Category: Reviews

[Review] Happy Death Day – Xdinary Heroes

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

I take a break from the reviews for Best Rap or Hip Hop Song category to focus on a new debut! Xdinary Heroes mark the start of their careers today with the release of Happy Death Day. This new band is made up of six members (Gunil, Jungsu, Gaon, O.de, Jun Han, and Jooyeon) and they join the growing roster of groups at JYP Entertainment – the home of 2PM, DAY6, TWICE, Stray Kids and ITZY.

The best way that I can think of to describe Happy Death Day is that it is wild. The song delves pretty heavily into the punk genre, and hits hard during the chorus (which the song begins with). It is a blast of energy that I did not expect, but I thought was great! It captures your attention from the get go, which is a promising start to any one’s career. It also helps that the ‘Tra La La La’ hook, and pretty much the rest of the chorus, was super catchy. What also makes the song standout a bit more is its unique sound. The punk genre has been touched on by some groups in the past, but I don’t think any group or band has gone as hard as Xdinary Heroeos have in Happy Death Day. This definitely sets the group apart from the bands that preceded it and that they may rival (provided they keep this individualistic character in their songs). The members also do a great job with their vocals. They really brought in a lot of character, especially in the choruses, that make the Happy Death Day so much more approachable, individualistic and colourful (in the punk way). I liked how barely of the vocals felt straight forward, especially with those groans and the rap-speak style. It definitely makes the song more memorable and interesting. That being said, the more straight forward vocal sequences such as the pre-choruses and the first half of the bridge were also very good. Overall, Happy Death Day embraces boldness and being different, which sets it apart from the rest of the competition. If they continue to do this, then they for sure will be a force to be reckoned with.

How twisted is this music video? The premise of this music video is a child’s birthday party, where the members are invited to be the entertainment for the party – a clown band. But that image doesn’t fit the song. So the members rip off their clown accessories and proceed to rock out. But what lead them to this? They were sent to bring back the attention of the guests, by pointing out that while the kid was celebrating its birthday, the party guests were all disinterested in the whole event, even being on their phones during the most important part of the party – the blowing out of the candles (most important because you get cake right after). But the message the video was trying to get at is that the party could have been a birthday celebration or a ‘Happy Death Day’ celebration, marking the kid’s one step closer to its death, and the guests would not even notice. I did say it was a twisted video, but well thought out if I was being honest. Elsewhere, the members perform on the roof of a virtual world and the underground basement of a building. The ending seems to suggest a continuation, so I guess we will be seeing more of the virtual world in the future.

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

[Review] TAKE OVER – Do Han Se (VICTON)

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Do Hanse is nominated for Best Rapper, while Take Over is nominated for Best Rap or Hip-Hop Song in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support Do Hanse and Take Over by clicking here to vote now.

The second track I am covering from the Best Rap or Hip-Hop song category of the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards belongs to Do Han Se, who is a member from VICTON. News of solo work for Do Han Se was confirmed back in 2020, but he didn’t make his solo debut with TAKE OVER, and his first mini-album, Blaze, until the end of September of this year. Most recently, we saw Do Han Se as part of the latest VICTON release, which was Sweet Travel, a commemorative single celebrating their fifth anniversary as a group.

Two things standout of TAKE OVER for me. Firstly, the instrumental. The clanging instrumentation was just so prominent and exuded a very hypnotic effect, reeling me in. It intrigued and also felt very unique. It was by far the most memorable aspect of the instrumentation. However it was only one part of the instrumental. I also found the bridge to be very interesting, diverting into soothing and atmospheric territory with an elegant piece of music that also felt modern and aesthetic. Definitely a strong contrast to the heavy clangs of the instrumental that featured so prominently. But it somehow works and I find TAKE OVER to be quite cohesive, even though there was clear distinction between each segment of the song. The second element that stands out for me is Do Han Se himself, who added to the hypnotic effect that I already mentioned. There was something with his delivery that kept me captivated. It might have been his charisma, his fast pace in the verses, or the fact that he alone made the song so intense. It could also be the fact that at no point in the song did Do Han Se felt like he was ‘in your face’ about TAKE OVER, which is what I tend to hip-hop songs are like. Regardless, it was hard for me to tear my ears away from the moment I started to appreciate TAKE OVER in all its glory. It also didn’t help that the song’s main hook, Do Han Se’s throaty Take Take Take repetition literally takes over (pun so intended) my head. Overall, TAKE OVER impresses me for being different and mysterious.

His image and concept for this release is so different and unexpected, miles away from the Do Han Se that I remember from VICTON’s releases. The imagery is also so bold and impactful, TAKE OVER‘s music video leaves an impression. I liked how the music video didn’t go with sets, rather a big screen that was showing various effects. It was a minimal approach, but also helped complicate the video at the same time. I also thought the various camera shots, such as the up close shots and the curved camera shots looked quite cool. The video also featured drag queens, which is a fantastic idea. However, I wished their dancing was a bit more dynamic during the second verse to fit well with the song.

Further to the image of this release, I really liked that Do Han Se was not afraid to join forces with the female dancers. It definitely added to the uniqueness of this comeback. The routine was full of attitude and fierce energy. Usually, male and female in KPOP have slightly different routines that blend with one another to create a cohesive performance, or they dance as partners. But here, and on some other rare occasions, everyone share the same routine.

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

[Review] 13IVI – BM (KARD)

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BM’s 13IVI is nominated for Best Rap or Hip-Hop Song in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support 13IVI, your favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today.

Today is the start of a very big task. There are a number of songs that I had nominated in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards that I had yet to review. My aim is to review those nominated tracks without reviews by the end of the year. They won’t come all at once, but will be spread out during the remainder of the month. Today and tomorrow, you will see the reviews for songs that were nominated in the Best Rap or Hip-Hop category. First up, it is BM’s first solo Korean single, 13IVI, which is the lead track from his solo debut single-album, The First Statement. I missed the release when it first came out, and I didn’t really pick up on 13IVI until its final weeks on the Weekly KPOP Charts that I post each Sunday. Note that this isn’t his solo debut single. That was Broken Me, which preceded 13IVI by a month and is an all-English song (which I also missed).

I had no idea what I had been missing out on in the weeks between the official release of the song and discovering 13IVI. 13IVI is a bold, edgy and intense hip-hop track that basically launches you right into chorus (more on that in a bit). Its instrumental was made up of abrasive synths, metallic percussion and heavy beats – all typical ingredients that seem necessary to formulate a very tough and powerful background piece that undoubtedly compliments what we know of BM (if you follow KARD’s work). As a result, 13IVI comes off as an explosive and thrilling track that was relentless and adrenaline pumping. BM follows up the instrumentation, delivering a powerful rap routine that does an amazing job of showcasing his raspy and deep voice. He was fierce and definitely kicked the song up a notch. This, in combination with the instrumentation, did wonders to make the 13IVI repetitive hook so catchy and intense. Earlier, I mentioned how the song launches you right into the chorus, which gets you into the mood for the high octane track from the very start, and I like how the energy continues through the song. I would have enjoyed a three minute long track of this powerful energy, making it fit for a workout playlist. But there was also a period of relief, where BM tones down the energy a bit. But you just know that the song will definitely return to how it started based on the synthetic humming in the background that continues the momentum in a subtle manner. Overall, 13IVI is essentially what I had expected when I think of potential solo tracks for the leader of KARD.

In the music video for 13IVI, BM is a criminal who has been evading authorities for some time. He is captured, tortured, interrogated and locked up behind bars. But his fellow criminal friends break in, kills the police officer who interrogates/tortures BM for answers, before escaping. I liked how BM’s story goes from rock bottom to literally top of the world, where BM and his dancers/criminal peers end up dancing on the helipad of a city building. Aside from storyline, the music video was aggressive and fierce, just like the song was. I wished the video a bit more of a wow factor to, such as taking advantage of that night scene on top of the helipad.

The choreography was good. Once again, bold and fierce comes to mind, but I think any of the descriptors I mentioned above can be applied to the performance. It works well with BM’s hip-hop style, but doesn’t offer anything new or wows me in anyway.

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

[Review] Goosebumps – ONF

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ONF is nominated for a range of categories in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, including Best Male Group, Best Music Video, Rising Star, Best Pop Song and Best Male Choreography (Group). Vote for ONF in these categories, and support your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here.

Rounding out the past week was ONF, who returned with Goosebumps on Friday, the title of both the title track and their sixth mini-album. This release also rounds out a big year for the group, who has been actively promoting with releases such as Beautiful Beautiful, Ugly Dance and Popping. This will also be the group’s last release for a while, following the announcement that all the members (aside from U) will be enlisting into the military at the same time later this month. This is a big deal, as this showcase their group’s bond and will shorten their hiatus to the minimum (a first for a group facing military enlistment), allowing the group to hopefully relaunch back into promotions in about two years time. But until then, here is my thoughts on ONF’s Goosebumps (the title track).

Goosebumps is one interesting song. The best way I can describe to you is that is quite erratic. There is just so much going on in Goosebumps, with the song taking unexpected turns throughout. But yet, the song somehow is shaped together to become cohesive and whole. I find that to be remarkable and impressive. As a whole, Goosebumps, described as an alternative funk-based dance track with a powerful bass riff, was thrilling and fun, yet intriguing and fascinating all at the same time. The song kicks off with polished vocals from MK, and a funky instrumentation filled with bass and squealing synths. Wyatt and U’s rap-sing sequence follows over the same instrumentation, and was definitely memorable. We then are thrown into smooth territory with Hyojin’s soaring vocals, before launching into crunchy synths that make up the backing of the chorus. Personally, I felt like this was the weakest part of the song. I loved the monotonous ‘Goosebumps‘ repetition that kicks off each line of the chorus, but I felt the vocals that follow after were hidden away by the background, making it a bit hard to understand. I admit there is charm, but it isn’t as strong as the rest of the song. Wyatt returns with some cool vocals (which utilizes his deep tone well), before we are thrown back into an extended version of that smooth pre-chorus from the with MK, U and E-tion. The chorus returns, with the exact same instrumentation, but that deep and monotonous ‘Goosebumps‘ repetition at the start of each line is omitted. Instead, it is replaced by Hyojin and MK’s vocals, which was clearer and more audible over the instrumentation. I liked this version of the chorus. The members all come together for the bridge of the song, singing together a colourful and playful sounding sequence that is ultimately lead to the high-pitch autotuned repetitive ‘Lights On‘ peak. Personally, I found this to be a bit much, but it is getting better each time I replay Goosebumps. The best part comes after the peak, with everyone returning once again for a fun and funky chanty style rap sequence. I freaking enjoyed that part, and is pick for my highlight of the Goosebumps, before launching back into the second version of the chorus to close out the song, amped up by the instrumentation to be quite intense. Overall, Goosebumps is a fun song that seems all over the place at first, but it is actually pulled together nicely once you give it a go.

Per usual, I have no clue on what is happening in this music video. It seems like the members are in a different virtual world escaping those robots from Beautiful Beautiful and Ugly Dance, as they were closing in on the members. But it appears this secondary world is glitchy, based on the members appearing and disappearing, and the background keeps on changing. But this world is also dangerous, with computerised dragons, tentacles, action-packed scenes, a whole lot of guns and bullets. Like the song, it is pretty erratic. But I am sure there is a storyline somewhere that ties the three music videos together. As for the quality of the video, he people who made it has wowed me again, with amazing and detailed graphics. No wonder why ONF’s music videos have been a standout this year.

The choreography for Goosebumps is top notch! I wasn’t sure what direction they were going to go in with this performance, but it embraced the funkiness of the song, felt like it was fun and also quite intense. That whole ‘Lights On‘ sequence left me shocked, while the rap sequence that follows was definitely energy packed! Probably one of the best routines this year!

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

[Review] Turbulence – 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.

Returning on Friday was ATEEZ, who unveiled a surprise music video for a pre-release single that will be featured on their upcoming eighth mini-album, Zero: Fever Epilogue, which is to be released next Friday (10 December). The pre-release single is titled Turbulence.

Turbulence is a ballad that is heartfelt and beautiful. It might be a departure from what they usually put out (i.e. intense tracks), but this is the work of a pre-release single (i.e. a single to be featured on an album, but is released ahead of the album for a range of purposes. including giving us insight into the album, or to hype up the album release). I am not particularly sure how to classify Turbulence, though I feel like the release offers a new side of the group and hence the song would fall into the latter category of hyping up next week’s release, promising us great things from the group. Anyhow, I find that ATEEZ does an amazing job, showing us a more emotional and sentimental side of themselves. This comes through via a number of avenues. Turbulence‘s instrumentation has an atmospheric vibe that you would find common with ballads. But to give it some extra sentimental energy and also some oomph, Turbulence’s backing also features some classical violins and electric guitars, which helps emphasise that heartfelt tone I already mentioned. The vocal work in Turbulence is no surprise, particularly since the group has the likes of Jongho (who is also nominated for Best Vocals in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards), and he (in particular) stands out in this song with his high notes. But the other vocalists of ATEEZ also manage to hold their ground, and showcase their vocals capabilities as well. It also helped to soothing, yet vibrant melodies. The rappers of the group also do an amazing job fitting in. Usually I am not a fan of rapping in ballads (with some clear exceptions), but I think ATEEZ’s rappers do a really good job of capturing the emotion of the song and presenting their parts to us in a more subdued manner. They also help cut the overall smoothness of the song, which I think was clever in this song, as ballads can be boring if they are linear. Overall, Turbulence is a strong teaser of what is to come, and I am excited for their upcoming release next week.

The music video for Turbulence has elements seems to have elements that I recognised from their other music videos that formed part of the Zero: Fever series. The school desks reminded me of Inception, while the school bus we see San sitting in reminds me of Thanxx‘s music video. The train on the bridge reminds me of the train in the background of Fireworks. The scenery on top of the roof was also seen in the Deja Vu music video, while the train is also reference in the Eternal Sunshine music video. I think paper planes were previously referenced somewhere as well, as I have a vague memory of it. This is probably just me grasping at straws, but I don’t think these elements are there coincidently. But aside from that, I see a typical music video for a heartfelt and emotional song. The dark lighting is interesting, I guess it makes sense, given the darkness is what they felt at first (lonely, as depicted by the music video). But with one’s hope and such, they are able to see the path forward (i.e. the lights that light up at the end of the video).

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Review] ELEVEN – IVE

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

Making their debut earlier in the week is IVE, who kicks off their careers with the single ELEVEN. IVE is a six-member female group under Starship Entertainment, the home to acts such as MONSTA X, WJSN, CRAVITY, Jeong Sewoon and many others. The lineup of IVE consist of  Yujin, Gaeul, Rei, Wonyoung, Liz, and Leeseo. Some fans might recognise Yujin and Wonyoung, as they were formerly part of IZ*ONE before IZ*ONE disbanded in April this year.

Even though it has been out for a couple of days now, I find ELEVEN to be an alright song. It is good in some senses, but I felt like it could have been better. The good thing about ELEVEN is that I can tell it will be a grower for me, and probably within a few weeks time, my opinions of ELEVEN might be much more positive than today. But until then, here are my thoughts on ELEVEN as it stands. The tribal-like percussion in the instrumental was very refreshing. I know we have heard it recently in another song, but I find its profoundness and prominence in ELEVEN to be exciting and appealing. For me, the verses were plain and monotonous. I wished there was a bit more flair to this part of the song, especially given the rest of the song. The vocals were decent here (I liked that the nasally tone the second vocalist in the song brought to the first verse), but they just didn’t have too much going on to really interest me. And I feel that this particular comment can also be applied to the entire song. Anyhow, what does make the song interesting those pre-chorus slowdowns. While we do get those from time to time to help make the chorus more explosive, ELEVEN‘s application of this technique is a lot more extreme, as you could really fill that the song was winding down. The rap-speak tone also helps out here. The pairing adds a unique touch to the song, which plays well with my comment of attracting attention. But with such a set up, I felt the chorus was a bit underwhelming. It was not as explosive as it could have been, and the melodies/hooks in the chorus were not as memorable. The only memorable part of the chorus was the ‘1,2,3,4,5,6,7, you make me feel like eleven‘ ending to the chorus, and even that was a bit soft. The rest of the song repeats the setup of the first verse and chorus, both for the second and final section of the song (with a bit of an extension at the end of the song). While this does sound like it would have been repetitive, I didn’t mind it as much. Overall, ELEVEN seems like a strong debut song, even though the song could have been better in some regards.

I know views are not everything. But they are particularly vital for groups starting out, as they are a good way to gauge attraction. If IVE’s debut views are anything to go by (at the time of writing, they have garnered over 28.5 million views within four days), they definitely have a lot of potential. They are doing even better than some of the top groups who have very recently released new music! Aside from views, I really like the mature vibe of the music video, which compliments the song. The sets looks great and elegant, while the matureness flows into some of their outfits (i.e. those white suits and blue gloves are definitely a memorable image from the video). The cinematography also helps make the music video look amazing. Definitely a strong music video!

Like the music video, the choreography for ELEVEN definitely a strong routine. The hip-shaking during the song’s main hook was definitely an unforgettable moment for me. The group’s charisma also needs to be mentioned, as they felt like they have been performing for many years than what they already have under their belt. I liked the contrast that the aggression brings to the performance, with Yujin being the standout member thanks to her aggressive facial expressions. It was subtle, but it definitely made the performance a whole lot captivating.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Review] PIRATE – EVERGLOW

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EVERGLOW’s FIRST is nominated for Best Music Video in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support FIRST, your other artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today!

Also returning earlier in the week was EVERGLOW, who dropped Pirate and their third mini-album, Return Of The Girl, on Wednesday. This is the group’s second comeback of the year, following the likes of FIRST from May of this year. Today, I am finally getting around to reviewing the new track.

At the end of my song section of my review for FIRST, I noted that their May song did not overtake LA DI DA as my favourite EVERGLOW release. Well, it seems it took EVERGLOW an extra six months to put out a song that nudges LA DI DA out of its position as my new favourite EVERGLOW release. Pirate starts off swinging with some rapping. It was short and quick segment, but it definitely sets up Pirate and promises great things. We are then treated to the chorus, featuring the song’s main and catchy “I’m a pirate” repetitive hook and a beat that you find synonymous with the club. its placement is a bit sudden, but it works. There is something familiar about this hook/instrumental combination, but I just cannot place it. No matter what, it definitely lives up to the promise that the start alluded to and blasts me dynamic and intense energy that I cannot look away from. Following that, we are treated to a two part pre-chorus. The first half features a stripped instrumental, and crisp pop-influenced vocals that really pulls your attention. The second half features a return to the electrifying instrumentation with the same pop influenced vocals, before we are thrown back into Pirate’s catchy chorus. The bridge comes after the third chorus, throwing in what I think is a bit of dubstep before relaunching into a concentrated form of the song’s energy and intensity, merging the likes of the pre-chorus and chorus together to complete the song. It was as if the entire song was put on octane for the entirety of the final sequence. I have to say that like all their previous songs, EVERGLOW has shines throughout the ‘noise’, as some might describe the instrumentation of Pirate. This is definitely a highlight of their songs, and it just makes everything within Pirate so much stronger. Overall, Pirate is that thrilling song that gets the adrenaline pumping and is definitely bold and impressive release for the group. I personally could not find anything within it to fault it.

EVERGLOW becomes space pirates for this music video, donning very fashionable outfits throughout their solo shots that definitely give off a futuristic vibe. They definitely look amazing! The see-through eye patch was pretty cool, as well. The music video was set on a planet which landscape reminds me of the choreography scenes from their DUN DUN music video, and also a space ship. The glitchy effects and the lighting during some parts of the video lift up the dynamics of the music video, allowing it to fit in really well with the song.

Choreography-wise, it looked better in the music video than on stage. I presume this is because on stage, they had to soften the movements a bit so that the members can deliver the performance live. And I think the way the music video was shot, the dance moves came off as more impactful. However, this doesn’t mean the choreography was bad in any way. It still has that confident feel, and the chorus looks sexy and teasing.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 9.4/10

[Review] Peaches – Kai (EXO)

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Both Kai and D.O are nominated for Best New Male Soloist, and Mmmh is nominated for Best Male Choreography (Solo). EXO is nominated for Best Return to Industry, while fellow member Baekhyun nominated in a bunch of other categories. Support either Kai or D.O, Mmmh, Baekhyun and the rest of EXO in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards by clicking here.

Exactly a year since his solo debut with Mmmh, Kai returned with Peaches on the Tuesday that had just passed, the title of both his latest lead single and second mini-album. Since his solo debut, we haven’t seen too much of Kai aside from the return of EXO with Don’t Fight The Feeling earlier this year after a period of two years, and a few television variety shows.

The one aspect that really jumps out at me from Peaches is how aesthetically pretty the song is. If there is anything to get out of this song, it is simply that. This comes about in Peaches thanks to two main elements, the instrumentals and vocals. Firstly, the instrumental of this R&B track takes on this lo-fi type of backbone, with percussive elements added on top. Both the lo-fi and percussive elements were light on. Together, they created a pretty airy, spacious but alluring instrumental for the song. Secondly, Kai’s singing was light on (as well) and soft, fitting for this style of R&B. Peaches is very much vocal orient, and seems to be more straightforward, compared to the likes of Mmmh where Kai was a lot more sensual and teasing with his vocals. But while it sounds like Peaches is all good, I also think the pretty aesthetics was also Peaches downfall. To me, the song focused too much on on being aesthetic and light that it pretty much neglected everything else. Sure, Peaches may be calming and soothing, but I want more from the song. For example, the hooks and melodies in Peaches was nowhere near ‘memorable territory’, and I feel this is the reason to why I am not being pulled back into the song (compared other releases that are dominating the airwaves). Another aspect of the song that I am not entirely sure of is his singing. I mentioned that it is lightweight above and fitting for the song’s style, but I did not mention whether I enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I find that there is this monotone nature to his vocals as well, and that it dries out the song for me. There is just nothing to it. And because of this, I personally think would listen to Peaches a couple more times in the near future, but I don’t find myself compelled to remembering its existence.

When you think of the colour of Peaches, you think of their pinkish yellow cream tone. And I think this entire video was shot with that in mind. They tried to change it by introducing baby blues and light greys, but everything just comes off as ‘peachy colour’ for this video. It is good in the sense that it relates back to the title, but also not so good in the sense that it dulls the video. Aside from colours, Kai looks amazing throughout this video. His outfits seem to be influenced by different time periods and cultures. It isn’t the sexy concept that we remember from Mmmh, but it is within that direction nonetheless.

The pretty aesthetics also extend to the choreography component of this comeback. You can definitely get that sense during the start of the choreography and during the slower moments of the routine. What I liked about the choreography was that there was a balance between slow and sharp. It definitely works well with the lo-fi backing and the more upbeat percussive elements. As a result, the choreography comes off as refined and elegant, which is a side I like to see more from Kai. Also, there is still that sensual energy coming off the choreography, but it is not in your face this time around.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.6/10

[Review] Winter Falls – Stray Kids

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Stray Kids is nominated for Best Male Group, while Thunderous is nominated for Best Male Choreography (Group), Best Electronic Song and Best Music Video, and Changbin and Seungmin are nominated for other categories. Support Stray Kids, their members and Thunderous by clicking here.

As mentioned in my most recent review (i.e. Christmas EveL), Stray Kids have returned with a double title track comeback. In this post, I will focus on Winter Falls, the second title track of the comeback, as the music video for this dropped the day after Christmas EveL. This new release follows the group’s second studio album comeback, NOEASY and Thunderous‘, and their Japanese comeback, Scars.

Winter Falls is very different track to Christmas EveL. Whilst the other title track is a hip-hop themed Christmas track, Winter Falls is a lot more traditional with its approach. I must note that this particular track isn’t Christmas themed (there was no holiday references in this song), but rather just a Winter ballad-like single about holding onto past love. Winter Falls manages to still deliver a punch though, as the song technically doesn’t conform to the typicalness of a ballad. I really like how the acoustic touches in the instrumental, and the upbeatness the pop influences add to the song. However, the punch comes from the melodies that the group delivers, complimenting the emotional weight of the lyrics and the sentimental tone of the song. The ‘Winter Falls‘ and the subsequent ‘Fall‘ (and its echo) we get in the chorus was very memorable. It also helps that the melodies were very warm and inviting in this song, further adding to the appeal of the track. Bringing those melodies to life are the vocals. I mentioned in the review for Christmas EveL that I am not a fan of the hip-hop direction that vocalists follow as they don’t do the vocalist justice. Well, Winter Falls definitely compensates for that. And if I had to name a member who shined, it definitely had to be Seungmin who was effortlessly stunning throughout Winter Falls. They still managed to throw in rapping into the song, and expertly weave it into without it being too disruptive to the song’s melody, though the shouty line in the first chorus could have been omitted. I particularly like the rapped lines that is between the ‘La La La‘s at the end of the song. It helped create a nice outro that wrapped with the song well. Overall, Winter Falls is a very strong track with a stunning showcase of vocals and melody that I cannot put down.

Like the song, the music video takes an emotional approach. You can tell so from just the colours of the video, which were predominately grey. Definitely not exactly a white Christmas in this video. The members appear to be in this limbo, holding onto the memories of their past relationship. They are in the phone booth calling their past lovers, and their facial expressions show that their mind are heavy in such thoughts. The video ends with the phone booth on fire, which I assume represents that they are moving on. We don’t see who lights it up or how it came to its burning fate. But it tells us that they won’t be able call their former lover anymore. Lee Know also drops the necklace he was holding onto for most of the video, further fueling the change for the members. I don’t mind the video, and thought their acting portrayed the emotions well.

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

[Review] Christmas EveL – Stray Kids

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Stray Kids is nominated for Best Male Group, while Thunderous is nominated for Best Male Choreography (Group), Best Electronic Song and Best Music Video, and Changbin and Seungmin are nominated for other categories. Support Stray Kids, their members and Thunderous by clicking here.

Stray Kids is the first group to begin the annual Christmas season in KPOP, with the release of two title tracks from the seasonal celebrations. The first of the two, Christmas EveL, will be reviewed in this post, while the second track, Winter Falls, in the next post. This new release comes after the group’s second studio album comeback, NOEASY and Thunderous‘, and their Japanese comeback, Scars.

Christmas EveL was quite an unexpected song. Sure, it is a pretty much an odd ball when you think about – a Christmas themed hip-hop track. But I am quite certain that this isn’t the first time that a Christmas song had been crossed with hip-hop. It just seems to be the case in KPOP. And while the song did take a few listens for me to really get into it, Christmas EveL now comes off as fun and lighthearted track for the holiday season. These might not be words I would usually use for a pretty traditional hip-hop influenced track, but as I always say, there are exceptions. And I am sure that this is the original intention of the song. Since it is also Christmas themed, the cliché Christmas bells make an appearance throughout the song. I liked how they were tweaked for the chorus as well, to match with the overall hip-hop sound. I also like the references and tweaks to classic carols in this song, such as Jack Frost reference in the first pre-chorus, Jingle Bells in the chorus and Feliz Nevidad anthem chant at the end of the song. Its definitely added to the fun side of the song. Since it is a hip-hop based song, the rappers of the group definitely stand out and show off their skills in this song. Han, Changbin and Hyunjin do an amazing job with their rap parts, keeping the flow and maintaining the hip-hop vibe on top of the Christmas influences. Felix and Chan have the most memorable sequences of the song (i.e. the ‘Feliz Nevidad’ anthem ender), which I don’t mind replaying Christmas EveL for. The vocalists have a few good moments, but they seem to follow the hip-hop influence and I don’t think vocals are usually well presented in this manner. But overall, while Christmas EveL might come off weird, it surprisingly works well and successfully marks the start of the Christmas season.

What a fun video, which was expected based on the direction of the song. It was cringy at times, but still a well produced video. From the start of the video, we are told that Santa had lost his voice due to the Sound Monster that Stray Kids was battling in the teasers of Thunderous. And this presents a problematic issue with the current circumstances which the world is in and just weeks out of Christmas. So, Santa enlists the help of the Stray Kids members to hand out the presents to all the good kids in the world. And also from the start, the group has been busy doing so – groaning when Chan asks if they are ready for another trip. Interesting to see that Santa did not offer the help of any elves or reindeers, so the members had to collect their own toys from the store, self-wrap the presents and hand them out themselves. They have a truck that helps them hand out the presents though. They crash though, which leads to them being discovered by the little girl, who essentially schools them on what present to give to her (I hope that was the case, and she wasn’t schooling them on what type of presents of hand out, or else they would need to do the whole world again). They then proceed to have a full on party with the girl, before completing their mission. At the end of the video, though, Chan is sent another text message and the members all groan at the sight. Possibly another Christmas present run, or maybe there is something else that the members need to attend to.

[Update]There seems to be no stages for Christmas EveL and no news that promotions will be undertaken, so the likelihood of choreography for this track is dwindling. As a result, I will omit this section of the review and will keep the final rating based on song and music video.

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

[Review] Killing Me – CHUNG HA

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CHUNG HA is nominated for Best Female Soloist, while BICYCLE is nominated for Best Female Choreography (Solo) and Best Outfits, and Dream On You is nominated for Best International Song by a Korean Artist (Western) for the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support CHUNG HA and her songs by voting for her. Click here to do so now!

CHUNG HA is officially back with a special single titled Killing Me, which dropped yesterday. This is her first release since her first solo studio album, Querencia, and the title track, Bicycle. Since then, CHUNG HA has been relatively quiet, aside from a few collaborations with Colde (My Lips Like Warm Coffee), Rain (Why Don’t We), the I.O.I livestream show reunion, and a few soundtracks.

CHUNG HA kicks off the week with a relatively simple, but effective pop track. Killing Me features a club fitting instrumentation that has brings forth some good momentum that drove the song forward. I also found that it made the song simple and straightforward, working in harmony with the other aspects of the song (which I will talk about in a second). First impression wise, I did think the instrumental felt generic and plain, but additional listens really helped me warm up to the backing of this song. I wished this wasn’t the case initially, since Killing Me is such a good song now. But I can’t really change that first impression after it had occurred. Now, I can’t think of Killing Me with any other backing. I liked the idea of using the synths in the chorus as a metaphor for a long tunnel. It is quite an abstract concept and took me a while to get. But after some lyrics researching and pondering, I find that it actually feels that way, and so the ‘effective’ description. Also adding more to that effective descriptor is CHUNG HA herself. I find her vocals to be quite loaded with emotion, which isn’t really usually the case with pop songs, let alone up-tempo songs like Killing Me. But there is that maturity and experience behind her voice that really makes Killing Me so much more impactful. The simple description applies to both the instrumental (which I also mentioned), but also the melodies. The ‘Killing Me Killing Me‘ hook/melody was so simple but yet so memorable. It really pulled me in for second and third listens right away. It also felt so delicate, which I felt also worked with the journey towards the message of the song (i.e. that whilst what you are going through might ‘killing you’, there is always hope for light at the tunnel that makes things better). Overall, Killing Me stands out for its simplistic approach to such a loaded topic, and CHUNG HA expertly weaves that idea into the song to make it an impactful one.

Here is what I got out of the video. It starts off with CHUNG HA as a innocent child. She looks excited and looks like she is counting the hours down to her birthday. Upon her birthday, she is gifted a Russian doll, which ends up being a representation of her. As she removes the outer layer of the Russian Doll, her innocence is loss and is exposed to the harsh realities of life. We then see her in a tunnel with a much more mature look. From this, I think she has aged, and since has taken off an another layer of the Russian Doll, as we can see on the floor of the bathroom. It shows us that she is more insecure and that there is a struggle within her that breaks her further. The party scenes we do see is the outer layer of the Russian Doll, where we act like everything is okay. In the end, we see CHUNG HA reach the final piece of the Russian Doll. It is scratched beyond repair, and is indicative of the state she is in – broken. But I think she has an epiphany, and she destroys the doll (along with the rest of the room), coming to terms that the doll doesn’t represent herself. I think this is a great story that goes hand-in-hand with the lyrics and compliments the song very well.

Song – 9.5/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.8/10

[Review] Control – GHOST9

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

Returning yesterday was GHOST9, with their title track Control and fifth mini-album Now: Who We Are Facing. This is the group’s third comeback of the year, following the releases of SEOUL in March and Up All Night June of this year. This is also the group’s first comeback as a seven member group, following the sudden departures of members Hwang Dongjun and Lee Taeseung.

Despite such a promising and interesting start to the song, GHOST9’s Control ended up developing into a pretty generic and tasteless song. I hate to be crude, but I just didn’t get much out of Control. I saw the start of Control as very intriguing, thanks to the Erlkönig sample that the producers opted to use. It isn’t the first time we have heard dramatic piano work in a KPOP song, but its presence in this song promised potential and definitely could have been a start to a theatrical or dramatic song. I liked how they kept the vibe throughout the first verse, backed up with some powerful rapping and melodic vocals in the pre-chorus. However, once we get to Control‘s chorus, the song just felt flat. They kept the same elements as the verses (which I was on board with), but the song failed to really build on it. We get the slightest amount of bolstering possible for the chorus, but it was not nearly as satisfying as I had expected. Control could have gone for a harder and bolder feel to be memorable and impactful. But it just didn’t work out. Similarly, the rest of Control then felt like a repeat of what we heard at the start, and didn’t offer anything more. I didn’t feel like a peak was reached, nor was there any considerable development in the instrumentation, vocals, rapping etc. So why I do I feel this way about Control? I partly blame this on the trap-based instrumentation that paired with the piano throughout the song. I gave it the benefit of the doubt at the start, but it became tiresome and dry very quickly. But it isn’t just the instrumentation. There were other opportunities for the song to be bolster or develop that Control didn’t really grasp. The vocals and rapping had hints of aggression throughout the song which I tend to like. But in this song, they never really amounted to anything substantial. The melodies, especially the what should have been the centerpiece, was lackluster. Unfortunately, whatever potential Control had at the start was lost, and so ultimately Control just felt plain and underwhelming in the end.

I find the rest of the comeback to be much more promising than the song. The music video opted for a dark concept and a twist that I thought was rather clever. We see the members confined and trapped by a masked individual, who seems to have the members under its control (i.e. the masked individual was the dominating presence). And while the members are shown as victims throughout majority of the video, the twist at the end was that the members were the ones in control the entire time and were the masked individual. This is an interesting play on the lyrics, which urged the listener to wake up from the ‘dark’ control to be with them. I guess we do get hints of this twist throughout the video, with the member at the start waking up by the word ‘maestro’ written on the ground, and that very disturbing smile from another member from one of the group scenes (see feature image for that smile).

The performance was actually quite good. I liked the ripple effect they paired with the piano at the start of the song. I also liked the start of the final chorus, where the members formed themselves into two groups and pulled themselves into one. There were so some really great synchronized moments, and also some more calming moments in the choreography as well.

Song – 5.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance -8.5/10
Overall Rating – 6.9/10

[Review] I’m a B – Hwasa (Mamamoo)

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Mamamoo is nominated for Best Vocals for Where Are We Now? in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support Mamamoo and your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here.

Making her return to the stage yesterday was Hwasa, with I’m a B (I’m a 빛). This new song is the title track off Hwasa’s second single album, Guilty Pleasure, which also dropped yesterday. This is Hwasa’s first solo comeback since Maria last year, and the first time we have seen her since Mamamoo’s return with mumumumuch earlier this year.

With a title like I’m a B, I’m a B is pitched to us initially as a bold track. But interestingly, the song isn’t that bold. The only boldness I really get from the song is when Hwasa exclaims ‘I’m a 빛‘ at she exclaims during the chorus. As an English speaker, that is pretty gutsy, but very clever when you factor in the Korean pronunciation of the Hangul there. But apart from that, I’m a B is a pretty tame song that sits in very subdued territory. I wished the official song featured the traditionally instrumented dance break in its entirety from the music video. Hwasa and her producers were on to something! It really pulled me in, and felt bold in a sophisticated manner. Its omission from the official audio felt like a missed opportunity. But while that is the case, I’m a B still manages to appeal with its nice melodies and the fact that Hwasa can captivate in such constricted territory. For I’m a B, the melodies felt simple. But they were also highly effective. In conjunction with Hwasa’s raspy vocals, I’m a B is charming and exudes a lot of charisma and confidence. All of which is a constant factor that Hwasa has managed to bring to us in her title tracks thus far. Also adding to the appeal of the song was the mature-sounding instrumental. While it played a heavy role in that tame/subdued nature, I also think it also brought out additional charm. Nothing really stands out in it, but I do find that it keeps true to the current trends of heavy bass and snappy percussions. It also felt a bit like a blank canvas, enabling Hwasa to do her thing. Overall, I’m a B plays towards Hwasa’s strengths, though I wished that it was bolder like how its title suggests.

What a stunning video. The visuals throughout this music video were on point, and amazed me. Underneath the visuals are some meaningful scenes/details. I stumbled across this one tweet (see below) while search for hashtags that I thought was very interesting. I liked how it explains the start of the video (i.e. Hwasa was in a crate full of water) and I believe the start also ties into the Maria music video. Aside from that, I also wanted to mention the epicness of the dance break that features in the music video. I was in awe and stunned at the beauty of that section. Not just at Hwasa’s presence, but also the instrument player and the dancers. Also when the instrument crumbles, that was a really strong and impact shot. Definitely a video to watch!

Once again the confidence that Hwasa exudes in the performance/choreography has to be mention. It make the rest of this component even better. More sensual and mature. I really liked the elegance of the dance break, and its contrast with the following part of the song where she does some tutting. A few different influences that somehow blends into one stunning performance.

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

[Review] Serious – Park Ji Hoon

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Remember to support favourite artists, songs and performances in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Click here to vote!

A month overdue, but here is my review for Park Ji Hoon’s latest song titled Serious. Serious was released at the end of last month (28 October – to be exact) and is featured on Park Ji Hoon’s fifth mini-album, Hot&Cold, since his solo debut. This is also his second comeback of the year, following the likes of Gallery and My Collection back in August.

To be honest, Serious is one of the releases that somehow slipped my radar. I do remember it being teased and its release. But I haven’t listened to the song at all. Tracking my listening pattern through my Weekly KPOP Charts, it appears that I only ‘discovered’ Serious two weeks back. So, I am kind of going into it with a fresh mind today. But there might be a reason why I had only ‘discovered’ the song so many weeks after it release. Even when I do sit down to listen to it for this review, I find Serious to be a little plain. There really isn’t anything memorable within the song. The instrumentals of Serious falls into the R&B/pop territory. While this combination can be innovative and creative, Serious just isn’t a good case for that potential. I did get a moody sense from it, which I think compliments the lyrics of the song, and I did like the sleek start. But other than that, Serious was your standard backing to a dance song. Hook-wise, there was a bit of repetition in Serious, which helps build the song’s momentum to an extent. But they don’t stand out as much. Like the instrumentation, there isn’t really anything fresh or new that blows my mind or peaks my interest. Similarly, melody-wise, not a big fan of what the song did. I feel the strongest aspect of Serious was the vocal work. There were some good vocals in the song thanks to the slight raspy nature of Park Ji Hoon’s voice, and I did like the pre-chorus rapping and the momentum that we got out of that. The one vocal aspect that I disagree with is the switch to rap-singing in the chorus. its fine in the verses, but I just didn’t like how it came to be to the chorus. Overall, Serious is a lacking and unmemorable release, and ultimately a letdown following the likes of Gallery.

While the song might have not blown me away, Park Ji Hoon in this video did. Park Ji Hoon shows off some serious acting chops in this music video, and its so good that it makes this music video so much better. From what I see in this video, I think Park Ji Hoon’s character recently broke up with his partner, which leads him to this emotional state he is in throughout the video. He is locked in a hypothetical room. One moment he was writing a message in the bottle to his partner (I am assuming to ask for forgiveness), with the room being peaceful and lightened up. The next moment, it is trashed and the message in the bottle that he originally had written had gone missing. It appears that there is two sides of Park Ji Hoon in the video (represented by the scenes lightened up with the white light vs. the scenes lightened up a red light). I think the one side really wants to make amends (the white light), while the other side doesn’t want to. It got to the point where the glass bottle was ‘laid to rest’ in the boot of the car, as if it was kidnapped (which might explain the missing message above). The yellow light at the end seems to represent that Park Ji Hoon comes to terms with his emotions, and the sorry that we do seem is acceptance that he was the cause of the breakdown of their relationship and that there won’t be any chance of going back to what they were, even though he is ‘Serious‘ about going back. Serious guesses on what is happening and I could be very wrong, but I find the music video to be quite interesting.

The choreography is plain for me, but the entire performance still felt fitting for the song. It did bring to my attention that Serious doesn’t have much of a break in it and Park Ji Hoon is constantly moving and singing at the same time without any seconds to breathe, so I give him some points for that. But the moves don’t really impress me.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 6.5/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

[Review] Electrified – Ha Sung Woon

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Ha Sung Woon is nominated for Best Male Soloist, and his release, Sneakers, is also nominated for Best Male Choreography (Solo) in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Click here to support Ha Sung Woon and your other favourite artists.

Making his return yesterday as well was Ha Sung Woon. The title track of his sixth mini-album, Electrified: Urban Nostalgia, which also dropped yesterday is Electrified. His is Ha Sung Woon’s third comeback of the year, following the release of Sneakers in June and Strawberry Gum in August of this year. This also is the last release for Ha Sung Woon under Star Crew Entertainment, which he has been under since his debut in 2014 as part of HOTSHOT, which disbanded earlier this year.

Unlike what the title suggests, Electrified is not electrifying. It is more groovy and funky, in a laidback manner. While I do enjoy this style, I do think that what Electrified ended up being like was pretty typical and standard for nowadays, especially since groovy and funky has been really honed into this year once again. I wished that there was more of a zing to the song (i.e. be more electrifying) to match what I personally expecting from the song when I read it title. But I also think a bit of zing would have been helpful in giving Electrified some uniqueness to the song to set it apart from the rest of the other songs of a similar nature. But as I mentioned before, I am not troubled by the direction that Ha Sung Woon had ended up going in. I applaud the smooth consistency of the song throughout its almost four minute run. Had this been released earlier on in the retro and funky resurgence, I think Electrified would have been extremely satisfying to listen to. It is still satisfying at the moment, but just idea of the song sounding similar to others kind of gets in the way now of the feeling. Contributing to the smooth atmosphere of the song are Ha Sung Woon’s smooth vocals. While that might sound like the Electrified might be overly consistent, I find his breathy additions to be a nice change, yet also being within the boundaries of the smoothness parameter. His breathy moans throughout are quite memorable. The hooks and melodies felt subtle and don’t stick out as much like in other songs, but they still managed standout and had a nice ring to them as well. I also enjoyed the ‘La La La‘ at the end, especially with the slightly amped up instrumentation. I liked and enjoyed Electrified for the most part, but felt it could have been more individualised.

The music video was a bit bland for my taste. Ha Sung Woon essentially describes his feelings that the person who caught his attention in the lyrics. To match that type of vibe, we get a serenade from Ha Sung Woon to the female character in the video who is just browsing LPs. I did like the retro side of the video, with the LPs, the black and white style processing of photographs that is Ha Sung Woon’s job in this video and the neon lights. And I thought he looked good throughout the video. But aside from that, nothing else stands out for me.

It doesn’t seem like Ha Sung Woon is promoting Electrified and there isn’t much choreography in the music video (aside from some spinning), so I am skipping this part of the review. It won’t be factored into the score below.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Performance – 7.3/10

[Review] Rush Hour – MONSTA X

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MONSTA X is nominated for for Best Stage Presence and their single GAMBLER is nominated for Best Concept. MONSTA X member I.M is also nominated for Best Rapper, while God Damn is nominated for Best Rap or Hip-Hop song. Support MONSTA X, I.M and your other favourite acts by voting in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Click here to vote now.

Yesterday, MONSTA X made their comeback with Rush Hour. This is the group’s first official comeback as a five member group, with Shownu enlisting into the military in July of this year. The group previous promoted as a five member group back during their GAMBLER comeback, which was their most recent comeback before this one as Shownu has to sit out of promotions due to health reasons. Since their last domestic comeback, the group has been busy with some solo work and preparation for an upcoming English album and documentary.

I have had a couple of listens to Rush Hour since its release yesterday, but I haven’t really been convinced that it is their next big track. But before I dwell on this point, there are still some aspects in Rush Hour that I still appreciated that I want to point out. The ‘stand out’ element of this song is Joohoney and I.M’s rapping. I really liked the dynamism they both brought to the song. Their aggressive energy is always present in MONSTA X’s title tracks at the very least, but I felt like they pushed themselves even more in Rush Hour. Per usual, Rush Hour is synonymous to other MONSTA X title tracks, with bolstering beats and intense electronic instrumentals. But what sets Rush Hour apart is some suspenseful whistling. While it isn’t a memorable tune, it gave Rush Hour an interesting airy vibe and is used sparingly throughout the song. It isn’t the main centerpiece of the song unlike many other tracks nowadays, and so it isn’t overused or overbearing. The chorus was pretty decent. I find the vocals to be the star element here, especially with Kihyun’s explosive and powerful vocals here. I felt he was on par with the rappers in this song. I also like the sharp beats in the chorus, which stands out in the crowd of the ‘noise’, as some might describe Rush Hour as (and MONSTA X’s title tracks overall). Unfortunately, the hooks and melodies are mildly memorable, which isn’t exactly ideal. I wished they were stronger and punchier, which would have made Rush Hour so much more memorable. I also find Rush Hour to lack cohesiveness overall and bit messy. I wished everything in Rush Hour was better pulled together. Overall, Rush Hour is a decent song with a few standout elements, but not their best work.

It seems like cowboys are the new big thing in KPOP, with a few music videos and comebacks over the years featuring the theme. But I feel MONSTA X’s version of the cowboys concept is more style rather than substance. I did like the dynamic vibes from the music video, which is thanks to the way the video was shot and the various moving camera angles. The industrial sets and the outside scenes also looked quite cool, though I think the lighting could have made the video a bit more interesting. Minhyuk also looks great throughout this video and I felt that he owns this comeback. I do wonder if this video connected to the events of GAMBLER. The police vehicle they step out of at the start of the video reminded me of the vehicles the members drove off in at the end of GAMBLER.

The performance looks fierce and aggressive, as you would expect from MONSTA X. Nothing really stands out, but it was a pretty decent routine overall.

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