Category: Reviews

[Review] Panorama – IZ*ONE

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IZ*ONE is nominated for Best Female Group in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Vote for IZ*ONE and your other favourite artists by clicking here!

Despite the continuation of the voting manipulation scandal in the Produce 101 shows that brought us some of the biggest project groups in KPOP, IZ*ONE is the one group that has continually pushed through it all. Today, the group made their comeback with their fourth mini-album, One-Reeler, and the title track Panorama. The group did unofficially drop the new song yesterday by performing it at the 2020 MAMA Awards, which I am sure many of you tuned into. Panorama joins IZ*ONE’s 2020 releases, which includes Fiesta, Secret Story of the Swan and Beware.

As mentioned yesterday, my first exposure to Panorama was via the 2020 MAMA Awards. My first impression of the song was definitely quite positive and it peaked my interest. Panorama seems to take the iconic elements of both their previous title tracks and merged it into one. What do I mean by this? Well, Fiesta had all these high pitched synths and sound effects, while Secret Story of the Swan had that really dramatic flair thanks to the bass. It seems like these two elements come together to really form a powerful track for IZ*ONE. But it just wasn’t the merger of these two songs. Panorama does a lot more. There is really strong vocals from the members. This was definitely necessary, given the powerfulness of the synths in Panorama. I honestly thought these synths would have drowned out the members, as IZ*ONE usually sings with a higher pitch. But here, the members pushed themselves to make sure they are heard. The melodies and hooks were pretty catchy, as well. There were some really cool violins in the background and I love the post-chorus instrumental break, where the rush of energy was coming from. I also really liked the final part following the final chorus, which was a wonderful cap to the song. Overall, Panorama impresses. There was just so much energy and intensity that I just cannot get out of my head.

One of the elements of the performance yesterday that caught my attention were their outfits. And this music video amps up that appeal for me. Their outfits are stunning throughout the video. From the dresses/outfits they don in their solo shots to the really simple yet fashionable outfits they wore whilst dancing, everything looked stunning. The sets in this music video were stunning as well. I really liked how much classy flair there was. The music video does take on that closeup and choreography format, but that was not an issue here as all of the above really stood out for me. The cinematography was also as captivating throughout, keeping up with the pace of the song but also making sure the members looked amazing.

The choreography looks really good. It keeps up with the intensity, yet still has a bit of a casual nature and elegance to it. I particularly enjoyed the routine that accompanied the energy rush after the main choruses. It started off with some footwork, before incorporating some arm movements and then whole body moves.

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

[Review] Resonance – NCT 2020

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NCT is nominated for Best Male Group, while NCT 127 is nominated for Best Male Group and Best Subunit in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED. To support NCT, NCT 127 and your other favourite artists, click here to vote for them below the 31st of December.

NCT has been extremely busy over the last two months, splitting their 23-member lineup into four different units for promotions of Make A Wish (Birthday Song), From Home, 90’s Love and Work It, all of which were title tracks from their second studio album, NCT 2020: Resonance (Click here for Part 1 and Part 2 of the album reviews). To wrap up promotions for this album, NCT have regrouped as a 23-member group for the surprise release of the Resonance single, which officially dropped on Friday this past week. Aside from being a song performed by 23 members, Resonance is also a mix of four songs from their album – Make A Wish (Birthday Song), 90’s Love, Work It and Raise The Roof.

It sounds very ambitious and like many, I have my reservations. A hybrid of four songs in one. But we need to remind ourselves that SM Entertainment are the creative minds behind Sherlock and One, both of which are all combinations of two songs. So SM Entertainment has done this before. Rather than taking bits and pieces of the songs and merging them together into something really tight and cohesive, Resonance delves more down the mashup route, rather than a hybrid song at first glance. It borrows segments of Make A Wish (which had the honour of providing two parts to Resonance), 90’s Love and Work It (one part each). Interestingly, it isn’t the choruses of each of the three title tracks that make it into Resonance, as that would confuse listeners with four different sets of hooks and energies. Instead, the segments are combined with Raise The Roof‘s chorus, which is a clever move. The song does make an attempt to blend the four songs together by applying a new intro, spoken boldly and proudly (?) by Mark himself, amplifying the chorus (compared to the original) and infusing intense EDM into the mix through a standalone dance break. Altogether, Resonance does manage to come off as epic and powerful, which suits their image. Does Resonance work? I would say so. While we are clearly reminded of each song individually, the new additions do a lot of heavy lifting to give Resonance a fresh and individualistic sound that hasn’t been in any of the four songs before. In other words, there is something new in the track. And that I consider a win.

With such an epic and powerful tone to the song, the music video is equally as epic. It too was quite ambitious, but SM Entertainment really pulled out all the stops to make sure the video works. The editing between each part was super cool, especially Ten’s kick in the dubstep dance break. I really liked all the sets of that were used. I liked how they recycled that box set with different coloured lights to use for each of the title tracks and for one Resonance‘s choruses. The stage with the big screen was definitely a bold power move, while the one with the flow silk was so fitting for that bridge. But my favourite has to be the stadium stage. When the high notes hit and we are shown an drone shot of all the lights turning on, my jaw was on the ground. It was so epic and will be a music video scene that I will definitely remember for a long time. Likewise, all the drone shots at the end left me speechless.

The choreography was like the song. It didn’t change up the choreography for each of the three title tracks. And I completely understand that. It would have been too much of the members to relearn a whole new routine for the same song, given that they will be learning new choreographies for award ceremonies and end of year music festivals concurrently. For the new sections, I did like the intensity of the chorus’ routine, which they made look almost animalistic. The dubstep dance break was equally as full-on and even more powerful.

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

[Review] BBUSYEO – ONEUS

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ONEUS is nominated in the Rising Star of 2020, Most Underrated Artist of 2020, Best Male Group, Best Concept and Best Music Video categories in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Click here to vote for ONEUS and your other favourite artists.

Earlier this week, ONEUS made a surprise comeback with a new single, BBUSYEO. This comeback is significantly different to any of their previous comebacks for its bright and lighthearted approach, contrasting with the group’s dark and serious toned comebacks. BBUSYEO also follows ONEUS’ other 2020 comebacks, A Song Written Easily and the more recent TO BE OR NOT TO BE (which has been nominated for Best Concept and Music Video in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards – Link to vote for them is above).

As previously mentioned. ONEUS opts for a more lighthearted and fun sound for BBUYSEO, miles away from any of their previous music. It is definitely unexplored territory for the group. I particularly like how the start of the song just gets straight to the point. There is no need for a build up or to fluff up the song. Instead, BBUYSEO starts off with heavily autotuned oohs and aahs that sounded quite funny to me, going straight for that lighthearted effect that has already been mentioned. Then the song gets straight to its upbeatness with the fast tempo backing of the verse, thanks to the use of funky guitars and a clapping beat. Here, there are strong vocals and raps from the members, with their delivery very much keeping up with the intensity and pace of the music. When we round on the chorus, it comes with no surprises that it is brass heavy. Firstly, brass instruments is the go to instrument group if you want something fun or infectious. Secondly, the verses hint towards the chorus with the use of some brass elements, but they were clearly not as prominent as in the chorus and were pretty much overlooked. The rest of the song basically follows the above, with the addition of a trap based rap sequence just after the first chorus, an amazing display of vocals from the vocalists of the group in the bridge (who do even more with ad-libs in the final chorus), and the new extension at the very end of the song to bring it all together. I feel that the song does lack strong hooks, however. ONEUS was clearly going in the right direction, but I felt the producers underestimated the power behind the brass in the instrumental and the hooks that they do have got somewhat lost in the instrumentation. However, BBUYSEO still comes together nicely as the group’s first bright track. While I personally do prefer ONEUS’ darker and serious tones, having a bright song like this once in a while won’t do harm to their discography.

As mentioned earlier, this new sound allows ONEUS to explore new concepts. And this is clearly observed in the music video. There were a lot of stuff being smashed throughout the video, which makes completes sense given that BBUSYEO translates to Break It in English. Bright colours and hilarious moments were heavily used throughout the video to convey the ‘not serious’ and lighthearted tone of the comeback. My favourite part has to be when Ravn punches the toilet door to reveal a posing and waving Hwanwoong, who ended up smashing the toilet. It is just a major WTF moment that made me laugh.

I am totally digging the energy that is coming from the members during the performance. They definitely give it their all and it really portrays the song really well on stage. I wouldn’t be surprised if this one is more intensive than their dances for their more serious/darker music. A lot more jumps and interactions with the camera is enable in this performance, which lifts up the dynamic nature of it.

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

[Review] Better – BoA

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Have you voted in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards yet? If you haven’t, click here to be taken to the survey to support your favourites!

You would think that an artist as legendary as BoA, who is releasing her tenth studio album and celebrating 20 years in the KPOP industry would get some decent promotions to make sure the public knows about all these milestones so they can celebrate with her. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case. Better, the title of the song and BoA’s tenth studio album, felt like it was released out of the blue yesterday. And it is pretty much overshadowed by SM Entertainment’s over big release of the week. I just hope SM Entertainment has big things planned for this album, so that BoA can celebrate in style and get recognition for the amazing feats she has achieved. In the meanwhile, here is my review for Better.

Better brings out some of BoA’s best skills that I haven’t heard for a while. She has released some really good tracks recently, including Woman which really made itself known thanks to its boldness and elegance. Better diverts into a different territory. To me, the song feels simple yet executed amazingly. Simple may have the connotation of being plain or obvious. But I feel Better is ‘simple’ in a more dynamic sense. It is a R&B track that has this deep funky beat embedded in the background of the verse. I thought it was a really showstopping piece that really attracts my attention. There isn’t anything else of major interest that steals my attention other than BoA herself. It is straightforward and consistent (another example of when consistency is a positive trait). There are some bellowing synths throughout the song, but I feel that blend in nicely with the deep funky R&B roots this song has. BoA’s raspy vocals come into full effect, adding an amazing texture to the song that I am digging. The harmonies with the backing vocals during the chorus really helped oomph up the song without going for anything too extreme. I love the elegance that she brings to the first half of the bridge. The rapping that kicks off the second half of the bridge capitalises on the deep funky notes that I mentioned, giving the song an awesome change up before reaching the final chorus. Overall, Better is amazing in many senses and definitely pulls together her legendary skills in a suitable manner to celebrate her achievements.

The music video has this eerie dark vibe to it which feels highly suitable for the song’s simple profile. There were a few different sets and this eerie dark vibe really helps blur them altogether to make the video feel like it was one whole piece. And I feel this is better than having multiple sets come together in an attempt to feel like one video, but instead it comes off completely mismatching. The music video adopts that closeup and choreography formula, which I feel is totally fine for this video. BoA steals my attention for majority of the video (further helping blend the video’s components together) and keeps me captivated for the three and a half minutes with her beauty and choreography skills.

While I am chatting about choreography skills, we can’t skip the actual dancing when it comes to BoA. While this might not be as bold as Woman‘s choreography (I mean – how does one top her upside walk entrance?). To me, the choreograph utilises pace extremely well. There were parts that had a kick to it and other parts which took time. Put these together and you had a performance that made complete sense when it comes to BoA.

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

[Review] Last Piece – GOT7

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A week ago, GOT7 teased their comeback with the pre-release of Breath, one part of the first half of their fourth studio album’s name. Today, the male group (who recently won the Performance of the Year grand prize at the Asia Artist Awards for the second year in a row), GOT7 dropped their official comeback title track, titled LAST PIECE. It is also the other half of their new album’s name, with both coming together to form Breath of Love: Last Piece. This is the group’s most recent comeback, following Not By The Moon earlier in the year.

To me, LAST PIECE has this explosive element to it, which I find amazing and extremely thrilling to listen to. But more on that in just a second. The song starts off pretty much like any other dance song. There was a strong opening with that repetitive hazy synth (not sure how else to describe it). Yugyeom then starts off the song, followed by Jinyoung, BamBam and Mark. The instrumental during this part was quite pleasantly consistent. I really like its mid-tempo and classy approach. That hazy synth continues to play its part in the song, but the verse has a bit of a kick to it thanks to the beat of the song. Jinyoung’s falsetto stunned me, before Jackson comes in briefly before the chorus. The main chorus features Youngjae and JB’s vocals and catchy melodic hooks that expresses we are their missing final piece. I find there is an explosive element to this chorus, but it is subtle thanks to Youngjae’s powerful vocals during this section. I believe that this subtleness is a deliberate move, as the more explosive post-chorus hook is where the fireworks truly go bang. That rush of rock energy and intensity just feels so good, with Mark and Jackson going all out in this part to match that energy we get. It also gives GOT7 an opportunity to showcase some of their performance skills. The rest of the song is more so what I have already (haphazardly) described. Just everything feels a lot better. The chorus gets more impactful. The post-chorus instrumental hook hits harder and Jinyoung’s falsetto during the bridge is something worth mentioning once again. Overall, LAST PIECE is another excellent track to add to GOT7’s discography.

LAST PIECE‘s music video carries over the instantly change of background and flawless editing from the Breath music video. But this time around, the members were the ones instantly changing, with the setting remaining the same between shots. And to make it extra complicated, this technique was mainly applied during choreography shots. So yeah, shout out to the editing department for this video. The one thing I was disappointed about was the lack of Youngjae’s screen time. I understand that he was injured and hence couldn’t dance throughout the video. But I am sure the producers and directors could have thought of something to give Youngjae a bit more screen time. I did however like how when he finally appeared (and thus GOT7 was completed), all the space on the wall was filled with pictures and paintings. Definitely a nice way to show that all the pieces were filled in the end.

The choreography definitely looks good. I really like the energy that each member channeled during the chorus and how incredibly sharp the moves ended up being. I really liked how they amped up the moves for the post-chorus rock influenced instrumental break. The ending with their forearms and hands forming an interlinked heptagon was pretty cool, reminding me of their seven piece necklace (when put together, it also became a heptagon).

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

[Review] Given-Taken – ENHYPEN

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Despite already having BTS and TXT under already under their company name, it seems like Big Hit Entertainment is still hungry for another male group (Don’t worry to all you female group stans, Big Hit has confirmed a female group is coming our way in 2021). This new male group is called ENHYPEN and they were formed through the survival show I-LAND, which aired earlier this year. Seven members were chosen to be part of ENHYPEN’s lineup, including Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, Jungwon, and Ni-ki. Their debut single is titled Given-Taken and was dropped earlier today.

Given the current status of Big Hit Entertainment, I feel that any act who debuts under the Big Hit name is guaranteed success. But honestly, I don’t think ENHYPEN needs this guarantee given the calibre of Given-Taken itself. It is on a whole new level. Given-Taken starts off with this really beautiful harp that already screams out uniqueness. This start already feels quite tense, which is always a positive thing. The harps continue throughout the first verse as we get a slow and moody beat to accompany it and vocals. There is also some rapping. It was pretty much masked to be like the vocals and I wished they didn’t do that. Throughout the song I was yearning for something edgy and dynamic, which the raps would have served extremely well as a carrier for these two characteristics. Given-Taken then changes up the song by going into a pop-centric chorus. It reminds me of TXT’s Crown, just without the colour. If you couldn’t tell by now, but Given-Taken throws dark vibes right at you from the first second. I like the ‘To You… To… Me‘ part of the chorus. The second chorus was more so the same as the first verse. I wished they did something more with it. Likewise with the bridge. But it doesn’t mean I find the song terrible. I am totally digging this release. and will enjoy it no matter what I say about it. And it isn’t all ‘I want more’ with these parts. These sections do show and confirm with me is that ENPYPEN’s vocals are solid. I did not detect a weak spot throughout the song or any flaws in this department. Honestly, a really good job by this new group.

The lyrics of Given-Taken hints towards a dark concept. With lines such as ‘Red blood on that crown, That blood dripping down, Red Blood‘, I don’t think sunshines and flowers is going to cut it. To match with the dark vibes of the song, the music video opts for a horror theme. Oh, how I wished this debut was timed to coincide with Halloween. That would have been iconic. There isn’t anything scarier in this world, until you introduce little children to the story. And I feel that is the premise of the music video. The boys look innocent, but they (or at least one of them) has something to hide (i.e. he is an vampire). That scene at the end was expected once it started playing. But that particular member’s smile (sorry, I don’t know any of their names yet) to show off his fang was really haunting. Likewise, the really captivating yet probably trigger-warning worthy nose bleed start was definitely something I am sure people will be chatting about. I could literally sit here and list all the scenes that impressed me (hint: I was impressed by all). And all the member showcased perfect acting skills throughout the video.

The snippets of the choreography that I saw in the music video told me one thing. Never to underestimate ENHYPEN when it comes to their dance skills. This is only their debut song, yet their performance skills look like they have been around for many years. They looked super mature, despite their young age. Aside from that, I didn’t see any mind blowing or impressive moves that would have made me more eager to watch more of their stuff. I definitely will, though. I just wanted to explain why I am not giving them a 10/10 this time around (based on what I saw in the music video).

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

[Review] Mmmh – Kai (EXO)

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Kai body rolls his way into this week with the release of his solo debut single, Mmmh. It is the title track off his first solo and self-titled mini-album. From what I understand, Kai is the final member of EXO to officially release a solo song in some capacity, eights years after he kicked off his music career as an EXO member. I find this completely surprising, given that he is one of the popular members of the group. It is definitely an overdue release, so I am not going to keep you waiting anymore. Without further ado, here is my review for Mmmh.

Personally, I wasn’t exactly sure what style of music Kai would get into for his solo career. Not that I don’t follow him or anything. He just has that vibe that he is an all-rounder and can pretty much pull off whatever sound or concept that is thrown at him. I could easily see him doing something upbeat or along the lines of hip-hop for a solo song. But Mmmh goes in a different direction – sensual R&B. Of course, it makes complete sense to why he would have gone with this style for his debut. And it was well executed. I did have some concerns about how Kai would handle some parts of the song, especially since he isn’t the best vocalist in his group. But one listen into Mmmh and those concerns were tossed out of the door. Kai handles the vocal department without any issues, with his appealing low and breathy tone. He pulls off those ad-libs effortlessly, which confirms that those concerns are no longer a thing for me. The ‘Mmmh‘ hook in the chorus was quite catchy and smooth. As for the instrumental, I really liked the very subtle electronic influence we get. It is rather masked by the rest of the R&B and trap based instrumentation. But I would say this is refined rather than lacking. The same technique was used in the bridge, but this is on the opposite end of the spectrum. I could hear a hint of violins towards the end. I wished they could have gone with more of that to make Mmmh a little more interesting, as it was something I personally didn’t see coming and liked it to be explored more. Overall, Mmmh was a solid debut song that shows off Kai’s skills and talents pretty well.

One of the things that I have noticed recently with the music videos is that the editing and post-production have been amazing. Take that city scene we see in the background while Kai is sitting on the edge of the roof. That was very detailed, futuristic and very visually appealing. The yellow hue sky dance choreography scene also looked amazing. The best part, however, is how Kai is dancing (towards the end of the video) and he is transported to a different section of the same scene, leaving behind a thousand small glass shards where he used to be. That is already on a whole different level, but the fact that he could interact with those former pieces of himself added a whole new level of coolness. And his fashion looked awesome throughout the video. And his abs is quite something as well.

At the start of the review, I mentioned that Kai is body rolling. But I just uncovered some information about that particular part of the dance (I think you know which part I am talking about). It is more of a hip grind, but it still looks like a tiny body roll from afar. The rest of the choreography looks really cool and sharp, which is expected from EXO’s main dancer.

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

[Review] Work It – NCT U

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I promised album reviews for NCT’s NCT 2020: Resonance this weekend. But before I can get to the album review, I need to review one more song, the second title track from the Part 2 of the album. Conveniently, the music video for this second title track, Work It, dropped officially today. So I will be reviewing it before I publish any album reviews for the massive group. From the 23-member lineup, Work It features Johnny, Yuta, Ten, Jungwoo, Hendery, Jaemin and Jisung. Let’s see what these members bring to the table.

I really wanted to like Work It, but I couldn’t. I don’t think I ever watched/listen to a song with such a straight face before. Out of the four title tracks that NCT have given thus far, Work It is probably my least favourite. But before I delve into the reasons why the song didn’t work for me, let’s start about the positives of Work It. The chorus was pretty solid and I can see it growing on me (provided I look past the reasons I will list later on). It features two very strong hooks. The first being the simple ‘Work It’ that is essentially spoken into the song. The second is the main synth of chorus’ instrumental, which brings some edge to the song and the fast tempo. If you know me, I like my energy and this chorus definitely tried to bring it. Unfortunately, the rest of the song just felt dull or mis-matched. I can’t get over the blandness and over-consistency the verses brought to the song. The members had pretty decent delivery with their rapping here. But the verses lacked the instrumental to really bring the song some life. I just got bored with its plainness and lack of energy. The fact that the second verse didn’t do much to change to up and felt like a repeat of the first verse didn’t help. I feel like this is a case where the producers were trying to do a lot with the members, but very little with the instrumental. The bridge was nice vocally, but it did not fit in with the rest of the song. We went straight from a fast tempo EDM track into a smoothed out, classically approach and slowed tempo backdrop for vocals. It is something that NCT does a lot and it tends to work fine. This time around, the difference was too noticeable. They could have at least gone with a slower form of EDM to give the different parts a chance to blend sounds or at least make it seem like it would fit. Overall, Work It had some highs. But it was the lows that got my attention.

Work It’s music video was no way meant to be taken seriously. Based on the casual way the members were acting and the smiles plastered over their faces, it was a fun video. The music video adopts the choreography and closeup formula that I dislike. similar to how the previous NCT U’s music videos were also structured. From memory, those ones had a bit going on, so the formula wasn’t as noticeable. Work it didn’t have much going on, so it was very noticeable from first glance. The editing felt plain (for the most part – there were some cool transitions) and I wished more could have done to it. Also Haechan’s presence at the end of the 90’s Love video is answered in Work It, creating a bridge between the videos. But I don’t see any that indicates that the connection is there for fun.

The choreography looks good. I felt more energy in the small snippets of the choreography that I saw in the music videos than from the actual song. I would like to see if they bring some of their boogie freestyle that we saw in the music video to the stage performances or not.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

[Review] Got That Boom – SECRET NUMBER

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Earlier this month, SECERET NUMBER made their first comeback with Got That Boom. For those who have missed this female rookie group, they are a five-member group (consisting of Léa, Dita, Jinny, Soodam and Denise) under Vine Entertainment. This Got That Boom comeback comes after their debut with Who Dis? earlier this year.

The opening of Got That Boom always reminds me of an ITZY styled track. In my point of view, this sets up this track positively. And this is only positive and not a blatant copy of the popular female group because SECERT NUMBER manages to put their own spin on the style through this pop centric chorus and vocal work. Interestingly, I didn’t see this chorus coming. Personally I was expecting a little more attitude if the song was following the ITZY style instrumentally. But SECRET NUMBER manages to spin the song bad filling up the instrumentation with most notably brass and directing it down that pop route. It is still very good and I really thought it was well crafted. The ‘Dance Dance, Dance Dance‘ hook was quite catchy. So was the post-chorus hook with the ‘Tic Tac Toe‘ line. This is where the attitude that I thought was coming ended up. The vocal work was quite solid. It may not be a powerhouse style (which I think could have been used to give the song that extra layer of uniqueness especially for the final chorus – there were some good adlibs, but not that powerhouse style), but there were strong melodies throughout the song. The dance break was very logical. It had the boom that SECRET NUMBER claims that they got. And the rapping gives off a very strong edgy vibe. Overall, SECRET NUMBER proves that they have what it take on the industry with Got That Boom. They just need their own signature style or sound to really make themselves well known.

I really liked the edgy vibes the music video had. The sets, their outfits all carried gave off this vibe and looked pretty cool. There was also this kind of nostalgic factor to the set, given that many female groups have used similar sets in the past. So this video felt like a mashup of those styles, all in which came together quite nicely. The issue with the music video was the editing made it a bit messy. It felt like multiple editors were allowed the edit the video and I felt like I saw four different styles. In hindsight, it didn’t make the video that terrible looking. But it was just very distracting and very inconsistent.

The dance looks nice. There was a nice balance between the attitude behind the moves and the respective parts of the song. The chorus had this cute bounce to it, while the post-chorus hook had more of a mild sassy tone. I wished they took a bit further though, as that part really called for it. Something similar to the dance break and rap sequence would have been ideal.

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

[Review] Bad Blood – DaHye

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Over the last few months, we have glossed over the solo debut (and comeback) of DaHye, who was a former member of BESTie. This is one group we have heard for a while. The last review I have down for them was Excuse Me in 2015. It has been indirectly confirmed that the group had disbanded by 2018, with U.Ji and Dahye leaving the group in 2017 and Hyeyeon making her solo debut in 2018 (another solo debut that I have missed). DaHye made her solo debut back in October with a cover of Uhm Jung Hwa’s infamous single, Poison. Earlier this month, she returned with Bad Blood (the focus of this review).

The dramatic violins and electric guitar that start off this song really pulls you in. Bad Blood from the get-go is very dramatic and suspenseful. The entire introductory sequence then moves into the background of the instrumentation, allowing DaHye to enters with what I would describe as a very creepy-esque vocals that fits the dramatic and suspenseful vibes of the song that are maintained in the verse. The song starts to build when it gets to the pre-chorus, with the piano coming into play. The chorus comes next and it has really memorable melodies. I really liked the huskiness her voice brings to the melody, making the listening experience so much better. What I also really enjoyed was the mild electronic influence. In a time where synths dominate songs, the violins and guitars remain the dominating element of the instrumentation and not the synths. The second verse is more so the same, with a bit more of that synth influence in the mix. The stripping of the instrumentation to just have the piano remain was pretty clever, complimenting the creepiness I mentioned before. It also allows a for the dance break that follows to be intensified. What saves Bad Blood from borderline consistency are those really screechy violins in the dance break. They are quite unsettling, but they go well with the song’s tone. I would have liked one more ‘final chorus’ to really bring this song to an end. Or at least a even more dramatic ending to give the song some closure. But apart from that, Bad Blood is a song that made me go wow.

The music video would have benefited if there was some sort of vampire-like concept in it. But DaHye’s company probably isn’t the most loaded company out there at the moment, so I understand they had to make do with what they had. That being said, Bad Blood‘s music video ticks a lot of boxes. DaHye does a really good job of showcasing that creepy side throughout the video via her charismatic stares. I mean that whole sequence just prior to the second chorus pretty much sums up this horror concept. I also really liked how there was a contrast with the lighting and the darkness of the set. Likewise, the white outfits and the darkness of the set; and the black outfits with the lighting.

The choreography is pretty good. I liked the sensual nature of the routine. Not sure about the red sticks with the red strips of fabric. I guess they do add a splash of colour to the performance. I feel like the performance could have gone for some more horror-esque, yet still keep that sensual feel. I reckon that would be a unique stage concept as I think only limited female soloists have done it before.

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

[Review] 90’s Love – NCT U

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Returning today as well is NCT with their second part of their NCT 2020 Resonance album. For those who missed NCT’s first part of the NCT 2020 Resonance album, the group formed different smaller units back in October to facilitate the release of Make A Wish (Birthday Song) and From Home. For the first release of the second part, 90’s Love is performed by Ten, WinWin, Mark, Jeno, Haechan, YangYang and Sungchan. Before we get stuck into the review, I just want to say that NCT’s album review for both the first and second part of the NCT 2020 Resonance album will be published over this coming weekend. It is in the works, so be prepared for that!

90’s Love take you back to the retro hip-hop that we got commonly from the era in the song’s name. There is a modern twist to the song with the various instruments used throughout, so the song can be better described as ‘newtro’. It is jam packed with energy that throws it back to the 90s, which makes the song so much more appealing for me. The use of drums constantly really makes 90’s Love so much more abrasive, but in a fun and dynamic manner. The ‘Hey Hey Hey’ at the start really helped hype up the song and I liked how the rapping continues the momentum of this hype. The whole rapping sequence in the second verse is proof of this, even though it is detached from the first verse. Definitely reiterates to me Mark’s capabilities and also shows off Sungchan’s talent/potential. 90’s Love‘s point of weakness has to be the sudden change from retro to vocals for the bridge. There isn’t anything wrong with the two sections (like how do I fault Haechan and Ten’s amazing high note?). It is just the sudden change that really cuts the flow of energy in the song and reduced everything that was going on beforehand into basically nothing. I wished there was some bridge to really connect the two parts, like a gradual easing into the vocal sequence. Interestingly, I found the relaunch back into the chorus to work just fine. And as I said, the vocals in this section are on point. Overall, 90’s Love is definitely a full on type of song, with just one hiccup along the way.

The ice hockey concept is definitely pretty cool. I really like how the entire ice rink had the NCT branding, which I guess SM Entertainment is fortunate enough to do. I found the dinosaurs to be a really funny and lighthearted addition to the video. Usually I would say all the references to the dinosaurs are a bit random. But since it is the mascot of the team, I really cannot say that as the dinosaur has its purpose in this video. I did also like the random video game version of the mascots dancing to the choreography. I guess the main question is what is up with Haechan (I think it is Haechan) on the spinning thing at the end of the video? A possible hint for the next video? I guess we have to wait and see.

Great choreography from what I can see from the music video. The entire dance break just after the bridge was very intense. The constant percussion and the energy really lends well to an amazing routine that NCT U pulls off without any problems.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/1/0
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

[Review] Breath – GOT7

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GOT7 is making their return with a comeback next week in the form of a studio album titled Breath of Life: Last Piece. I am excited and pumped for this comeback like all their fans, but I am slightly concerned about the ‘Last Piece‘ segment of the title. Hopefully it isn’t what I think it is. In the meanwhile this week, the group is out teasing and hyping us up with their impending return through their pre-release single, Breath. This comebacks comes after Not By The Moon, which was released back in April this year.

Breath is a light mid-tempo R&B track with a bit of a hip-hop influence. The song itself is reasonably catchy, which is thanks to the way the members are arranged in this song. I really like their their use of projection in the chorus. It is a nice play on textures here and definitely alluring to listen to. It is also a slight teaser to the vocal prowess of both Youngjae and JB, especially for those who are tuning into a GOT7 release for the first time. The whistling is also a really fun element to the song, breaking up the chorus by being inserted between lines to make the chorus appear punchier. There is also a really nice sense of bounce to the song, which I enjoyed very much. It also made the song so much more appealing, especially since I prefer more upbeat releases at the end of the day. While I think the rappers of the group were used in a fine way, I think if they had a slight more edgy sequence, this would have boosted the dynamic of Breath to a new level. But as I said, I am happy with how the song turned out. Youngjae and the rest of the composing team for Breath really knows how to appeal to our senses.

The music video for Breath feels just right for the song. It compliments the energy without a hitch and the members looked like they had a genuine time filming this video. But can we take a step back for a moment to appreciate the amazingness of the editing of this video? The switches between members and setting were so well timed and looked flawless. This technique gives the video a very unique spin and will become the excuse I would use to continue to rewatch the video. Since this is a pre-release, I looking at very nook and cranny to note any possible connection for next week’s release. The floating piece of white silk seems to be a key element in this video, appearing quite often throughout the video. It also appears in a frame at the very end. I also think the signage (or maybe the entire sets in general) will be appearing in the official comeback music video (i.e. B.O.L Station and A Piece of Cake).

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

[Review] Tonight – BLACKSWAN

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BLACKSWAN may be a newly debuted group, but they have such a long history in KPOP. They dropped Tonight as the lead single from their Goodbye Rania studio album. This now four member female group (consisting of Yongheun, Fatou, Judy and Leia) hails from DR Music, which was once the home of their predecessor groups, Rania (who debuted back in 2011) and BP Rania (who debuted in 2016). Long story short, Rania/BP Rania/BLACKSWAN have undergone numerous lineup changes for various reasons over the years, which have lead them to be rebranded. The most recent lineup involved the fifth member of BLACKSWAN, Hyeme. She has been swept up in a scandal and ‘decided’ not to renew her contract the day after the scandal broke out. The timing of this is very suspicious. But hopefully, this is the final lineup change for the group all too familiar with the procedure.

Tonight is a song full of heft and it actually comes off as a very substantial release. I really liked the electrifying instrumentation that brings a whole different type of powerful energy to the song, something that KPOP hasn’t really had for a while now. The constant electric guitar in the background peaks my interest and brings an exciting edginess to the song. The stomping percussions really amplifies the intensity and powerfulness of the instrumentation and works extremely well with the vocal work. The vocal work was enjoyable and was pretty much a solid effort. It paired with the instrumentation brought some attitude and sass to Tonight, which makes the song even more exciting. But the member with the full spotlight on her is Fatou, who brings a whole new dynamic with her rap sequence. Her delivery and technique resembles female rappers in the Western music industry and it feels very unique. Her style also fits perfectly with the attitude and sass profile that I just commented on. Hopefully her company recognises this and keeps Fatou on with the group (and avoids the entire debacle of former member Alex). Overall, Tonight might be the turning point for this female group, provided they can recover after the departure of Hyeme.

The use of the ‘disclaimer’ scene at the very start of the video, warning us of a ‘Strong Performance and Song. Sexuality’, whilst recommending it all audiences was pretty unnecessary and starts the video off with a cringy note. However, they weren’t exactly lying. The entire video has this powerful energy that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from. That is probably a good sign. The video opts for that choreography and closeup formula, but their powerfulness makes me overlook that typical approach. Their closeups are very alluring and these ladies have a lot of charisma. Aside from the ‘Strong Performance and Song’, the music video features the members dressed in nude colour tones and has a lot of sexual energy in it that I think works extremely well with their concept and makes a clear statement to other artists that they should not mess around with them. I also thought the editing for the video was really good.

They have a solid stage presence that really amplifies the song when they perform it. I also enjoyed how their live performance does not shortchange the energy and powerful nature of the dance routine, which I think is fantastic.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10

[Review] Ready Or Not – MOMOLAND

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It has been almost three years since MOMOLAND released Boom Boom, their biggest hit to date. They made multiple comebacks since that comeback with songs such as Baam (my personal favourite) and more recently, Thumbs Up. But no song has managed to overtake the impact that Boom Boom had left on them and the KPOP industry. MOMOLAND made their comeback during this past week with Ready Or Not. Unfortunately, it looks like it is going to be a comeback missed by many as I don’t see much attention being drawn towards the comeback. Let’s hope that I am wrong and that things will start to pick up soon for Ready or Not.

Ready or Not is a step away from MOMOLAND’s usual brass heavy sound, opting for a much cleaner and polished sound. That being said, the song still does fall within the retro realm of music and it still features a bit of brass (more on this in just a second). Ready Or Not starts off with a rap-sing sequence, which I didn’t think was necessary whatsoever. Luckily, the song’s turning point occur right after once they bring vocals into the song. MOMOLAND’s vocals really impresses me throughout this song. It is honestly their best effort yet and should be enough to prove that these ladies can sing. The chorus is catchy with its upbeat energy and it is here that the song reminds me of Red Velvet’s Umpah Umpah. The post-chorus hook changes up the song and keeps it unique (and prevents it from becoming a carbon copy of the similar song I just mentioned) by inserting a squeaky brass synth into the song. It might be obnoxious to some, but it was used in certain parts (i.e. post-chorus hooks only) so it didn’t have an opportunity to become annoying. In fact, I thought it added a certain level of freshness to the song. Ready or Not maintains the energetic and fun sound that it had built itself for the second verse and second/final choruses. The only disruptor was bridge, which slowed down the song completely. I personally don’t think it was necessary and I am sure the producer would have thought of something more creative that didn’t need to aimlessly cut the flow of the song like that. Overall, Ready or Not was another great song from the group that people honestly should not sleep on.

I personally thought the music video was boring. The video is essentially made of closeups of each member and choreography shots that were filmed from afar (not sure why it was shot afar). It might have been a stylistic approach to facilitate physical distancing between members and crew for the music video shoot. I also note that the interaction between the members were pretty bland and didn’t have much energy to it. Interesting, given that the song was full of energy and fun vibes. Even the pastel colour palette for the video did draw my attention. Rather, it dulled it the video for me.

I guess the key move in the performance was the rolling hips during the post-chorus hook section (where those squeaky brass synths came into play). I liked it and thought it made the performance looked fun. I wished I could say the same for the rest of the performance. It seems like it lacking that fun and over the top energy from the members that MOMOLAND ‘used to’ have associated with them.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 4/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.9/10

[Review] Life Goes On – BTS

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BTS continues to reach new heights with their latest comeback. Earlier today, the iconic male group made their comeback with Life Goes On (the title track) and Be (the title of their fifth studio album). It comes after BTS released their fourth studio album, Map of the Soul: 7 (headlined by On and Black Swan), their Japanese comeback single Stay Gold and their super catchy all-English track Dynamite. The group has also featured on Lauv’s Who and a remixed version of Jawsh 365 and Jason Derulo’s Savage Love. They have definitely had a busy year.

I was low key expecting a dance track for this comeback. Or even better, a darker and maturer song that takes further steps towards that style direction than On and Black Swan did! But after listing all their comebacks and releases throughout 2020 thus far (and this list does not even consider their solo works), I feel like a mellowed out and softer approach is more appropriate and less overwhelming for them at this current point in time. Life Goes On is still a fantastic song. It features an alternative hip-hop sound that relies heavily on really comforting and soothing guitars. While the song is softer than their previous title tracks, the music actually still fills hefty thanks to the heaviness that And this softer approach allows for the members to really focus on their vocal and rapping work. RM is the only member to actually rap in Life Goes On and his part was well tweaked for this alternative sound. Suga and J-Hope rap-sing their parts and they bring a nice energy in their respective parts. The rest of the members sing wonderfully throughout the song, helping drive forward that comforting and sentimental vibe and message. Jimin stands out with his higher pitched vocals and based on the way he starts the chorus, while V’s ad-libs shine thanks to the huskiness in his voice. I thought the autotune for the final chorus was a nice textural change, which helps keeps interesting from how I see it. Overall, Life Goes On was not what I had expected from BTS as a title track. But nonetheless, I still enjoyed it.

Based on what I am seeing for this music video, BTS and Big Hit had stepped away from their complicated and gripping storylines that require a lot of time to interpret. Life Goes On is shot in a more relaxed manner, feeling almost like a home-video style. It practically shows the members going about a day in their life where they get to hang out and travel, which suits their message that ‘Life Goes On‘ even in the most difficult of circumstances. I did like the ending, where the video applies a black and white filter and we see the member sing with microphones with their backs to the empty audience. That scene looks really pretty and aesthetic despite being so simple.

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

[Review] Bump Bump – WOODZ

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I ended the song portion of my Love Me Harder with the statement that WOODZ’s debut song had popped him on my radar. And news of his new release was purely exciting for me. It is just unfortunate that my poor planning and tired state lately prevented me from getting to review his comeback song. WOODZ returned on Tuesday with his new single, BUMP BUMP. This new single is the lead from his second mini-album, WOOPS, which also dropped on the same day. WOODZ (otherwise known as Cha Seung Youn and former member of UNIQ/X1) made his solo debut earlier this year with .

My first impression of BUMP BUMP is that the song is quite bright and cheerful, unlike his debut track and mini-album. It is a completely different energy and dynamic that WOODZ completely nails. BUMP BUMP is a track that I thoroughly enjoy. It definitely shows me that he is capable of variety and versatile, which further excites me for future releases. I really like the alternative rock influences that are mixed into the pop song. And it is because of these influence that I cannot help but nod my head along to it every time the song has appeared on my playlist this past week. It helps makes the song more explosive and pop out when it comes to the catchy chorus. It also helps drive the relentless energy we get in the same section, which makes the sudden launch from bridge (which literally continues the same energy as the preceding chorus) into the third and final chorus even stronger. I may not not like sudden changes like so that often, but it done really well in BUMP BUMP. So much that it probably my favourite part of the song. The alternative rock energy also carries WOODZ’s vocals effortlessly. He sounds so good in this song, especially with the slight raspiness giving the song that extra bit of depth and character. His rapping is also as strong and powerful as the instrumentation. Overall, BUMP BUMP is an excellent addition to his discography and I really can’t wait to see what he has in store next for us.

Personally, I am not digging his curly hair style that is shown at the start of the video. I just don’t think it suits as well. I prefer the straighter hair style that he also dons in the video. I liked that the music video captured a carefree vibe that I didn’t initially register with the song. The video keeps it chill by showing WOODZ and his group of friends having fun. It may not fit the lyrics persay, but I think that is fine. Though I think the fighting scenes in this video (i.e. WOODZ smashing the red balloons, peering over his partner who had fallen down) were cleverly hidden throughout the video and blended very well with the fun and happier scenes of the video. But that might just be overthinking and overanalyzing the video. Otherwise, that carefree vibe would not be as strong and exciting if the video was to match the lyrics or those possible fight scenes were more upfront fight scenes.

Í really like how creative the start of the performance was with the passing of the microphone to WOODZ. Very unique. As for the rest of the choreography, it definitely looks like WOODZ is participating more than he did in his debut stage performances. But you can still tell that he isn’t going full on so that his can perform his new song live on stage with actual vocals and rapping. I would like more of a balance, but the direction we are going in is a good sign.

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