Category: Reviews

[Review] Who Are You – BamBam (GOT7) ft. Seulgi (Red Velvet)

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As mentioned yesterday, I will be reviewing solo releases over the last few months which I had not reviewed yet. To start, I will be looking at the solo pre-releases that I should have reviewed before I reviewed the official main title tracks. BamBam (member of GOT7) is one of the solo members that come to mind. He recently came back with the single Slow Mo and second mini-album, B. Also off the B mini-album is the single Who Are You, which features Red Velvet member Seulgi, and was first revealed to listeners at the end of 2021. Who Are You is the focus on this review post.

While it has been over a month ago since both news of and the actual release, I could remember thinking that a collaboration between BamBam and Seulgi was unexpected and surprising, but also exciting and refreshing. And both BamBam and Seulgi proved with Who Are You that the latter points were the most correct. Who Are You is a very light and smooth R&B track that felt just right. While I don’t listen to the song every single day, I thoroughly enjoy its presence every time I do come across Who Are You. There is so much to enjoy in this song, despite there being so little to the track. Who Are You has a minimal atmospheric instrumental, kicking off with a low hum, before bringing in the simple strumming of guitar and then the later addition of a slow soft piano melody in the verses. For the chorus, the piano element is relatively heavier, and we also get some simple percussion, to help kick the song up a notch. But everything from start to end can be described as light, simple and minimalistic, as described initially. What also makes Who Are You so good are the vocals from both artists. The set up of them echoing each other is so impactful and added a profound colour to the song. It made the song so interesting. Individually, BamBam really surprised me with his softer and gentle vocals in this song. It suits him so well, and the textures that his raspy vocals brought to the table helped made Who Are You so good. As for Seulgi, her light and higher tone balanced out the song, making the entire track more pleasant and smoother. Overall, Who Are You is an amazing single, and BamBam and Seulgi pairing is perfect.

For the music video, I liked it. I felt the different scenes were aesthetic and artistic. I liked the idea of both set and outdoor scenes. The video didn’t feel confined or restricted in anyway as a result, which gave a lot of breathing space to me as a viewer. I am sure there are meaning behind some of the individual scenes, but I don’t have the intelligence to break it down and decipher it this time around. My main gripe about the music video is some of the scenes appeared too dark and it was hard to see what as going on. It was probably done for an aesthetic or artistic reason, but it distracted me and hindered the process of me trying to take everything in.

The choreography routine, performed by both BamBam and Seulgi, is a contemporary piece that is both smooth and captivating to watch. It definitely highlights both BamBam and Seulgi’s skill set as performers and shows them off in such a mature lighting. They also perform in a very harmonious manner, which boosts up the routine to the next level.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.1/10

[Review] Child – Mark (NCT)

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I will continue my focus on lesser known acts on Sunday (I was unfortunately ill last night and had to take the night off from the blog). As for today and tomorrow, I will be focusing on a number of solo acts, as I feel they have been neglected over the last few months, as well. There are a few in mind that I really want to cover. But tonight’s review is actually a new release from none other than Mark from NCT. Mark has been a busy artist from the day he debuted as an NCT member, boasting the most extensive resume out of the all the members of his group (i.e. one of the two most recurring members in the various NCT units, had debuted more times than other artists – just to name a few). So it comes with little surprise that he is the first NCT artist to release a single under the new NCT Lab, a new SM Station series that focuses on solo tracks from the NCT members. Mark’s single is titled Child and it officially dropped today.

Child takes on the hip-hop genre, which comes as no surprise, as Mark is a rapper in his group activities. What did come as a surprise was how much I enjoyed the track upon the first listen. I know I sound like a broken record when I say that the hip-hop genre isn’t something that I enjoy. But there are a few elements within Child that really stands out for me. The deepness of Child stood out for me. Even before considering the lyrics, you could feel the heaviness of the song. When you read through the lyrics, you can get a sense of the deep thoughts that were put into Child. And from these lyrics you can feel his struggles as an artist and being lost as a person. Aside from the emotional side of the song. I really enjoyed the instrumental for Child. The song starts off with electric guitar riffs, before completely changing up the dynamic for the chorus with a heavy thumping beat and trap-like synths. This continues into the second verse, before opting for a much more energetic and upbeat tempo for the second half of the verse. Mark then takes Child back to the thumping chorus and the same electric guitar at the start for the bridge. When you think the song had wrapped up, Mark brings back the thumping chorus to close out the song on a more dynamic note (which works well with the conclusive endpoint in the lyrics). Mark himself was quite impressive with his delivery. His rapping was very captivating, while his vocals touches to the song were melodic and soothing. Overall, Child is a solid launching pad into this new NCT Lab series. But it also serves as an insightful view into Mark, his thoughts and experiences thus far as an artist.

Like the song, the music video has a lot of meaning behind it as well. Mark spends a lot of this video running away from hooded figures. My guess is that these people represent the hardships that Mark is experiencing in his life currently (i.e. the people putting pressure on him to be a certain way), as expressed in his lyrics. Honestly, this can be a range of people, including his company, managers, members, family, fans etc. Mark just wants to find himself and express himself freely. And him running away means makes a stand for himself, as he mentions at the end of his song. The ending where he is running in the darkness might suggest that he doesn’t see himself escaping these pressures anytime soon, but he is still making an effort to stand up for himself. Other than my proposed meaning behind the video, I liked the urban look of this video, which matches up with the hip-hop influences behind the song.

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

[Review] Catch The Stars – woo!ah!

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Next up is woo!ah!, who made their comeback with the single Catch The Stars at the start of this year (January 4). This is also my first time reviewing a woo!ah! release. They are currently a five member female group from NV Entertainment who debuted back in 2020, and the group consists of Nana, Wooyeon, Sora, Lucy and Minseo. There was originally a sixth member, Seonghee, but she left the group a few months after they debuted with their self-titled song, woo!ah!. The group then made two comebacks since then – Bad Girl and Purple. But today, I will be focusing on that January 4 release, Catch The Stars.

Personally, I am not familiar with woo!ah!’s singles. I do remember they were on my Weekly KPOP Charts segment, but I didn’t really pay much attention to them. Fortunately, their latest single did not lead to the same outcome. Instead, Catch The Stars really caught my attention due to its vibrant and upbeat funky pop energy. The guitars are just so good in this song! I can’t help but stop whatever I am doing and mouth along to the song (because me singing would be very embarrassing and might even ruin my day). A bit of a dance might also ensue if I am in an especially good mood, which Catch The Stars steers me down as well. It is also a cute and fun track. Cute songs aren’t usually my style, but it is hard to not remember the old days when KPOP was built on these cute tracks, and Catch The Stars reminds me of that era. What also sells Catch The Stars to me even more are the addictive hooks. The ‘Woo lah la la‘ hook in chorus was super catchy and very memorable. Vocally, this is a very strong showing from the members and I really liked how the rapping came naturally to this song (i.e. it didn’t get its own specific instrumental sequence). Overall, Catch The Stars earns woo!ah! two wins – an awesome song that I very much dig and it puts the group on my radar now!

The music video goes down a typical school girl concept, but the members have very vivid imaginations daydreaming about adventures into space. It compliments the lyrics. I found the cuteness of the members and the video to be quite refreshing in this current era. That says a lot, given that cutesy concepts aren’t my thing either! I did like how the video highlighted the hook/some of the English phrases in the song, by having the actual wording appear on our screen.

The choreography for this comeback was pretty good. Nothing that impressive, but it fits the bill for the song. I also found myself smiling whilst watching their performances, which tells me that the members did an amazing job bringing such a fun and energetic vibe to the stage.

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

[Review] BOBBIN – BLITZERS

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Today and tomorrow’s reviews will be focused on groups or artists that are not as well known and had released music throughout December 2021 or January 2022. This is a great opportunity to do so, given the slow week. First up is BLITZERS, a group who I reviewed their debut track but had forgtten about their existence until earlier this year. For those who may still be unfamiliar with this group, BLITZERS is a seven member male group who debuted in 2021 under Wuzo Entertainment with Breathe Again (May 2021), and subsequently made a comeback last year with Will Make a Mistake (October 2021). The group’s lineup consist of members Junhan, Jinhwa, Sya, Lutan, Wooju, Go_U and Chris. This review will focus on their early 2022 / January 3 release, BOBBIN.

BOBBIN continues the rock sound that the group had channeled from their first day. BOBBIN seems to take a more loaded approach, with a bolstering instrumental that really gets the energy pumping. I really enjoyed this song’s rock instrumentation, simply because it was amped up to a very satisfying degree, didn’t hold back, had a great electrifying energy. It was also quite abrasive, rough and grungy, which made it even better! To compliment these stylistic choices, BOBBIN opts for autotuned vocals and rapping. Some of it was very fitting for the rock style, like some of the yelling we get in the verses, chorus and the vocal parts in the bridge, and I have no issue with this. It roughens up their delivery, which works with the broader picture that is BOBBIN. However, some parts were a bit too autotuned. A good example is the final few lines in the pre-chorus. It felt a bit much and stuck out for me for the wrong reasons. As for the hooks for the song, I didn’t think they were as memorable as they could be. They were decent at best. Maybe roughening up the vocals and the abrasive nature of the instrumental took away from this. Despite those elements though, I am sure they could have gone with a bolder and more memorable hook, so that it gives me even more reasons to revisit BOBBIN.

The music video was pretty simple, which allowed the music to do more of the speaking for this release. I liked this approach. In my mind, the music compensates for the simplicity of the video. The setup of the messy wires around the choreography area was pretty cool and fitting for the rock sound as well. It also felt a bit industrial at the same time. I did wish there was more to the video in terms of sets and such to make it a bit more dynamic. I think there was two sets in total for this music video, and the colour palette was a bit one-dimensional and cliché. Additional sets would have worked, or different lighting would have been fine. It isn’t the dynamic type that I am usually after, but it would have made the video worth going back to.

I really appreciate that the group did the performances for this comeback with live vocals. Unfortunately, I feel that the actual choreography was lackluster and didn’t really encapsulate the energy from the song. This makes the performance disappointing to watch, even though live vocals were on display.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] ATHLETIC GIRL – H1-KEY

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The next group and rookie on the reviewing block is H1-KEY, who debuted on January 5 with the single ATHLETIC GIRL. H1-KEY is a four member female group under Grandline Group, with their lineup consisting of Seoi, Sitala, Riina (Produce 48 participant) and Yel. What has drawn my attention to this female rookie group is that just under a month after their debut, the new group has amassed over 10 million views for their music video on YouTube, which is an uncommon feat for a rookie group. So let’s check out what ATHLETIC GIRL has to offer.

ATHLETIC GIRL is another decent debut track. But unlike the song I reviewed earlier today, ATHLETIC GIRL fairs a lot better and has a lot more reasons that enables it to stand out. One of these reasons has to be the confident attitude and vibe that the song exudes, which goes hand-in-hand with ATHLETIC GIRL‘s self-confidence and self-pride messaging that the lyrics have and their delivery through in some parts of the song. Other reasons include both the vocals and rapping. On the rapping front, I liked the boost of energy the rappers gave the song. On top of that, I felt momentum and dynamism were well delivered and presented, which shows me huge promises and potential for this group. The rap-speak parts of the song were quite captivating and was a subtle yet powerful manner of showing that self-confidence and self-pride messaging from the lyrics. On the vocal front, there was some strong showing of their vocal capabilities, particularly in the post-chorus sequence that followed the second and final choruses. This post-chorus sequence also doubles up as a mechanism to prevent ATHLETIC GIRL from going down the repetitive path, which I was thankful for. Elsewhere, stronger melodies would have made the song memorable, but what we got was pretty good already. Now, I have to admit that ATHLETIC GIRL does fall in one aspect – the hip-hop instrumentation. I felt the background for ATHLETIC GIRL was lackluster and not innovative. I felt it could have been more dynamic and amped up. If this was the case, I think (in conjunction with everything I have mentioned already) would have made ATHLETIC GIRL more compelling.

The common stereotype in KPOP when it comes to music videos is that if you come from a small company, your music video isn’t going to be high quality. H1-KEY comes from a company that I have never even heard of, but this music video nowhere near the low end of the quality spectrum. I was astounded by the crisp quality of the video. I really liked the changing background of that concrete room. It was a subtle detail that I almost missed, but it definitely made the music video appear more dynamic. The sets were definitely well constructed, and looked really modern and cool on screen. The closeups for this music video showcases the members visuals, which is no doubt a great selling point for a debut music video. Great jobs to the members and the producers of this video!

I quite like the inclusion of the various exercise moves they had in the performance, even though I felt it was a tad too heavy handed (made the performance feel a bit repetitive). A few stretching, crouching and lunge poses and the showing of biceps (probably the most global way of showing how fit you are to the world!). I also enjoyed the confidence the members brought to the stage – quite refreshing. But the rest of the performance was a bit ordinary.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

[Review] TNT (Trust&Truth) – TRENDZ

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As mentioned the other day, this week is shaping to be a slow week for KPOP releases. This means that I would be able to review some releases from January 2022 or December 2021 that I haven’t done so yet. First up (and the theme for reviews today) is a rookie group. TRENDZ made their debut at the start of the year on January 5, with the single TNT (Trust&Truth) and the mini-album Blue Set Chapter 1. Tracks. They are a seven-member male group (consisting of members Havit, Leon, Yoonwoo, Hankook, ra.L, Eunil, and Yechan) under Interpark Music Plus (which is also the current home of LABOUM).

As a first step out of the gate, TNT (Trust&Truth) is not a bad debut track. But a lot of the track offers nothing new to the male group landscape in KPOP. There were very small parts of the song that I liked. But for the most part, the song falters and doesn’t feel as explosive as the title suggests (more on this in a bit). Let’s start off with the positives of TNT. I liked the smooth swipe that the initial line of the chorus (‘We can blow it up like TNT’) brings to the song. It rings on in my head once TNT wraps up, and something memorable gave me an excuse to come back for more. The rappers in this group are pretty good and give TNT a lot of additional oomph. The rapping at the start held strong promise for the rest of the song (though the instrumental could have been bit more dynamic here to really kick off the song). Their follow-up to the second chorus gave the song a much needed boost of edgy energy and was one of my favourite parts of the song. The deep-autotuned voice and the rapping in the bridge was also impressive and added a big kick. For the negative aspects of the TNT, I want to put down the instrumentation and vocals. If there is something that needs to be nailed, it was the instrumental. It is such a missed opportunity to produce a song titled TNT (i.e. an explosive chemical) and not have an explosive backing. A really good example of this lacking feeling is the rapping in the second verse, which felt lost and empty with an absent instrumental. As for the vocals, the vocal line didn’t really offer anything impressive like the rappers and felt very plain for the most part. The verses were forgettable and the rest of the chorus (aside from that initial line mentioned above) just didn’t pack a punch as it should of. Overall, it is clear that I wanted more from TRENDZ and TNT (Trust&Truth).

The music video takes on a dark and edgy look, which works well with the song. My issue with the video is that it was really hard to focus on the video, given the different shots the editors had jammed into parts of the video. Sometimes this technique does work and the music video can look impressive as a result. But other times, it just doesn’t and I feel that this music video falls into the ‘does not work’ category. In addition to that, I didn’t find anything memorable in this video and this combination makes it a blur.

The performance for this debut was quite impressive and I felt this was the strongest aspect of TRENDZ’s debut. I really like the intense energy they brought to the performance, which also unlocks hidden intensity in the song that I didn’t get from just only listening to the song or watching the music video. I like the powerful nature behind their execution of the moves, particularly in the chorus, where they gave it their all.

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

[Review] LUNATIC – Moonbyul (Mamamoo)

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Moonbyul made her solo comeback with the new single LUNATIC and mini-album, 6equence. This comes almost a year after the release of her Eclipse / Absence and Dark Side of the Moon mini-album, with the latter scoring the ‘Most Viewed Album Review of Year‘ award, as announced in the recently published 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards Winners post. Congratulations Moonbyul! This isn’t the most recent sighting of Moonbyu on this blog, however, as she has been busy teasing us with some pre-releases, including the December releases of G999 (ft Minari) and Shutdown (ft. Seori). Fellow member Wheein also made her own solo comeback earlier in the same week with Make Me Happy.

LUNATIC is a complete change in character for Moonbyul, who made her comeback last year (Eclipse) with a much darker and sinister vibe. Even her repackaged single (Absence) that she promoted was very mature sounding. On the other hand, LUNATIC is a much more fun and upbeat track. It isn’t exactly the most infectiously catchy track of that week, but there is some charm to LUNATIC. I really liked the chorus of this song, simply because the energy of the entire track is well concentrated in the choruses of LUNATIC. This track embodies a funky vibe, which is no doubt on trend with the funky pop instrumentals. I quite enjoyed the ‘Lu-Lu-Na-Na-Na-Lunatic‘ hook and the melodies around it that Moonbyul delivers. It is catchy enough and gave me an impression of a great time. Like in her other solo tracks, we get to hear more of Moonbyul’s vocals and rapping abilities. It is amazing to think that a few years back Moonbyul was shy about her vocals, and that she has come very far to bring us multiple solo tracks that are vocal-centric. Now and in LUNATIC, she is hitting high notes and gives us pleasant vocals that encapsulates that already mentioned fun vibe. When it comes to her rapping, Moonbyul did well (as expected, given this is her expertise). In the first verse, I liked how her rapping sequence blended in with the verse, while in the second verse, her rapping was bold and a bit crazier, showing us a slightly edgier and crazier side to her in this song. Overall, LUNATIC delivered well on the other elements and this made the song great!

In this music video, Moonbyul plays the role of a suspected killer, who is committed to a hospital and later escapes. I like how she used this concept to relay her feelings of falling in love, taking the idea of falling crazily in love with someone to an extreme. It does tether on a fine line in some regards, but I think it worked extremely well in showing off that fun energy that the song has. Moonbyul was extremely charmful and funny throughout the video.

I enjoyed the performance, simply due to the fact that Moonbyul looked she was having a blast on stage each time I watched a performance for this comeback. For the most part, everything felt standard and there wasn’t anything really that impressive. But I did like the chorus routine and thought the performance as a whole took on that fun energy well.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Review] Beautiful (Part 3) – Wanna One

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Never did I think this would be pulled off, but Wanna One has regrouped for the release of a special single, Beautiful (Part 3). This new single was performed by the group for the first time at the 2021 MAMAs (with the exception of Lai Kuan Lin, who was promoting in China), and was then confirmed for release on 27 January 2022. For a brief second in the days prior of Beautiful (Part 3)’s release, there was a possibility that the group would be unable to release the song due to some contracts not being signed by companies, but I am glad to see that they managed to pull everything together in time for the scheduled release. There are ongoing plans for a reunion concert and future album release, however, those plans appear to be slightly rocky with Hwang Minhyun and Ong Seong Woo’s companies announcing that their respective artists would not participate due to focus on their own group’s work and scheduling issues. I guess we have to wait and see if a concert and album can occur. But for the time being, we have a special single on our side.

Like the original Beautiful title track and Beautiful (Part 2) (featured as a side track on the group’s first and only studio album), Beautiful (Part 3) falls into the ballad category. It, as a whole track, definitely brings forth a sentimental and nostalgic feeling, which is no doubt the route that the members and the producers were going for. The pre-choruses in Beautiful (Part 3) were a capsule of these exact emotions, as the melodies and some of the lyrics connect the three tracks together. Elsewhere, Beautiful (Part 3) was new and original. I really liked the burst of sound when it came to the chorus. It, along with the rock elements that featured in the choruses, just took the otherwise simple ballad to the next level. Vocally, it was extremely nice to hear everyone as Wanna One again and I am happy to hear that Lai Kuan Lin managed to get a part in the song despite not being part of the reunion performance. Kim Jae Hwan’s vocals stood out the most of the pack, living up to this main vocalist position in the group. That being said, however, all the other members showcased their exceptional vocals in the song, highlighting their improvement from their post-Wanna One days. I am also glad to hear some rapping from the rappers (Kang Daniel, Park Ji Hoon, Kim Woo Jin, Lai Kuan Lin) as the instrumental for Beautiful (Part 3) allowed for it. Overall, Beautiful (Part 3) lives up to its name, just like the original and Part 2 did, and is a ‘beautiful’ reminder of the group.

The music video showcased shots from their MAMA performance back in December 2021, both on-stage and off-stage. It too did exactly what the song did, evoke these sentimental and nostalgic emotions. I liked how the editors synced up with shots of the actual performance with the lyrics of the song, allowing the performance to serve multiple purposes (i.e. MAMA award performance, this music video). I also liked the inserts of behind the scene shots (both video and images). It helped made the video even more special, especially for the fans of the group. I also wish to point out that it was extremely nice to see the members be given an opportunity to interact with fans and the audience (though from the stage, but still better than nothing!).

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

[Review] Play – Yuju

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After almost a year following GFriend’s disbandment, members of the group are finally returning to the limelight post-disbandment. Starting things off last week was Yuju, who made her solo debut with the single Play and mini-album Rec. For those who missed it, Yuju signed on with Konnect Entertainment back in September, which is owned by Kang Daniel, home to Chancellor and (partly) CL. We will be seeing more of her fellow members next month, so keep your eyes peeled for that in February.

The first time I listened to Play, I was very unimpressed. I think my initial thoughts about the song was that I wanted more. But repeat listens to Play has helped warm up the song for me, and I actually think it is a decent piece now. That being said, Play does have a number of flaws that still ultimately hinders its appeal. Let’s explore what these flaws are. The instrumental for this pop track was a bit of a hit and miss for me. The atmospheric and seductive nature of the background was definitely a hit for me. However, it was also a bit of a drag and stagnated the track (the ‘miss’ part), reducing the appeal of the background. Thankfully, this is offset partially by the oriental touches that adds detail the background. It gave the background a lot more appeal and made it so much interesting. Thank the heavens for this! I I am glad it wasn’t overused, but I kind of wanted something more elsewhere to feel up the rest of Play. The melodies and vocals for the most part were pretty uninspiring and lacked much profile. I don’t think it was Yuju’s best vocal work to date, as it kind of emphasised and drew out a monotone vibe (which isn’t a great idea for a debut track). But on the plus side, Play does show Yuju in a more mature limelight, which is definitely different to the tracks we have heard from her in the past. The main hook, which we hear at the start of the chorus, was had a decent ring to it. But it wasn’t enough to really make the track that memorable. Overall and reflecting upon my thoughts above, I feel like Play had enough to just make it into decent territory.

While this music video also followed the closeup and choreography formula, I did think its aesthetics were executed extremely well. When you think of oriental influences, the colour red comes to mind and I liked how the entire background of the contemporary parts of the video were this red colour. To offset or prevent the red colour from being overwhelming, the second verse and chorus scenes took on a blue hue and featured a more traditional look. Yuju looks the best here, donning a modern look that takes on the traditional elements. I also like how parts of the bridge blended the red and blue colours to tie the video together. The silhouette shots of the choreography were also very cool looking and adds onto modern aspects of the video.

The performance looked extremely elegant, which I think fits in well with the song. The moves just had this gracefulness to them that made the overall performance look really nice. I really liked the bend and slow outstretching arms that followed the main portion of the chorus. It felt iconic for me. I also like the wave of the dancers in the background in the final moments of the routine.

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

[Review] Slow Mo – BamBam (GOT7)

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As you can probably tell, I am now reviewing the tracks released later in the week from last week. Next up on the reviewing block is BamBam’s Slow Mo. This latest song from the GOT7 member is featured on his second mini-album, B, alongside the pre-release single Who Are You (which was released back in the last week of December and features Red Velvet’s Seulgi). This is BamBam’s first official solo release since his solo debut with riBBon in June of last year.

Slow Mo thrives on the fact that it is atmospheric and a gentle track. While we hear similar songs with the same descriptors all the time, they usually isn’t the lead track on an album or even a dance track. This alone makes Slow Mo unique and stands out, even thought its elements aren’t intended to do so. In addition to the atmospheric vibes of the song, there were hip-hop influences in Slow Mo and I liked how the beat helped balance out the song and kept Slow Mo‘s lightness weighted. BamBam’s vocals were on display throughout this track and I liked how he kept his delivery soft and light to match the other elements of the song. The chorus was definitely a prime example of his vocals on full display, with the verses taking on a bit of a rapping tone. Everything was quite soothing and calming, which works well with the instrumentation. The melodies and hooks were probably the most lacking component of the song, simply because they didn’t appear to be as memorable. I also feel that repeat listens to the song might dull it, but I guess that is a ‘wait and see’ matter. What I needed the most in Slow Mo was a bit of a punch to keep me interested in the song, and I feel the producers of Slow Mo delivered with that brief yet subtly intense dance break we get at the 2:10 mark of the music video. It just fits in so well with the instrumentation and overall vibes, but also gave the song a little bit more oomph. Overall, Slow Mo was a great track. It might be slightly weak in certain areas, but its execution and delivery overall can overlook that flaw.

I really like the bright pastel colours used as the video’s colour palette. It just felt so fitting for this song. Anything too harsh or bold would have obviously clashed with the song. Aside from that, the music video consisted of a mixture of ordinary (i.e. some of the interior shots) and aesthetic shots (i.e. all of the shots in which looked like they were an ‘exterior’ shot), along with some high quality choreography shots. I would have liked the video to be a bit more interesting in some regards, though. It is one of those videos you just need to watch once as you kind of seen all of it, and doesn’t pull me back for a replay.

The performance was probably the outlier of this comeback. It felt a bit loud, compared to what I would have thought the choreography would look liked (i.e. wideness, energy thrown into delivery or the fast pace nature of some of the moves). Don’t worry though, as it still managed to work well with the song nonetheless, capitalising on the heftier beats of the song.

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

[Review] Chronograph – VICTON

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Just over a week ago, VICTON made their comeback with their latest single, Chronograph. This new song is featured as the main track on their third single album, which also shares the same name. Chronograph is the group’s first official comeback since their full group 2021 release, What I Said. Later in the year, member Han Seung Woo enlisted into the military. Then, the group started promotions as a six member group by celebrating their fifth anniversary with Sweet Travel. The group continues with six members for the promotions and release of Chronograph.

It has been more than a week since the song was release, but Chronograph just hasn’t really caught on for me. The reasons to why I am think this way about Chronograph will become apparent. It is still a decent song, nonetheless. I just thought considering how the elements within Chronograph are essentially what I sought after in songs, I would have enjoyed it more. Anyhow, the instrumental was extremely funky with the rhythmic guitar and synth lines. It is on trend, quite dynamic and it is a mix that we have heard before. I could hear something along the lines of NCT 127’s Superhuman or something SHINee-esque in the background. While the instrumental does bring those memories back, the vocals and rapping are what sets the songs apart. In Chronograph, the vocals are bold and strong, making them standout over the vibrantly funky background. I quite like this, but I did think the melodies and delivery were a bit mainstream and not as exciting. As for the rapping, I do like how Hanse’s sequence adds a bit of edgy flair, different energy and fast pace to the song. But I do personally find his sequence sticks out too much in Chronograph and this disrupts the flow of the song to a degree. I kind of wished he tweaked his style to be a bit more fitting with the rest of Chronograph. Subin’s deep voice when he takes on some rap-speaking (but more on the spoken side), on the other hand, was extremely fitting for this song. Overall, a decent song with some good points. I just find the song held back a bit to really enjoy it to its full extent.

I found the music video to consist of some great visuals of the members. Sure, the video takes on that typical choreography and closeup formula that I bang on about being mainstream, but I feel that the closeups for this video do a lot. For the concept (and I am not entirely sure myself), but I see it as a ‘timeless’ concept. The song is about wanting to spend more time with their lover. A chronograph which the members sing a lot about is a device that can both act as a stopwatch and tell the time, which would aid with the keeping pace of the time and stopping time will allow it to be with their lover for longer. The chronograph itself is shown throughout the video. But in addition to this, I see the focus on some optical illusions (i.e. has no end) and art (i.e. timeless pieces), which all represents this idea of timeless in a more abstract manner. There is also video cameras recording the members (possibly representing that memories when recorded as there forever) and time paused just as a rock falls into a car. Again, I am not entirely sure if that timeless is the intended concept, but that is what I got out of this video.

I liked how they started off the performance. Not entirely sure what it was meant to be, but it was smooth and looks complicated. As for the rest of the performance, there was some clock hand references and some sharp moves, which helped make the performance looked cool and fast pace. But unfortunately, nothing memorable pinged me from the performance.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.4/10

[Review] Feelin’ Like – PENTAGON

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Starting this week off is PENTAGON with their new single, Feelin’ Like, which is featured on the group’s 12th (!) mini-album since debut, In:vite U. This release marks the return of Jinho, who has been absent from PENTAGON’s promotions since after Dr. BeBe and the group’s appearance on Road To Kingdom due to his mandatory military enlistment. It is also the first release from the group since DO or NOT, and some of the group members (Yuto, Kino and Wooseok) released the digital single Cerberus.

Feelin’ Like is quite a sophisticated, classy and very trendy new track from the group. The bass line adds this funky beat that is quite on trend at the moment in KPOP, but its deepness gives off a mature vibe. The chorus for Feelin’ Like is definitely a more concentrated sequence of what I have describe so far. What is pretty cool is that the bass line also gives off a catwalk or modelling type of vibe (which I will touch on in the music video portion of the review) – almost attitude heavy and sassy in a way. I have been a big fan of this vibe in the past. But I also feel that Feelin’ Like is a bit neutral in some regards. Nothing really pinged me as memorable when it came to the vocals or melodies. While it all fits in with the sophisticated and model-like direction, I do feel like the vocals and melodies lacked in its ability to make Feelin’ Like more interesting. Jinho’s high note was pretty good, however, and it is definitely nice to hear him again after his hiatus. The chorus, despite the praises and likeable elements I already mentioned, also feel victim to this neutrality and this was due to the lack of vocals. I wished there was a second part to the chorus, just to give the song some meatiness. The rapping (courtesy of Wooseok and Yuto), on the other hand, was quite good, and really gave the song that oomph that it needed. But unfortunately, I don’t think it was enough for Feelin’ Like. Overall, I am split over the song but I am leaning towards liking it, as always. Despite that, I am definitely of the opinion that Feelin’ Like could have had more.

With a song like Feelin’ Like being so sophisticated and classy, PENTAGON really nailed it with their obvious arty and mature concept. The whole music video was shot with the group as centre of attention, as you would expect art to be in an art gallery, that centrepiece in a museum exhibition or that model on the runway, which plays into the mythology story behind the song’s lyrics (the story of Pygmalion and Galatea). There were confident vibes and classy outfits throughout this whole video. I liked how they brought out the runway for the end of the video. It was the one set I was expecting to see when I heard the teasers and saw the concept images for this comeback, and they delivered with their visuals during this section alone. I would have liked to see them up the dial a bit during some parts – some of their suits could have been more showstopping and the lighting could have been more dynamic to fit the chorus. But overall, a strong video.

The performance for this comeback looks good. It brought out the maturity that the song had, but that didn’t get in the way of the dance performance. I also liked the edgy vibes they brought to the stage for the rappers’ section. It fitted in with the concept and sound style during those moments in which it was warranted, changing the performance up a bit (but not in an extreme fashion). None of the moves were memorable, but that doesn’t mean this performance was a letdown.

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

[Review] Just Breath – JinJin & Rocky (ASTRO)

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I end the working week with the review of the final Monday release. I did not expect to take five days to review all the releases from one day, but here we are. The final release is Just Breath, which is the debut single for ASTRO’s newest and second unit, JinJin & Rocky. It is featured on the unit’s first mini-album, Restore. This is ASTRO’s first release of the year, following 2021’s ONE and After Midnight. The unit also follows in the footsteps of the group’s first unit, Moonbin & Sanha, who debuted back in 2020 with Bad Idea, and MJ’s 2021 solo debut, Get Set Yo (which I have not reviewed yet).

Heading into Just Breath, I was expecting something edgy, and potentially hip-hop aligned or rap heavy at the very least. This expectation comes from the idea that they are ASTRO’s rappers. So, I was genuinely surprised when I started hearing old school funky pop music coming from the speakers when I checked out the release on Monday. Just Breath (which is a mildly annoying title, as it should be Just Breathe, just to be grammatically correct) is definitely loaded with exciting and fun energy. And it is the type of upbeat energy that keeps you on your feet whilst listen to the song. Everything from the percussion to the brass in the instrumental breaks were on point and an absolute blast to listen to. There were some moments within the song, like the marching sequence and a few of the exclamations, that I feel would be most effective to Korean speakers. As a non-Korean speaker, I don’t get them as much, but I didn’t mind them. Aside from the marching sequence, the exclamations added to energy of the song. As expected, Just Breath did consist of rapping from the pair. JinJin definitely had great momentum and kept the energy up throughout the song with his vibrant and energetic delivery. Rocky did participate in some rapping with a rap-speak delivery, but his main contribution to the song were vocals. I was thoroughly impressed with his showcases of vocals capabilities in Just Breath (and may have taken the honor as the standout member in Just Breath. Both brought great character and personality to their parts, making this another impressive release from the day. The chanty end to the song was also a nice way to cap off the song, giving off an inclusive vibe. Unfortunately, Just Breath does lack a solid melody, and I felt the autotune in the bridge to be a bit much (despite fitting in during that moment). But overall, Just Breath is a fun and energetic song with a few nice surprises.

Just like the song, the music video was very fun to watch and had some comedic moments that even I chuckled at. It appears like JinJin and Rocky are both bachelors and have their own struggles. But at the end of the day (well during the day, given how early they started drinking), they know how to really enjoy themselves and realize that it is best to be with others. They were pretty wild, and this made the video extremely enjoyable and captured the vibes of the song very well. Their acting (I am going to assume some of it was acting, though their natural personalities would definitely be at play in this video, as well) was superb. I liked how their energy was inclusive of everyone, and they even got the old lady at the food stand to have a bit of fun.

Their acting in the video is one thing, but the fun and party vibes they showed on stage is just pure confidence. That alone has really earned them a a lot of praise from me. From their expressions to the way they moved about on stage, everything felt free and fun. The best parts had to be the brassy sequences of the song, where the pair and dancers do their mini skips and jumps. It was definitely the peak moments in terms of energy. Rocky’s split was a surprise and him holding the soju bottle in the music video while dancing was also a memorable highlight.

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

[Review] DM – fromis_9

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The fifth (!) release from Monday to be reviewed is fromis_9 latest comeback single, DM, which is featured on the group’s fourth mini-album since debut (and their first mini-album release under Pledis Entertainment). DM follows the likes of fromis_9’s 2021 releases WE GO and Talk & Talk, with the latter earning the group’s first music show win in over three years.

DM is another song that I really enjoyed. It isn’t the most mind-blowing piece, nor is it fromis_9’s best work since their debut (Love Bomb still holds onto that title). But there is such as pure tone and crisp nature to DM that makes it so good. It is a pop track with no frills, and is quite light, soft and pleasant (in a positive sense) as well. If you want something that isn’t complicated, then DM is a song for you. What I quite enjoyed about DM is the vocals. The members really show a solid skillset in this song. I am particularly impressed with the chorus, as the vocals here really boosted the song up and brought a very nice sense of vibrancy to the song. The dolphin-like high note in the final chorus was another impressive moment and extremely shocking (in a good manner) detail to end DM with. The melody at the start of the chorus really captures your attention and helps kick off the chorus in a memorable sense. I also liked how DM pushes the group down a mature route (in comparison to their earlier works) without going dark or edgy, which helps the song and group come off as refreshing (as mentioned before). I do wish the rest of the song a more memorable tinge as well. Everything we did get complimented the chorus, but I feel something more could have been done in the verses, for example, to really take the song to the next level yet maintain the pleasantness of the song. Overall, DM is a strong yet pleasant song for fromis_9.

The music video for this release was good. The video consist of nothing more than a magnitude of closeup and choreography shots. But before you think I make the comment about the music video having just the common formula of closeup and choreography, I think it was intentional for this release. The song is not complicated, and as repeated many times already, takes on an pleasant and light tone. Hence, I feel the producers for this music video thought a simple and straightforward video would make the most sense to compliment the song. In addition to that, the group’s visuals were shown off and the sets looked nice. I liked how the colours in this video were not overly bold. Instead, they all had a pleasant tone, not too harsh or too light.

Same thing can be said about the choreography. It isn’t anything special or innovative, but the choreography we did get was pleasant as well (just like the other elements of the comeback). I did like the start of the chorus, where they move towards the camera in time with the opening melody (helps make the moment appear more memorable) and that hugging bit right at the end.

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

[Review] 1, 2, 3 – AB6IX

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Also making their comeback on Monday was AB6IX, who returns with the new single 1, 2, 3 and special album, Complete with You. This comeback comes after AB6IX returned with CHERRY and MO’ COMPLETE (their second studio album since debut) in September of last year, and debuted in Japan with the Japanese version of CHERRY two months later.

1, 2, 3 is another fun and upbeat track that I quite enjoyed from Monday. It wasn’t my absolute favourite from the day in question, but it was definitely heading in that direction. Just like the song I had just reviewed, I find 1, 2, 3 to be wholesome and sweet, but these descriptors come about for different reasons. Put simply, 1, 2, 3 is a song dedicated to their fans (ABNEWs) and such feelings of wholesome and sweetness is a way the group is reaching out to their fans. I am quite sure the messaging and vibes from the song are making ABNEWs (and some potentially new listeners swoon over AB6IX). Personally, I am not as affected by this, but I still enjoyed the song nonetheless. I liked the funky pop nature of the song had. It, along with the beat of 1, 2, 3, was fun, upbeat and bright. What I thought made 1, 2, 3 even more likeable were the instrumental elements that gave the song a vibrant sense of colour. The guitar twangs in the chorus and brass in the post-chorus hook following the second and final choruses where the members became chanty with the ‘Let’s dance, 1, 2, 3, Let’s Dance, Left and Right‘ are prime examples of this. These are very typical when you think about it, but I thought they were well used in the song. The vocals and rapping quite solid, and were the main mechanisms to bring forth that wholesome/sweet combo. The bridge was quite cool, where 1, 2, 3 changes it up with a somewhat balladry-like approach. I liked how it wasn’t an extreme change to the song and how it cut the momentum briefly, but brought it back up for the final chorus. It also provided a bit of relief from the song, in case you felt the vibrancy and colour was a bit too much or repetitive, which I felt the song was also going towards. Overall, I feel that 1, 2 , 3 was another great and enjoyable song from AB6IX.

I was wary when I saw the ‘PERFORMANCE M/V’ part of the video’s title. I expected this to be a straight forward performance piece. But it ended up being a lot more. Sure, the performance plays a very prominent role throughout the video. But I quite like what else they did to the video. For example, I loved the curved corner rectangles at the start of the video and how it was used to introduce each of the members one by one. The black and white was also quite cool. The rectangles returned in a conveyor belt like use during the first post-chorus hook sequence. I thought this was a clever reuse of the style and pulls the video together nicely. Elsewhere, the video shows the different stages of preparing and going through with a serenade. When you consider the fact that the song was dedicated for the fans, I am sure an idea of a serenade from the members was given thumbs up. I just wished there was a bit more to the serenade in the video, as it seems a bit lackluster in terms of execution at least from my end and rushed to fit the song (maybe a brief interlude might have helped out).

Performance for 1, 2, 3 was great. The moves were relatively simple compared to their other releases, but they definitely worked well with the song. The whole chorus routine was quite fun to watch, and I liked when the later part of the sequence where the members move in a X shape just before Donghyun’s solo moment in the chorus. It just added a bit of sharpness to the routine.

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

[Review] SMILEY – YENA ft. BIBI

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Next up on the reviewing block is probably my favourite release from Monday. That title goes to YENA’s solo debut track, SMILEY, which also features soloist BIBI. The track is featured on YENA’s first solo mini-album, which shares the same name as the title track with a cute smiley face preceding it (ˣ‿ˣ (SMiLEY)). For those who don’t know YENA, you might better recognize her with her full name, Choi Yena, and she is one of the former IZ*ONE members to recently make their debut. She does so from under Yuehua Entertainment, which is home to EVERGLOW and WOODZ. She is also known for being Choi Sungmin’s (former member of SPEED and COED School) sister.

SMILEY (the song) does exactly what the title says. It made me smile and I can’t seem to get it out of my head. The amount of times I have revisited the song over the last few days since its release may suggest a bit of an obsession towards the song. I have no regrets and I can’t help it that I am totally loving it. There is so much to point out, despite it being a relatively simple track. SMILEY steers down the pop rock sound, with an energetic and upbeat instrumentation that brings forth a nostalgic vibe of the 2000s pop rock. YENA’s vocals were perfectly executed throughout the song, adding sweetness, cuteness (to give SMILEY a bubble-gum tinge to the track) and is such a great carrier of the melodies and hooks within SMILEY. The pairing of both vocals and instrumentation just makes me want to get up and dance (like the guy in the video) and it is quite infectious. I also like the autotuned pre-chorus, which acts like a mini momentum builder to the chorus and helps makes the centerpiece more explosive. BIBI’s featuring in the song is quite interesting as it offsets YENA. But at no point does BIBI overshadows YENA, and the edginess that BIBI brings to SMILEY helps balances out the song to prevent it from becoming oversaturated in sweetness and cuteness. Personally, I don’t think that was going to be a problem (this time around), but I see where the BIBI’s featuring is coming from. It also helped that BIBI’s sequence also used a higher tone, which compliments YENA’s vocals. Another thing about SMILEY that I really enjoyed is the messaging behind the track, which simply says to keep on smiling. Overall, SMILEY is a fun, addictive and wholesome song that I just cannot get enough of.

I will be honest, the opening to the music video when I watched it for the first time was a bit cringy. While it does set up the music video and YENA’s character as this smiley superhero, it just felt a bit too much for me. Now, after watching the music video a few times, the cringy undertones aren’t really there anymore. Anyhow, YENA’s character is a superhero whose superpower is to spread smiles everywhere. She does so after helping a boy get a balloon off the roof of the building (an important detail). After she spreads her happiness in the diner, she leaves to spread her happiness in the darkest depths of the planet (the Shady, who conveniently lives in the snowiest and coldest place on Earth). BIBI arrives to spread her darkness around, but I think she ends up being more interested in helping YENA by sending some of her power to help YENA combat the cold by upgrading her outfit with a bit of BIBI’s own dark taste. Unfortunately, the cold is too much and YENA collapses. But we do see the SHADY becoming infected with YENA’s happiness and goes out to help her. It turns out SHADY was actually the little boy who appeared at the start of the video and repays YENA’s action by helping her out. So, YENA recovers, continues to spread her happiness around the world (and turns it into a rubber duck in the process), returns to the diner at the start of the video to just rock it out. A fun, cute and playful concept that I really enjoyed.

The performance makes my smile even wider with YENA’s cuteness dominating the performance. Just like the concept of the video, the performance was fun, playful and definitely energetic and bubbly as well. Very suitable for the song and its energy!

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