Category: Reviews

[Review] Changer – A.C.E

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Excuse me while I skip back and forth on the blog to catch up on reviews. Next up is A.C.E.’s comeback, Changer. It is the title track off their second repackaged album and is titled Changer: Dear Eris. This follows the mini-album that they released back in in June (Siren: Dawn – which I have yet to review, but it’s coming soon) and the title track, Higher. Unlike other repackaged albums, this one is not related to Siren: Dawn. In fact, Changer: Dear Eris features a tracklist of new songs that we have not heard before alongside Changer, such as the Korean version of Down (which was a collaboration that A.C.E participated in with American duo Grey earlier this year) and remixes of Cactus (their debut single) amongst other new tracks. This form of a repackaged album (more so compilation album) might be a temporary parting gift from A.C.E to their fans, as members Wow and Donghun are confirmed to be enlisting later this month. But anyhow, it is new music from A.C.E, so I am not complaining. Here is my review for Changer.

While Changer still falls into EDM realm of music, it is noticeably lighter in tone than comparison to some of their more well known works. This might be due to the more sentimental route their lyrics took, which features a message about staying together forever (which undoubtedly is a promise to fans about continuing promotions as a group after the military enlistment that all the members would need to go through). But saying that, it isn’t an emotional release from the group in the sense that it is heart wrenching or tear-inducing. Changer still manages to put a fun spin on the topic by remaining upbeat and bright. It also brings forth some elements within it that reminds me of A.C.E’s earlier works. Some of it may be subtle, such as the post-chorus, which felt harsh relative to the rest of the song resembling some of their crazier EDM drops from early on in their careers. Others are more obvious, such as the heavy beat that accompanies the more typical tropical synths in this song, which reminds me of their more intense releases. In Changer, this heavy beat as it gives the song some much needed oomph and bite to it. The chorus of Changer was definitely showcased the group’s vocals, with Chan delivering one of the song’s many memorable moments (i.e. the ‘da‘ that he sings at the end of one of his lines). Other memorable moments include the song’s addictive post-chorus hook (which I already mentioned, but requires more attention) that is on repeat in my head after the song wraps up each time, Donghun’s stunning high note at the start of the final chorus and Wow’s rap sequence (which has great momentum). I think everything that I have described so far makes Changer another strong release from the group.

There is no amazing or aesthetically pleasing concept for this comeback that A.C.E had previously teased through their more recent comebacks. But that isn’t at all disappointing. Changer‘s music video looks like it is for fans, as we can see the members having fun with one another and enjoying the company of one another. And given the song’s lyrics, I am sure they are also having fun with their fans in their mind as well (whom have enabled A.C.E the chance to have this opportunity). It definitely suits the groups more lighthearted approach with this comeback and the overall timing before the fast approaching military enlistments that were announced recently. There are also some funny bits that make this video even more special for fans.

For some odd reason, I couldn’t stop smiling at this performance. I guess the song and choreography really comes together to give off such an atmosphere that makes it smile-inducing for me. It is a good choreography overall. Nothing too special or outstanding, but I really like the choreography that is paired with the little extension we got at the end of the song after the final chorus and the post-chorus hook.

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

[Review] Talk & Talk – fromis_9

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Earlier this week, fromis_9 made their surprise comeback with their new single, Talk & Talk. This is the group’s first comeback since We Go (from earlier in this year). It is also the first comeback for the group since transferring to Pledis Entertainment (the home of NU’EST and SEVENTEEN) after Off The Record (their original company) underwent an reorganisation. It is great to see that the group is more active and hopefully under Pledis Entertainment, they return more often to the stage with new releases. But until their next comeback, here is my review for Talk & Talk.

Talk & Talk is a satisfying new release that is enjoyable and pleasant. Unfortunately, it is simply just that and I think the song could have been more memorable (more on why I think this is case in a bit). Talk & Talk has a noticeable peppy tone thanks to the bright synths and tones throughout the song. This definitely brings a youthful touch to the song, which works well with fromis_9 image and style. The instrumentation for most of Talk & Talk is standard pop, but I like the 8-bit influence we get in the chorus. It was subtly present in the verses, but the concentration during the chorus really helped keep Talk & Talk refreshing and interesting. I am glad it wasn’t just a consistent sound throughout the song. The 8-bit effects gives the song a burst of likable energy to the song that brings out that enjoyable side of the song. I was also genuinely surprised by the member’s more laidback tone in the chorus, in a way that I am torn about whether I like it or not. While I do think this is the factor that only limits Talk & Talk in being a pleasant song, it was a shakeup that somehow manages to work. However, I still wish the vocals were more vibrant during the chorus, as this would have potentially taken the song to the next level for me. Likewise, I felt the same could have been done for the verses and the spoken delivery of the rapping (which was paced and felt stagnant in comparison to the rest of the song). When I am referring to the potential level of vibrancy for this song, I am thinking something along lines of the ad-libs in Talk & Talk. They just adds that extra burst of fresh energy to the song that felt perfect, and that is what I feel is ultimately missing in this song. Also, I felt that Talk & Talk could have used a better hook. The ‘Doo Doo‘ hook was good, but it just didn’t have that resounding memorable factor to it. Overall, Talk & Talk was still a decent song, however I think it could have been more vibrant and bolder with its sound.

You just can’t keep the members away from their phones in this music video, which makes appropriate sense given that the song is titled Talk & Talk. Anyhow, the music video is mildly distressing, which I assume was for humorous reasons. Flying ping pong balls that look like they could take out a person, over-boiled pots of water that sets off the fire alarm, and powerful jumping that causes one to fall from one floor to the next. But the most distressing moment was when the power went out and the members couldn’t continue their phone calls. Shocking… (Only joking). Like most summer music videos and fromis_9 videos is the amount of bright colours throughout. I also enjoyed the We Go tie in at the start. Overall, a pretty neat video to watch alongside to listening to the music.

There isn’t much to the performance for this comeback. Other than the usual, ‘it fits the music’ or the performance was ‘pleasant’, I don’t have much else to say about it. I did like the smoothness of the chorus and incorporation of the today’s version of how kids would represent the phone with their hands.

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

[Review] Outsider – BTOB

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One of the comebacks kickstarting this week is BTOB’s comeback, Outsider, which is featured on the special mini-album, 4U: Outside. This is BTOB’s first ‘”official” comeback since the 2018 release of Beautiful Pain. I put ‘official’ in quotation marks, as the current lineup of BTOB (Eunkwang, Changsub, Minhyuk & Peniel) did return with as a subunit (BTOB 4U) last year with Show Your Love. But it seems like the four-member lineup took on the entire BTOB name as part of their participation on Kingdom: Legendary War earlier this year and now promotions for Outsider and their latest mini-album release.

Personally, I am of the opinion that Outsider could have used a bit more ‘meat’ to it. Part of me wanted the song to break away from how it started, stray away from its overly consistent instrumentation and develop into a song with more oomph. They definitely showed us they were capable with Show & Prove (which was their final Kingdom: Legendary War single and is also featured on their latest mini-album). However, I felt this was the only issue with Outsider. And to be honest, it wasn’t a major issue that broke the song for me. Outsider manages to do just enough to captivate, and I attribute that mainly towards their vocals and rapping. They definitely proved themselves to be a well-respected group in the industry (aside from the fact they have been around for a while) thanks to their powerful vocals and rapping abilities shown throughout their time on Kingdom: Legendary War. BTOB manages to reflect their skillset in a way that fits Outsider. The vocals from Eunkwang and Changsub added so much smoothness and a velvety effect to the song (particularly during the choruses), while Peniel and Minhyuk’s rapping just had enough intensity to keep the song interesting. I also felt the rapping gave the song a great deal of contrast, which also helped Outsider become more interesting. The over-consistency is due to the instrumentation. Its brassy instrumentation does chug the song along, but it is pretty repetitive and doesn’t really offer much room for the song to develop. The dance break gave the song a break from repetition that Outsider needed, by adding a bit of dramatic effects to the instrumental. This was great and helped end the song decently (and not with a repetitive groan from the listener), though a bit late into the song unfortunately. Overall, Outsider was definitely a decent song to listen to. I just wished BTOB did more to really take it to the next level.

I felt the music video for Outsider was well-done. When I think of funky brass tunes like this, I also think of movie sets for some reason (can’t really work out why my mind makes such a connection). Seeing the opening sequence of the music video was meeting my expectation, I was quite happy. The entire music video shows the members becoming outsiders to the repetitive nature of the world around them. Changsub is a standard office worker who dreams of a luxurious lifestyle. Eunkwang is a zombie actor who doesn’t wanted to be casted in the role anymore. For Peniel and Minhyuk, I am not sure what they are trying to portray to be different from everyone else. But I am guessing Peniel wants to be someone who takes more risks, while Minhyuk wants to be someone who is a bit more adventurous. I really like the bit of humour they added to the end, with Eunkwang blowing up buildings behind them and the rest of the members were caught being surprise. It earned a chuckle from me.

For the choreography for this comeback, it seems to be on the more simple side of the spectrum, in terms of complexity. But I think they did a good job of showcasing the funky and elegant side of the music in the choreography. I liked the intensity they brought in during the rap sequences and the smoothness of the moves during the chorus. The dance break was also quite cool, with a bit of MJ influences.

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

[Review] TRIGGER – VERIVERY

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I am now back, and will start to review releases that I have missed (from past and previous weeks) and continue to review new releases as they come out this week. Album reviews will also restart next week with TXT and Brave Girls up first.

VERIVERY made their official comeback on Monday with TRIGGER and their sixth mini-album, Series ‘O’ Round 2: Hole. This comeback follows the release of Get Away and Series ‘O’ Round 1: Hall from earlier this year. It also marks the return of Minchan, who has been absent since the end of October for health reasons. Almost a week later, I am finally getting around to reviewing it.

TRIGGER begins with a clickity-clack synth that is quite intriguing. It isn’t a mind-blowing start if that is what you are expecting, but I would say that the synth and effect itself sets the tone of the entire track from the get-go. Then comes in polished vocals and strong rapping from the members, before they lead into the pre-chorus with a similar vocal and rap sequence. I really enjoyed the concentrated buildup in the pre-chorus, starting off in a calming manner before accelerating to the chorus. The line ‘Pull The Trigger‘ is an excellent launch into the chorus, which is undoubtedly intense and powerful without necessarily going into a ‘dark’ motif, but yet it has that edginess to it that makes it so robust and cool. The repetition of the song’s title in the chorus also makes it a catchy number. What I quite like about the second verse of TRIGGER is that it is very different to the first verse, in terms of structure. This definitely keeps TRIGGER interesting. Powerful rapping returns first, then the instrumental briefly adopts a fast tempo thumping beat, which then slows down to make way for a vocal-dominant pre-chorus that differs from the first pre-chorus thanks to the presence of ad-libs. The bridge opts for vocals as well, with TRIGGER slowing down instrumentally to make way for an atmospheric sequence, which then ramps up to match the vocal climax that the members deliver. The final chorus also contains an additional sequence/extension that brings up the dynamisms to finish the song on a high note (and the high note within the final chorus is also quite remarkable and worth mentioning as well). I also really liked the deep synth thumps we get at the very end of TRIGGER, which signals the official end of the song. It was abrupt and sudden, but I think it works well in this song. Overall, a very interesting and intense song which fits into (what I think is) VERIVERY’s sound.

The ending of Get Away starts off the music video of TRIGGER (i.e. the member with the bag over his head is making his way down the spiral road, the image of a gun and the eyeball that diffuses out), which makes me think the events in TRIGGER is actually the aftermath. Still, not entirely sure what is exactly happening, over then the members are dying one by one. Again, it looks like alter-egos of the members are after them once again. We see one of the members get shot by one of these masked bandits, which are see are them. In a reflection in water, out of five members, we only see one reflection (who is subsequently dragged into a mirror from what I could make out of his demise). Based on later events, it appears like the members are trapped in that circular building after they die, based on that one member who finds multiple screens with the other members trapped in them. He destroys the building, which I assume somehow releases the rest of the members. But I think some of those alter-egos have managed to replaced the real members, based on that suspicious smile we get from that blue-haired member (sorry, I don’t know names – see featured image of this post) just before he runs out with the rest of the members. That is just my interpretation of the video, based on my imagination. Though I would be happy to hear what the official story is or if you have a different interpretation.

I liked the aggressive and intense nature of the performance, particularly the guns they form with their hands when they repeat the song’s title in the chorus. It is recurring feature of the performance, which makes perfect sense.

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

[Review] Thunderous – Stray Kids

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Apologies once again for drip feeding reviews this week. I am hoping this will be temporary (as I have in the process of moving into a new place) and that I will be able to do a bigger capacity of reviews in a couple of weeks. For now, I have reduced my load to a review a day, and will refocus my review efforts starting from next week to clear the backlog of reviews I want to write.

Monday of this week was one of the days where multiple artists scheduled their comeback. Amongst the returns is Stray Kids, with their second studio album, NOEASY, and the title track, Thunderous. This is the group’s first formal comeback of the year, following the double title track bonanza of God’s Menu and Back Door last year. Since the double comeback, Stray Kids has released a new album and single in Japan (All In), the Korean single Mixtape: OH, and participated in the Kingdom: Legendary War survival show, where they released the single WOLFGANG and won. Now, all the attention is on their latest release and title track, Thunderous.

To me, Thunderous in the same realm as Stray Kids’ most popular tracks (God’s Menu and Back Door). This is a positive association between the songs, as the mentioned releases are my favourite Stray Kids title tracks to date. It is definitely clear the new song aligns with the group’s usual powerful energy and intensity, fitting right into the group’s discography. What also makes Thunderous so good in my opinion is its bold and bombastic instrumentation, which is a blend of hip-hop and trap. Thunderous is also somewhat unique thanks to the infusion of traditional Korean instruments in the background. It isn’t the first time we have seen such a combination in the instrumental department in the KPOP, but like Stray Kids usual outputs, it is top notch. My only wish with Thunderous is that it receives a touch more bass to just really heighten the elements and beat to take it to the next level. This could easily be achieved in a live concert setting, but we are a long way away from that reality. As for the members, the rapping was darn powerful and there is a lot of passion behind their delivery, making it a really great listen once again. But I liked the vocals more as they gave Thunderous a sense of stability and pulled together the various rap segments together to bring us a more cohesive track. What also gives Thunderous more of an edge compared to other releases are the hooks. The ‘Ptui‘ hook that kicks off the entrance (i.e. sound effect when you spit into your hands) paired with the drop helped bring that bombastic feel to life. The repetition of the song title made good use of one of Stray Kids’ assets, Felix deep voice. And the post-chorus hook following the first and final choruses, the ‘Baramam‘ hook, concentrated the song’s energy in a very satisfying manner. Lee Know’s section in the bridge also had a similar effect. Overall, Thunderous definitely excels and showcases Stray Kids with an even bolder spotlight.

The music video features a blend of traditional and modern elements, which is clearly inspired by the song’s blend of traditional and modern sounds. We saw the members perform in front of traditional royal buildings, complete with the traditional Korean instruments being played and various other elements that we would associate with the traditional side of Korean culture. On the flip side, we saw modern elements blended in, such as cars, graffiti and the members’ outfits. What makes the music video even cooler is the post-production. The blue flames, the switch between animation and real-life members, the appearance of members between frames. We saw similar effects in their previous videos, but it is still mind-blowing in this video.

The choreography is definitely powerful and edgy. I really liked Jisung’s part in the second verse, the laughing arms just before the second chorus, and Changbin and Hyunjin on the members’ back. The actual spitting action might be the performance’s iconic move. No doubts that Stray Kids have outdone themselves with this routine.

Song – 9.5/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10

[Review] After ‘We Ride’ – Brave Girls

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Another week has come and we have a new set of comebacks this week. First up is Brave Girls, who rose to fame via their 2017 release Rollin’ earlier this year. A lot of attention and pressure was placed upon their comeback, Chi Mat Ba Ram and the mini-album Summer Queen, which dropped in June. And today, the group returned with the repackaged version of Summer Queen, which has been retitled After ‘We Ride’. The title track from the repackaged mini-album shares the same name, After ‘We Ride’. Summer Queen and After ‘We Ride’ will be fast-tracked this weekend for an album review. In the meanwhile, here is my review for Brave Girl’s new song.

Fans of Brave Girls may already recognise the ‘We Ride‘ part of the title, as it was the title of the group’s main promotional track in 2020 (the potentially last single from Brave Girls had Rollin’ not blown up earlier this year). That song talks about a relationship that has become boring. After ‘We Ride’ seems to portray the aftermath of that story, with that relationship going from boring to conflicts and the inevitable breakup of the couple. After ‘We Ride’ has a notable 80s retro influence, similar to We Ride‘s retro influences but different from the earlier song’s city-pop sound. What I like a lot about After ‘We Ride’ is how they infused that retro influence with rock. While this might not be exactly new, I did really enjoy the refreshing the combination was and how suitable it felt for the Summer season. The combination also showcased a lot of passion and emotions, which was also highly suitable for the story told by the lyrics that I mentioned above. This same passion and emotion was showcased in the members’ vocals throughout the song, making this even more captivating to listen to. As the song takes on a more mature topic and profile, After ‘We Ride’ sacrifices the catchy hooks and addictiveness that their most popular songs had. And I do admit that I miss that element in this song. But that doesn’t stop After ‘We Ride’ from being a charming song to listen to. The ‘Ooh‘s and the harmonies at the start of the song was helpful in easing us into the song’s meatier bits. The slightly autotuned repetition of the title as the After ‘We Ride’ main hook wasn’t as strong as previous hooks (as previous mentioned), but it worked well with the song’s tone. Overall a captivating listen nonetheless.

The music video is one of many that you probably need to watch only once and you would get the gist of it, so there isn’t really a need to revisit the video. Throughout the video, we see the members come to terms with their breakup. It takes them a while to get there. After all, the video needed to be the length of the song at the very least). However, I kind of wished we got to see them to converge together as a group at the very end. That would have been nice and touching (and it would also complement the theories that I am reading about the song in the YouTube comments).

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

[Review] WAVE – CIX

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CIX has quite a busy year already with their early 2021 comeback, Cinema and Hello Chapter Ø: Hello, Strange Dream, Japanese release All For You and their Universe track Tesseract (which I will review, one day). But the year is still young. So why not add a studio album to the mix? Well, that is exactly what CIX did. Earlier this week, the five member male group from C9 Entertainment made their official comeback with their first ever studio-length album, Ok Prologue: Be Ok, which is headlined by their new single, WAVE.

WAVE is a fine song. However, it is another example of a song where more could have been done to really make it more appealing. WAVE starts off as a standard and light EDM song. Nothing more, nothing less. This isn’t much an issue, though I would have liked it the song was more exciting from the first second. But I won’t let that get in the way of enjoying WAVE, as the song has to start from somewhere. The issue with WAVE was more so the pre-choruses. I felt the rapping segment would have been fine as the launching pad into the chorus and it felt like the instrumentation behind the rapping segment was gearing up for that launch. However, for some reason, the producers of the song felt it was necessary to delay and suspend that obvious building momentum by inserting another vocal part just before the actual chorus, which in turn fizzled out any momentum the song had. I felt like they could have forgone the vocals (sorry Yonghee) and used the vocal sequence’s instrumentation as a backing for the rap sequence to drive us forward into the chorus. Similar comments can be said about the second verse. Thankfully, the chorus managed to compensate for that fizzled and lackluster pre-chorus that WAVE opted for and I like how much swing there was to the momentum within the chorus. I do think the chorus’s EDM could have been more impactful and intense, but I still enjoyed it as it is. What we got was rather pleasant, which seems to be odd given the song taps into the rougher forms of EDM, but that is how I would describe the chorus. The second and final choruses are followed by ‘Like Thunder, Thunder‘ hooks, which I quite liked. They were catchy and relatively powerful moments in WAVE that stood out. It also continued the chorus’ momentum which I had pointed out earlier in a very satisfying manner and didn’t stray away from the pleasant side of WAVE. Similar comments can be made to the vocals and rapping, as a whole. Overall, WAVE was enjoyable. There were some issues with the structure of the song, but that didn’t really ruin the song.

WAVE is all about going forward at your own pace while going beyond rough waves (i.e. the various experiences that try to stop you from moving forward). In the music video, we see the members build a boat and prepare for the adventure together. The members then embark through the rough waves mentioned just now and battles them together. Beyond the rough waves, there is this calmness and ethereal place that the members were aiming for. Regarding the ending, I am assuming it is connected to Numb, one of their earlier works, based on the school uniform. Though I am not entirely sure what that has to do with this music video and how everything thus far is connected (because they are all connected somehow, if I remember). I also like how the choreography scenes and the brighter atmosphere brought on Summer vibes, matching the current season.

I like bursts of energy and intensity in the choreography for this comeback. It makes it an enjoyable stage to watch. Visually, I feel like this is a good look for the group in terms of outfits, aside from the sailor outfits, which makes them look like overgrown kids in children outfits.

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

[Review] LO$ER=LO♡ER – TXT

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TXT is officially back with a brand new single, LO$ER=LO♡ER, which comes three months after 0X1=Lovesong (I Know I Love You). This new song is featured on the group’s repackaged version of their second studio album, The Chaos Chapter: Fight or Escape. Once again, I held back on writing a review for their second studio album, The Chaos Chapter: Freeze, upon hearing news of a repackaged version – so I will be fast-tracking an album review this weekend for TXT. In the meanwhile, here is my review of TXT’s latest track.

LO$ER=LO♡ER continues the rock influences from 0X1=Lovesong (I Know I Love You). For those who missed my comments of their previous title track, I was full of praise for the song, given that the rock influences felt just right. While LO$ER=LO♡ER has that rock influence and feels like an appropriate follow up to 0X1=Lovesong (I Know I Love You), it wasn’t as satisfying. The lack of satisfaction stems to a number of issues throughout the song, but majority of it was due to the fact that the influences in the chorus were quite flat. Given that the chorus is usually the centrepiece of any song, this is a massive blow towards the appeal of the song, especially since the verses had enough oomph to them. The buildup towards the chorus in the pre-chorus alluded for something with more intensity, and that just didn’t like it was delivered for me. Mellow and melodic are words that I would describe the chorus of LO$ER=LO♡ER. However, I just wanted more bite to the song, so that it could have been more show-stopping. The hooks in the song were quite decent, however I could have done without the whole ‘I’m a loser, I’m a loser, Lover with a dollar sign is a LO$ER‘. It is a step towards the cringy side of KPOP. I guess this shouldn’t have come as a surprise, given that it was foreshadowed in the title of the song. What stood out the most for me in LO$ER=LO♡ER are the members themselves. Their vocals were really good and well-presented throughout the song. Taehyun, in particular, had the right level of hoarseness in his voice to really give the song some punk edge. The rapping also had a nice kick to it and felt appropriate for this song. Overall, LO$ER=LO♡ER has a bit of a way to become a standout track. However, it still had a nice showcase of TXT’s skills.

I am not too sure if I understand the video correctly, but I think I have a solid theory to what is going on. Throughout the video, we see the events unfold in a first person point of view. In these scenes, we see the members as they are in love (i.e. the ‘lover’ side of the song). But my guess is that all these scenes are Yeonjun’s memories. At the start of the video, we see that Yeonjun is alone once again, similar to what we saw in 0X1=Lovesong (I Know I Love You). The most important ‘memory’ in this video is the livestream (which was Beomgyu’s solo scene). We see him being abused by his father and this occurred live to the world. I presume his lover was watching. It is a vulnerable side that he didn’t expect people to see, especially his lover, which started a shame-spiral. Throughout the video, we continually saw confident versions of the members, but this was not the case during the livestream. And as teenagers, you tend to overthink. So I guess Yeonjun overthinks that because he was kicked around by his dad, he is no longer confident and cannot impress his lover (i.e. he is a loser). The video ends up with all members in the same car as in 0X1=Lovesong (I Know I Love You) with Yeonjun at the wheel and driving off the cliff. Aside from my choppy interpretation of the plotline, I really like the choreography scenes on the back of the truck. It looked cool, and I liked the attention to detail in these parts. Outfit-wise, I feel something along the lines of their previous set of outfits would have been better.

I really like the use of the microphone stands in this performance. It is pretty unoriginal idea, but I like the fact that it emphasised the emotional aspects of the song and the rock vibes. I like how they incorporated the ‘L’ sign into the choreography. It felt like an obvious choice, so I am glad they did.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Review] Queendom – Red Velvet

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After a year and seven months since Psycho, Red Velvet have made their grand and elegant return to the KPOP scene with Queendom. It had definitely been while since a full group’s comeback. Wendy spent most of 2020 recovering from her horrible accident at the end of 2019 and Irene had an unprofessionalism scandal last year. However, it all wasn’t bad news during this hiatus. Irene and Seulgi formed a subunit and promoted both Monster and Naughty last year, while Wendy and Joy made their respective solo debuts with Like Water and Hello earlier this year. Yeri also debuted as an actress. But it is really great that we can finally see the five members regroup and promote together again!

Queendom falls more on their Velvet side/concept of releases. For those who don’t know (do they even still use this method to describe their releases anymore?), Red Velvet’s releases can be either of their ‘Red’ concept (vibrant and bold concepts) or ‘Velvet’ (classy and toned down concepts). If you are a fan of Red Velvet, you can hear the ‘Velvet’ profile from a mile away. The new song is a pop track, but it quite subdued in comparison to their other works. It still has an upbeat instrumental, which I think makes Queendom still relevant for the current Summer season. There is a nice ‘pop’ to the instrumentation. It also features similar melodies in the chorus, which reminds me of some of their earlier works (that are more on the ‘Red’ side, though). However, the major flaw I found with Queendom is that there was a really standard vibe coming from the song. Pleasant at best, if I were to give this observation a tagline. That being said, I am appreciative of the group’s delivery of the song. The vocal work in Queendom felt refined and elegant, like the rest of the song, its concept alignment and the lyrics of the song (which were all about being ‘kings’ and ‘queens’ of our own lives and that we shine brighter when we come together – adapted from SOOMPI). I also found the vocals to be quite vibrant, which I thought was much needed breath of life to the song (i.e. saving it from the standard nature of the instrumental). I particularly love how Wendy pushes herself in the chorus, her high note and her ad-libs at the end of the song. They were definitely well-placed and helped give the song a bit of zing. The rapping from both Irene and Yeri were also really nicely done and in such a cleanly fashion. The rap-speak delivery felt just right for this song. The ‘Ladida-do Ba-badida‘ is also quite catchy. Overall, a pretty decent track from the song. What they lacked in one area, they made up in another area. And it is enough for me to enjoy Queendom.

The music video gives me Harry Potter vibes thanks to all the magic that is going on in the video. But rather than Hogwarts, the music video’s premise is an underground mailing centre, with all the members being a critical member of the postal service. I could feel the elegance from the video and how well it matched the song. But other than that, I feel the ‘pleasant, at best’ tagline would be applicable to this video as well.

Like the song and music video, the choreography (from what I can see in the music video) has that really elegant and flowy nature to it. And because of this, I find it fitting with the song. But it isn’t the most mind-blowing piece from the group. The ‘Ladida-do Ba-badida‘ post-chorus hook looks like it will be the most interesting part of the choreography, since the members each do something different from the looks of it in the first iteration of the hook.

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

[Special] K-Pop Songs of the Summer Review: Hot Summer – f(x)

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Over time, the K-Pop Review community has grown from a few individuals into a full subset of the internet. Now, TheBiasList, Kbopped, 10/10 – Music, Hallyureviews, Jei’s Kulture Notes, Deforested Music, A Floating Realm in the Corner, 8.5 Music, and Kpopreviewed are working together, to create a series, where we review our favorite K-Pop summer song.

Be sure to check out everyone’s posts in the links below!

10/10 – Music (Blog / Hi Ya Ya – TVXQ Review)
Blueraspberrysyrup (Blog / Summer 127 – NCT 127 Review)
Kbopped (Blog / The Star of Stars – SNUPER)
Jei’s Kulture Notes (Blog / Boogie Up – WJSN Review)
Hallyureviews (Blog – / Power – EXO Review)
8.5 Music (Blog / View – SHINee Review)
Kpopreviewed (This Blog!! / Hot Summer – f(x))
Deforested Music (Blog / Wave – ATEEZ)
The Bias List (Blog / Loving U – Sistar)

There are so many artists and songs that are synonymous with Summer released over the years. But since I have been around for a while now (I won’t put a number on it – that can be the subject for a later post), I have reviewed a large bulk of them already. So, when I found a song that I haven’t reviewed yet that also suited the theme of this collaboration, I actually felt like the stars align. My chosen song is F(x)’s Hot Summer, which was released way back in June 2011. This particular decade young track was released as the title track for the repackaged version of their first studio album, Pinocchio, and was a massive hit in Summer of that year.

I vaguely remember not enjoying Hot Summer when it was first released for some reason (don’t remember what exactly – it has been 10 years). But like many songs that I have expressed dislike for or criticised, Hot Summer has become an iconic track to have on my Summer playlist. But how so? Well, Hot Summer continually repeats its title throughout the song, especially in the chorus. It is pretty much in your face and there is no escaping it. A bit of an extreme tactic, but it got keyed into my memory. Now, there isn’t summer where my mind don’t gravitate towards the song, especially when the temperatures are unbearable (a bit of song and dance may ensue). Throw that over an synth-heavy (pretty much the norm for back then) and bright instrumentation that comes off as refreshing, and you pretty much have a strong catchy track. What I also liked about Hot Summer now is how it just keeps on going. There was virtually no breaks throughout the song, so the energy is very consistent and just continually pumps. But I think the textures that come from the synths and the vocals do a good job of distracting you from that consistency, and hence I don’t see it as a problem. We do get a bit of reprieve following in the chorus, with the whispery-like delivery of the song’s title (repetition, once again), which was really cool and a nice change in momentum. I would have liked to hear transitional effects between various parts of the song, just so the various sections could be more easily identified and defined. When it comes to the vocals and rapping, Hot Summer is a solid number. The vocals, which bring an undeniable pop influence to the song, stood out over an already loud and texturally heavy instrumentation. I also really liked how edgy they sounded in the first verse. Amber’s rap, although brief, was a nice intense moment that worked well with the rest of the song and allowed Amber to show her style off more. The interesting part is the high-pitch whiny ‘Hot Summer‘ we get in the last iteration of the chorus that blends into the instrumentation. It feels pretty much ahead of its time. Hot Summer is a song that I keep going back to, especially when the temperatures start heating up where I live, and it is one of my many recommended KPOP Songs of the Summer.

Not too sure what the premise for this music video is. A pink tank rolls down the street doesn’t seem that summery to me. But it was an epic entrance for the group and definitely feels like a F(x) thing to do. Aside from the questionable background, I thought the music video was pretty decent and rather simple (which you know I like). The brightness reminds you of a really hot summers day. They outfits provided that pop of colour (alongside the pink tank) in such a barren city landscape. Even the red outfits in their studio sets managed to show Summer in a simple dual colour fashion.

The iconic choreography for this comeback was pretty much self explanatory. Too hot, fan yourself. It is also simple, so people like me who have two left feet and look really awkward dancing (like those dancers we see in the background at the end of the video) can pull it off reasonably well. That being said, there is a bit of complexity with the rest of the performance (i.e. formations and other parts of the routines) that results in the choreography for this release being quite balanced and looking good.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Double Review] Ready Now + Still Dream – Kim Woojin

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A bit more time travelling for me, with the next review focusing on Kim Woojin’s solo debut as a solo artist. For those who don’t know Kim Woojin, he debuted as part of Stray Kids in 2018 and left the group suddenly in 2019 for unknown reasons. Last year, rumours started to circulate on the Internet about the artist, but those rumours were later dispelled. And now in 2021, he officially returns to the music scene with his solo debut and first solo mini-album, The moment : 未成年, a minor. The mini-album features two songs – Ready Now, his official title track released last week, and Still Dream, a pre-release single released early last month.

I will begin with Ready Now, the debut single. In this song, his vocals flourishes and is shown off in an impeccable manner. It was quite consistent display of vocals throughout, with it soaring and amplifying at the right moments to stand out over the instrumentation. The ad-libs we get at the end further enhances the quality of the element within Ready Now, making it an ideal showcase of skills for a debut track. His rapping in the song was decent, at best. I personally felt that it was the weakest part of the song, and thought the rap sequence should have been more bolstered and impactful, especially since it was coming off from the first chorus. There wasn’t enough bite or traction to the section, which made it feel rather weak. The chorus had this subtle level of intensity, which felt refined and mature to me. And given that the first chorus was the initial showing of this subtle intensity, the succeeding parts should have had more to continue that momentum. The instrumentation was a dramatic synth backing, and felt punchy at the right moments. But other than that, I didn’t hear anything that special with the instrumental. Overall, Ready Now was a great start (on the music front) for a solo career.

Still Dream was a teaser for what was to come, prior to the release of Ready Now. In retrospect, Still Dream is a lot more straightforward as a song, compared to his debut single. Still Dream takes on alternative rock, with pulsing and heavily emphasised percussion throughout the song. The rock elements give the song some flair and further intensity. For his vocals, this pre-release single shows off Kim Woojin, once again. In particular, Still Dream manages to show off his hoarse vocals, which felt very appropriate and fitting for the alternative rock sound. I also like the moments in which he pushes himself in this song, which made it satisfying to listen to. Altogether, there was an epic and powerful vibe behind the song that made it riveting to listen to. I wouldn’t mind listening to a live version of this song, complete with a rock band in the background. I do wish we got a bit of a changeup towards the end of the song. I think that would have made the song a tad more appealing and less repetitive as it ended up coming off as. But still, a strong pre-release for Kim Woojin.

Kim Woojin has quite a story and it seems like some of it is featured in the music video for Ready Now. He is being confined and restricted in a glass box, crushed by a lowering platform and running in a dark corridor with no light at the end. Essentially, he is showing his struggles with starting out throughout the video. But towards the end, there is light and hope, to which he sings that he is ‘ready now’. Not exactly sure what the sand depicts, but it was a recurring element in those scenes. I liked the matureness and the darkness of the video, which looked aesthetic from my point of view. As for Still Dream, simplicity seems to be the concept. Shot in grassy fields, Kim Woojin essentially performs for the entirety of the video with his dancers. This concept definitely worked in his favour and complimented the song really well. However, there are elements that I do not like in this video. Firstly, I felt the intensity provided by the camerawork was poor. It was shaky, hard to focus and should have been turned down a notch. Secondly, I didn’t like his light blue outfit (and the dancers brown pieces). It looked boring and didn’t feel like it reflected the song well.

Performance-wise, I think he could have toned himself down for Ready Now. I felt there was too much energy from Kim Woojin. This isn’t necessary a bad thing. But when it is too fast and quick, in comparison to the dancers, it looks over the top and unsettling. You can see the passion and feel the intensity being channeled from song to dance. But to be more refined, he should have held back a bit. I think similar comments can describe the performance for Still Dream, but it wasn’t off-putting as the final result of Ready Now.

Ready Now
Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

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

[Review] You Can’t Sit With Us – Sunmi

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As mentioned in my last song review, I am going to do a bit of time travelling to last week (and the past few weeks) over the weekend to review some releases which I should have reviewed, but they just managed to slip by me due to my poor time management over the last few months (and this essentially been snowballing ever since). This post focuses on Sunmi’s latest comeback, You Can’t Sit With Us, which was released last Friday. This new song is the title track off the soloist’s 3rd mini-album, 1/6. It is also the first comeback from Sunmi since the release of Tail earlier this year.

Sunmi has a pretty good track record when it comes to her discography, and You Can’t Sit With Us continues that exact trend. To clarify, You Can’t Sit With Us isn’t as iconic as her more popular releases, but it heads in that direction. The song is consistently instrumented with 80s retro synth that fits perfectly into the current KPOP climate. There isn’t anything more to the background of You Can’t Sit With Us, making this a ‘pure’ release, in terms of synths and retro influences. And for the most part, Sunmi delivers the song is her usual fashion. Sleek and elegant vocals, as per all her past comebacks. The melodies in the chorus and the hooks in You Can’t Sit With Us are okay at first. But per usual, listening to the song repetitively since its release last week has definitely helped transform the song into a catchy number. I would have liked the hooks to be a bit bolder and hence more memorable, as it felt like those elements could have gone further. But nonetheless, it is still substantial effort that puts the song in the same direction with the rest of her tracks. The only part of the song which I didn’t like was the rap sequence we got in the second verse. It was unnecessary, forced and didn’t feel fitting for the retro synth-pop song that You Can’t Sit With Us is. To be honest, I did like an idea of the rap sequence, as it does keep the song from falling into a repetitive trance. So, I think it is more execution and style that was the issue, rather than the overall presence of a rap sequence. Now I am not trying to say that Sunmi isn’t a good rapper. But I felt this was something that someone else could have handled. That or, the section in question could have been tweaked to be less drawn out and more fulfilling. Overall, You Can’t Sit With Us is another great release from the soloist.

Oh Korea. You do love yourself some zombies. This music video joins the growing appearances of the undead in a lot of their pop culture works. In this music video, one of the zombies is her recently former boyfriend. At the start of the video, it appears that Sunmi and her boyfriend were in a heated argument. He begs for forgiveness, but Sunmi was not having any of it. After a few hang ups and harsh replies via email, Sunmi throws a flowerpot out of her window, which hits her boyfriend in the head and presumably kills him. There seemed to be a tinge of regret, but she simply turns away cold-heartedly. We later see her in a video store with her friends, who are later surrounded by zombies. Sunmi and her friends launch an attack on the zombies to save themselves (after a bit of song and dance, of course, since Sunmi’s primary occupation is a KPOP idol and not zombie eradicator). After killing the final zombie, we see her ‘dead’ boyfriend appear with the flowerpot coming out of his head. He gets down on one knee and proposed to her, to which she accepts. A plot twist comes at the end of the video, with her hugging her boyfriend (who is notably uninjured – i.e. no flowerpots in his head), surrounded by police officers who had their guns drawn and directed at them. So it looks like Sunmi was really a psychopath (based on the way she turned away from her injured boyfriend and how she shot up a video store). Not too sure what to make of the video, based on that revelation. But overall, the video was a pretty decent watch, with a bit of a drama, bit of laughter, bit of action and bit of horror rolled into one.

The choreography for this comeback was decent and had that Sunmi flair. But it wasn’t as memorable as her previous comebacks. That being said, I really enjoyed the performance to watch that male dancer at the very end, who dances some of Sunmi’s more iconic moves. So far, we have seen LALALAY, Gashina and Siren. Great way of keeping me there until the end of the performance to see what he will dance to next.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

[Review] Gallery – Park Ji Hoon

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Do note that I will be jumping around a lot of the reviews over the coming days. I skip ‘forward’ briefly to last night (before I go back in time for the next review) to focus on yesterday’s new release – Park Ji Hoon’s comeback with Gallery and the mini-album, My Collection. This comeback comes after a nine month absence from the music scene, with his last comeback being GOTCHA (the title track) and Message (Park Ji Hoon’s first studio album). Since the release of his last comeback, Park Ji Hoon has been focusing on his acting, as he was casted in the lead role of At a Distance, Spring Is Green.

Described as an EDM-based pop track, Gallery taps into the funky side of the KPOP with a dynamically driven and upbeat dance track. I personally thought Gallery‘s instrumental was quite an asset in making the song extremely appealing and satisfying to listen to. It had a nice level of bass that contributed to great deal of depth and sleekness, at the same time. The synths kept the song going, driving it forward and adding momentum Gallery. I also like the additional brass that the song brought in at the very end in the background. It was subtle difference, but definitely went a long way to help add a bit more flair at the very end to round out the song. Consistency within the instrumentation was also a really nice factor in terms of appeal in Gallery. If you follow my blog for a while now, this usually not what I prefer when it comes to music. Overly consistent songs tend to be quite repetitive, dull and ‘the safe option’. But in Gallery, I think Park Ji Hoon manages to shake things up every so slightly with the way he sings and raps (both of which were really well done, if I have not made myself clear about this yet), and this keeps the song from becoming boring and repetitive. This is a very strong asset to have as an artist, as proven in this song. Personally, I would have like a stronger hook, to really make the song that bit more memorable and enhance the post-chorus (which was already so strong with the cascading effect of synths) even further. Overall, I think Gallery was a very strong release thanks to its underlying instrumentation, and was quite clever in highlighting Park Ji Hoon skills.

Appropriately set in a art gallery, Park Ji Hoon is the artwork for that that special someone to look at. Those parts of the music video were just fine and pleasant to watch. Also Park Ji Hoon looks quite good throughout those scenes. but for me, the best bits of the video were the ones where the green screen was used. Thanks to the green screen, a massive keyhole sits in the background and the visual effects they used to change up the background involving the key hole actually made the video look really cool. Such effects gave the video a bit of a wow factor, which undoubtedly drives up the video’s appeal after the fact.

I really liked the choreography for this comeback. There was a lot going on, especially during those post-chorus sequences where the synths are cascading. There was a bit of a popping and locking type feel in those segments, but it felt more subtle than usual popping and locking choreographies. I liked the intensity we did get from those sections, and how they were all a bunch of small movements strung together to create an epic routine. I also felt that park Ji Hoon was slightly flirty with his expressions on stage, which looked good.

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

[Review] Strawberry Gum – Ha Sung Woon ft. Don Mills

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Apologies for another impromptu break once again. But I am back and will try to get through as many reviews over the coming few days. Today, I will be focusing on a release from Monday. Alongside ONF and The Boyz, Ha Sung Woon made his solo comeback with the repackaged version of his fifth mini-album. Originally titled Sneakers (which was also the title of the title track), Ha Sung Woon has re-titled the mini-album to Select Shop. Leading Select Shop is Strawberry Gum, which features Don Mills. Later this upcoming weekend, I will be fast tracking the album review for Sneakers/Select Shop as it has been on my radar for a couple of weeks for review already. But until then, here is my review for Strawberry Gum.

Personally, I feel Ha Sung Woon has an impossible task of upping the likes of Sneakers. It has become my favourite title track from the soloist, and its energy and vibrancy has managed to develop it into an addictive track. As expected, Strawberry Gum just doesn’t hit that same mark for me (let alone, surpass it). To me, I thought the new song lacked that vibrancy and energy that made his previous title track stand out and catapult it to the top. However, that doesn’t mean that Strawberry Gum is a bad song in anyway, nor did it lack such elements. It had all of that. But it just didn’t hit home for me. Strawberry Gum taps into the retro funk style of music that seems to elicit the need to get up and dance. The chorus was the peak of the effect. But the pull for this to happen just wasn’t the same as the previous comeback. Part of this was simply because I didn’t find the song to be that innovative. And the vibrancy just wasn’t as high as Sneakers. The song definitely played to his strengths, but it felt safe and was more of a ‘traditional’ take on the retro/funk genres. Don Mills featured in the second verse, rapping his way through the song. I liked how Don Mills didn’t distract you from the song. Rather, he blended in really well into Strawberry Gum, keeping the song consistent and helping drive the song forward. I think there was a bit of a sacrifice by keeping the raps close to the song’s profile, but I thought it was clever for reasons already mentioned. Throughout Strawberry Gum, I felt Ha Sung Woon’s vocals were very consistent and showed off some nice restraint. The most impressive display of such skills was during the bridge of the song. His delivery added some much needed oomph to the song, the high note we got added some smoothness to the song and the slight addition of autotune at the start of the section to accompany his vocals gave off some nice texture. Overall, Strawberry Gum is pleasant and nice. But if I were to pick, Sneakers is more up my alley.

Ha Sung Woon changes from a janitor to the centre of the party in the music video for this release. For the most part, the video is reflective of the song. Pleasant and nice. But it isn’t something that I find myself replaying because I thought it was gripping or captivating. Just pleasant and nice, for me. What I did like in the video was the different hairstyles that Ha Sung Woon had. I felt the hair stylists really outdone themselves with the four hairstyles that showed off different sides of the artist. I also enjoyed Don Mill’s appearance in the video. Always nice to have the featuring artist appear in the video.

But unfortunately, he doesn’t appear on stage. Instead, the rap sequence was delivered by Ha Sung Woon’s friend, Ravi (from VIXX). I liked how energetic the performance was and how bouncy the moves were. The moonwalk and the ‘Be-Be-Be-Baby Love Me‘ part in the hook were my favourite parts of the performance. I also liked the tinge of cuteness Ha Sung Woon gives the performance via his facial expressions, which I am sure fans enjoy.

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

[Review] Popping – ONF

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Also making their comeback today is ONF, with the release of a new single and special mini-album, both sharing the same name, Popping. This is their third comeback of the year, following Beautiful Beautiful in March and Ugly Dance in May. I am super pumped for this comeback, especially since it follows what I consider to be some of ONF’s best work since their debut in 2017. So without further ado, I am going to get stuck into the new release and see if Popping lives up to the standards set by the group!

Spoiler alert – they do! Popping brings forth a very familiar atmosphere. I find it reminiscent of most of their comebacks. The instrumental reminds me of the really addictive Beautiful Beautiful, while the vocals brings me back to ONF’s earlier works, such as ON/OFF and Complete. It is quite an interesting feeling, as it has been a while since I have heard a song bring me down memory lane like this one. To further add to that already very appealing factor is a catchy melody and hook that just makes me reach for my mouse and take my cursor to the replay button every time the song finishes. I really like how chirpy and strong the vocals in this song are. They bring a very cheerful tone to the video, one that cannot make me stop smiling. I also really like the moments they chant along with each other in the chorus, bolding and defining the vocals already there to make them even more impactful. I do wish the song had a more substantial rap sequence, as I feel like this would have given the song a bit more dynamism. But what we got was still amazing nonetheless. Back to the instrumentals, instead of the brass we heard in Beautiful Beautiful, the producers of Popping changes up the song with flutes of some kind. I quite like this. It keeps the song in the realm of one of their most successful releases this far, but also maintains individuality. Overall, Popping is an awesome song that I think rivals the likes of ONF’s boldest and my personal favourite hits from the group.

But wait. Despite the song being so cheerful, the music video leads us on a different direction. The message I got from the song was that no matter what bad things happen, you can return to the happy memories. In this video, the bad event is everyone dies. The start where they are watching past videos felt like they were preparing for this mission. I am not too sure what the mission is, but there are a lot of elements throughout the video that are from their past videos. But I would need to go back through the videos to link them back to this one (no time for that). Instead I will focus on what happened in this video. The members venture off into space with MK and J-Us being astronauts, and the rest of the members staying behind at command centre. The misson goes array, though J-Us was the sole survivor but is alone on the cold winter planet. One of the spaceships they were on (there two ships) was infiltrated by the robots from the Beautiful Beautiful video. U sacrfices himself to distract the robots, while E-Tion was the one to ensure that no robots could get through the doors (i.e. he had to seal it with U out in the open). Despite that, bombs were hurled at the spaceships and blew up the spaceships, killing everyone on board (MK included). At the end of the video, we see Hyojin come in dressed in black and reaches out to end the video. I believe he killed his alterego, who somehow survived the explosion and was reaching out to Wyatt. I guess this means evil Hyojin (from Sukhumvit Swimming) was behind this attack and was the antagonist of this story. Also regarding J-Us at the end, I am not sure what he discovered. Aside from the plotline, the grand scale of this video (budget, quality, sets, production) is just another reason to watch this video.

To top off the already amazing nature of this comeback is the performance. It is energetic and super fun, reflective of the song’s tone and colour. I also really liked the swing of the various moves and the wholesome feel that comes from the performance. It make this aspect more appealing to watch and enjoy.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.5/10

[Review] THRILL RIDE – The Boyz

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A new week bring new releases. And the one of the many comebacks that start off this week belongs to The Boyz, who dropped THRILL RIDE earlier today. This new track is featured on the group’s sixth mini-album, THRILL-ING. We last saw The Boyz through their The Stealer comeback in September of last year. More recently, we saw the group participate in Kingdom: Legendary War, after receiving a one-way ticket to the show after winning Road To Kingdom. The group has also released a number of singles including Christmassy, Breaking Dawn and Drink It since their last comeback as well. But today, we are hear for a deeper listen to THRILL RIDE.

From the get-go, THRILL RIDE blasts us it with relentless energy. While many groups have done this before, THRILL RIDE has this fun and playful tone within the song which helps makes The Boyz’s delivery in this song actually quite unique. This uniqueness is also prominent when we consider the genre of the song – hip hop. I don’t think I have heard such a fun and playful sounding side of hip-hop in KPOP before (or for a while now, at the very least). That being said, THRILL RIDE had its intense and edgy moments, which are synonymous with most hip-hop releases. But let’s start from the start. The song begins with a very colourful and vibrant instrumentation that features deep autotune repetitions of the song’s title. The members continue the same vibrancy in the verses, with the hip-hop influences coming through quite strongly. THRILL RIDE‘s intensity comes in the form of the song’s pre-chorus, with Juyeon in the first verse and Ju Hakyeon in the second bringing us a concentrated burst of intensity. It is a bit of a curveball, but it is one that allows The Boyz to kick a home run with this song. The chorus opts for a pop melody, but this works really well with the material that The Boyz has created thus far. The second verse and chorus repeats the same techniques, but also maintains the appeal and energy from the first section of the song. The bridge opts for smoother vocals from New and Hyunjae, and a high note courtesy of Sangyeon. Then, Sunwoo and Eric launches us back into the final chorus with a brief whisper-rap sequence. I wished the producers opted for a changeup in the final chorus. I liked the consistency that the final chorus gives to the song in this case, but I think THRILL RIDE could have been more dynamic in its final moments to really bring the song home. But overall, THRILL RIDE is an exceptional Summer track that is vibrant and energetic but also taps into The Boyz’s skills.

I liked that the music video was all about having fun. Set in a hotel resort environment, the members both playing parts of patrons and staff at the resort (lifeguards, receptionist bellboys, waiters, bartenders etc.). I liked how on one end the members seemed professional and friendly. But on the other hand, the members can also be quite wild. The latter was particularly well captured in the scenes where they are in their bathrobes and wearing sunglasses. I feel those scenes really sums up the video is a very succinct manner. There are some edgy scenes, as well. And they did their job fine. Overall, it is a well produced video that works really well with the song.

I really like the energy that the members put into this choreography. It looks like the performance was just continuous and never really stops. In addition to a tiring routine, the members did a really good job of keep me captivated with their facial expressions, which were all smiles and a whole lot of vibrancy. I particularly enjoyed the post-chorus moments, where they repeat the title of the song. The formations were cool and super fun!

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.2/10