repeats again for a second time, preventing P.O.W! from ever settling and focusing on one sound. Changing sounds and influences within the same song isn’t anything new with KPOP. But I just feel like P.O.W! could have pulled the sound that makes up the first half of the chorus out of the song, made it their primary piece and stuck with it. It would have made P.O.W! a much more compelling listen. On a more positive note (I kind of ignored the fact the song doesn’t stick with one sound to find something positive to discuss), I did like some of the vocals/raps that the group presents us in P.O.W! (their vocals in the second half of the chorus felt very Cherry Bullet to me as this does feel recognisable from their earlier works), and I quite liked how they swapped the two halves of the chorus in its final run.

P.O.W!‘s accompanying music video is a bit of a disappointment, considering their last two music videos. This one was just plain in comparison, with just the usual close up and choreography shots. For some odd reason, I have the idea that a studio-based music video with more built sets would made for a cooler video. Guess I am not feeling the warehouse setting. The post-production does give the video some oomph and character, but not nearly as enough to dispel my initial thoughts on the video. On the plus side, their visuals remain a strong point of the video, and I do like their more confident and mature look in the video.

The choreography is probably the strongest aspect of this comeback. While I am definitely not fan of the combination of the two halves of the choruses, I am a fan of the routines of the two halves. The members did a neat job, showing off a slight mature and bright side of the group (respective to the corresponding half).

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.2/10

[Review] SET ME FREE – TWICE

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TWICE’s Talk That Talk was voted as the Best Pop Song of the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Congratulations to TWICE! Click here to see who else won in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards.

Making their comeback earlier today is TWICE, with their latest single SET ME FREE and their 12th mini-album since debut, Ready To Be. The massively popular female group from JYP Entertainment was last seen on the Korean stage promotion their 2022 single Talk That Talk and their 11th mini-album BETWEEN 1&2. More recently, we have seen TWICE through their second English track, Moonlight Sunrise, which serves as the pre-release single to Ready To Be. I have yet to review the track, but will do so in the near future. Upcoming for TWICE is the impending debut of the group’s first unit in Japan – MISAMO (consisting of Mina, Sana and Momo). But for now, here is my review for SET ME FREE.

SET ME FREE is a solid comeback, bringing back a mature sound to their main promotional track. A heavy yet groovy bassline kicks off the song as the main drawing point of the background of SET ME FREE. I liked how the song builds on this as it flows into the chorus, which combined the aforementioned bassline with bursts of synth strings to create a suspenseful yet enjoyable instrumental for the background of the chorus. Along with the pop energy that the members brought to the chorus/post-chorus, SET ME FREE definitely had a lot of charisma and appeal to it thus far. The second verse featured a peak moment through Nayeon’s vocals, which helped drive the song forward. From here on out, however, SET ME FREE fails to really continue that forward trajectory and the song ends up falling a little flat in my opinion. The second run at the chorus had the exact same momentum as its first run. Similarly, the final chorus didn’t offer any highs than what we heard previously. There was a high note, but it was brief and didn’t make much of a splash. I wished both the second and final choruses had suitable levels of oomph to them to help drive the song forward. SET ME FREE would have really benefited from this. The bridge opts for a a trap-based sequence featuring rapping from Dahyun, Momo and Chaeyoung, which I was totally for. But the transition between bridge and final chorus was pretty much absent, and so there wasn’t any satisfying move that signals the end was coming for SET ME FREE. While these are pretty big missteps for the song, SET ME FREE did do just enough to sell itself to me, hence why I still described it as a “solid comeback” despite the flaws discussed above.

The music video did help facilitate some of that missing momentum through the explosions at the start and following the bridge/fake end to the video. After all, I do like a good explosion in a music video. And two does bring a slight edge. I liked how elsewhere the video depicts the message behind the song – putting everything on the line for love to unlock one’s true self. We saw the members driving/running away, escaping holographic containments, the ripping of jewelry and performing a pyrotechnic magic trick to change outfits and be freed from the strings that bound the member. They are very determined. The latter was Tyuzu’s solo scene and it was super cool to watch. I also quite enjoyed that spacy moon choreography backdrop. Not sure about its relation to the concept, but it was a really memorable look. Overall, a cool video to watch.

The choreography for this comeback shows a mature vibe from the group. A tad bit sensual, a tad bit charismatic, and a tad bit of attitude. I really liked it. There was some strong moments that were highlighted in the music video, such as Sana’s moment in the second verse and Momo’s forward movement during the bridge. I also liked how the members used a handcuff action to emphasis the title of the song when it was repeated in the song.

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

[Review] O (Circle) – ONEW (SHINee)

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ONEW’s second mini-album, DICE, was voted as the Best Album of the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Congratulations to ONEW! Click here to see who else won in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards.

ONEW made his solo comeback earlier this week, with his third solo Korean release since his solo debut back in 2018. O (Circle) headlines this comeback, as part of his first studio length album, Circle. Both Circles follow the release of BLUE and Voice (from his solo debut in 2018), DICE (title of both his second Korean solo single and second Korean mini-album) and his Japanese comebacks last year.

O (Circle) reverts away from the retro city pop that ONEW had opted for his last comeback, and takes us down what almost sounds like a balladry path. But it isn’t like BLUE, which was pretty much your standard ballad with stunning orchestral instrumentation and amazing vocals from ONEW himself. Instead, O (Circle) takes on a softer and delicate R&B tone. The heavy bass line and organ-like synth in O (Circle) helps create a riveting backing piece to the song, while ONEW shines with his velvety vocals. Altogether, O (Circle) comes together to be a dreamy and soothing piece that stands out in the influx of comebacks, debuts and other releases we are experiencing. The use of the gospel choir as a backing to the chorus made for an excellent centrepiece and gave O (Circle) some deep impact. It also helped heighten the message of the song – just like the seasons are slightly different but also similar each year, life is quite similar as we have different experiences, but we are similar in the end. Relatively, it does make the verses sound lacking and very much less memorable. But it doesn’t necessarily stop O (Circle) from being an impactful and gripping song on a whole.

The montage at the start of the video of ONEW singing was one of the most captivating moments in a music video that I ever seen before. And this pretty much sets the aesthetic tone for the rest of the music video. We have some artistic shots of other things throughout the video. At one point, the items are colourful and alive, depicting the happier moments in life. Then, we see a bloodied phone screen, an unlightened light bulb cast aside and some crayons with dust around them, which depicted the darker moments in life to me. In the latter half of the video, we have a similar montage of items. The acting sequence of the video is probably the part that I find hardest to connect to, as I don’t know what is on going on there. At the end of the video, we get another montage of ONEW. It is a lot quicker and looks like the video is buffering. But I see it as a quick montage of a life, with the life being the entire music video.

Just like the music video, the choreography has this aesthetic side to it, which I really enjoyed. It definitely made for a captivating routine. I honestly did not expect to see a choreography routine for the comeback, given the song is very close to the balladry side of music. But I am glad it did, as it makes the live performances worth returning to. I also like how graceful the movements were, which not only fits the song, but give ONEW the opportunity to focus on the vocal work for the performance.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Review] Groovy – CRAVITY

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After finally getting around to announcing the winners from the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, I am finally getting back on the reviewing train. As I have constantly saying for the past few months, I will get around to posting the reviews that I have missed. But for now, here is a review for a brand new release, literally right off the press. CRAVITY makes their comeback today with their new title track Groovy and their fifth mini-album, Master: Piece. The new release follows the group’s last comeback with PARTY ROCK and their fourth mini-album, NEW WAVE, from September 2022.

As promised and alluded by the title of this new single, Groovy delivers on being groovy and funky. It would be a disappointment otherwise if it hadn’t! Groovy is described to be an electro-funk song that captures retro pop and hip-hop vibes from the 2000s. You can totally feel each of those influences coming through in the song. I particularly enjoyed the dance break we got as the bridge of the song. The way those brassy synths were incorporated into the instrumental piece really bridged and blended the chorus preceding it, the hip-hop influence and the electronic roots quite well. This dance break instantly becomes a highlight in the song for me. Elsewhere, Groovy is a super energetic track, particularly when we reach the choruses. They contained a blast of energy, further heightened by the smoother and laid-back pre-choruses that comes just before it. Strong and well-presented vocals throughout the song, while the rapping helped infuse more of that hip-hop influence into the song. My only issue with Groovy is the lack of a strong hook or centrepiece. I really enjoyed PARTY ROCK, the group’s last comeback single, as it had simple yet strong hooks/centrepieces that really drew in my attention and got me excited about the song after the fact. In Groovy, there really isn’t much to this department and I am not exactly satisfied with what has brought brought to the table. It could be very well the fact that the hooks and other moments just haven’t really set in my mind yet. But as far as I can tell, it doesn’t feel like they sell me the song as strongly as their preceding single. However, that doesn’t stop the super fun and energetic tone of Groovy that CRAVITY executes well.

My guess is the video shows the creative process in producing a comeback. The members all play a variety of roles throughout the video, including the team of office workers who most likely plans and research new concepts, the idols themselves on stage and at their press conference (and my guess is the black suits represent the members at an award show), the production crew who are filming the performance and the backstage crew. And it is revealed at the end that member Hyeongjun is the janitor that leaves the mysterious puzzles pieces around the office that connect together to give us this fun video. My only question is how the space theme fits into the video. Not exactly sure. Maybe it is a hint towards a future concept for a future comeback?

Choreography-wise, this comeback looked quite decent. I liked how fitting and the simple the moves that coincide with the hooks of the song. Personally, I did want something a little more dynamic to the hooks, but given the hooks don’t really go in that direction in terms of sound, I felt an equally as intense and dynamic dance move here would have just overpowered the sequence in its entirety. As for the rest of the performance, I liked the balance of intensity and energy, which helps live up to the fun and energetic descriptors I gave the song.

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

[Review] beyOnd – Nine (OnlyOneOf)

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Finally getting around to finishing the undergrOund idOl project, where each member of OnlyOneOf releases a solo track and two music videos from the project come together to form a storyline. And since stepping over into the near year, the group has completed the series with the release of Nine’s beyOnd in early January of this year. beyOnd follows the release of Yoojung’s begin, KB’s be free, JunJi’s be mine, Rie’s because and Mill’s beat. Now that the project is over, OnlyOneOf refocused on group activities with a Japanese comeback (chrOme arts) and they also appear to be gearing up for a Korean comeback in early March.

beyOnd goes with more of an alternative R&B approach, toning down and easing us out of the project in a comfortable manner. I quite enjoyed the synths and electronic side of the instrumentation. While there is a fair amount of textural components, I did find the instrumental for beyOnd to be built in a way that brought forth an intriguing smooth-like effect that I find to be quite enjoyable. Emphasising this smoothness are Nine’s vocals, which can be characterised as being of a low tone, raspy and breathy. All of which helped made beyOnd appealing. I did appreciate the rise in tone and prominence of the vocals, whilst also keeping to a lower tone, raspiness and breathiness. when it came to the chorus, which ultimately helps make beyOnd less neutral and gives more bite to the song. My favourite bit of the song is the start of the second half of the chorus, with the repetition of the first few words of the two initial lines of this half. It felt quite dynamic and adds another layer of appeal to the song. Overall, beyOnd is fairly straightforward, but also serves as a neat addition to the solo works that came out of this project.

In beat‘s music video overview, we left off with a slight cliffhanger, where Nine appears in front of Mill bloodied and injured. I mentioned that we will definitely find out why in this video and we definitely do find out. It turns out that Nine was cornered and targeted by Mill’s bullies, who end up bashing Nine up. Mill ends up taking Nine back home to take care of him, and ends up lying down alongside Nine. In the final moment of the video, it looks like Nine ends up going in for a kiss and Mill possibly reciprocating. But we won’t know as the video finishes just before anything else happens. Elsewhere in the video, it is revealed that Nine takes an interest in Mill, further confirmation that Mill is shy and scared of his feelings, the pair ends up hanging out with each more (which is where their feelings for each other develops more). We also see all of the other members as either a teacher or students playing basketball.

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

[Review] ROAR – THE BOYZ

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THE BOYZ kick off this week with their latest comeback, ROAR, and their 8th mini-album, BE AWAKE. This is the group’s first release since All About You in December 2022 and WHISPER, the group’s last official comeback prior to today’s new release. It also marks the return of Eric who sat out of promotions with the group since March of last year, including THE BOYZ’s last comeback, due to health issues.

Since the group’s hit The Stealer in 2020, THE BOYZ has been flicking between dark and bright concepts/sounds. THRILL RIDE and WHISPER takes the helm of the brighter concepts/sounds, while The Stealer, MAVERICK and now ROAR fall into the former category. From what I got out of the song, ROAR is an attempt at a sound that is geared towards a more sensual effect without going into the usual sensual motifs that male KPOP groups tend to go with. The song does fall into the R&B category, mixing it with a dance pop sound that allows THE BOYZ to show off their performance and choreography chops (more on that aspect of this comeback later). ROAR opens with a whistle, that is repeated throughout the song and thus becoming a memorable aspect of the song. The chorus, which the whistle mentioned just now appears most readily in, ends up following a similar refrain, just not to the same extent. I did like the vibrancy it brought to the song and there was a ring to it, which I quite enjoyed. But I honestly wished there was more of a zing to the chorus, just to give the song that extra edge and more of a catchy flair. Since I am already talking about edge, I have to mention ROAR“s powerful rapping. It definitely gave ROAR some much needed oomph and definitely highlights the rappers’ potential. Similarly, the dance break that we get packs a punch and adds a further cool/dynamic energy to the song with the more abrasive and intense synths. On the other hand, I felt the vocal work was a lot less impactful. I don’t get much out of it, but I appreciate the intensity and power that the vocalists infuse into the song, especially during the more defined moments of the song. Overall, ROAR is a fair comeback and feels quite on brand for THE BOYZ.

My first impression of this music video was a super big WOW. I am amazed at the quality of the cinematography and post-production for this 3:40 minute music video. The start where they are on clouds was a jaw-dropping beginning and everything that came after lived up to the standard set in the opening moments. The transitions felt flawless, pulling the video together to make a super cohesive piece, which helps brings together the different locations (more on this in a literal second). I also really liked the home video-like shots of the members, which helps add to the edgy vibes of the video. I also liked how it wasn’t just a simple one or two set video. Instead, there was a variety of locations used, which kept everything fresh and nothing ever looked like a copy of a previous scene. The members look super fine throughout the video, especially Juyeon when it came to the dance break. The video depicts them in a way that shows off a more animalistic profile, which goes hand-in-hand with the lyrics and title of the song.

Again, if this performance shows anything, it is definitely that THE BOYZ is a group to not underestimate on the performance/choreography front. This was a bold routine that has a cool and intense factor that feels quite unique to THE BOYZ themselves. The dance break we get prior to the final chorus was fierce, while the slow walk and open leg pivot we get during the chorus has the potential to become iconic.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

[Review] Sweet Juice – PURPLE KISS

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PURPLE KISS is another group to return this week. This time around, the group delivers their latest single, Sweet Juice, and their fifth mini-album release, Cabin Fever. Sweet Juice follows PURPLE KISS’ July 2022 single Nerdy (and their fourth mini-album, Geekyland) and the unfortunate departure of Jieun from the group (due to health reasons and anxiety).

Sweet Juice has a strong set-up and potential in its sultry tone and haunting instrumentation. I really enjoyed the orchestral touch Sweet Juice had and the smoothness of the vocals from the members, overall. The haunting tropes that make up Sweet Juice‘s instrumentation, along with the soft and almost-whispery vocals, give the song a fair amount of character. The rapping in the second verse is also quite a good element, adding a brief but sassy tone to the song, infusing a different energy into the song (compared to everything else we hear in the song). However, while it does sound like I fam singing praises for Sweet Juice, there is a major issue with the song as it progresses along. I personally find Sweet Juice to also be an overly subdued song. It started off well, as mentioned, and I am pretty much fine with everything up until the second verse. But from there, Sweet Juice just stayed relatively neutral in its instrumentation and tone, and doesn’t build much from there. I wished the song had picked up momentum and intensity as it went on. This would have given Sweet Juice a lot more appealing points, and made the song more dynamic and interesting. With the haunting aspect to the song, I feel like this would have gone hand-in-hand and created a cool piece. We do have a bit of an incline during the bridge, but that is because it is building the song back from a stripped down sequence to another repeat of the chorus. Just not as satisfying, but it had the right intentions. Overall, I enjoyed Sweet Juice but I am of the opinion that the song could have done more.

Keeping in line with the haunting instrumentation, the music video also had a horror concept. The events take place within a hotel, which at first we are led to believe that the members work at (more on this theory just a bit). They feel a dark presence around them (i.e. the figure dressed in black with the hat), whom in some cases tries to harm the members. A mysterious phone call appears to help them escape the hotel. But I think, based on the ending of the video with the members donning uniforms, that the events we see are the ones that trap them at the hotel. And they are the dark presence that haunts the guests at the hotel. We actually never see the members greet any guests or escort anyone through the hotel. It is them in their plaid outfits holding the bag or that we see throughout the hotel. To further back my theory, there are messages that say RILAS throughout the hotel, which according to reddit is SALIR spelt backwards, which means ‘get out’. But despite that, the members still pick up the phone and say yes to Sweet Juice. Overall, I quite liked the video and think it nails what I want from such a concept.

I like the smoothness in the chorus sequence of the choreography, which goes well with the vocals. But for me, I quite liked the bridge and final chorus routines for this performance. The piano in the instrumental really allows the performance to include a few pretty moments, which ultimately helps makes the entire choreography more impactful.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.1/10

[Review] Teddy Bear – STAYC

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Apologies for another two days of no reviews. But I am back today and ready to review the load of comebacks over the next couple of days whilst I hide from the heatwave that is happening in Australia. Anyhow, first up is STAYC’s comeback, which is their first since BEAUTIFUL MONSTER in July of last year. Since then, the group made their Japanese debut with Poppy (which I have yet to review, but will get around to doing in a future International Song Review segment). On Valentines Day a couple of days back, the group made their comeback with Teddy Bear, which is also the title of the group’s fourth single album.

When you have a song title like this one, you can’t help but think the song is going to be childish and cutesy. And ultimately, Teddy Bear is best described as childish and cutesy. Personally, I have a hard time digesting most songs of this nature, though there have exceptions in the past. But Teddy Bear is actually quite approachable and enjoyable. I found it to be a fun and cheerful listen that brought a smile to my face (though this might have been an effect of the visuals). Teddy Bear is mostly pop, but there are pop rock elements during the choruses, which adds to the appeal of the song. The guitar intro was an entertaining yet light introduction to Teddy Bear. The hook was quite catchy, much to my surprise. While I have no issues with the repetition of “My Teddy Bear“, there is a whiny synth alongside the post-chorus hooks that I thought would have been annoying or jarring. However, despite the listens I have given the song since its release, it hasn’t come to that point. Maybe it will in the future, only time can tell for that. But it is this hook that makes me come back to the song, while the rest of the song has this pleasant melody that fits the fun and cheerful nature of the song, but also makes the song appreciable. I enjoyed the more serious breakdown in the second verse that made way for rapping. Was it needed? I actually do think so, as it didn’t make the song feel overly saccharine. Overall, Teddy Bear is a release that I enjoyed.

I mentioned before that the energy of Teddy Bear was potentially the cause of a smile on my face whilst listening to the song. But I also raised that the music video could have been the cause of that. The video features an childish and cute energy, just like the song does. There are over-the-top moments in the music video, such as the truck crashing into the store to deliver a supply of bear bread, the widening of the bus (which was a pretty clever set up for the upcoming choreography shot) and the cult-like scene during the bridge to summon the cartoon bears. I did find the teddy bear masks to be cringy. But it, alongside those over-the-top moments, were still okay to watch, and so brought a smile to my face.

I am kind of glad to see teddy bear references in the choreography. I was actually questioning how they would go about bringing a teddy bear element into the choreography. Props came into mind, but I wasn’t too keen on that. Apart from that, it is a fun and super energetic performance that works.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

[Review] Killer – KEY (SHINee)

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Casting out minds back to the end of August of last year, KEY returned as a solo artist with GASOLINE and his second studio album of the same name. Just over five months later (i.e. today), KEY returns with the repackaged version of GASOLINE, retitled as Killer. KEY’s latest title track also shares the same name.

I am super pumped to review this track. Without holding any of it back, Killer emerges with and consistently delivers an instrumental made of retro 80s synths (which reminds me of The Weeknd’s hit Blinding Lights). In fact, it features an unapologetic amount of 80s synth that just makes me so excited and feels like it could have been an amazing follow up to KEY’s Bad Love from 2021. Killer is also very up-tempo and upbeat, with the beat falling into the foot tapping category at the very minimum, but more so a track to get up and dance about to. I really enjoyed the intensity that comes with the choruses, which makes Killer feel explosive and powerful. To compliment, KEY projects one of his best and most impressive display of vocals ever, particular in the choruses, which ultimately helps fuel the intensity and power of the chorus. He also provides some falsetto, upping the ante to the song further. There are moments of reprieve, but they are very brief. Just enough to give you an opportunity to breathe for a second, before jumping right back to the energy that is Killer. I do think an intense rap segment, either from KEY or a featuring artist, would have been the icing on the cake and intensify the song even further. But what we got is absolutely fine and forms part of a super strong comeback.

I would have liked a stronger and more fleshed out story to the music video. It starts off with a flipped burning car and KEY zipping away on his motorcycle. Later we see KEY walk away from the wreckage with a flame thrower (or another type of flame gun). Based on the lyrics, KEY likens the pain memories cause following the breakdown of a relationship, where he likens the pain to killing his partner. The fiery crash most likely depicted his partner/past relationship, while his action of causing the fire signifies the end of the relationship with his partner. However, I do like details and would have liked to know the leadup to the the burning car. Apart from that, the music features a fair amount of passion and emotions, ranging from sadness to anger. All of which KEY nailed amazingly in this video.

From what I can see, the performance features equally passionate and intense moves that compliment the energy that comes off Killer. The entire chorus routine looks super cool based on what I could see via the snippets we got in the choreography. I also excited to hear KEY nail this song via a live performance, especially if he is dancing to the same calibre as in the music video.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.9/10

[Review] beat – Mill (OnlyOneOf)

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Late last year, I started to review the undergrOund idOl series from OnlyOneOf, a series that focused on each of the OnlyOneOf members individually, while every two music videos were intertwined with one another. At the time of writing the reviews, I had reviewed all four songs that were already released at the time, including Yoojung’s begin, KB’s be free, JunJi’s be mine and Rie’s because. Today, I return to review the fifth release of the series, Mill’s beat, which was released at the end of November 2022. And I am hoping either this weekend or the next week, I will also review sixth and final release of the series – Nine’s beyOnd.

Mill is OnlyOneOf’s resident main rapper, so I expected that his solo song would be geared towards showing off more of this side of him. And beat did just that. Compared to the previous songs we have heard in the series, beat is more upbeat, intense and dynamic, tapping into hip-hop influences and abrasive synths. I really liked how the producers roughened up Mill’s raps, adding the textures of beat and compliment the instrumental. This ultimately gave beat a crunchier exterior, which I actually quite enjoyed. Mill’s raps are delivered in a shoutier manner to usual rap based songs. But I personally do not mind this, as it just made beat feel more lively and adds to that dynamic factor. His vocals were also quite good. What makes beat more appealing is the grooviness we get in the choruses, which makes everything a lot more palatable and fits it into the current trends we have been seeing in KPOP. The groove also gave beat a unique profile and interesting character. I quite enjoyed everything that beat had to offer. But if I were to say something constructive about beat, it would be the fact I wished it went in harder. However, I completely understand why the producers didn’t do this, as this would have completely derailed the efforts of the undergrOund idOl and become ill-fitting with the rest of the series. Despite this, I would still like to hear an amped up version in the future, as I can totally imagine the song in such a light.

The music video focuses on a relationship that comes about in the school yard. Nine is a new student at the school that Mill goes to. Since coming over, Nine has been saving Mill from being picked on/bullied and a subtle friendship blooms between the pair. But Mill is a shy character, so he doesn’t exactly hang out with Nine, preferring to watch him from afar. But Mill is caught by his bullies, who make his time at school hard, especially since they realize that Mill has become quite infatuated with Nine. One day after school, Mill is dragged away from school by his bullies, but Nine stumbles upon them, attacks one of the bullies and runs away with Mill from them. The bullies give chase after the pair, but the pair quickly loses the bullies and (I think) this cements their friendship. One night, however, Mill is waiting outside in the cold (presumably for Nine). The latter comes up to Mill at their meet-up location, bloodied and bruised. Why this is the case, we don’t know until we watch the music video for Nine’s beyOnd. Like the other videos, the other members make a brief appearance, with KB acting as the teacher and the other three members play basketball with Nine.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10