Category: Reviews

[Review] Forever – aespa

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aespa was voted as the Best New Female Group of 2020 in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Congratulations to aespa. Click here to find out who else won in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards.

aespa made their first comeback at the very end of last week with Forever, a remake of a song from the year 2000 of the same name by Yoo Young Jin. I am quite sure we are all familiar with aespa, who are the newest edition to SM Entertainment’s lineup and they made their debut at the end of 2020 with Black Mamba. The other half of this project (i.e. the original singer) is Yoo Young Jin and he is a song-writer and music producer under SM Entertainment. He has been writing and producing songs for many SM Entertainment artists since 1996.

Forever is a ballad that feels appropriate for the colder weather. While I do think this is the case, I do want to argue that the song seems better suited it was released around the Christmas/holiday season, rather than the backend of the coldest season. It just feels more appropriate for that time period, compared to the final weeks of Winter. But that might just be me. At first glance, Forever is definitely on a different level compared to Black Mamba. Their debut song was powerful and fierce. Most notably, it was a dance track. Forever, given its status as a ballad, is more delicate and warming. It features an instrumental that is a mixture of classical and acoustics, which is a really nice and balanced combination. Forever is another example where consistency is a positive aspect of the song, maintaining the feelings that I already mentioned from start to end. It makes the ballad quite appealing. What helps prevent the song falling into a rut are the members vocals. aespa definitely showcases a different side to themselves with this song. And they sound stunning. The melodies that carry their vocals really make the song flow along and they add that level of sweetness to the song that makes it more pleasant to listen to. I really like their harmonies when they sing the title of the song, especially at the end. Those harmonies and repetitions really encapsulates all the descriptors that I have used throughout the review thus far.

The music video seems straightforward. Closeups and choreography combination once again. I really like the set design and how everything reflected Winter quite well. Its pace matched the pace of the song and I am glad there wasn’t any change in the cinematography of the video as it progressed along. That would have been distract and off-putting. I do want to say that it is a great video. And for the reasons above that I have listed, it definitely is. But it isn’t one that I would replay constantly as there wasn’t much to it. Still a nice display of visuals regardless.

While I am big believer that ballads should not have a choreography associated with it, there have been some exceptions in the past. And it seems like aespa’s Forever is another one to add to that list. Their moves don’t distract you from the vocals or the song. It is all very soft and gentle. I really like the bridge sequence. If I were to be critical, I would say the members moving into position seemed a little clumsy. It could have been more polished in that aspect. But honestly, I don’t think anyone cares about that.

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

[Review] Sugar – Kim Woo Seok (UP10TION)

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Kim Woo Seok made his solo debut with Red Moon back in May 2020. Since then, nothing much has been going on with Kim Woo Seok. It is still a shock to me to know that he (and fellow member and soloist Lee Jin Hyuk) have yet to return to the group for a full lineup promotion. There is so much opportunity to group both the group and the solo acts alongside one another, yet TOP Media has decided to promote the two singers seperately from the group. And must I say in a poor manner. While other soloists were enjoying two comebacks throughout 2020, Kim Woo Seok was only given the opportunity to promote Red Moon and that was it. Flashforward to 2021 (i.e. 8 and a half months), Kim Woo Seok is finally making his solo comeback with Sugar and the mini-album 2nd Desire [Tasty].

Sugar is a sweet pop track. Not overly sweet, thankfully. Despite that, Sugar is quite a change for Kim Woo Seok, given that it has been a while since I have heard anything quite fluffy from him. I am guessing an UP10TION track was when I last heard Kim Woo Seok approach that sound concept. After the sensual vibes that Red Moon carried, this is pretty much a polar contrast. But while Sugar is more upbeat and colourful in its musical approach (which can be my thing if it is done well), I am disappointed with the song. No matter how times I have played the song since the music video dropped this morning, it just doesn’t excite me. It felt plain and typical. I would have enjoyed the song more if it had more energy or more of a pop to it. Maybe something a bit more punchy or texturally captivating. This just feels like candy that tastes a bit flat. The most promising part of the song was the ‘Right/Ready, Tasty, Yum, Yum‘ deep whipser that we got after the first chorus. I guess what savours the song for me is Kim Woo Seok’s vocals, which were solid throughout Sugar. That high note at the end was quite good. I am tempted to say that I like the bounce that came along with the song’s melody. But I just cannot get over the fact that the song’s instrumental was dull as a whole, and that practically sours that comment. Overall, I feel like Sugar feel victim to UP10TION’s plainness. I don’t want to constantly make the link of the two acts, as they are meant to be different and standalone. But I feel like the plainness of both are on par with one another this time around.

The visuals of the music video faired a lot better than the song itself in my books. To match the song’s pop tone, the music video opted for colour. And it isn’t KPOP if all the colour is not in its pastel form. It is still quite bright and there is a noticeable innocent vibe that comes from the video. Alongside the colour and the youthful tinge, we have a pretty solid set design that ties the sweet aspect of the title and lyrics together nicely by moulding the sweets concept. If you have a sweet tooth, this might be the video to indulge in.

For some reason, his company made him promote prior to the offical release of the song and album. I guess it is to hype up the comeback before it actually drops. So naturally with this technique, we are treated to an early taster to the performance version. I find the choreography to be quite fitting for the pop sound of the song. The entire chorus routine seems pretty decent and showcases some skills. I was nervous that the song would hevaily impact appeal of the performance. The sliding chair moves while Wooseok is sitting on it does seem quite tacky, however.

Song – 5.5/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

[Review] Cinema – CIX

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The winners of the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, voted and chosen by you, have been announced! Find out who won by clicking here.

CIX is back with their brand new mini-album (their fourth to date), Hello Chapter 0: Hello, Strange Dream, and the title track Cinema. And so am I after a week’s absence from the blog! This comeback (CIX’s comeback, not mine) comes months after their re-scheduled promotions for Jungle and their third mini-album, Hello Chapter 3: Hello, Strange Time.

The first noticeable element of the new song is that is very much different to what we have heard from this male group in their repetiore of title tracks. We have heard stylish flair and intense electronic-based sounds from the group already. Cinema differentiates itself from that pack with its lightness that stems from its use of synthpop instrumental. And it is quite enjoyable and refreshing at the same time. I also really liked how they were committed to the sound, with no stray or unexpected changes to throw us off the direction of the song. I also like how they started off the song, adding to the concept of the song and comeback in an audio manner. But what I really enjoyed more about this song is how seamlessly it felt as it flowed along. Usually, each section (i.e. verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse etc.) feels very distinct and you can differentiate between them. But in Cinema, they feel blurred. Not in a bad way, but rather a really nice artistic manner which makes the song promising. Both the seamlessness and the lightness really benefits CIX when it comes to the vocal departments. I feel the falsetto and breathy vocals really show off some of their skillset. I also really like the melodic nature of the chorus, which is gives the song that enhances the flowy vibes of the song and gives the song that really nice smooth hook. And overall, Cinema was definitely catchy and a well put together song.

My understanding of the lyrics is that the members liken their developing relationship with their lover to filming a movie/tv show. Memories created in their relationship feels like episodes that they can replay. In the video, we see the process of a movie being filmed with the members acting as lighting directors and just the standard director as well. Adding to the concept was the primary setting of their choreography shots, which was appropriately in front of a cinema. I am not exactly sure what is going on within the living room scenes. Maybe they are part of that movie they are shooting. They do feel a bit wacky, but felt fitting for the concept overall. I also enjoyed the golden aura that comes off the video.

I really like the start of the performance with how the choreographer got all the members to contribute to the clap that coincided with the voice over yelling ‘action‘. As the song is light in nature, the choreography has to fit with that hurdle. I found their moves be a lot more relax, fluid and carefree, which is obviously what you would want with a light track like this one. But when I watch the performance, I admit I do want to see that more intense side of the group. But Cinema‘s choreography was still enjoyable to watch.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

[Double Review] Thank U + Eeny Meeny – U-KNOW Yunho (TVXQ)

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Next up on the solo comeback list is U-KNOW Yunho, leader of the KPOP duo TVXQ! And this review is a double one, as U-KNOW Yunho made his comeback last week with two title tracks, Thank U and Eeny Meeny. It has been a while since we have heard anything from this member of TVXQ, with his last solo comeback being his solo debut with his True Colours mini-album and the title track Follow in 2019.

Thank U was released last week on the 18th of January and is the main title track off his latest mini-album. And it kicks off U-KNOW’s return to the industry with a very energetic and upbeat dance track. Personally, I like the pop sound of the song and the overall energy of the song. Both of these elements come together to make the song quite bold. It isn’t anything new in KPOP, but its lack of reliance on electronic synths and genres is quite refreshing. What is also bold is Yunho’s delivery throughout the song. I cannot say the song is not addictive when there is such clear cut repetition in Thank U. The whole chorus is built on this simple technique and I think it pays off. It has a really nice ring to it and works extremely well with the pulsing pop instruments. I also really like the bridge of the song, with the slow down motion and that brass that just makes everything suspenseful. The only problem with the song is the ‘I hate this‘ shouting line that pierces through the rest of the song in the second verse. It felt overwhelming and distracted me from enjoying the song. Overall, Thank U is definitely a really strong song, well positioned with a powerful instrumentation, bold delivery and an effective yet uncomplicated hook.

Eeny Meeny, released on the Monday that just passed, takes on that more funky trend that has no doubt taken over the KPOP industry. It is another bold number, this time with a more unique but exciting profile. A dance centric percussion introductory sequence kicks start the song and pushes the song forward. The song then gears up for the chorus with falestto-like high note in the centric position of this section. We then push into the chorus with the appropriate ‘Eeny Meeny Miny Moe‘, alongside a very textural piece that I am not sure how to even describe. It feels brass-like, but I am not entirely sure of this. What I find enjoyable about Eeny Meeny is that it showcases more of Yunho vocals, while the former song focuses more on rap (rap-speak delivery). And it is safe to say that he sounds stunning during those pre-chorus moments. The other parts were a bit ordinary. I also do wish we get more substantial rapping sequence than the super deep groans we get at the end. But that doesn’t mean this song isn’t fun or enjoyable.

The music video for Thank U is essentially a cinematic noir film (and you will need to be of legal age in your own country to view the music video due to the violence that is shown in the video). U-KNOW is brutally stabbed at the start of the video and is left for dead by a gang leader. Somehow, he is saved and escapes the hospital. Knowing that he would do that, the gang leader sends his henchmen in to kill him, but they all fail. Yunho ends up meeting with the gang leader and the pair ends up playing a game of lethal Russian Roulette. It is definitely an intense wait to see who would end up dead. The game is briefly stopped for a gunfight, which leaves the gang leader dead. Yunho (proving his immortality once again) leaves after dumping a pin (of which I don’t know the significance of). Honestly, it was a really great music video. I liked how they incorporated choreography shots into the storyline and managed to still continue the momentum (and the actual storyline). I just wished the gang leader said more than what he said at the start and wasn’t grunting his way through second meeting of the pair.

The music video for Eeny Meeny is more casual and lighthearted. It features Seulgi from Red Velvet as the person to steal U-KNOW’s attention. The urban setting of the music video works extremely well with the lighthearted but energy filled music. And I like how U-KNOW interacts with his surrounding throughout the video by stepping on and off cars and other vehicles. Or dancing away on big trucks. It all fits together and the video flows extremely well. I am confused about the ending of the video with him bleeding from the head (that should be looked at) and Seulgi just smiling at him. Maybe this is a dream sequence for when he is in hospital from the previous music video? Who knows?

When it comes to the performances, I prefer Eeny Meeny‘s one more. Simply because it is more likeable and carries on that casual and carefree feeling I mentioned a moment ago. Yunho looks like he is enjoying the routine and it feels a lot more vibrant. Thank U‘s performance was quite good as well, showcasing a more skillful routine that feels heavier and loaded. I really like the turns in the performance and how it compliments the punchier moments of the song.

Thank U
Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 9/10

Eeny Meeny
Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10

[Review] Celebrity – IU

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It is Solo Day for the next two days! A namesake day that I have called on the spot because I plan to focus on different solo comebacks that have recently occurred. The two comebacks I want to focus on today are very hot, occuring very recently to today. You probably already know which ones I am talking about with that clue. But in case you haven’t realized yet, one of them is IU’s Celebrity. Celebrity is a pre-release single ahead of IU’s official comeback some time later in the year. It was released yesterday and has since gone on to top all the major real time charts in South Korea, once again showing us IU’s power on the music industry and South Korea as a whole. This is IU’s first comeback since the release of the digital single, Eight (featuring BTS’ Suga), last year.

IU has proven her prowess as a solo artist through all tracks that she releases or features on. And I really like that her solo releases don’t necessary conform to one particular style of music. She is very versatile, covering pop, folk, ballad and R&B. She has probably also done electronic pop/EDM before, but Celebrity is the most recent song of this style to be added to her ranging portfolio. It definitely is an answer to current trends, but obviously does what it needs to do to showcase IU herself. And in doing so, she keeps the song pretty light, making Celebrity quite enjoyable. Even the deepest drop in the chorus isn’t excessively abrasive or emphasised by heavy thumping. And because the song comes off light, we get to hear IU’s vocals without any problems. Per usual, she sounds stunning. I particularly really like the set up of the chorus, with one drop accompanied by lyrics and that deeper drop which I just touched upon a moment ago. It isn’t necessary groundbreaking. But paired with IU’s innocent tone and airy vocals, it comes off as somewhat refreshing. I also feel that the deeper tone allows for IU to do a bit more experimentation in certain aspects of the comeback such as the performance, which is slightly different to what we see usually from the soloist. I find the chorus’ melody to be quite memorable, which is followed up nicely by the addictive ‘You are my celebrity‘ hook. it was pretty much ringing through my mind today, since hearing the song yesterday. Overall, IU continues to showcase her versatility through her music through another great song. Per usual, I am excited to see what is next for IU, which makes me anticipate her upcoming studio album.

The music video does a really godd job of giving us an interprtation of the lyrics. The lyrics simply tells us to embrace ourselves and enjoy being who we are. We are all individuals and sometimes not always perfect (You’re a star painted by a left hand). But because of that, we are all celebrities. IU also recently revealed that she wrote a song for a close friend, who happens to be a close celebrity. The music video showcases IU as a celebrity, always in the public eye. She catches a glimpse of a non-celebrity version of herself, which engrosses her. To celebrity IU, non-celebrity IU is a celebrity. But non-celebrity IU, after a bit of chasing, shows celebrity IU that it was actually herself the entire time, serving us a reminder that we should embraces ourselves no matter who we are. It is a very nicely put together video and I really liked the visuals of IU throughout the video.

We also see a bit of choreography for this performance, but it only kicks in when the second drop occurs. What we saw is pretty good and fitting for the music. It is plain, but I am willing to overlook that. I am joining in with fans who are rejoicing that IU has finally returned with a bit of a dance. It has definitely been a while.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 9.1/10

[Review] I’m Not Cool – Hyuna

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Next up on day one of the two day Solo Day segment that I just literally named today is Hyuna! It has been a long while since we have last heard from this solo superstar. Hyuna’s last appearance on the blog was back in her Flower Shower days, which was from 2019. She was meant to make a comeback in 2020, but it was postponed for health reasons. Now that she is feeling better, her comeback was confirmed earlier in the month for today. Both the title of the new main promotional track and seventh mini-album is I’m Not Cool, which I am sure fans are completely disagreeing with.

I’m Not Cool is ironically quite a cool track. It is definitely a return to form for Hyuna, who we all know to be a sexy female solo act. In retrospect, Flower Shower was a really great track, but it did noticeably lack that flair we all know Hyuna for. It started off with a bit of a Middle Eastern flair thanks to the moombahton in the instrumentation. At first, I wasn’t too sure if it was that international influence because of the slight distortion. But the bridge of the song confirmed it for me. I’m Not Cool comes right at you right after that introductory sequence with its energetic enthuasism, which is thanks to Hyuna. It literally launches you right into the song. The moombahton comes back in the chorus in a more concentrated form, allowing us to get Hyuna alongside a more amplifed tone. I really like the energy in this portion of the song. Obviously it has to be quite memorable given it is the centrepiece of the song. But at the same time, it just really jumps out at you. Hyuna is actually quite catchy in this sequence, with her ‘I’m not … Cliche, that so funny‘ being a highlight for me. For the second verse, we get more of Hyuna rapping. I am not sure if it is intentional, but the shoutout to Dawn (her boyfriend) is quite cute (and well mixed in the song). Skipping along to the end of the song, I really like the anthem-like nature of the ending. It just wraps up the song really nicely and makes it feel complete. Overall, Hyuna’s I’m Not Cool is really powerful and bold song.

I really like that Hyuna went with a powerful and bond concept for the music video, which matches with the lyrics of the song and transcribes the vibes of the song into a fitting visual concept. I feel that the music video pushes the boundaries just that bit more, which we all know Hyuna has done in the past through her solo comebacks. I really love the use of colour throughout the video. For example, the dominance of one colour in some of the sets. Her outfits are quite outrageous, but not in a bad way. I have seen bad fashion choices in the past in KPOP music videos. But Hyuna’s random mis-matching outfits look like they were well curated for this cncept. They are a style that works just for her. I also really like how edgy her mannerisms for this music video are, adding to that boldness once again.

The fast upbeat tempo of the chorus really allows Hyuna to show her performance skills. I really enjoyed that part of the choreography as it felt like there was so much going on. Her entire routine was definitely bold and powerful, further adding to the visual interpretation of the song. I also really like how much she enjoyed herself in this routine, which comes thanks to the creative licence that she is able to take outside of her old company. Her facial expressions are defintiely something to watch out for.

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

[Review] Odd Eye – Dream Catcher

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Dream Catcher is back with a brand new release titled Odd Eye and their 6th mini-album, Dystopia: Road to Utopia. This comes after a jam packed year for the female group, including their first studio album, their fifth mini-album, promotions for Scream and Boca, the release of the special single R.o.S.E BLUE for another mobile game, Japanese comebacks and a bunch of solo work. Definitely quite a long list of activities. Let’s hope that 2021 is an eventful year for Dream Catcher! It is already shaping to be one with Handong officially returning to the lineup of the group through promotions for Odd Eye.

Odd Eye is confirmation that Dream Catcher’s title tracks cannot be without a rock influence. The first verse pretty much settle on a hip-hop influenced instrumental for the dance track. Hearing this influence got me excited for a bit as I thought that Dream Catcher was going to break out the mould of their commonly associated rock sound. It was definitely an interesting change to their usual style. Even the pre-chorus lead me to believe that they left the rock influence behind in 2020, infusing bit of an electronic texture to the song. But when the chorus rolls around, Dream Catcher hits us hard with the rock elements. And I really liked that, as it definitely helped made the chorus and rock elements feel a lot more explosive than usual. The textures in the chorus were really powerful, whilst the vocals were very crisp and clear. The second verse is pretty much of a mix bag, It doesn’t really return to that hip-hop styled verse we heard start off the song. Instead, it is a bit of a mix between the two styles of music, allowing for a bridge to be created to facilitate the ongoing momentum of the song and Dami’s great rapping sequence. I would have liked for them to explore more of that hip-hop influence though. For the bridge, I really liked how that humming in the background. It kept the song going without needing to opt for a slowed down or cut back sequence. It also maintained the song’s intensity, keeping up the suspense. Overall, Odd Eye does embark into foreign ground briefly. But it did not do so at the expense of what we know Dream Catcher for. In fact, it probably made Dream Catcher even more powerful than before.

With an electrifying song like this, it was nice to see the producers opt for a modern influence to the music video. The video features a fair amount of electronics and additional post-production effects to give off a technological advanced premise. It actually comes off quite cool. They also redesigned the setting of the tree that featured in the previous comebacks to fit in with the video here as well. As for the symbolism, I have no idea what the video is about. Nor how it links to the other music videos in the Dystopia series. It is interesting to see the message at the video, telling us that Dream Catcher couldn’t find their utopia. For the choreography shots, I really liked the black, white and red colour palette. It felt striking and also edgy, fitting with the musical influences they had in the song.

Fierceness is how I would describe the choreography and performance as a whole. The members just came at you with all this energy to be on par with the song. And it felt very satisfying to watch. It didn’t feel like their best work, however. But it was still up there, nonetheless!

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

[Review] Burn It – Golden Child

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The other group to make a Monday comeback today is Golden Child, who returns with Burn It and the mini-album, Yes. Golden Child had a pretty big year and it all started in the preceding year of 2019 through their Wannabe comeback. The group went on to release Without You and One (Lucid Dream) to form a trilogy of releases in which Golden Child explores a darker and mature side. In the midst of these comebacks, they also partipated in Road To Kingdom, before ending the year with the more chirper release of Pump It Up. Golden Child continues to venture out with their new release, kicking off what should be another big year for the group.

Burn It aligns with their more mature releases. My first impression of Burn It was that it felt plain. But why does it have that impression? Well, each of the three releases that formed part of that triology I mentioned in the previous paragraph had a really strong hook that captured my attention. Burn It had a few good hooks, butnone of them felt as as explicitly upfront as those hooks I could easily identify from the other songs I am comparing Burn It to. The good news is that the few re-listens I have given the song today so far to prep for this review has helped the song grow immensely on me. Now I find that the reggaeton styled dance track actually feels quite modern and smooth. Oh, you will always be surprised what a few more repeats of the song will do to you. To enhance the sleekness of the song, there is a bit of whistling in the background to really help emphasis this side of the song. The vocal work and melodies really help in this regard as well. It is also the melodies that help drive the song forward. TAG and Jangjun’s rapping really had a nice kick to it, giving the song that needed intensity fix. I just do miss that centrepiece that draws you in from the first listen. But Burn It comes together to be quite a cohesive track, satsifying the reviewer in me.

Korean media is very big on zombies. There are dramas that features the undead creatures. There are movies that features the same undead creatures. And for a brief while, they featured in the KPOP music videos. But it has definitely been a while since we have seen a zombie themed music video. And Golden Child really went for it in a video almost 7 minutes long. I won’t get into the exact details, but there were many subplots within the video. Family, romance, friendship and sacrifice. The main story of the video revovled around the romance side of the video, where one of the members fight to protect the lead actress. But it turns out the lead actress was bitten and slowly turned into a zombie. In her final moments, she tells her lover to not come near her. But he embraces her zombie form. We can only assume that she turns him at the end (though there was no clarification of that). I do like the subplots approach, because I am sure each subplot represents something larger. The interlude music in the video was a bit cringy and cliche for my liking. But obviously it was there to help build suspense to the final outcomes of each of the subplots (or their cliff hanging enders). I also wished they didn’t include the choreography shots, as those time slots could have been used to explore more of the stories. Have a separate video for the choreography, similar to what T-ARA used to do with their Cry Cry and Day By Day music videos.

The choreography is definitely quite intense and complicated. I really liked that intensity they fuse into the post-chorus hook sequences of the choreography. I also enjoyed the graceful moments of the verses, which felt fitting for the music and helped show off more of their performance skillset. I also really liked how the enitre group was essentially in sync for majority of the performance, emphasising that sleekness and attention to detail once again.

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

[Review] U Mad – Bobby (iKON)

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Bobby makes one of the first comebacks of the week. Looking back at this previous solo work, it has almost been four years since we have seen any work from the iKON member. His last release was back in 2017 with the double title track release of I Love You and Runaway. Since then, Bobby has been mainly focused on his group activities through multiple comebacks. More recently, Bobby returned as a solo artist briefly for an OST. Today, Bobby made his solo comeback with U MAD and his second studio album titled Lucky Man.

U MAD is a very agressive song. While U MAD does feature a powerful instrumental, it isn’t the most explosive aspect of the new song. Rather, it is Bobby’s angsty delivery of his lines through his rapping that gives the song its blastful effect. And this actually sets the song a part from the rest of its competition. Most of the time, songs rely heavily on the instrumentation to show off that energy or flair. But in U MAD, Bobby shouts and growls his way through. It really does make an interesting song. The instrumental itself does help out a bit, framing itself around the hip-hop genre. The synths do make the song eventful, peeking through when it matters most to help deliver an effective song. The chorus was really cool. Not only does it combines the best of everything that I mentioned so far, I really liked that it started off with a question (‘Why you mad son?‘) that almost feels playful in a way. It is as if Bobby is edging on his opponents in this song (more on this in a moment). While I have specified in the past that songs like this aren’t really my thing, Bobby definitely manages to change that this time around with U MAD. The only thing I was upset about with this song was how quickly it was over for me.

The premise of the music video was an action packed mission in which Bobby (number 1) had to find the missing CD that Bobby (number 2) had already taken. There was an epic fight scene between Bobby (number 1) and a bunch of guards who worked for Bobby (number 2), which I read Bobby attended stunt classes for. That is definitely commitment! Naturally, for the video to proceed, Bobby (number 1) managed to make it past all those guards (by pretending falling to his death before flying away with Spy Kids styled jet pack shoes) to Bobby (number 2), who was patiently waiting for him. We don’t get to see the aftermath so I am hoping there is a sequel of some kind on the cards. It was a really good video that literally comes out swinging, making it highly suitable for the new song. The only thing I didn’t like was the dreadlocks on Bobby (number 2). The only reason why this version of him is in the feature image is because it is the most decent closeup of the soloist I can get from the music video. I am sure the stylist could have given him a different hairstyle to show off the sinsiterness of the character.

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

[Review] My Turn – CRAVITY

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The next comeback being covered on my blog occurred back on Tuesday (apologies for the delays, once again). I am talking about CRAVITY’s My Turn, which dropped alongside their third mini-album, HIDEOUT: BE OUR VOICE – SEASON 3. This is their latest comeback following their debut with Break All The Rules and their comeback in August with Flame. The group also promoted Cloud 9 and Ooh-Aah (from their two mini-albums) throughout 2020. So without anymore delay, I present to you my review for CRAVITY’s My Turn.

The biggest elephant in My Turn that needs to be addressed is the chorus. Everything else in the song is just fine, though very unimaginative. Better words to describe the rest of My Turn is generic and plain, given that it felt like your typical edgy dance KPOP track and nothing more. But I can overlook that. Despite that, there was some interesting aspects to the song. The dull metal clanging was intriguing. Vocally and rapping-wise, CRAVITY does sound good and more refined The song’s bridge felt very NCT-esque with the slowed down instrumentation, smooth high note and the brief rapping sequence just before the chorus is brought back into play. The pre-chorus tracked a bit better in my books, with a slightly more promising appeal thanks to the incline in the song’s momentum. But instead of a drop to bring up the dynamics of My Turn or a drop that would drasticially change the direction of the song, the producers went with a childish centrepiece. Never did I think I would hear ‘Vroom Vroom Skrrt‘ as the literal main hook of a song. It felt very elementary. When I heard My Turn for the first time, I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing. As some time has passed, I will admit that I have gotten used to the idea of ‘Vroom Vroom Skkrt’ as the chorus’ main selling point. But all of those thoughts I had initally about it being childish and such still lingers. And that really maintains that disappointment in the chorus. The insrtumental is another element that hones straight into that plainness description, with it not doing much other than maintaining that generic momentum that the verses contained. Overall, disappointed about the chorus of My Turn. And not much feeling towards the rest of the new song.

I think the visuals within the music video for My Turn fairs better than the song. But ultimately, the video is weighed down by the song. There are many aspects of the video that I enjoyed. The set designs and the overall feel of the music video felt like it was very stylish and modern. The lighting really helped in that aspect. The use of black, white and red felt very sleek. But with a song like My Turn, I think the video had wasted potential. A more dynamic song would have made everything in this video even more sasitfying (with some slight adjustments to the lighting to ensure that the dynamics is reflected). I also note that CRAVITY is being blamed for plagarism once again. Firstly, it is not their fault. It is their company’s fault for these accusations. Horrible planning, poor vetting of the creative minds and ideas – all faults are pointed at their management. Starship Entertainment really needs to be up their game became plagarism is never a great word to be associated with a group.

The choreography was actually quite good, It definitely fitting for the song. The edgy concept they were going for with the song was actually abundantly present throughout the performance. I appreciate the serious mode they were in, which made the childish nature of the chorus disappear briefly whilst watching the performance.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.3/10

[Review] Love So Sweet – Cherry Bullet

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Apologies, once again, for drip feeding the song reviews again this week. But the weekend will definitely feature more reviews (and this time I am for real as I will be spending my time indoors away from the hot weather, which means more time on the blog!). The song I want to focus on today is Cherry Bullet’s Love So Sweet (as you can already tell from the title of the post). The now-seven member female group returned on Wednesday with the new song and their very first mini-album, Cherry Rush. This is their first mini-album release since their debut in 2019 with Q&A. This is also their first comeback since Aloha Oe last year.

While I have yet to show it due to my slow reviewing capacity, Love So Sweet is fast becoming a favourite of mine this week. To me, I find the song’s instrumental to be so unique, memorable and addictive all at the same time. The start of the song gave off a modern TWICE-like feel, before settling with a minimalist beat that reminds me of the Western pop industry. The pre-chorus kicks the song up a notch by transitioning the song from bubblegum into a more intensive pop sound. And I really liked how it bridged the gap between the verse and the chorus, which also felt defined. The chorus was fun and continues the energy from the pre-chorus. It definitely honed in the fact that Love So Sweet was of the cutesy nature. But while high pitched vocals and sweet melodies were used, I didn’t find the song overly saturated with this vibe. I did like the paced nature of the instrumentation, which really helped in preventing the song from becoming too overly cutesy. Following the actual vocal section of the chorus comes the song’s best part – the post-chorus hook. It brings back that minimalist vibe of the verse in a really unique and sophisicated manner. It also drives the energy down slightly to give way to the slightly more energetic (relatively to the first verse) second verse. I personally didn’t like the rapping in the bridge, but everything else in the segment was fine. Another really strong moment was the high note and its pairing with the subtle blast of energy for the final chorus. It was very fitting and definitely helped make the song peak in a very satsifying manner. I also like how they borught back that post-chorus hook at the very end, ending the song with the highlight of the entire three minutes. Overall, Love So Sweet is definitely a sweet song. But done in a way that was enjoyable and refined.

I really liked the concept of the music video. Essentially, each chunk of the song has given a particular room or setting. The transition between each room was done by a singular doorway, which was a very unique idea for me. I am certain they reused the same rooms, just with different lighting to give off a different feel and make it seem they set up a new room for each scene. Pretty smart. I also liked the editing at the end of the video, where each set was flashed for one second. It was quite flawless. I tried to work out if one member was out of place or not. But I guess the director had such great attention to detail because I couldn’t pinpoint any issues with the quick transitions.

The cutesy charm of the group came through in the performance. Once again, I am glad it didn’t look over saturated with this. There was no bad moment throughout the choreography. My favourite part has to be the during the post-chorus hook segment and after the high note at which the song peaked (and so did the performance!).

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.3/10

[Review] No Diggity – ONEUS

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2020 was a big year for ONEUS in terms of promotions. They were definitely busy. The male group started off 2020 with A Song Written Easily and this was promoted whilst the group participated on Road To Kingdom. As part of the Road To Kingdom show, the group dropped their Come Back Home single, which was then followed up with TO BE OR NOT TO BE in August. And unexpectedly, ONEUS dropped BBUYSEO last month as a digital single. And while you would expect ONEUS to finally have a break of some kind, the group announced a 2021 comeback with No Diggity, which is the focus of today’s review. No Diggity is featured on the group’s first studio album, Devil, since their debut in 2019.

No Diggity is a very powerful song. We are teased with the powerfulness at first via the thumping at the start of the song. But this is just a teaser for what is to come. The song reverts to a more typical hip-hop based dance track, yet with a serious tone and explosive energy as it progresses. What I do like is how they kept that connection with the powerful nature by intensifying the instrumentation with rock vibes. The pre-chorus opt for a very KPOP direction. It was pretty plain and felt like music that I have heard before. On a more positive note, it did show off some vocal flair from Seonho and Leedo though. The chorus takes a turn with what would be accurately described as a noisy and expected drop. We all saw it coming and I don’t really know how to feel about that. I also didn’t enjoy the so-called lyrics to the first half of the chorus (they aren’t words!). It felt like a typical move, though it did show off the song’s intensity without much hinderance. Interestingly, when you actually get lyrics in the second half, you can’t hear much of it because they paired the member with the deepest voice (Leedo) in the group with the loudest instrumentation, which lead to the drowning out effect! Said member returns briefly at the start of the second verse with a really strong rap sequence. I appreciate that he was brought back after the chorus died down and that hint of a low growling effect in his voice. Let’s skip forward to the bridge (as the rest of the second verse/chorus was essentially the same as the first verse/chorus), which I think is where the song definitely wows and peaks for me. Firstly, we have strong vocals (i.e. a brief falestto from Keonhee and high note from Seonho). Remember that powerful energy at the very start of the song? Well, you get a rush of it here at the very end during the dance break and final half-chorus. It shows off their fierceness and intense profile in another thrilling section. Overall, No Diggity is defintiely a song you would want to check out if you want something high energy or intense. It just has a bit of a plainness issue in some parts.

The music video is definitely very bold and has a hint of colour, which I thought was pretty expressive. Based on the lyrics and the imagery in the video, I think the music video is about inner conflict for a lover. On one hand, the members wanted to be sweet (represented by the members in their white outfit). And on the other hand, the members’ inner devil comes out to play, showing each member in an insane mode (playing with flame throwers, getting up close and personal with a bear trap, donning the spiky mask etc.). I think the video also shows their transition to the more crazier side, as shown by the members as they are dressed in red. In the song itself, the more powerful rock sections are like the inner devils speaking, while the more melodic sections (pre-chorus and bridge) was when the more sweeter side emerges. So I think my theory is plausible.

Aside from the intense choreography which ONEUS definitely ticked with this performance, another thing that they nailed was the stage presence. I mean, they knew how to captivate us on stage with their performance with their facial expressions and charisma. And that along with the intense choreography drew me into the stage performance.

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

[Review] Stay Young – AB6IX

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The first group to be reviewed this week is AB6IX, who made their return with Stay Young today. This new song is the title track off their repackaged version of their third mini-album, Salute: A New Hope. Previously, the group made their epic comeback in October 2020 with SALUTE, via the mini-album of the same name. I have yet to publish my album review for SALUTE. Originally that was going to come out past new years. But as soon as I heard that the quartet was gearing up for a comeback with a repackaged version, I thought I hold it back to include the new side tracks. That should hopefully come out by the end of the month. In the meanwhile, here is my review for Stay Young.

First impressions of the song is that is very different to the grand and epic nature of SALUTE. If I were to compare the two song side by side, SALUTE would be ‘bold’, ‘powerful’ and ’empowering’, which I am sure are words that many listeners would use to describe that number regardless of whether they enjoyed the song or not. Stay Young would definitely be described as ‘toned-back’, ‘delicate’ and ‘warming’, which are without a doubt in a completely different league. The song itself is a dance track that employs a unique combination of textures, classical instrumentation and bouncy synths. It almost felt like a throwback to their title tracks during their debut year which featured a heavy presense of the house genre. Stay Young features a trendier and refreshing mix that makes the song sound more appealing than straightforward house. The textures and classical instrumentation also bring a differen dynamic to the song. I liked how the producers of the song go for a very nice change in textures towards the end of the song, by bring a touch of guitar, squeakier synths, and the re-employment of the textures that I already mentioned. It definitely makes the song more interesting and brings a fresh wave of energy to end the song in a satisfying manner. The bass in this song is also commendable. Woojin’s rapping was definitely quite strong and complimented the song’s bolstering buildup. Their vocal work was quite nice, but it felt best during the chorus. The vocals in the verses were forgettable. But overall, Stay Young is definitely a decent track overall that I am sure fans will enjoy. Props to their slightly different direction, yet still calling it back to their roots.

From what I got from the lyrics, the song is all about staying indivualistic by staying young. I just wished that message was slightly stronger in the music video. But from what I could understand, the theme park was closed, yet the members still managed to get into the theme park and have some fun. They reference that this could be seen as a rebellion, but they see this as being young. I had a slightly more confusing interpretation which invovled the letter flying backwards and the flower in Woong’s hand while they emerge from apocalyptic setting. But I don’t think it is as strong, felt muddled and might make it confusing, which is why I have left it out. I would like to know any theories/interpretation you might have that involve these scenes, as they do feel a bit random. Aside from the messaging, the video actually felt quite nice. The lighting really helped warm the video up. The setting brings about a nostalgic feeling, while their outfits add to the warmth of the video. Good choices, overall.

The choreography was quite good. I found it to be quite enjoyable to watch, especially when it came to the choruses. There was a vibrant blast of energy in the choreography that really help strengthen the song. I also liked how they played with the song’s slight textural change at the end, which made the performance more captivating and fun (depending on which way you look at it).

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Review] Switch To Me – Rain & JYP

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The next collaboration that I wanted to quickly cover was the final release of 2020. Dropping on the 31st of December 2020 was Switch To Me, a collaboration between Rain and JYP. Rain, for those who don’t know, is a well-known soloist in the KPOP music industry and his famous physique that he has flaunted in his musical releases on numerous occasions (the most iconic being Love Song). More recently, he saw a resurgence in his fame through the remergence of his 2018 track Gang, collaborated with Zico for Summer Hate and collaborated with Yoo Jae Suk and Lee Hyori for SSAK. JYP is a male soloist who we all know, thanks to his old school hits (which are considered classics in the industry) and more recently collaborated with Sunmi for When We Disco. But today, we are hear to have a closer look and listen at Switch To Me.

Switch To Me delves into the new jack swing genre, bringing forth a strong retro appeal for their new song and collaboration. It is super jam packed with energy, which is representative of the genre. And knowing Rain and JYP’s style of music, this energy driven song is totally both their styles. In hindsight, Switch To Me is a pretty straightforward song. But there was a few elements that really made this a collaboration enjoyable. Aside from the energy that I have already touch upon, I really liked the chorus of this song. It was quite memorable and catchy. I particularly liked the way they ended their choruses, giving us a little more than a hard finish would have. I really liked their voices in this song. JYP’s sings in his signature style, while Rain employs a little more huskiness than what I remember his voice contains. The rapping in the second verse was quite nice and adds a burst of exciting energy into the song. I don’t have much else to say about Switch To Me, aside from the fact that it is a strong collaboration track and one that I am sure fans of both soloists have enjoyed.

The music video starts off with what feels like a K-drama scene of two frienemies or rivals praising one another by keeping tabs on one another’s recent achievements. I also like how their dialogue touches on the point that Rain used to be an artist under JYP’s guidance and that he learnt everything from JYP himself. Enter in the actress, who Rain and JYP spend their time throughout the music video competing against each other for. There are abs being flaunted, horse riding and expensive cars being driven. But the ending cracks me up with an unsuspected contender turns up. The ending shows the actress walking towards Rain and JYP, with us suspecting that she will choose one of them. But she ends up going for Psy, whom she was very pleased to see. I loved Psy’s face in response to the two singers and Rain’s reaction to the event.

The performance was pretty good. Despite their age, both Rain and JYP commit to the energtic side of the performance. It is really enjoyable and helps liven the song up a lot more than just the instrumentation/song itself. There seems to be a tiny hint of comedy in the performance from how I see things, no doubt a play on Rain’s recent trendiness and JYP’s usual outrageous performance style. I also quite liked the ending, with both singers going for that half split.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Review] Hop In – Uhm Jung Hwa ft. Hwasa (Mamamoo) & DPR LIVE

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During the final days of 2020, we were gifted with a number of releases. Usually, this time of the year is very quiet in terms of releases. But like the entire year as a whole, 2020 was an exception. The first release I want to review is a collabroation between the legendary Uhm Jung Hwa, the trendy Hwasa (from Mamamoo) and DPR Live. The single, titled Hop In, came to life on the 22nd of December and was performed at each of the end of year music festivals.

Hop In starts off with Hwasa in a ballad-like set up. Hwasa has been known to kill ballads in the past and this start is no exception to this trend. But that is only the intro, a small fraction of the song. In a matter of seconds of wrapping up the balladic nature, the song brings in a very energetic and upbeat retro beat (similar to the new jack swing genre of music) that is very lively and brings so much personality to the song. This also marks Uhm jung Hwa’s entrance into the song, which is bold and powerful. All of which definitely suits the legend that Uhm Jung Hwa is. I really like the rock elements in the instrumental, which just amps up the song to a whole new level. DPR Live ‘s featuring is much shorter in comparison to Hwasa’s featuring. At first I enjoyed his part, giving the song some vareity. But as his part progresses on, it just bored me. Hwasa returns at the end of the song to close off the song with that balldry style that she started the song off with. There are two parts of Hop In that I really enjoyed, on top of what I have already pointed out thus far. The first has to be the mini rap-like sequence Uhm Jung Hwa brings to the song towards the end. And the second is the spoken ‘Click Clack’ just before the song’s choruses. Both parts felt iconic and definitely are Uhm Jung Hwa’s strong points. Overall, Hop In was a very strong collaboration between generations that manages to appeal towards the taste of listeners of KPOP today.

I find the music video to be quite well done. It is quite simple, with majority of the music video shot in a dark set and lights being used as effects to fill up the void in the darkness. It is quite effective, as the simplicity allows you to just zone right into Uhm Jung Hwa and Hwasa. And they are performing in leopard print, which fits both of their bold, confident and fierce personas. The coloured lighting in the white rooms were pretty weak and not as bold. I wished they had some oomph to them to be on par with the rest of the music video.

Uhm Jung Hwa and Hwasa are sexy icons. So without a doubt, their performance will go down the sexy route. Those outfits definitely allude to the direction already. It is quite an enjoyable routine and there wasn’t anything overly explicit about it. But despite that, I like that neither holds back, going straight for the boldness that I am sure shocked fans and the Korean public.

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

[Double Review] ASURABALBALTA + Dracula – T1419

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It is time to do some catching up and review a new release from earlier in the week. Killing two birds with one stone, as the saying goes. T1419 made their debut on Monday with ASURABALBALTA. Those who don’t know who T1419, they are a nine-member male group from MLD Entertainment. Because they come from MLD Entertainment, the group is being marketed as the younger-sibling group of MOMOLAND, who also hails from the same company. Fun fact, the name T1419 is based on the current age range of the members (i.e. 14 to 19 years of age). The group also pre-released a single prior to their debut, Dracula, which is the second song in this review today.

While this is a double review, I will be focusing on ASURABALBALTA as that is their debut track. ASURABALBALTA is clearly an attempt of trying to fit into the industry with the dark and serious sound trend that male groups have been going for, particularly in 2020. I do like prefer this style of music from male groups. But T1419’s debut track fails to really captivate and capture my attention. ASURABALBALTA features a powerful instrumental that is undermined by the group’s delivery. The vocals and rapping don’t feature that same level of impact and hence weakens the integrity of the song quite a bit. And even while I describe the instrumental as powerful, I will admit that its content is very unimaginative. I wish there was more to every element. Let the instrumental have that spark it need to make it even more explosive. Let the vocals and rapping have a bit angst behind them to really make the song more captivating. I will give them a second chance when they next comeback rolls around. But ASURABALBALTA is just a listen once song for me.

Dracula was released back before Halloween 2020. I personally don’t remember what I initially thought about Dracula when it was first released. But post-ASURABALBALTA, Dracula has a bit more indivudality, even though it does have a plainness vibe to it. It, too, is an attempt to fit in with the darker sound of male idol groups in the KPOP industry. But there are acoustic guitars and flute work that is mixed into a bass-heavy and squeaky synth instrumentation. I also like the suspenseful bridge of the song, which works with the time period they released the song in. It isn’t exactly a fresh sound, but it definitely has its perks. Dracula also manages to put a bit of ‘life’ into the rapping, which I think is much better than the debut song’s rapping (even though, it is heavily deepened to give off a ‘possessed’ type of aura). The vocals don’t really scream out at me in Dracula, which felt more dried and dulled than ever. I just wished the instrumental (and vocals) had more oomph and energy, which would have Dracula a much more successful debut track than the former song.

ASURABALBALTA‘s music video was pretty one-dimensional. I wanted more to it, as it just opted for the basic choreography and closeup formula. At least, MLD Entertainment could have made the closeups a little more captivating. Aesthetic-wise, the colour palette works extremely well and the edgy vibes are well translated. But that is the best comments I can give for their debut music video. As for Dracula‘s music video, it was a smart video. It is relatively simple music video, featuring just choreography shots. But it taps into that Halloween pretty well. The setting that was chosen for the music video served its purposes for this concept. I really like the bats and chuckled at the randomness of the wolves. But the winning element, without a doubt, has to be the faces of the members. Scary, yes. Mysterious, yes. Creepy, yes. And going back to that ‘smart’ comment, Dracula also serves its purpose of being a teaser to the group, leaving us guessing and asking questions about the members.

T1419’s strongest point has to the choreography and performance. Both ASURABALBALTA and Dracula were strong performances. ASURABALBALTA showcased their syncness and energy quite well. I just wished the song was something more along the lines of the intro, which would have really showed us more of their performance skills. Dracula could have used some more flair, but it was still a decent routine that worked well with the rest of the music video.

ASURABALBALTA
Song – 5.5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6.2/10

Dracula
Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7/10