Category: Reviews

[Review] Good Night MY LOVE – Soyou

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Good Night MY LOVE is nominated for Best Ballad in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support Good Night MY LOVE by clicking here to vote today!

The second of the two ballads to review from the Best Ballad category from the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards is Good Night MY LOVE by former Sistar member Soyou. Good Night MY LOVE was released back in March of this year and is her final release with Starship Entertainment (her company for 11 years, which she officially left in September).

Good Night MY LOVE falls into the ballad and R&B category of KPOP. But is much softer than your typical, and can be passed off as a lullaby. And I feel that lullabies are more ballads and I listed it as a nominee for Best Ballad in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, as specified above. However, don’t let the ‘lullaby’ deter you from listening to Good Night MY LOVE. It is not boring or a dry song that puts you to sleep. Instead, I found it captivating and a beautiful track. Good Night MY LOVE is warmly instrumented, with an instrumental made predominately of acoustic guitars and piano. To me, the instrumental was a bit sparse and almost like a blank canvas. But this paired with Soyou’s husky and soulful vocals, you get a soothing and calming number that acts in a similar sense to a lullaby. Soyou’s touching vocals are the pure focus of the song, due to the sparse nature of the instrumental, and this really helps make the song captivating as her vocals carry you away. I also get a really touching vibe from her vocals. Now, the following might put you off the song, but I am intrigued by it and would like to hear some thoughts if you have any. I had to relisten to Good Night MY LOVE a few times to really make sure about this next point though. Within the background of the song, I heard snippets of a male voice. It felt like an echo and they were very brief. Personally, I am not too sure about them since it could have been a mistake or possibly even intentional. You don’t really pick up on them if you are listening to the ballad in a casual sense. They are masked well and are very very minute. But if you really pay attention (like I have for this review), they kind of stick out. Maybe my mind is paying tricks on me and there is nothing there or I have mistaken something else for a male’s echoey voice. Hopefully, I haven’t deter you from listening to Good Night MY LOVE.

The artsy music video features four characters (though one of them – the assistant – doesn’t get enough screen time). Each of these characters are struggling in one way or another. The female character is looking for a job. She is happy to hear her friends managed to find one, but is sadden that she is left behind once again. The male character who works at the pet shop that sells only fishes is an aspiring actor who is stressed over an audition and insecure about his skills. The second male character is the director, who is struggling to put together a story for his next project. Each of these characters are struggling, but they all put on a brave face and push on. The lyrics of the song talk about a star that is looking over them and ‘protecting them’ from the struggle. At the end of the video, we see the four characters come together. The director has put together a story to work with, the second male character lands his audition and the female character finds a job. They look happy with their struggles out of their way. Soyou also appears in the video, singing. Her high position in the video make her seem like that star looking down on the characters. My only issue about the music video is the lack of English subtitles at the end. We had them at the start, but they were omitted from the ending which doesn’t make sense to me. But overall, an artistic and aesthetic music video.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Review] Moving On – Kyuhyun (Super Junior)

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Moving On is nominated for Best Ballad in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Super Junior is also nominated for Best Return To Industry. Support Kyuhyun and Super Junior by clicking here to vote today!

The next category I am focusing on reviewing from the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards is Best Ballad. Of the six nominees, I have not reviewed two releases). The first is Kyuhyun’s January release of Moving On. Moving On is part of a series of songs that focuses on each season, 2021 Project: 季, with the song in question representing the season of Winter. Throughout 2021, Kyuhyun has also returned with the singles Coffee (representing Spring), Together (representing Summer). A similar previous project, Project: 季, came about in 2020 and included Daystar (Autumn) and Dreaming (Summer).

The Best Ballad category was on the last categories for me to finalise as it turned out that I didn’t know of many ballads from this year. So I spent a lot of time in the lead up to the announcement of nominees in October sifting through many ballads to see which one was worthy of a nomination. I stumbled across Moving On during this period and was in awe. Moving On is actually a remake single of Hong Seok Min’s 2015 release of the same name. What really took hold of me was the buildup of this ballad. As it progressed, Kyuhyun continually pushed out what I thought were the fixed boundaries of the song with his vocals. They started off soft, but they ended up soaring at the end. These are the type of ballads that I like, where the song itself aren’t just linear or consistent. It makes the ballad more appealing, captivating and dynamic in a balladry sense. On top of pushing out the boundaries, Kyuhyun portray the emotions behind Moving On extremely well, especially when the song builds. Maintaining that emotional heft has to be commended with Moving On, as that was the main driver to why I became attracted to Moving On. To accompanying the building vocals was a classically orchestral instrumented background. It definitely added to that captivation and dynamic sense that I had mentioned. And per usual, everything in Moving On came together to elicit that swaying effect that I used to gauge the effectiveness of a ballad.

Alongside Kyuhyun who sings in this music video, there are Gong Myung and Chae Soo Bin, who are the main characters of the story and are in a relationship. This is a continuation of Coffee and Together‘s music video, where the pair are seen in their younger years developing feelings for one another and making a move on the other. In this video, we see further happy memories of the couple in flashbacks. In present day however, Gong Myung’s character is moving on knowing that the relationship was not going anywhere. Chae Soo Bin’s character is unaware of these developments in her relationship, but did spend some time wondering why Gong Myung’s character was not getting in touch with her. When he does, he proposes for them to meet up and go on a date. It was a nice date, with the pair smiling throughout. Over dinner, it appears like he mentions his feelings and ends the relationship. Gong Myung walks away with a sad face on, but he isn’t devastated like Chae Soo Bin was (showing us that he had indeed moved on), while Chae Soo Bin was in tears at the table and as she walks away. The end shows Chae Soo Bin waking up, thinking her partner was still around. But it becomes a reality that their relationship is no more as she gets up alone and realizes that it was just her imagination. I liked the golden glow from the music video’s lighting for majority of the video, which gives the video a warmer and comforting tone which compensates for the emotional and heartfelt story that we got.

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

[Double Review] Spit It Out + Rain On Me – MAJORS

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MAJORS is nominated for Best New Female Group in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support MAJORS by clicking here to vote today!

Today’s focus will be on the remaining artist whom I have not reviewed yet from the Best New Female Group category from the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. I am talking about none other than MAJORS, who scored their nomination for their constant activeness in the industry year since their debut in March of this year. MAJORS is a six-member female group under ANS Entertainment (the home of the now disbanded ANS), and its lineup consist of Ida, Vita, Aki, Bian (the sole former member of ANS who stayed on board with the company), Suzy and Shinye. 2021 saw the group debut with the single Spit It Out (will be the focus of this review). They also release single Rain On Me (which will be reviewed in this post as well) and Shining Star.

MAJORS releases never stuck out at me at the time of release. Maybe that is why I hadn’t posted a review for them. However, I have noted myself to pay attention to their songs many weeks after (coincidently as I am removing them from the Weekly KPOP Charts that I post every Sunday). Their debut track, Spit It Out, sounds good. I thought the ‘Spit It Out‘ hook was catchy enough and the song’s main whiny instrumental synth hook, though annoying at first, ended up charming me. I will admit that the song isn’t perfect and it is one of those that feels under-polished and could have been much better had the mixing of the song been better. For example, Spit It Out would have been more impressive had the chorus hit harder, the beat wasn’t as sluggish and the instrumental had not been as dull. It would have been nice to hear something with a bit more liveliness, vibrancy and colour, and with a sharper beat. I feel like their vocals could have seen a bit more oomph, but I felt like we didn’t get much from than due to the constricting nature of the song. But there was some good moments, such as the members as backing ‘Ooh‘ in the final chorus and the bridge overall. Overall, there is a need for a lot of improvement in Spit It Out. However, it is only their first track. In an over-saturated market, it is beneficial to stand out in some manner with your first foot in the door and Spit It Out did not do that. But that didn’t deter me from picking up their next release.

Rain On Me is the title of their first comeback following Spit It Out. It is a definite improvement from Spit It Out and actually ticks some of the boxes on what I wanted from their debut track. The instrumental was not dull or sluggish. The EDM (even though typical) and the brass elements in Rain On Me really helped bring up the liveliness, vibrancy and colour of the song. That alone is already a strong appealing factor for me. Sure, the generic EDM didn’t innovate and it basically reinvented the wheel. But I think the instrumental of Rain On Me enabled the group to showcase a more vibrant vocal performance with a bit more of that oomph and energy that I wanted in the previous song, And this showcase promised potential. That is a sure positive for a group starting out. On the topic of vocals, I liked the addition of rapping and variety in tones throughout Rain On Me. It definitely bumped up the dynamic nature of the song. I also felt the instrumental break we got for the dance break also helped with that. The bridge was also nailed, in my opinion. Overall, Rain On Me had almost everything I wanted from the debut track, and frankly, they should have debuted with this song. But regardless, it is a step in the right direction for the group’s career.

The music video for Spit It Out is undeniably under funded and low budget. Everything looked pretty cheap and their outs did not fit the concept of the song whatsoever. Based on the background, I felt a club or casual type of outfit concept would have been more appropriate. The video also seemed awkward at times, especially during the close of the members. They either looked lost or emotionless. Can I blame the members? Not really. The budget is beyond their control, and I felt the producer should have picked on the other flaws of the video. For Rain On Me, the more vibrant colours and brighter lighting helped make the video feel so much more fitting for the song. I feel the sets for this video were a lot cooler and gave off a bolder look, relative to Spit It Out. The idea of a low budget still lingers when I watch Rain On Me, but it also a definite improvement and this pays off heap for the comeback.

The most positive aspect of Spit It Out‘s release was the choreography. It didn’t seem so if you watched the music video only, but they were in sync throughout and the moves were pretty decent. I would have liked it more had the facial expressions showed off a bit of charisma and attitude for this particular routine. The synchronization is maintained for the Rain On Me choreography. In better news, the facial expression definitely improved for Rain On Me. The dance break also looked cool. But it isn’t a smash out of the park. Unfortunately, the routine attached to the chorus was boring to watch.

Spit It Out
Song – 6/10
Music Video – 4/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 5.7/10

Rain On Me
Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10

[Review] WHY DON’T WE – RAIN ft. CHUNG HA

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WHY DON’T WE is nominated for Best Collaboration in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. CHUNG HA is also nominated for Best Female Solo Artist, Best Outfits, Best Female Choreography (Solo) and Best International Song by a Korean Artist (Western). Support WHY DON’T WE and CHUNG HA by clicking here to vote for the song today!

RAIN returned with the mini-album Pieces By Rain back in March of this year. The mini-album features the title track, WHY DON’T WE, a collaboration between RAIN himself and CHUNG HA. Based on the title of this post, it is obviously the focus of this review. Pieces By Rain also features other collaborations, such as RAIN & JYP’s collaboration from the end of last year – Switch to Me (which was originally considered for a nomination for the Best Collaboration category), a collaboration with some members of Ciipher (Come Over), Jackson Wang (Magnetic) and a solo song, Aurora. WHY DON’T ME is the final song I will be reviewing from the Best Collaboration category for the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards.

What stands out at me in WHY DON’T WE is the song’s flair and style. It is ultimately the reason why I nominated it for Best Collaboration in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. It is incredibly stylish, trendy and modern, all of which are impressions that you would want a song to tick off in this current age. And I personally feel that ever since its release in March of this year, these same descriptions would have applied (and they still do!). I really enjoyed the harsh piano that we get as an instrumental hook in this song, which had the added benefit of being memorable. I also really enjoyed the upbeatness of the song and the subtle intensity that the background captures (which also enables a cool and sharp performance – more on that later). WHY DON’T WE also has vibrancy and never really had a dull moment when you consider the instrumentation. It is the vocals and singing that weakens the song. Not by much and I personally don’t mind it, in retrospect. But sitting down to review WHY DON’T WE made me think long and hard about the song, and I just have to be honest. RAIN is excessively autotuned in this song. It is a bit odd when you look at the song as ‘bigger picture’, as CHUNG HA didn’t have much autotune on her one section of the song. I wished the producers toned down on the autotune, simply to balance and be on par with CHUNG HA’s section. Talking about CHUNG HA, she sounds great in this song. However, I do wish we heard more of her in WHY DON’T ME. I am not satisfied enough! With the hooks and lines, I do feel that WHY DON’T WE was stuck in a loop and a bit repetitive. Overall, WHY DON’T WE shines because of its instrumental, but the glow isn’t as strong thanks to the vocal aspects of the song.

One of the things RAIN is known for in KPOP is his style, and I feel that the music video does a wonderful job of capturing that style. I also felt that having CHUNG HA in the music video, even though her part in the song was limited, also helped with making the video more stylish. I liked the mysterious vibe of the video, courtesy of the closeup shots of RAIN himself. I don’t know if they form a story, or are there just to be mysterious for style only. But I don’t mind whichever was the intention of the video’s producer. Black and greys are stylish tones and I liked how they was used throughout the video to bring forth that visual effect. The odd presence of colour (mainly shades of red), such as CHUNG HA’s outfits, the red sand during the second chorus, the red piece of fabric that was twisted around the dancer in the air etc. added a refined touch to the video.

On top of the stylishness of the music video, the choreography was also the other heavy aspect of the music video. Another thing RAIN and CHUNG HA are known for is their choreographies and performances, and a collaboration between the pair on this front, logically, would be amazing. Well, spoiler alert – it was. I really like the footwork in the performance, along with the sexiness and charisma that the pair brings to the stage. Again, I wished CHUNG HA made an appearance towards the end of the performance to really wrap it up. But what we got was also fine.

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

[Review] My Universe – Coldplay & BTS

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My Universe is nominated for Best Collaboration and Best International Song By A Korean Artist (Western) categories in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Award. BTS is also nominated in the Best International Song by a Korean Artist (Western) for Butter. Support either My Universe or Butter by clicking here to vote today!

Today’s reviews will be focused on the songs that I have not reviewed yet from the Best Collaboration category from the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. One of the songs that I will be covering is a very big release that I should have reviewed when it was first released (end of September 2021), but haven’t gotten around to it. Until today! I am obviously talking about My Universe, a collaborative single between Coldplay and BTS. My Universe ended up being a single on Coldplay’s most recent album release, Music of the Spheres.

My Universe is one of those tracks that I found myself singing along to and that is thanks to its simple melody. When you consider the melody side of the song, you find it very straight-forward, simple (as already mentioned) and extremely pleasant. While these are limiting factors in some songs, I find these aspects to be big wins for My Universe. I also find this to be vital and clever, as My Universe draws together English and Korean lyrics. It may not be a mind-blowing idea, especially since we get a lot of English in Korean songs in KPOP on a day to day basis now. But I feel the execution of the two languages in this song in particular to be a substantial effort. And having the one singular melody throughout manages to pull the two languages together and creates a seamless song to enjoy. I also find the same melody to work with the message of the song, which is about bringing us all together no matter what world we are in. This is such a relevant message to give today. As mention before, My Universe is pleasant to listen to. Part of this comes from the melodies, but the other part comes from the vocal work. Both Chris Martin and the members of BTS pretty much maintain a soft approach. Even when the music hits hard for the chorus, they don’t really stray away from this idea and keep it fairly consistent throughout. Even the rapping from the members of BTS had that pleasant vibe and kept a low profile. The band and synth instrumentation was also a nice combination and enable My Universe‘s pleasant vibe. We get a slightly heavier, rougher and more intense synths in the final sequence of the song, which definitely helps complete the song (based on how the song supposedly finished off) in a fun celebratory manner, which I guess wraps up the song’s message nicely. Overall, I quite enjoyed My Universe, and found it to be a collaboration that I did not think I needed in 2021.

I quite like the premise of this music video. Coldplay, BTS, robots and aliens are all on different planets and seem to have a smashing time together, vibing to the music in hologram form. I will admit some scenes looks a bit cringy, but it definitely all relayed the same message of how much everyone enjoyed their time with one another. At the supposed end of the song, silencers came through to stop the music and everyone was forced to stop their jam session. But the final instrumental sequence proved that they can’t be stopped, and even though we might be apart from one another in current times, we can always still have a good time as ‘we are all in the universe’. That’s my take on the video, I wonder if there are any others out there? Other than that, I quite enjoyed the production side of the video. The CGI looked super cool and very detailed (like movie budget style).

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.4/10

[Review] Happen – Heize

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Happening is nominated for Best R&B Song in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support Happening by clicking here to vote today!

Next up from the Best R&B Song category is Heize’s Happen, which was released back in September this year. Heize’s nomination in the category comes as no surprise, given that she has is one of the females soloists at the very forefront of the genre. Despite that, it has been a while since I have have reviewed a track from Heize, with the last one being First Sight from the end of 2018.

As mentioned in the above paragraph, Heize is one of the biggest names in the Korean R&B industry, which is thanks to her unique voice that is so made for the genre. And I feel that Happen is such a good introduction to Heize, if you haven’t really paid attention to her before or are listening to one of her songs for the first time. One of the drawing points to this song is Heize’s nasally voice. It gave Happen such an interesting colour, texture, tone and maturity. To assist with all of that, Happen has such strong melodies that make the song so memorable and stand out. I found myself repeating the song a few times thanks to the combination of both her voice and Happen‘s melodies. It actually got Happen onto the review list for a brief period, but it ended up getting sidelined for other reviews when it was first released. What I also really liked about Happen was the groovy instrumentation. The instrumental draws upon mellow acoustic sounds for the verses, and a combination of funky electric guitar and house beats to create that groovy chorus instrumental. It definitely helped Happen standout a lot had the producers went with something more typical or jazzy. I also enjoyed the upbeatness it provided the song, which isn’t something I tend to think of when I think of R&B or Heize. Overall, Happen is a great piece that utlislise and presents Heize extremely well.

Happen poses the question of ‘what if’ two people are destined to be lovers, but because they don’t pay attention or miss each other by mere second, they are unable to act upon that fate. That is exactly what we get in this music video. The music video features both Heize and Song Joong Ki as the two people who brush past each other on the daily without much thought or just miss each other by a second in some circumstances. There is definitely potential for them, as we see at the end of the video when the ‘what if’ scenarios resulted in the pair interacting with one another. But unfortunately, it doesn’t eventuate as both don’t really notice each other or talk to one another. I find the concept quite thought-provoking and interesting. I also like the style of the video and the sets. I also find it to be quite aesthetics. The colour palette chosen for this video seems to be influenced by one of the shots, which resembles the Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks painting. Both Heize and Song Joong Ki’s acting was quite good as well.

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

[Review] Bittersweet – Wonwoo & Mingyu (SEVENTEEN) ft. Lee Hi

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Bittersweet is nominated for Best R&B Song, while SEVENTEEN is nominated for Best Male Group and a range of other categories. Support SEVENTEEN in all their nominated categories by clicking to vote today.

As mentioned previously, I will be reviewing songs or releases from artists from categories in which I had not reviewed before this year throughout the remainder of 2021. Today’s reviews will all be focused on the ones that I have yet to review from the Best R&B Song category. First up is Bittersweet, which was a collaboration single between SEVENTEEN members Wonwoo, Mingyu, and soloist Lee Hi. This single was released back at the end of May 2021.

Bittersweet is a very mature R&B song. While we have heard all the artists in this song in some sort of mature light before, I find Bittersweet to really emphasise this and this was a very major drawing point in my opinion. You could also gather the emotions and the literal bittersweet tone behind their each of their voices, which I found to also be another strong aspect of the song. While they are two of SEVENTEEN’s rappers, both Wonwoo and Mingyu changed up their delivery/style and opted for vocals and I thought this was well executed. Wonwoo’s husky and deep tone and Mingyu’s raspier voice works really well with one another in Bittersweet. There was the tiniest smidge of rapping, however, when Mingyu switch between vocals and rapping for a brief second in the song’s first pre-chorus. I remember Lee Hi’s vocals being unrecognisable when Bittersweet was first released. I guess I am really used to hearing low tones and huskier tones from the soloist, not something as smooth and higher tone like what we got in this song. I am not entirely sure if that is a good or bad thing after all this time, but it was interesting. Both the higher tone and smoothness contrasted with the SEVENTEEN members’ vocals and I felt her vocals helped tied the song together. For the melodies, they were quite nice. Not too memorable, but just enough to get this song over the line in that regard. Regarding the instrumentation, Bittersweet was quite a straightforward R&B release, with a subdued instrumental that mainly features acoustic guitars all throughout. While this isn’t a mind-blowing or innovative combination, the simplicity and straightforwardness as definitely appreciated.

The song was all about the switch between friendship and love. In the music video, we see the friendship between the three characters played by Wonwoo, Mingyu and the female actress. But throughout the video, we see glimpse of the male characters staring at their female friend, seemingly contemplating their feelings for her. But never do we see them make the move, probably in fear of what would happen to their friendship trio if the feelings were reciprocated for one friend and not the other. At the end, it seems like the male counterparts of the friendship choose friendship over their feelings, keeping their bond. Though the ending is ambiguous, as it would make better sense for all three of them to skip into the distant in the rain if that was the case. Instead, we are shown only Wonwoo and Mingyu, so maybe the music video is trying to suggest that the pair were in love all along? Who knows! Apart from the two possible stories, I like the moody atmosphere of the music video, which went for the traditional R&B colours of brown and golden tone.

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

[Review] Beautiful – NCT 2021

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NCT’s subunits, NCT 127 and NCT DREAM, are nominated in a number of categories for the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support NCT 127 and NCT Dream by clicking here to vote for them today!

A year on from their epic Resonance single and promotions, NCT has regrouped as a full group (sans Lucas and WinWin) for their 2021 promotions. Leading their latest album, Universe, is the single Beautiful (the focus of this review) and the NCT U track, Universe (Let’s Play Ball). Previously, we have seen majoirty of the members of NCT active this year, including NCT Dream promotions with Hot Sauce and Hello Future, NCT 127 promotions with Sticker and Favorite (Vampire) and WayV with Kick Back.

Beautiful lives up to its title. My first impression of the song when I heard it upon release was that it was beautiful, uplifting and inspiring. Beautiful takes on the form of a pop ballad, a very different sound to what the units of NCT usually put out. It isn’t the first time we heard a pop release from NCT’s subunits, but Beautiful hands off as refreshing vibe to me, which is thanks to the vocally driven nature and the notable absence of electronic synths. Instead, the instrumentation of Beautiful opts for a collection of pop strings, drums and piano. It isn’t anything mind-blowing, but it definitely works in tandem with the vocals and the messaging. The whole idea of singing as one reiterates their bond as a whole group, who for the most part appear very separated throughout the year unless it is a NCT full-group promotion. It also aids Beautiful‘s message, which ‘expresses positive energy with a warm message to those having a hard time that they are all special in their own ways’ (from Soompi), as it felt like there were 21 people already behind/supporting me as I listened to the song. The vocals in the verses were also nice, but they did not have the same level of impact for obvious reasons. The rapping was concentrated into just the bridge and felt toned down enough and had the right level of energy for the song. Taeil’s high note also comes in just at the right time, as if it was the ‘icing of the cake’ for this song. I wished the official audio retained that whistle sound following the rapping bridge. I really like the stilling presence it had in the song, and definitely brought up the aesthetic. But apart from that, Beautiful was a stunning song that was well-thought out and sounded amazing.

The music video was shot in a way that felt relatable. We didn’t get any crazy flashing sets or expensive props or outfits in this music video. Instead, the members were all dressed casually and we saw them in everyday settings or jobs. Jaehyun was a college student, Chenle was an office worker, Renjun and Jisung were café workers, some of the members were baseball players (a nice and subtle nod to the Universe (Let’s Play Ball) music video), and Ten was hanging out on the roof of a building. Practically a broad range their audience. I liked how the music video showed the all the members dancing together (along with the dancers) for the chorus, which really emphasise that idea of being in unison with one another like the song had done. I did wish we saw choreography solo shots for all the members throughout the video, like in the first part of the final chorus. As cheesy as that might like, I liked the idea of it. I also like the ‘reset’ for the choreography formation that they did in the final chorus.

The choreography looks quite nice. It looked artistic, and wasn’t anything too much for the pop ballad. It doesn’t feel too constricted and had a nice breezy vibe, which also fitted the song.

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

[Double Review] Say Yes + Missing U – IZ

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IZ is nominated for Best Band in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support IZ by clicking here to vote for them!

The last artist within the Best Band category that I hadn’t reviewed at all this year yet is IZ. However, this isn’t the first time I have reviewed them, as I had reviewed their Final Kiss and Eden comebacks back in 2019. 2021 saw two comebacks from them, Say Yes (released early March) and Missing U (released mid April), both of which will be reviewed today as part of this double review. I had plans to do one more review for another nominee’s recent release, but due to time constraints, but I will wrapping up the category today and moving onto the next category instead.

Say Yes has one of the most satisfying builds of the year. The rock ballad starts off as a rather simple ballad, with a piano background (played on the keyboard), some other classical elements (i.e. strings) and touching vocals at the start. It was heartfelt and an emotionally heavy sequence. And then the song manages to pull in all this energy for a buildup out of nowhere (though it was expected), and the rock side of the ballad is dropped on us. It reminded me of other rock ballads that were done right, and Say Yes can be added to that list. As part of this build, Say Yes is taken to the chorus, which was nicely executed and had good melodies. The drums and electric guitar remains as part of the second verse and chorus, combining with the piano/strings from the start. The bridge was all English and stripped away the rock elements, but did not return to the likes of how Say Yes started. The piano and strings here was slightly more amped up, allowing the song to effortlessly reincorporate back the rock elements for the final chorus to lead out the song. Throughout all of this, Say Yes manages to put forward emotional vocals. I wished the vocals went a bit further in terms of this, something more gut-wrenching and powerful would have been ideal. What we got from the main vocalist was perfectly fine, but I feel a step further wouldn’t be too bad. Overall, Say Yes was a nicely done rock ballad, with a bit of nostalgia and well-execution adding to its appeal.

What stands out for me in Missing U was the melody of the song. The singing at the start was extremely pleasant, sticking right out at me. The melodies we get throughout the rest of Missing U stands out in a similar fashion, bringing out the delicate and soothing aspects of the song’s rock ballad instrumentation in such a warm light. It also gave the song a bit of vibrancy, colour and freshness, suitable for the time in which the song was released (i.e. the start of Summer). I liked how the piano/keyboard melody remains during the electric guitar solo section of the song. It practically was the element in which tied everything together and kept the song neat in my opinion. The vocals carrying these melodies were also helped make the song memorable for me, giving it more an of edge if I were to compare it to a more straight forward rock ballad, like Say Yes. What lifts up Missing U a lot more was the addition of rap during the verses. During these rap sequence, the rock elements of the rock ballad concentrate and the rapping adds a bit of appealing edge to the song. Overall, Missing U was satisfying and refreshing

The music video for Say Yes was pretty simple. It included the shots of the band on a stage performing the track, with a screen showing some sort of water pattern behind them and everything was in black and white. Simple, but it got the right vibes, feelings and emotions across. I like how the lighting was used to focus on just the keyboard and singer during the start and how it was also replicated during the bridge of the song, practically removing the rock contributors of the song from the video, but still having them there to bring back the rock sound when it was needed. As for Missing U, the video starts with a grayscale tone. But once the instruments kick into gear, the colours come through with a sepia tone. I thought this felt appropriate for the song. Missing U is a rock ballad at heart and so bright colours or harsh tones would not have worked. The closeup of each of the members throughout the video also gave the video a bit of a dynamic touch, which I thought was nice. None of the music videos were memorable enough, but they did their job. My preference, if I was forced to choose, was the Missing U video.

Say Yes
Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

Missing U
Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

[Review] Fine – W24

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W24 is nominated for Best Band in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support W24 by clicking here to vote today!

As mentioned in my previous review, I will be using today and tomorrow to focus on the nominees of the Best Band category, who I have not reviewed yet this year. This review focuses on W24, a four-member band (consisting of Kim Yun-soo, Kim Jong-gil, Cheong Ho-won and Park Aaron) under JARMY Entertainment that debuted back in 2018 and has been active promoting since. 2021 saw the band release two songs, Breath and Once Upon a Time and most recently My Universe. But I won’t be reviewing those. Instead, I will reviewing Fine, a single released by the band back in September of this year.

The reason why I am reviewing Fine over their main releases from this year is the dramatic drums that not just open up the song, but has a presence throughout the song. It was bold and they stole my attention from the get-go, and I have been listening to the song ever since. Unfortunately, it was one of the reviews that I had intended to write around the time of its release, but I ended up shelving it so that I could review other releases. But I now have a proper excuse to sit down and revisit this ballad. For the most part, Fine was pretty typical. Removing the dramatic drums, the ballad starts off like any other. Soft and delicate. Maybe dry and plain, as well, as you don’t really see much of a change of momentum. As the song progresses, Fine develops more into a rock ballad. Still typical-sounding if I was being honest, but the rock influences make Fine more satisfying to listen to. When you factor in the dramatic drums again, the rock ballad becomes a lot more heavier and even more fulfilling. Not only did they add boldness to the ballad, but they added the momentum that took the song from ‘dry and plain’ to ‘captivating and stilling’. I found the ending to be interesting. The ending of Fine switches out the electric guitar which has been there since the start for an acoustic guitar, leaving us with the delicate and fragile side of the song. As for the vocals, I thought they were really good and captured the emotions of the ballad. They followed the trajectory of the music, unloading during the song’s more heavier moments and highlighting the delicateness during the song’s softer moments. That high note that we get from the main vocalist was on point and definitely was another highlight to Fine. Overall, Fine was ‘a fine song’. It reeled me and it got me to stay. It has even gotten me to pick up some other W24 as well, so I am interested to hear more from the group in the future.

There was no music video for Fine was released. Instead, we got a live clip of the band performing, which was perfectly fine. The band performed with some sort of flower festival or garden behind them, and while there was visitors walking behind them. The latter was mildly distracting, but the field of flowers worked well with the song. Flowers are delicate and so was the song. I wished they wore something a bit more appropriate for the song though. That is my issue with shorts. They have their merits in other situations, but they look informal here and I felt this went against the song.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Double Review] I Got U + irrelevant answer – LUCY

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LUCY is nominated for Best Band in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support LUCY by clicking here to vote for them!

As mentioned last week, I will covering releases that formed part of the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards nominations. Last week, I focused on the Best Rap or Hip-Hop Song category. Today and tomorrow, I will be focusing on the Best Band category. A number of the nominations for Best Band, I have never reviewed before, so this would be a great opportunity to focus on these acts! First up is LUCY, who is a four-member band formed on the TV show Superband. They made their debut in 2020 with Flowering and have been actively promoting ever since. In 2021, they released two title tracks, I Got U in June and irrelevant answer in August. I am also aware that they just returned with Rolling Rolling, but I will not be reviewing that until next year.

I Got U is featured on their June album release, GATCHA. I Got U is one of those songs that you get so stuck into, that by the time it wraps up, you either felt the song went by too quickly or it was too short. I Got U falls into more pleasant territory, than anything else. But there was a lot in there that I found unique or enjoyed. I liked the filtered chant that opened up I Got U, reeling me in with an already unique melody and hook. I found the verses to be quite subdued, with minimalistic band instrumentation and very unique vocals in the higher tone range. That filtered chant returns as the song’s chorus (though it could be passed as a pre-chorus) and with the uniqueness mentioned before continuing on (but with the main vocalist being more upfront). Then, the band kicks up the energy and beat with an amped up instrumental piece. Its fun and definitely colourful. What really stood out in this segment was the violin. Bands don’t usually incorporate violins into their music, focusing more on the typical guitar, keyboard/piano and drums. So LUCY definitely have sent them apart from the rest of the competition with the presence of violin in the song, They skipped the instrumental piece after the second chorus, opting for subdued vocals (from the drummer, might I add!, and the main vocalist with a piercing high note), before returning back to the chorus (which once again could act more as a pre-chorus) and then the return of the instrumental piece that followed the first chorus. I also like the merge of the instrumental piece and the filtered vocals, closing out I Got U in a well-summarised but also fun fashion!

Compared to I Got U, irrelevant answer (their August comeback track) is a lot of heavier in terms of its sound, potentially more aggressive due to the non-stop nature of the song and its much faster tempo. It is a completely different vibe and feel. As I haven’t paid attention to LUCY as much in the past, this ‘different vibe’ demonstrates to me the ability to be versatile, which is always a positive takeaway. I like how the opening had a bit of everyone. A nice re-introduction to the group, in case three months away from LUCY makes it hard to remember them. I quite liked the instrumental of irrelevant answer. The fast tempo and the fact that it barely stops definitely satisfies me. It reminds me of when bands just continue playing non-stop to hype up the crowd. As it went on, the energy became more relentless but in a subtle manner. It is a bit different to what I am used when I apply the word ‘relentless’, but that is what makes the song unique. Unfortunately, I felt the vocals, melodies and hooks were a bit ordinary as well. Nothing was that memorable on these fronts, and I felt disappointed by that. Overall, I still liked the irrelevant answer as a whole, but there was definitely more in which LUCY could have done to take the song to the next level..

The music video for I Got U could have been more fun in my opinion. To me, the music video emphasizes the idea that they are indie artists and that is absolutely fine. They looked playful in the grassy fields, and bowling alleys are much fun (and I always find that their presence in music videos always feel so aesthetic) But I guess I wished that everything was more at ease and casual. I watch the music video with this cramped feeling for some reason, and feel it could have been more freeing. It might be that dullness from the filter, I am not too sure. As for the music video for irrelevant answer, it was more so a video capture of their jam session. They were definitely feeling it and looked like they were enjoying the three minutes in which they play to their heart’s content. I liked this concept and it is also something we don’t get enough of with other bands in KPOP.

I Got U
Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

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

[Review] G999 – Moonbyul (Mamamoo) ft. Mirani

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Mamamoo is nominated for Best Vocals for Where We Are Now in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support Mamamoo by clicking here to vote now!

Moonbyul, Mamamoo’s resident rapper, is gearing up for a solo comeback in 2022. But while that is the formal comeback timeframe, Moonbyul will be teasing her return with a few pre-release singles. The first is G999, which dropped earlier today. It features Mirani, who is an independent South Korean rapper who debuted last year. This is the first solo release from Moonbyul since her solo debut with Eclipse at the start of last year.

G999 tackles retro hip-hop, with a newtro background and old school vibes that takes you back to the 90s. G999 comes off as fun and vibrant, which is pretty typical for the influences in this day and age. However, the typicalness in this song is not an issue, as I find myself grooving along to G999 since the very first listen. I also find the song to be quite light despite being heavy on those retro synths. The lightness helps make it sound pleasant, but also aids in the fun side of the song as well. I like how it doesn’t mess with the sound, staying consistently retro hip-hop 90s throughout. As they are rappers, both Moonbyul and Mirani fits in very well into the track. Their rap sequences definitely had nice flow and their delivery was pretty good. Nothing mind-blowing at all, but that doesn’t upset G999. Moonbyul also throws in vocals for the chorus and she sounds really good. I am glad that she has found her confidence to sing, as it pays off each time she does! The lacking element of G999 are the hooks. I would have liked to have heard something more punchy and memorable. That would have made G999 even more powerful and impactful. Melody-wise, I think that pleasant description I used comes back to me. Overall, G999 is a pretty nice break from the heavy synths of today’s electronic music or the classical instrumentation that comes in ballads and Christmas songs typical of this time of the year, and you thank that to the G999’s retro instrumentation and well-executed vocals/raps.

As expected, the video also takes a page out of 90s hio-hop era with video that would fit right into that era. The camera shots, lighting, post-production and even their white outfits are all a callback to that era. I like the splash of colour they added to the video via the random paint on the plastic curtains and lime colour lighting as well. My only gripe about the music video is how empty it felt. While the pair look like they are enjoying their time, I wished there was more people in the background to make the video a bit more exciting. Maybe COVID-19 prevented them from getting background people in, but I feel that would have made this video better.

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

[Review] Universe (Let’s Play Ball) – NCT U

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NCT DREAM and NCT 127 is nominated for Best Subunit, while NCT Dream’s Hello Future is nominated for Best Pop Song in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support either NCT DREAM or NCT 127 in the Best Subunit category, and Hello Future in the Best Pop Song category by clicking here to vote!

NCT is back as a full group (aside from two members, Lucas and WinWin) with the new album, Universe. The new album is not out yet (its formal release date is 14 December 2021), however, the first lead single from the album has already dropped. It is titled Universe (Let’s Play Ball) and features NCT members Doyoung, Jungwoo, Mark, Xiaojun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, YangYang and Shotaro. This full group comeback comes a year after the NCT 2020 promotions, which saw the group return with 5 title tracks, including Resonance.

Universe is a very intense track. So intense to the point that it felt very ‘in-your-face’ type of intense. There is nothing wrong with that however. If nailed, like Universe did, then it can be a fantastic track. And that’s the impression I get from Universe. It isn’t 100% perfect, however. I will return to that in just a second. The song starts off with the song’s shouty hook. Personally, I don’t mind the ‘Let’s Play Ball‘ hook. Admittedly, it does feel a bit childish and I didn’t know if it went with the intensity of Universe. But subsequent listens to the song have helped justified it. The hook repeats on a loop through some iterations of intense instrumentation, a ‘What You Got‘ loop (courtesy of Jaemin) and some vocals (courtesy of Doyoung). While I like overlapping in songs, I felt that Universe went an extra unnecessary step when the hook overlapped with Doyoung’s vocals. It felt a bit much when it got to that point and was hard to focus on Doyoung’s vocals. I wished they held back on that additional iteration. That was the only part of Universe that I did not enjoy. Other than. the song gets a big tick from me. Universes showcases interesting vocal and powerful rapping throughout the song. There is a lot going on in this department, but I was not disappointed with the variety! The chorus melody was actually pretty solid and had a smoothness with counteracted with the the rougher textures brought through by the synths. In addition to the synths, there was some pretty good elements that made up the instrumentation, such as the synthesizer guitars and I also felt a bit of a rock influence at point through the presence of actual electric guitars. The overlapping returned at one point in the second verse and at the end of Universe and sounded fine, simply because they didn’t overlap with any vocals. Overall, there was one minor hiccup to Universe, but otherwise a great song that showcases a lot!

Part of the music video takes on a baseball game, which makes sense given the main hook being ‘Let’s Play Ball‘. The casual wear elsewhere in the video, like in the outdoor scenes and some of the closeups, felt fitting enough as well. However, I am not entirely sure of the direction of the choreography scenes in which the members were wearing suits and wearing those full face masks. They look good though, and I presume they have a reason for being in this video. But it just didn’t feel obvious. Over than that, a pretty typical music video.

What impresses me with the choreography for Universe is the speed at which the moves were performed at. There as a lot of fast moments in the choreography that made the performance looked pretty cool and much more impactful.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

[Review] The Real (Heung Version) – ATEEZ

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ATEEZ is nominated for Best Stage Presence, while ATEEZ’s sixth mini-album, ZERO: FEVER Part 2, is nominated for Best Album in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Jongho is also nominated for Best Vocals. Support ATEEZ, ZERO: FEVER Part 2, Jongho, your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote.

As mentioned yesterday, I have been a bit busy especially in the last few days to review. But I am not busy at the moment, and so I will be reviewing the releases from the last few days. One of these releases is ATEEZ’s latest (?) title track, The Real, which is featured on the group’s 8th mini-album, Zero: Fever Epilogue. Actually, this isn’t a new song per se. The Real is ATEEZ’s final song on Kingdom: Legendary War, but has been revamped to be the new lead track for this album. This follows the release of Turbulence last week and their two comebacks from earlier in the year, Fireworks (I’m The One) and Deja Vu.

At the end of my previous review of The Real, I did mention that I would like to hear ATEEZ explore this unrelentless hype style. However, I had in mind that the group would do this through a different and original song, rather than the original. As mentioned already, The Real (Heung Version) has been been revamped to be the title track for this new album. I do have to say that the revamp was not extensive, though. If that is what you are after, then I prepare to be slightly disappointing, as I would say just under 90% of the new version is the same as the old version. In the The Real (Heung Version), there was more traditional instrumentation added, a slightly altered introduction, a more hype-inducing buildup for the pre-chorus and an extended final chorus at the end, which features an instrumental break that contains a prominent touch of traditional folk instrumental. Otherwise, the same delivery from the members, the exact same order and the same abrasive synths as per the original version of the song remained the same. I did wish that they went a bit further with the revamp like with the delivery (i.e. both rapping and vocals) and more pronounced changes, rather than subtle changes. That would have been a more mind-blowing experience. But while the changes described aren’t major, I did think that they did a good job of adding flair and continuing both momentum and unrelentless exudation of energy of the song (the latter being a massive selling point of the original version for me). Did I like the changes? Yes. But I think my original rating of 8.5 for the song component of the original version of The Real still stands with the Heung version.

In the case you were wonder the score for The Real (from the Kingdom: Legendary War post) on the blog is 7.9/10, which factors in the stage performance. The 8.5/10 song component of the release was never made public before.

I am not too sure what is going on in the video. It seems like the members are all of different factions and rivalry (based on that dance battle we get on the streets), but they come together to summon Yeosang back (who appears to be much more confident and arrogant (in a good way)). Something happened to Yeosang’s character at the end of INCEPTION and Deja Vu (and he is presumably the masked figure at the end of Fireworks (I’m The One) music videos), which were the main videos that made up the Fever series, hence why he needed to be summon back. The THANXX, Eternal Sunshine and Turbulence music videos might also factor in somehow, but I can’t think of how from the top of my head. Happy to hear any theories that you might have! After full reuniting, ATEEZ celebrates with one big street party! Aside from my haphazardly theorised theory on the music video, I thought it was a fun video that definitely draws from that side of the song.

Unsure if the performance has changed given the revamp, but the dance moves I saw in the music video were previously captured on stage at the Kingdom: Legendary War final stage. It seems like the moves in the music video a bit more oomph to them, and it looks much better than the stage version. I can’t fully make a judgement here, but it seems to head in the right direction.

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

[Review] TANG!♡ – Mino (WINNER)

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Support your favourite artists, songs and performances in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards by clicking here to vote now.

Mino is back to round out the year with TANG!♡. The song is featured on his third solo studio album, which is titled To Infinity. Things have appeared to be fairly quiet for Mino, who we last saw during his Run Away and Take (his second studio album) promotions a year ago. He did hold a solo concert back in October, in which he performed TANG!♡ for the first time.

For me, Mino’s releases comes and goes. I don’t remember much of Run Away (nor his other solo songs) a year on since its release and have to remind myself by re-listening to the song and reviewing its review in order to compare releases. Now that I have done that, I can say that I prefer the likes of TANG!♡ over Run Away. However, that doesn’t mean I think TANG!♡ is the perfect song. There are flaws and there is still a fair way to go to reach that level. Of course, there are a few elements that stood out for me, namely the instrumentation and Mino’s rapping in the second verse. The instrumental has this slight reggae-like rhythm to its percussion, which was interesting. There was also a certain colour to the song that I would describe as playful and fun, even though I would say the beat was ‘paced’. But for the most part, the body of the instrumental was pretty much hip-hop. I also did like the addition of the electric guitars in the background, which also helped change up the song a bit by inserting a moody vibe to the song. Mino’s rapid rapping in the second verse also amazed me. It wowed me there, and was by far the most positively memorable aspect of the song in my opinion. The rest of his rapping in TANG!♡ was also quite good, and worked well with the pace of the instrumentation. Unfortunately, there was one thing that I didn’t like as much, and thought that it was pretty undercooked. The repetitive ‘Tang Tang Tang‘ chorus was not my cup of tea. It didn’t feel fulfilling, and I was itching for more. I guess it plays towards that fun nature of the song, but I wished it did more. Overall, TANG!♡ isn’t a bad song. But I wished the main centerpiece was a bit more teased out.

As for the music video, it was pretty good. TANG!♡ concept was a virtual reality one. At the start of the video, Mino is pretty much your standard bachelor who plays TANG, which is a love game. The game puts Mino into a few scenarios, where I assume he needs to win the female computer character over. In the first scenario, he is a cowboy who is dressed coolly to look the part. He throws out a pick up line, shows off money and dog and buys her dinner. But she leaves and gets distracted, which means he lost that round. In the second scenario, he shows off his money again by being a materialistic person, buying and wearing high end stuff. He also buys a whole heap of presents for the female character. But his dog gets in the way, and stuffs that rounds up! In the final round, he prepares a romantic proposal like situation, in which he gifts the female character a bouquet of roses and a massive teddy bear. But he is reminded that this game is fake, and she disappears in a glitchy manner. In the end, he opts for some real life interaction, where he sends a text message to a real like female to meet at the bar to discuss something. I thought the video was fun, and like usual, I enjoyed the post-production applied to the video.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Review] God Damn – I.M (MONSTA X)

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I.M is nominated for Best Rapper, while God Damn is nominated for Best Rap or Hip-Hop Song in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. MONSTA X is also nominated for Best Stage Presence and Best Concept for GAMBLER. Support I.M, God Damn and MONSTA X by clicking here to vote today.

We return to the ongoing transmission of reviews for songs nominated under Best Rap or Hip-Hop Song category. Today’s review is the final one for the category, and is focused on I.M’s GOD DAMN, which was released way back in February of this year. It formed part of his first formal solo album release, Duality. You might recognise the song, as it has been on my ‘Coming Soon’ page for a very long time. And today, I am finally getting around to it. Since the release of GOD DAMN, I.M has participated in MONSTA X’s GAMBLER and Rush Hour.

Out of all the nominees for the Best Rap or Hip-Hop Song category, I.M’s release is the most sensual. It is a slow song for those who are tuning into GOD DAMN for the first time, and that might be a turn off for some. I completely understand that. But I guess multiple listens (and nine months later), GOD DAMN becomes a lot more appealing. For me, the slowness of the track emphasis that sensual energy, and allows I.M to use a huskier tone and a more drawn out approach with his vocals. All of this helped make GOD DAMN as appealing as it is. We usually get something powerful and fierce from I.M in his MONSTA X works, so this change in sound intrigued me to the point in which I enjoyed it. My favourite and what I felt to be the most memorable aspect of the song has to be the sequence between 2:08 and 2:12, where it seemed like he was murmuring the lyrics. It stood out at me, and stayed with me ever since it was first released. I also like the pulsing and trap instrumentation to a degree. It was plain enough to become a blank canvas, so I.M could do all of the above with the song. But there was also enough trap elements in the instrumentation to ‘fill up’ the background so that it isn’t a sparse and empty. I did think was a bit too consistent, and wished that the instrumental intensified. It didn’t need to be anything hardcore. But rather a subtle yet noticeable intensification to just change up the song a bit would have made the song end on a much stronger note. Overall, GOD DAMN was a deliberate sensual number that changed up what I personally know from the artist.

The lyrics of GOD DAMN are about lying to oneself about being happy, and the video depicts this is a logical manner. The video starts off with flashbacks of I.M and his lover, before we enter the reality where she has left him and he pretends to be happy. But in reality, he is alone throughout the video despite the crowd around him. He uses the mask (I assume to depict him getting high) and drinking alcohol as a mask to cover up his feelings of loss and heartbreak, but it seems like they made such feelings more pronounced and obvious without him knowing. I really like the moody and dark atmosphere of the club and of the overall video, complimenting both the song and concept for this release. I.M is also a great actor throughout the video, doing a good job of portraying the emotions mentioned, and also acting as drunk and high.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10