Category: Reviews

[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

[Review] Siesta – Weki Meki

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Today sees the return of Weki Meki, with the group making a long overdue comeback with Siesta (the title track) and I Am Me (the 5th mini-album). Their last comeback, COOL, was over a year ago in October. Since then, I don’t think we heard much from the group. I think some of the members ventured into acting, but other than that, it has been pretty much radio silence from the group. Until today, of course.

My first impression of Siesta was that it was somewhat plain and lacked that creativity and innovation that I look for in a song. But with some repeated listens of the pop song in the bag, Siesta now comes off as super catchy thanks to its infectious hooks and melodies in the chorus, and also its vibrant energy thanks to its instrumentation. Unfortunately, the plainness is still there. But I feel is localised during the verses. There just doesn’t seem to be anything memorable about them. There is some deep house in the verses that hints towards the direction of the song, but it just doesn’t enough. The nature of the chorus in Siesta just outshines the verses. From the start of the pre-choruses, Siesta ramps up in a spectacular fashion, bridging the plain nature and the energetic chorus together. The energy that comes from the chorus is almost explosive, thanks to the brass, electronic and percussion elements that make up. Paired with those already mentioned memorable hooks and melodies, it is definitely a blast and fun part of the song. I also find that the chorus comes off as somewhat light in the chorus thanks the hooks/melodies, balancing out the heaviness of the instrumentation and also contributing to a refreshing and revitalizing tone, for me. For the vocals/raps, I thought the members sounded great throughout Siesta. The outro of the Siesta was also quite satisfying, with the extension of the chorus and the funky guitars easing us out. I am sure there are in Siesta elsewhere, but I just thought it was a nice detail to have at the end. I guess I wished more was done to the verses to ‘level up’ Siesta.

The music video opted for an aesthetic direction, which I thought looked fine. I think the aesthetic push behind the video adds a plain tone to the visuals, similar to the song’s verses (and it feels a bit heavy handed as well, extending throughout the video . But I am not as troubled by it. It is also nice to see a video that is paired with an energetic song that doesn’t conform to the need of bold (and sometimes harsh) colours that you might expect to see from set designs. Shooting the video outside also really helped sell that refreshing and light tone that I got from the video as well. The fireworks and the members being more happy/enjoying life at the end was a nice compliment to the blasting nature of the choruses and lyrics of the song as well.

The performance was fun and also somewhat cute. But nothing that memorable, to be honest. I just liked the vibe coming from it, and the energy the members bring to it.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

[Double Review] Should’ve Known + No Good in Good Bye – 2AM

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While T-ARA returned earlier this week, another 2nd generation KPOP group returned two weeks ago (shame on me for not covering them sooner). 2AM, known for their ballads and being a brother group to 2PM (who also made their grand return earlier this year after a hiatus), has returned for the first time in over seven years! The quartet (made up of Jo Kwon, Changmin, Seulong and Jinwoon) was last on stage together with Over The Destiny, way back in 2014. Since then, the group parted ways for their solo careers, venturing into music and acting careers, along with their military enlistments. Earlier this year, the group confirmed a reunion was on the cards, and on November 1, they released the mini-album, Ballad 21 F/W, and double title tracks Should’ve Known and No Good in Good Bye.

Given that ballads is what the group is known for, it comes as no surprise to anyone that both Should’ve Known and No Good in Good Bye are both ballads. And it comes as no surprise that both ballads sound amazing, given that they mastered the style back during their prime. Should’ve Known has the edge for me, however. I feel the instrumentation of Should’ve Known was a bit more complex, with acoustic guitars, classical strings, piano and drums coming together to form up a ballad that feels timeless. In addition, the melodies in Should’ve Known brings forth that unconscious swaying that I use to measure the effectiveness of the ballad more readily. They also help make this ballad more memorable. The members’ voices appear to be more piercing at times and are quite commanding throughout the song, which gives off a jolting effect that keeps your actively engaged. I also enjoyed the harmonies that made up the second verse.

But while I do prefer Should’ve Known, No Good In Good Bye is still a good ballad. No Good In Good Bye has a more straightforward classical instrumental. But it also has its individual style. Instead of acoustic guitars, electronic guitars are used instead, and there is a bit of a delay at the start of the chorus, which helped added some punch to the background and make the song more engaging. When it comes to the melodies in No Good In Good Bye, I find it a bit lacking (relative to the previous song) and hence not as engaging. They were undoubtedly present and evoke that same swaying effect. But the melodies in this ballad just don’t seem as memorable as the other song. However, the vocals were powerful (and commanding like the previous song), which worked well with the classical instrumentation. I also felt the emotions from the members a bit more in No Good In Good Bye. So essentially, which song I preferred seemed to come down to the tiniest of details, and in this case the melodies in Should’ve Known was the additional element that really sold me the song.

The main purpose for this review, however, are the music videos. Talking about them separately will just be confusing, so they need to spoken about together (hence the double review format). I find the pair of MVs to be quite creative and unique, even though they might sound mind-boggling at times. Should’ve Known‘s music video starts with the ending of No Good in Good Bye‘s video, while No Good in Good Bye‘s music video starts off with the ending of Should’ve Known. So essentially, you are stuck in a loop. Whichever video you pick up first is the starting point of the story you get, which then leads into the other video. So if you start off with Should’ve Known, you find the story starts off with Kim So Hyun (the female actress) breaking up with Lee Jun Ho (the male actor). She regrets her decision and the memory of her boyfriend brings them back together. In No Good in Good Bye, the video begins with their reunion and the restart to a happy relationship, to which Kim So Hyun breaks off at the end of the video. If we start off with No Good in Good Bye, we see a happy relationship between to the two that ends up with Kim So Hyun breaking it off, before realizing her mistake in Should’ve Known, to which the pair reunites at the same train station they had broken up in. I liked how the video works both ways, and how they worked in tandem with each other with the small details of the letter than Lee Jun Ho writes and leave behind for her and the hair tie scene as a reality/memory.

Shouldn’t Known
Song – 10/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 10/10

No Good In Good Bye
Song – 9/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.4/10

[Review] TIKI TAKA – T-ARA

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Another second generation group has returned! T-ARA has officially made their long-awaited return today with the new single TIKI TAKA. The last time we heard from T-ARA was through What’s My Name back in 2019, after which the group left their company (MBK Entertainment) and went their separate ways. However the group consistently reminded and reassured fans that T-ARA had not disbanded and would return one day. And after four years, the members delivered on their promise with an actual comeback! I am excited to see what T-ARA in store for us, so let’s dive right in!

While I am super excited for a T-ARA comeback given their wide range of title tracks, I will be honest and say that TIKI TAKA is slightly underwhelming at first. It isn’t that bold or upbeat track that I guess I was expecting from the group. Instead, the group went with a mature dance track that feels drawn out at times (in terms of its style) to sound more sensual and mature. I guess this makes sense given that T-ARA has matured over the years themselves and this style works well with that in mind. However, TIKI TAKA just lacks innovation and imagination for me, and felt like a standard mature dance track that we have heard from many female groups over the years. However, I note that I used the word ‘slightly’ in that first sentence. And that is on purpose. While TIKI TAKA‘s first impression was as I have discussed, I am ever so slowly warming up to the song. The TIKI TAKA repetition in the chorus is actually quite catchy and the melodies in the second half of the chorus makes me sway along unconsciously when I repeat the song for the purposes of this review. I am also digging the extension at the end of the song after the final chorus, which to me really emphasised the mature tones of the song, but also attempts to end the song on a more powerful, focused and impactful note as well. As for the instrumentation, it is pretty standard (as I already had mentioned) and that hasn’t really budged for me. If anything, I liked how slightly groovy vibes in the chorus. Overall, TIKI TAKA seems to be a slow grower and I might be completely on board with the song with more listens. But for now, it isn’t what I had expected initially, but it is still a decent song.

The music video really pushes that mature vibe from the song, opting for elegant visuals from the members. I feel that this is a great homage to T-ARA and reflects their current status in the industry really well. The video appears to be set in a very sophisticated bar for the most part. In addition to the bar, every other place chosen as a backdrop in the music video had a similar wow factor to it that worked extremely well with the bar setting, adding more heft to the video. Overall, a fitting video for the group and their grand return.

To me, the choreography was okay. Like the song, it isn’t their best work. But I still think it works well with the song and the mature/sensual vibes. But I am also glad we still got an opportunity to see T-ARA to perform again in some form.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10

[Review] Do 4 Me – EPEX

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I start off this week with a review for another track which I should have reviewed sooner. This particular track, Do 4 Me by EPEX, was released on 26 October 2020 and is the very first comeback by the new male group who debuted earlier this year with Lock Down. Do 4 Me is featured as the title track on the group’s second mini-album, Bipolar Pt.2: Prelude of Love, which also dropped on the same day.

Swapping out the hip-hop dance track style their debut had gone for, Do 4 Me opts for a much different vibe – a funkier, colourful, vibrant dance track with a lot more personality and individual style. I quite enjoyed this change up and found it to be fun and lighthearted. So out of the gate, Do 4 Me is already ‘speaking to me’, as one would say. What makes Do 4 Me a bit more interesting is the way it is described. Their company has described the song as a homage to ‘Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust, INXS’s Need You Tonight, and Dua Lipa’s Break My Heart‘. While I am no music expert, I kind of get hints of the three songs in Do 4 Me. Queen’s Another One Bites The Dust comes through quite faintly the Do 4 Me‘s main hook (i.e. the line ‘So what are you going to do for me‘). It gives off a similar vibe and I feel the melody of the line to be somewhat similar. INXS’s Need You Tonight influence seems to come through the guitar work, with the heavy strumming present throughout both songs which both sound somewhat similar. To me, Dua Lipa’s Break My Heart is most prominent, with it influencing Do 4 Me‘s retro instrumentation style and the first line that opens the choruses. To be honest, the idea of the three songs in one is a bit out there and left field for me (especially with Dua Lipa’s song being part of the mix), but it somehow works extremely well. I liked how defined everything felt in this song, making it heftier and more pronounced. What EPEX do exceptionally well, in addition to the top three influences, was make themselves prominent over the instrumentation. Their vocals and raps were pretty strong and well-showcased throughout, adding additional boldness and defintion to the song. Overall, Do 4 Me comes off as a unique song, stands out in the crowd, and is ideal as a follow up song following a debut.

The song is about the feelings of falling in love for the first time. And the music video showcases that well through the group scenes, where the members look like they are crowding around a phone screen to compose the perfect text message to their crush. I am unsure if their solo shots adds to that. but they appeared to have a fun vibe that works well with the song. Elsewhere, I quite enjoyed the video – from the vibrancy that the colours offer, to the cool post-productions and transitions, to the camera shots. The only aspect that I disliked was the elementary boarding school boy outfits they wore (i.e. white/cream jumpers and black shorts). I get that they are trying to incorporate the idea of ‘first love’ into every aspect of the comeback (in this case – when does one experience their first love). But I found that it made them look way too young and the style just doesn’t suit them.

On stage, they are dressed much better and look like high school students, which is a better image for them. No specific moves stand out for me, but I enjoyed the bounce in the choreography and felt that it works extremely well with the song.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Review] SWIPE – ITZY

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In preparation for their album review later today, I am reviewing ITZY’s SWIPE! For those who may have missed it. ITZY returned with LOCO (the title track) and Crazy In Love (the 1st studio length album – coming very soon) back at the end of September. In less than a week, ITZY also unveiled a music video for the sidetrack SWIPE, which ultimately became the group’s follow-up song, following the conclusion of LOCO‘s promotions.

When I first heard SWIPE whilst browsing the album when it was first released, I wasn’t much of a fan of it. That is the case with most hip-hop dance tracks, with exceptions. But SWIPE definitely benefits from its really infectious hook that really helped the song grow on me over the last two months. And since the song has grown on me, I have found some aspects of SWIPE to be quite interesting and well-executed. The members’ rapping and vocals in the song were pretty good, and their delivery definitely works well with the song’s leaning into the hip-hop genre. Their spoken delivery of the song’s main hook in the chorus helped it be memorable, and surprisingly kept it fresh and fitting for the group. I also found myself enjoy the ‘Ring Ring Ring Ring‘ hook that featured in the bridge of the song. It was clever of the producers to incorporate that into the song, given that the song’s theme revolves around mobile devices. But I also thought it was catchy and added a nice melody to the song. The biggest part of SWIPE that I am still not on board with is with the instrumentation. It definitely aligns with the hip-hop genre, and I do like how it is pretty low-key throughout. But I found the high pitch whiny vocal effect in the background following the first chorus and just before the final chorus to be quite obnoxious. Not a fan of it. I also find the entire backing to be quite plain and lacks excitement. I feel a more vibrant and poppier instrumental would have worked fine with the song, and this would have done a lot to boost the appeal of SWIPE. Overall, SWIPE is a decent song that I am in the middle of. Some of its good, other parts are not so good.

I liked all the mobile phone references throughout the music video. From the portrait orientation of some of the shots to the QR code that I am sure we are all familiar with to the massive green/red accept and deny call buttons. There are also some swiping references, such as in the choreography (more on that in the next section of the review), and the fun swiping Tik Tok trend. Everything just made sense. I wasn’t a fan of the choreography sets and the colours used in the background of the ‘portrait modes’, however. They felt noisy and had a lot going on.

The choreography looks good and suits the edgy vibes the song was going for. I particularly enjoyed the swiping move in the chorus, along with the vibrations they incorporated into the section for the ‘Ring Ring Ring‘ part of the song. Definitely some memorable moves there.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.1/10

[Review] SCIENTIST – TWICE

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And now I bounce back to the present day with a new song release. TWICE returns to the stage with their latest comeback today with the song SCIENTIST and the third studio album, Formula of Love: O+T=＜3. This is the group’s first comeback in five months, the last being Alcohol-Free. Since then, TWICE has been active in both Japan with the release of Perfect World and in the Western music scene, with their debut English single, The Feels (where at the end of the music video, they had teased this particular comeback).

Compared to the previous song I just reviewed, SCIENTIST seems to have the same issues but in the opposite places. For me, SCIENTIST‘s verses stand out. I really like the deeper tone the members had opted for with their vocals, complimenting the deeper and funky instrumentation. Even though it was brief, I also enjoyed the order in which the lines were presented to us (i.e. vocal, rap, vocal, rap) and how they flowed into one another. The pre-choruses were also quite promising and brought my hopes up for the chorus. Unfortunately, that hope didn’t come through. The chorus that we got in SCIENTIST ended up not carrying forth or building upon the elements and undertones from the verses. By no means in the chorus is terrible. It was just safe and doesn’t evoke much excitement as you would expect. Maybe SCIENTIST‘s chorus will grow on me into the future, but for now, it just felt lackluster. I also wished the English pronunciation was a bit clearer, as it felt a bit messy to me. Dahyun and Chaeyoung’s rapping part in the bridge was awesome. I actually liked the start to the final chorus with their staggered approach. It changed things up in a way that helped make the feel less repetitive and kept the song dynamic as much as it could be with a plain chorus. The dance instrumental outro we got was pretty cool as well, adding in a bit of that funky tone from earlier in the song. Overall, I would say that SCIENTIST is a good song from TWICE, even though the chorus could have been more fun and exciting.

As a bit of a science geek myself, I am pretty happy with the idea of the science concept. I liked how they tried to interlink the lyrics with the visuals as much as they can and kept it creative throughout (a big emphasis on ‘creative’ here). Their visuals were also very strong throughout the video (though I do question Dahyun’s standing hair – it looks really childish). The cutesy vibes and visuals in this music video seem to throw it back to their earlier videos (i.e. TT, Cheer Up etc.), which I thought was pretty nice given the string of mature comebacks from the group. Some of the video it was good, whereas some had some questionable/exaggerated acting which I don’t really get (or like), such as the crying in the crowd over a bit of dancing at the end of the video. It felt a bit too much. Other than that, I enjoyed the sets and the post-production.

The choreography here looks decent. While the video looked like it was cutesy and takes you back to their early days, the choreography opts for TWICE’s style nowadays (which is a bit more complicated/mature and doesn’t have that simple and repeated ‘main move’ as like their early comebacks). The best part for me has to be the dance outro we got at the very end. It was by the far the coolest part of the whole routine. I also liked how they represented the title of the album for this comeback in the second verse.

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

[Review] XOXO – Jeon Somi

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Time to bounce back around the timeline and cover some past releases. This post covers Jeon Somi’s XOXO, which was released two weeks ago! XOXO is the title track off her very first album release since her solo debut in 2019, which also shares the same name as the song! The album is also her very first studio length album and it also consists of her past hits, like her solo debut single, Birthday, and her most recent solo comeback prior to XOXO, DUMB DUMB.

When XOXO was first released, I didn’t care for the pop song as much. I found it to be quite plain, with her earlier solo works being more memorable and catchy. Two weeks on, XOXO has grown on me. But I am still of the opinion that this is Jeon Somi’s plainest song since her debut. The song’s anthem-like chorus is without a doubt the song’s centrepiece (as a chorus always is) and is the main reason why the song has grown on me. It has a nice fluid melody, which in combination with her vocals and backing, adds oomph and definition to the chorus, which in turn provides a substantial and satisfying feeling. The ‘XOXO’ in the chorus is quite catchy. Altogether, the chorus now does come off as memorable and definitely is my favourite part of the song. Unfortunately, the rest of the song was pretty plain. Even after just finishing listening to the song, I don’t think I can even properly describe the verses as there just isn’t anything memorable or interesting. On a more positive note, XOXO is vocally driven and it is a fair showcase of her vocal abilities. The one thing I did pick up on was the reference to Jennie’s (from BLACKPINK) solo song, SOLO (from 2018) in the second verse. I guess that means that XOXO could potentially be a song passed up by Jennie (but this is just me speculating). I wished the instrumentals were more striking, similar to her past releases. I also miss the ‘switch-up’ that usually comes in the final chorus, as per her previous songs. I find that keeps Jeon Somi’s songs dynamic and maintains interest for me, which was lacking in XOXO. Overall, a pretty safe and standard pop song with a catchy chorus. I just wished XOXO was more than that.

XOXO‘s music video is a continuation of the story from DUMB DUMB, but the story turns goes from a high school crush to heartbreak. Essentially, the guy in the DUMB DUMB video (which was confirmed at the end of the video when the dog mask came off) has been cheating on Jeon Somi. Jeon Somi and her friends kidnap him and torture him with a variety of methods, and I think in the end, they end up killing him by crushing him in a car. I liked the edgy change that we saw Jeon Somi undertake for this video, which I think works really well with her visuals and the story. There were also some laughable moments, such as the disclaimer at the start of the video that this video is fiction, and when the police officer drove past and they made it look as if the guy was not kidnapped. Not suspicious whatsoever. I also liked how she ‘accidentally blew up the building at the end, despite rigging it with explosives just a matter of seconds prior.

The choreography was pretty decent. The song restricts it, so it can’t be as punchy as some of her past performances. But it is still good to watch. I really like the big X and O she and the dancer make on stage when the title XOXO comes up.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.1/10