Category: Reviews

[Review] HWAA – (G)I-DLE

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Please accept my apology for drip feeding you the reviews like this. Today, we are covering another comeback that occurred on Monday of this week. (G)I-DLE made their comeback with HWAA and the mini-album, I Burn. This release follows their DUMDi DUMDi comeback that occurred back in August of 2020. Since the August comeback, the group has been busy with their Japanese comeback, their return as part of the K/DA lineup and an online fanmeet.

The first thought that popped into my head while listening to HWAA the first time was that this new song reminded me of HANN quite a bit, a previous single by the group. And I guess this was based on the atmopsheric approach that the songs share in common. But HWAA is a little different, as (to me) it has a bit of an edge thanks to the more upbeat instrumentation that the song ended up developing towards. I also find that the more intense moments of the song come during the verses, which is slightly different to HANN’s chorus approach when it came to that atmospheric vibe. And as we have that atmosphereic mindset in play, I was also slightly convinced that the group was going to pull an Oh My God styled chorus, which I personally would have been down for. I specifically note this, however, as I have recently found that I seem to be in the minority of people who actually enjoyed the Oh My God comeback. Obviously with that supposed general consenus, something similar would probably have made HWAA less palatable. I am hoping that this is more satisfying for other listeners to actually appreciate the effort that (G)I-DLE has put in for this song/comeback. I personally enjoyed the chorus, but wished there was something more than the HWAA harmonisation to give it that extra oomph. The rest of the vocal work in the song is superb, especially with Soyeon’s vocals at the start of the song and rapping in the second verse. It is however disappointing to hear that Shuhua only got four seconds of lines in the song. The biggest flaw for me with this song was the ending. Too abrupt for my liking. Overall, HWAA was a great song, though the ending was the biggest let down. And such an ending stays with you.

The music video was very aesthetic and stunning to watch. To me, this would rival any YG Entertainment music video. And this is saying a lot given how I am always amazed at the quality of their videos and the grandness of their set design. HWAA consisted for really beautiful and captivating set designs. The icy landscape with the dying tree in the background, Soyeon’s birdnest, the oriental styled walling and the moonlight garden were just so good. I also find their outfits and visuals stunning. Stealing my attention right away is Yuqi’s haristyle and those dresses with flowery patterns on them. The song doesn’t necessarily suit those dresses, but they work extremely well in that moonlight garden setting.

Hand motions and arm work heavily dominate the choreography. It is commendable how graceful they make the all those motios look during the pre-chorus vocal moments, matching with the music. And I really like how robust they make it look during the chorus, giving it energy and intensity to also match with the music at those parts. Essentially, they are doing the same thing but making it go both ways.

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

[Review] MY TREASURE – TREASURE

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Also making their comeback yesterday was TREASURE. For those who missed the second half of 2020, TREASURE made their debut with BOY back in August and made comebacks with I LOVE YOU and MMM. And with these releases under their belt, the newest male group to the YG Family have been sweeping the rookie awards of this ongoing award season. They are also my pick for best rookie of 2020 (hint hint). This comeback with a full length album and (I guess) the title track, MY TREASURE, was originally hinted to be a December release. But their company made the decision to delay it slightly to allow the members focus on more special performances which they are performing at award shows and end of year music festivals. But as we are now in mid-January (and YG delivered on their promise), we are here today to check out MY TREASURE.

I personally find TREASURE to be a very interesting group, given their company’s background. MY TREASURE doesn’t conform to anything that YG Entertainment is known for. I had that inkling through their earlier releases. But MY TREASURE seems to confirm that TREASURE is going in a different direction to what the roots of the company were based on. The new song itself is very cheerful and vibrant in a pop music manner, which works extremely well with the uplifting nature of the lyrics. I feel that the company/members ultimately chose this song as their comeback track for these characteristics. It definitely brought some light back into our lives after such a hard year. I appreciate this greatly and think the effort pays off, as the song does make you want to smile as you listen to it. I also really like the warm feeling the song gives off thanks to the brass- and string-based instrumentation, particularly during the chorus. Another positive aspect of this song is that with this style, more of TREASURE’s vocals are showcased. I definitely enjoyed this as well, as it really allowed TREASURE to show more of that side of their music. The rapping was still quite good, giving the song some much needed oomph and additional intensity. The hooks were catchy and memorable. But while this upbeat and pop sound is fantastic, I just wished there was more to the song. At the moment, MY TREASURE feels like it could have been pulled off by any other male group. I just wanted a bit more personality and indivduality, adding to what we saw in their earlier works from last year. I also wonder where TREASURE would go from here and how this more pop-centric sound would alter YG Entertainment’s portfolio. But it still a great listen, nonetheless.

With such uplifting lyrics and such a vibrant sound, it was clear that this music video would be along the lines of that bright and cutesy style. I am glad that the members didn’t get dragged into a cutesy concept, as that would be a bit much for me (as always). ‘Bright’ would be the best term to describe the song with. There is a lot of smiles in this music video, and also frowns being turned upside down. I also liked the splash of colour in their sets, making this a really pleasant video to tune into. The video does take a slightly serious turn, showing a lonely child, students taking exams in a very harsh environment and a child blocking their ears from hearing their parents arguing. But we see their hearts shine, showing us that they will shine through the hard times no matter what.

Like the music video, the performance was definitely bright and vibrant. But I will be honest, there isn’t much else to the performance. I didn’t find any moves that were captivating or worth mentioning. You could blame the song, but I felt the creative minds could still manage to find somehow one-up their MMM and other performances.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

[Review] What I Said – VICTON

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VICTON is officially back with their first studio-length album since debut. Titled Voice: The Future is Now, the group launches right into promotions with What I Said as the title track. This comeback was originally scheduled for early December, but the members came into close contact with a person with COVID-19 days prior to their comeback. ‘The company, Plan M Entertainment, decided to postpone the comeback to allow the members to quarantine and ensure that they all had a clean bill of health (which fortunately, they did) for promotions. This follows Mayday, which was released in June of last year and Han Seong Woo’s solo debut with Sacrifice.

What I Said continues the Latin trend that has been going around the industry for the last few years. While this would definitely elicit a groan and a eye roll from some (which does include me), What I Said manages to stand out with the more energetic nature of the instrumental. I think it is better described as an explosion of energy, thanks to the layered instrumental of brass and thumping percussion. The song features a powerful dance pop vibe in the song, which really helps distract me slightly from the Latin influence that is undeniably there. And if you know me, I do like my vibrant pieces of music. So that really enhances What I Said for me. The members do a really good job of matching this vibrancy. From their vocals to the rapping, everything was definitely popped out at me. I liked how their vocals and rapping added an edgy vibe, which fits in with VICTON’s matured profile that they opted for in 2020. I also liked the energy they channeled through the vocals and rapping, giving the song some more power in another form. The hooks of the song made the song even better, giving it that memorability factor that I always looking for in these song. I did find the second verse the most interesting, with the start of verse reminding me of the ‘I Like It Like That‘ sample which was made recognizable most recently through Cardi B’s I Like That. Hanse’s rapping and Chan’s solo moment right after were very captivating and extremely intense. Overall, What I Said might be a bit cliché in some regards. But this is easily overlooked with everything else that VICTON pulls out of the bag.

Personally, I am not exactly sure if the music video sets have much meaning. They look quite extravagant, sleek and definitely something that feels like it was thought out. Furthermore, I am quite sure they reflect parts of the lyrics. But I just can’t seem to pinpoint the exact meaning or message behind the music video. I am always interested in reading theories, so feel free to comment any below that you may have figured out or heard from other viewers/fans. But I can say that the sets are stunning (as already touched on). The camera work looked cool and the video highlighted the visuals of each of the members. I also like their outfits in this video, especially those black jackets and gold detailing.

While the choreography is a great representation of all that energy, intensity and power that I mentioned in the song review section of this post, I felt the choreography was lacking depth and dynamism. I just wanted more with this choreography, something to make me go wow. The synchronization was good, but it just wasn’t paired with jaw-dropping moves that would have enhanced their performance even more.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

[Review] Crush – MCND

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MCND makes their comeback, just a few days after the group kicked off their musical career with their pre-debut single Top Gang one year ago. They later debuted in 2020 with Ice Age, and returned with Spring and nanana later in the year. On the Thursday and Friday that just passed, the five member male group from TOP MEDIA returned with Crush and their third mini-album, MCND Age.

Since their debut, MCND has managed to show more and more of their skillset to me through their main title releases. And it seems like Crush continues momentum with another pretty good song for me at least. Their new song has this playful persona especially when it came to the song’s chorus, which helped made the song appeal to my taste and make it likable. It is a little masked, however, which allowed the group’s hip-hop roots to flourish a bit more and help it be consistent with the rest of their discography. I am not troubled by this though, as Crush still comes out to be a really enjoyable song for me. The instrumental has this really nice energy profile throughout the song. From the looping guitars to the conisistent snare beats to the synths employred throughout Crush, everything comes together really tightly. I really liked the dance break section that formed part of the bridge, which felt like a brief reset before the song brought back the chorus in a more amped up and chanty fashion. Their vocal delivery was also quite good. It might have been a dull move when paired with other instrumentals. But the deep rap-speak delivery of the lines in the chorus worked really well and added that playful persona that I mentioned before. The ad-libs were also quite nice, giving the song some flair at the end. Altogether, a great listen from MCND.

Aside from choreography shots and closeups, the music video to Crush doesn’t have much else to it. But despite the basic formula, I did enjoy the various sets that the members shot those scenes in and the different angles/confined places that were used helped make the music video feel a little more creative. I do question some elements. The closeup shot of one of the members in a tanning bed doesn’t seem like a great message to send out to the audience (I come from a country where those are banned because they are dangerous and not great for one’s health). The whole final set of scenes where the members perform ‘outside’ with hot air balloons floating in the background made no sense and felt like a random addition. The hats worn by two members in those scenes were also horrendous. Who ever thought that pink fluffy hat in particular was good really needs to have a long think about themselves. But apart from those questionable elements, it was a good video.

With a song such as this and great energy being one of the highlights, it is expected that the choreography would carry through the same energy levels. And they do just that. The song’s playful nature also carries over, making it quite en enjoyable stage. The members’ smirks and smiles add another layer of appeal to the performance. That dance break we get at the end was another highlight of the choreography.

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

[Review] In The Dark – Jeong Sewoon

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Finally…. The first song review of 2021! And the honour of kick starting the reviews for 2021 belongs to Jeong Sewoon, the first artist from a major company to make their comeback in the new year. About 6 months ago, Jeong Sewoon made his comeback with the first half of his first studio album, 24, and the title track Say Yes. It has been incredibly quiet since that release. Today, the soloist finally returns with the second half of his first studio album and the title track, In The Dark.

While the last title track had a cheerful tone to it, In The Dark opts for a little more matureness and seriousness. This doesn’t effect the upbeat nature of the song, as the acoustic guitars that make up In The Dark‘s background is incorporated with band percussion to give the instrumentation some bounce to it. I quite like this, as the energy is very straightforward and consistent. Usually, I use these descriptors to highlight them as flaws. But In The Dark uses them in a very appealing manner, so it is definitely a highlight of the song. Another highlight has to be the husky vocals that Jeong Sewoon employs in this song. They blew me away and made the song a lot more captivating to listen to. It just bring so much texture of the song, particularly for the chorus. And it is the main selling point of the song that makes me want to go back to the song each time it wraps up. Unfortuately, I do have one issue with the song. I was expecting the ending to be somewhat different to the rest of the song to really bring it all home and blow me away completely. Whether that was through amped up vocals (or some sort of high/long note or ad-lib) or maybe different instrumentation routes, I wouldn’t mind. I just thought the ending called for something more. But aside from that, In The Dark still manages to blow me away.

While In The Dark sounds more mature and serious, the lyrics are unexpectedly quite uplifting. It reassures fans and listeners that being ‘in the dark’ is okay and that ‘you will shine’. He also offers tips of ‘hold your head up high’ and ‘bring back the mindset that you started with’ whilst in the dark. What does this have to do with the music video? Well, majority of the video is Jeong Sewoon in the dark. I interpreted his face in some parts to be worrying and scared. But we see him have a boogie and dance around, making the most of his time in the darkness. It is clear he is showing that while the dark is scary, he can hold his head up high and shine with his smile. And if he can do it, you can as well!

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

[Review] Across the Universe – D-CRUNCH

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The next review is for D-CRUNCH, who made their comeback back in October with Across The Universe. D-CRUNCH may be an unfamiliar name to some as they are from a very small entertainment company, Ai Grand Korea (they were previously signed to All-S Company, but have since left that company). I have previously reviewed their Stealer single. But that is from 2018 and so I too need a refresher on who D-CRUNCH are. They are a nine-member male group (consisting of Hyunho, O.V, Minhyuk, Chanyoung, Jungseung, Dylan, Hyunwook, Hyunoh, and Hyunwoo) who made their debut in 2018 with Palace. They then made their comebacks with Stealer (also in 2018), Are You Ready? (in 2019, not reviewed), Pierrot (earlier this year, not reviewed) and now Across The Universe.

To me, Across The Universe has this dramatic flair and a seriousness to it that makes the song appropriate for an action movie, especially in the chorus. I’m thinking a chase scene that has us on the edge of our seats. But back to the song. I find Across The Universe‘s EDM direction to be quite dynamic and full of energy. At first listen, it might just sound like a bunch of noise. And I actually noted down that I wanted to hear something more thrilling and exciting. But after many listens since October, I can safely say that the song had all of that on the instrumentation side of the song. I also liked the use of the marching band and piano in the pre-choruses, which really helped add some flair and different energy throughout the song (i.e. it wasn’t just EDM and synths all the time). And an EDM track like this is definitely full of intensity. But note that I only specifically mentioned this about the instrumentation. My wishing for something a little more thrilling and exciting is still applicable for the vocal work and rapping in this song. I wanted it to be as dynamic as the instrumental and at the moment, it felt a little one dimensional (though the fast rapping sequence in the second verse was definitely a highlight if I focused on the song and was not casually listening to it). As a result, I didn’t find much of their input to be memorable, aside from the ‘Across The Universe‘ line they sing in heavy autotune just prior to launching into the chorus. They do build on their vocals to match the instrumental, which was a plus. But majority of the time, the instrumental felt like it overpowered the vocals and rapping. I also wished the chorus had more of a hook, rather than relying on just the abrasiveness of the EDM. Sometimes it works for me, but other times (like Across The Universe) it doesn’t.

There isn’t much to the video aside from choreography and close ups. There was a bit of a segregation between members for a small part of the video that I wished they could have explored a little more. But it seems like they are friends and aren’t actually enemies. I am not entirely fond of the sandy set. It looks like a backyard. But I did like how they redid the lighting to make it appear like two different sets. The better set of sets (for my personal tastes) are the darker ones, such as when the members were dressed in silky blue outfits in front of the diamond-like structure or white outfits in front of the graffitied wall.

I really like the intensity and energy behind their moves, which matches with the intensity and dynamic nature of the music. I just wished the way they got into formation wasn’t just walking. Maybe incorporate some movements to make getting into formation and hence the entire performance appear more robust.

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

[Review] SO BAD – STAYC

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It is time for another review for a newly debut group. This time, we are covering a female group who is garnering a lot of attention. According to Wikipedia, this six-member female group received 2.4 million views within 24 hours of their music video release on the 12th of November. And their single album, Star To A Young Culture, sold over 10,000 albums within the first week – the first female debut to do so this year. Massive feats for a newcomer. STAYC, for those who don’t know, is the first female group to be produced by Black Eyed Pilseung under High Up Entertainment, who is extremely well known in the KPOP community for the many chart topping hits they have produced previously (TT and Roller Coaster to name a few). The member lineup consist of Sieun, Seeun, Sumin, J, Isa and Yoon.

STAYC’s debut single is titled SO BAD. But the song isn’t so bad itself. My first impression of the song was that I noticed the song had a recent APINK (I’m So Sick era onwards) vibe. To make sense of this, I did some research and STAYC’s producer, Black Eyed Pilseung, actually was the producer of those APINK songs. Go figure! It will be interesting to hear if this song was previously directed to APINK’s discography (but was rejected), as this is a common event that occurs in the music industry. Though the more I listen to SO BAD, the more I get the impression that this song was reserved just for STAYC. Firstly, I felt the instrumental was more relentless compared to APINK’s work. The retro instrumental’s bubbly effect just felt like it was continually coming at us and never felt like it took a breather. Secondly, I feel the members really do a good job of putting their own spin. It felt like there was a fair bit of attitude in the song, which is courtesy of their vocals. I quite like this, as it is this element that gives the song some oomph and drive, which really helps strengthens the song. I particularly like the pre-chorus and chorus sections of the song, which had the most energy and colour in the song. I also really enjoyed the whole bridge section, which had really satisfying high notes and showed off more vocal power. The group’s rappers’ voices are surprisingly deep, but I was totally digging their parts. I would love to hear more of them in their songs Overall, SO BAD lives up to the hype that they have generated. I just wonder if they can continue it with their subsequent comebacks.

I personally am not a fan of the video. While the editing was good and the quality was amazing for a small company, I just felt the sets were a bit typical. It looks like a mash up of different music videos put together. That aside, the group’s visual game is evidently strong, with their closeups blowing me away. They looked really stunning.

Their choreography was actually quite good. There isn’t really a killer move, however, though I was impressed with their introductory sequence that opened the song. It was different, but there was a nice formation and had this interesting aura to it.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.4/10

[Review] Tears of Chaos – E’LAST

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E’LAST’s Tears of Chaos is one of the many songs I have yet to get around to reviewing. But with the reduced number of releases coming out at the moment, I thought it would a great time to tap into that growing barrel of songs and pick a few to review. Tears of Chaos follows their debut single Swear, which perked my interest back in June. Released mid-November, E’LAST have been actively promoting the new song since. For this promotional run, Wonjun is not participating due to conflicting schedules and hence the group is left with a temporary seven member lineup.

Tears of Chaos is another gripping song from the group. The start is purely chilling. There is a stillness to this section (thanks to the piano) that I find so captivating. The start is further enhanced by the remarkable rap-speak sequence brought to us by Wonhyuk, which infuses all of this intensity into the song that just really pulls you in. The soft vocals that follow adds to that chilling vibe and brings it a whole new level. To me, these parts felt like the ‘calm before the storm’, with the clanging beat in the background of the verse allude to the dramatic flairs to come. When more of the beat kicks in soon after, you can hear more of the incline in momentum, which makes the promise that the chorus was going to be epic. Unfortunately, I was slightly disappointed with the chorus. I wanted something more dynamic and had more power channeling through it. What we got was a melodic take on a classical mashup with heavy dramatic synths, which definitely an interesting route to take. It works well with the rest of the song, but I guess I am hungry for more. But the song isn’t over yet. What came after the first chorus was the rapping and that blew me way. To me, Tears of Chaos peaked with intensity during the second verses and Rano and Wonhyuk showed us that they can be really extremely passionate and dynamic. Similarly, that little section just before we go back into the ‘calm before the storm’ mode (or is not ‘calm after the storm’ mode?) showed us an extension of that dynamism, with the members providing us more kicked up vocals and raps despite the music ending. Overall, Tears of Chaos impresses as a whole. I may be have been let down slightly with the chorus, but the rest of the song compensated.

While I really like the aesthetics for this music video and the overall imagery throughout, I cannot figure out the story that they were telling in the video. And I am not going to even try to attempt to make sense of the video. But I would like to hear any theories you may have about the video. I particularly like the idea of the zoetrope set, which made the video appear cooler. I also really like the vibrancy of the blue in the sets and the dominance of a colour in the other sets. Definitely aesthetic and visually appealing to watch.

I really liked how eerie the performance was. The music lends extremely well to this description. Their facial expressions were really well thought out. I wished the moves a little more dynamic. They felt quite flowy and loose, which I didn’t feel suited the song. Similarly, the formation felt very spacious and I wished things were a bit tighter. However, the flying member we see towards the end was an epic moment for this choreography.

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

[Review] Amusement Park – Baekhyun (EXO)

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Baekhyun has made a surprise comeback with Amusement Park. No one saw this release coming, with news of a comeback dropping out of the blue. This follows Baekhyun’s first studio album Delight, and the title track, Candy, which both dropped earlier this year. Both the album and title track landed him a nomination in this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards for Best Male Soloist, so make sure you go vote for Baekhyun if he is your favourite male soloist by clicking the link above. And after you do that, come back to continue reading the review.

Amusement Park falls into the genre of R&B, a style of music that we know Baekhyun for fondly when it comes to his solo works. It is a nice, warm and soothing track that really highlights his vocal ability once again. There was this huskiness to Baekhyun’s vocals that enhanced the smooth texture of the song. It also sounded like he went into a falsetto mode for certain parts, which further showed off his ability. The song has this very melodic flow, one that makes me sway along to the song and drove it forward in a graceful manner. The instrumental was quite soothing and keeps true to the R&B genre all throughout. That warm feeling I mentioned before was very apparent, especially thanks to the classical instrumentation that was also present in the song. I would have liked a hint of something more in the song, like stronger ad-libs to give the song a bit more oomph. But what Baekhyun presents us in Amusement Park is already quite fantastic and touching.

We don’t actually have a music video for this release. The accompanying video for Amusement Park was a live video, which featured Baekhyun singing live to the camera. He was appropriately positioned in front of a merry-go-round in an amusement park, fitting with the lyrics of the song in which he compares love to an amusement park. I love the golden hue that the lights from the merry-go-round gives the video, which goes really well with his skin tone and the warming feelings of the song I mentioned earlier. My only complaint with the video is that he looked somewhat distracted. But honestly, that could have been just me being distracted from trying to find something to nitpick in this video.

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

[Review] I Just Can’t Stop Loving You – Jang Hyunseung

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A name that we haven’t heard from for a while now is Jang Hyunseung. Fans of KPOP back in the early 2010s should know who this person is. But in the off chance that you don’t remember who he is (or if you are new KPOP fan), then I got you with a brief recap of who Jang Hyunseung is. Jang Hyunseung is a soloist currently signed to Cube Entertainment and was a former member of Beast (now HIGHLIGHT) and (formerly) one half of the Trouble Maker duo. Most recently, he has been one of the many KPOP idols who had to enlist and was released from the military earlier this year. He kicked off his solo career back in 2015 with Ma First (which I personally was never a fan of) but has since not released any new music. That is, until last Thursday when he made his long awaited solo comeback with I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.

I Just Can’t Stop Loving You is a definite and solid improvement from Ma First by a long way. The song tethers between pop via the verses and synthpop for the chorus. It was a nice mix (my favourite part has to be the drums at the start of the song), though not very interesting in practice or in words for this review. However, anymore elements or robustness to the instrumentation would have taken away from the song. Judging based on the title of the song (and confirmed with an English translation), I Just Can’t Stop Loving You‘s driving force is emotions of heartbreak and yearning to be with a former lover. I feel that if the song was a tad more dynamic, the emotions would have overshadowed or missed. For the vocal side of the song, Jang Hyunseung did extremely well. Personally, I never really enjoyed his vocals even during the time he was part of Beast. There was always this hoarseness that placed him behind the other members of his former group. But in this song, his vocals were quite clear and you can feel that level of emotion in his voice. The hoarseness was still there, but it wasn’t distracting me. I also really liked how that hoarseness was used during the ‘rap-sing’ moment of the second verse. It was definitely interesting and added a new colour to the pop/synthpop combination. Overall, I Just Can’t Stop Loving You was a nice comeback for and reintroduction to Jang Hyunseung.

Jang Hyunseung drinks and wanders around for the music video. That is literally 99% of the music video. The other 1% was an image of a female that he was drawing, presumably to be the person he is missing. It all makes sense though. He simply wants to forget about her, but he just cannot do it. The only time where he isn’t wandering or drinking was when he was trying to fall asleep. And I am guess when he closes his mind, he finds himself remember her. So he ends up seeking solace in drinking and wandering the streets. I liked how the video was shot, making it look like we are seeing him from his perspective. Unfocused and rocky, but not excessively (which was nice).

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

[Double Review] Parting + A Book In Memories – ONEWE

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Over the last few months now, I have been promising to write multiple reviews for many songs that I have been holding onto for quite some time. One of the notable songs on the list that I keep on pushing back for some reason is ONEWE’s Parting, which was released back in September of this year. However, I am now pushing out the review out alongside ONEWE’s latest song release A Book In Memory in a double song review format. A Book In Memory is also ONEWE’s fourth comeback of the year, following the release of Q, End of Spring and Parting.

Let’s start off with the older song. Parting is a moody but straightforward rock ballad track. I will be honest that I do still find the start of the song to be quite slow and sluggish. But the rest of the song (i.e. from when the energy starts trinkling in as the first verse moved along and then the rush of energy we get in the first verse) was definitely worthwhile listening to. Everything sounded better as Parting progressed along, peaking at the instrumental break where we got rock angst incorporated into the mix, which definitely was what I had hoped for when I first heard the song (I made notes for a few of the song I have been holding back reviews for). ONEWE’s vocal work throughout the song was pretty good, but the scene stealing member had to be Cya with his dynamic rap sequence. It gave Parting a bit of edge and transformed a typical rock ballad track into something a little more unconventional.

A Book In Memories continues the rock ballad style from their previous song. I do find that the song is more balanced between the two styles of music, with the verses being more balladry and the choruses honing into that rock influence. The ‘glue’ that binds the two two sides of the song was quite well done. The rock influences were slowly introduced via the use of drums and then electric guitars. That being said, there was still a moment of a sudden change. But it wasn’t as sudden as you expected, with the slow introduction and ease into the rock influences paying off. And I liked that once we got to that point in the song where the rock was the prevalent style of music, they didn’t hold back. Vocally, the ONEWE members do another really good job. But the group’s main vocalist, Younghoon, definitely shined the most with his husky tone and that stunning long note at the end of the song.

The music video for Parting definitely complimented the song. The darkness that surrounded them definitely gave off moody vibes. The image in the background of their band performance scenes were quite aesthetic and cool looking. I particularly enjoyed the projection during the instrumental break, where different rectangles and squares in the projection came flying out.

For A Book In Memories, the music video also felt fitting and quite clever. They used the same set, outfits and set up between the ‘halves’ of the video to showcase the two different styles of the song. It sounds odd at first, but the only difference was the colour and lighting of the set. And this difference had a strong impact that separates the two halves neatly. The more balladry sections of the song had this Fall vibe to it, while the song’s more intense moments courtesy of the rock had this dark blue tinge to it. I also liked how they weren’t afraid to mix the two ‘halves’ up and this really helped bind the video together, rather than having it look like two different videos. I just wished their close ups were a little more interesting.

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

A Book In Memories
Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10

[Review] What Do I Call You – Taeyeon (SNSD)

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Taeyeon is nominated for Best Vocals and Best Female Soloist in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support Taeyeon and your other favourite artists by clicking here to vote for them. Remember, voting closes on the 31st of December!

Taeyeon joined the December comeback lineup on Tuesday with her solo release on Tuesday, What Do I Call You. This, and her fourth mini-album, follows her previous 2020 releases which includes Dear Me (the lead single from her repackaged Purpose album), her Happy single and her #GirlsSpkOut Japanese comeback. So Taeyeon has been quite busy during 2020, which has lead to her nominations for Best Female Soloist and Best Vocals in this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards (link above – and apologies for this shameless plug here). On with the review.

What Do I Call You moves away from Taeyeon’s pop ballad or straight ballad sound and opts for a more indie sound, which I thought was slightly different (though definitely something in her willhouse, given that she has released songs of this style before. The song is primarily driven by acoustics and then some mid-tempo beat that is brought into the song via percussion. It is a simple combination, but one that I thought was actually quite nice and pleasant. The only downside is that it doesn’t really give the song an opportunity to peak, with the song’s momentum plateauing once the percussion comes into play. Aside from that, the only element to really left discuss is Taeyeon’s vocals, which is superb. As mentioned above, she is nominated for Best Vocals in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards and What Do I Call You definitely consolidates all the reasons to why she deserves the nomination (and possibly the category overall – but that is up to you). Her vocals really bring the song’s melodies and add to that pleasantry note of the song. Another splendid song that adds to Taeyeon’s repertoire.

The music video shows us the story of Taeyeon in a post-break up limbo, unsure what to call her ex whom she still has lingering feelings for. In response to this feelings, Taeyeon signs up for this service that erase her memories of this ex (which is the panda wearing mask person). Interestingly after getting her memories wiped, she enters a hallway that brings her back to the first time she interacted with him at a party, where I assume they begin another relationship. To further back this ending up, she plays a toy crane machine and regains the same orange diary that she gave up in the memory wiping service. Likewise the polaroid of her and her ex that was hanging on her wall at the start as found still hanging on the wall at the end of the video after the memory wiping process. It is interesting video and I thought it was a clever twist at the end.

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

[Review] I’m Cold – Kim Sung Kyu (Infinite)

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Have you voted in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards yet? You get to decide who is the Best of the Best during 2020, so get voting if you haven’t. Click here for the survey!

Kim Sung Kyu has been absent from the KPOP stage for about two years now due to his military enlistment. We last saw him in 2018 promoting his first studio album, 10 Stories, which was headlined by True Love. Like the solo artist, not much has happened with Infinite (the group that he leads) since 2018, aside from a single release at the very start of 2019 that did not feature Kim Sung Kyu has he had already enlisted by then. Now, Kim Sung Kyu is back with new songs, in the form of the single I’m Cold and the mini-album Inside Me. This is his first comeback since completing his mandatory enlistment earlier this year.

If you forgot or did know about me, but I am a big fan of Kim Sung Kyu’s solo work. I enjoyed all of his past singles and album releases. So, I’m Cold has a a lot to live up to. Well, I am happy to report that Kim Sung Kyu manages to still have the ability to stun me with his solo release, even though there was a massive two year gap. I’m Cold is a R&B styled song with a hip-hop influence. Personally, this combination doesn’t excite me unlike his pop rock roots that I know him for. However, it is how the song comes together with his voice that really shines for me. The instrumental for this song is simply an atmospheric piece and can be described as quite minimalistic. It didn’t add much substance to the song, but it was definitely needed to create the feelings of emptiness and loneliness, which goes hand-in-hand with the lyrics of the song. The most substantial part of the song was during the chorus and that was only simply due to the amped by strumming of the acoustic guitar. The main ‘meat’ (as one would describe) would the vocals, of course. Kim Sung Kyu sounds stunning and boy, do I miss his voice. What I really liked is how the producers really emphasised the vocals by applying echo-like effects and (what I think is) an additional layer of his vocals during the chorus to bolden his main vocals. I feel like all of these (if I was correct in identifying the tactics used) really helped emphasised the idea of loneliness and emptiness further. I’m Cold is honestly slightly different to what I am used from the soloist, but it is nailed like any other song Kim Sung Kyu has attempted before.

The music video simply needed to convey two things. Emptiness/ Loneliness (as conveyed in the lyrics) and coldness (as conveyed in the title of the song). Both these aspects were effortlessly shown in this music video. Kim Sung Kyu was very alone in this music video. The ring he possesses is stuck in ice and his memories cause him to cry. There was also a moment of rage towards the end of the video as he searches for something that I felt was a great peak in his acting for this video, showcasing his loneliness a step further. The coldness was cleverly inserted. He sings in a freezer room and in the snow, which all symbolises the coldness. But the best part was when he holds onto the flower and it becomes encased in ice. I felt that was a smart way of showing that he is also cold on the inside. I just wished there was a bit more to the video, like a bit of a back story or flashback to his breakup.

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

[Review] Christmassy! – The Boyz

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The Boyz is nominated for Best Male Group, Rising Star and Best Male Group Performance (for The Stealer). Have you supported The Boyz in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards? Click here to do so now!

With December in full effect, we start humming the many Christmas carols out loud and we start hearing songs like ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You‘ play in the background of our shopping trips (it has already started to chart on the Korean music charts!). On top of that, we also see our favourite KPOP idols Christmas themed songs. The Boyz kicks off the trend with Christmassy! this month, which also commemorates the group’s third debut anniversary. Usually, I reserve these songs for Christmas Day and don’t review them. But this year I don’t plan on posting anything on Christmas Day (I will be on a two-ish week break around that time), I thought I review it now.

Christmassy! is obviously a light-hearted track and is designed to not be taken seriously, which is completely different to their previous tracks this year (i.e. Reveal and The Stealer). The jingle of bells plays throughout the video, reminding us constantly that this is a Christmas-themed track. That is, if you don’t already detect the theme from the Christmas themed title and lyrics that form part of this song. Even though the song isn’t to be taken seriously and is a nice gift to their fans, Christmassy! does have a few nice elements that make the song enjoyable to listen to. I really like the vocal work in this song. There is a lot of smoothness in this song and the vocal work is relatively light to fit in with the light-hearted side of the song. There are really nice harmonies in the pre-chorus that just made the song sound so pleasant. Even the rapping was tweaked to be playful and fitting in with the light tone of the song. The hooks aren’t that strong, but they do have a nice ring to them. And that sometimes is enough to really help make the song more enjoyable. Overall, Christmassy! is quite nice to kick back to this festive month for KPOP fans and it bound to help spread some of that festive cheer!

Do you want to smile more widely or have a bit of a laugh? Then Christmassy!‘s accompanying music video might be just the one for you. As mentioned before, this isn’t a release to be taken seriously. And this is well reflected in the music video. The video seems to be self-filmed or filmed by someone (maybe a member who isn’t on screen) on a mobile phone, capturing what looks like the members trying to compete to be the ‘prom king’ with the viewers. We see the members go above and beyond to ask the viewers to go with them to this Christmas themed prom party. There are also some great references to some memes throughout the video and there were a few moments that made me chuckle.

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

[Review] W.ALL – GHOST9

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Returning for the first time since their debut is GHOST9, with W.ALL. There are so many new male groups this year, so let me give you a quick recap of their debut. GHOST9, who are under Maroo Entertainment (the home of Park Ji Hoon), made their debut back in September of this year with Think Of Dawn. The group consist of nine members, Jinwoo, Kangsung, Prince, Junseong, Taesung, Woojin, Dongjun, Shin and Junhyung. Their debut track was described as ‘decent’ by me. I wonder if they will remain with ‘decent’ or exceed the description… Read on to find out.

Honestly, I don’t know exactly what to think about W.ALL. It definitely ticks the box for intensity and energy, thanks to the powerful chorus. The chorus was the definite highlight of the song, one that I look forward to after such verses that are so held back (in terms of energy) now that I have listened to the song and know what to expect. There are two things about the chorus that really gets me. The first has to be the epic feeling the first few seconds of the chorus felt, with the producers of W.ALL and members of GHOST9 ‘bringing it down hard’ with both the instrumentation and vocals, respectively. The second is the dynamic kick of energy we get in the second half of the first and last choruses, which really helps liven up the song and give it so much more appeal. The rest of the song is quite meh (standard, at best) and doesn’t do as enough as the chorus to really help the song. Sure, one could argue that the instrumentation for the chorus is overwhelming. That was my initial thought as well, but time really helped change that perspective. Unfortunately, there really wasn’t anything that can really change up perspective of the verses. If the verses were a little more dynamic and lively in some way, which would have better suited the chorus, I would have enjoyed the W.ALL more. With that, it looks like the group slipped a bit from that ‘decent’ descriptor.

I am a little confused about what the purpose of the massive robots in their music videos. As far as I can tell, the robot in the W.ALL music video is different to the one we saw in the Think Of Dawn music video. Are the music videos and stories meant to join up, or are they standalone music videos with just completely different stories? I can’t tell. Even standalone, I am not sure what the storyline of the W.ALL music video. The members are scattered throughout doing their own thing (cut chains to get into a restricted area, being locked up in a diamond shaped cave, getting chase by scary drones etc.). But they all meet up in the end to activate the robot in this video, which shoots a beam up to the sky. And then at the end, there were two beams shooting up at massive ships in the sky. None of this makes sense to me, and frankly this distracts me from the actual video. I will, however, applaud the sets of the music video and all the post production efforts to make this video look quite cool.

Can we just take a moment and admire their comeback showcase performance for this comeback? It occurred on what seems to be the roof of the tallest building in Busan. That is amazingly cool. Aside from that, the choreography seems like it is the most positive aspect of this comeback. It was a good routine, overall. When it came to the chorus, their moves matched the ‘hitting it hard’ vibe that the song had coming off it. The complexity of some of their formations during the verses also were a great aspect of the choreography.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.2/10

[Review] 30 Minutes Might Be Too Long – Jun.K (2PM)

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It has been a while since we heard anything from 2PM due to military enlistment. As far as I can tell, the rest of the members (Junho and Chansung) who are currently enlisting will complete their mandatory military enlistment next year. In the meanwhile, the members who have completed their enlistment (including Nichkhun) have been focusing on solo promotions. Today, Jun.K (who completed his enlistment early on in 2020) dropped his newest single, 30 Minutes Might Be Too Long, which is featured on his fourth mini-album, 20 Minutes. However, this isn’t his first song of the year. His first was This Is Not A Song, 1929, which was released back in June (which I completely missed).

Jun.K’s latest song is really good. But it really isn’t the reason to why I am reviewing the comeback today. Given that this particular comeback has no choreography, the only other reason to why I am writing this review is the music video. But more on that in a minute. I still need to write out my thoughts for the song. 30 Minutes Might Be Too Long is an acoustic mid-tempo R&B song. I did like how strong the acoustic guitar was throughout the song, even during the more upbeat sections of the song. The more upbeat parts of the song, which made the song feel more pop than R&B, definitely infused a lot of energy into the song and definitely gave a kick to an otherwise pretty standard track. Another really great element about 30 Minutes Might Be Too Long are his vocals. While he did get a little shouty during the chorus, it felt intentional to help make the song feel a lot punchier, which compliments the energy. The only thing I am a little confused about the structure of the song. Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems like 30 Minutes Might Be Too Long was extended and the first round of the chorus was quite prolonged, before we went into a bridge and back to the chorus. I personally don’t have any issues with abstract song structures usually, but this one felt particularly odd. Not exactly sure why. But other than that, Jun.K’s newest single has an awesome vibe to, with great vocals and music.

With the song part out the way, I can now focus on the music video. The juicy bit of this comeback. It is a very interesting music video with two plot twists. The first felt very predictable. We open with a very stormy setting and a guy running away from this crazed lady. He tries to run as far away from her as possible, even seeking the security of his own home. But to no avail as she somehow makes it in. After a little teasing from her, she finally captures him, paralyses him (somehow), puts a ring on him to make him hers, and ends up putting a stick of dynamite in his mouth. She has this crazed moment where she does her evil laugh to signify her happiness in succeeding and lights the dynamite. But it slowly turns to regrets, showing us how mentally unstable her character is. We then cut to Jun.K, where it is revealed that he is shooting a music video (the first plot twist). Upon completion, he leaves the set and sends the text message to the actress who was playing the crazed lady to meet up later. They end up meeting up at his place, where he plans a cute date. But from my understanding, it is revealed that he is the crazed one. Firstly, she looks very disinterested in their relationship. Secondly, he does a lot of preparation for this one ‘date’, similar to her character. Thirdly, there is a stick of dynamite under the table (second unexpected plot-twist), which presumably blows up 20 minutes into their date (which matches his request for a final 20 minutes to win her back). Fourthly, I assume he survives and ends up returning to a place that looks exactly like the set of the video that was being shot, telling us the story in the video was his story. While I feel like a few kinks can be smoothed out with this music video, I really enjoyed the dark vibes and and the overall storyline of the video.

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