Category: Reviews

[Review] Black Mamba – aespa

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On Tuesday, we saw the comeback of KPOP groups/bands from two different time extremities. Tuesday’s review was for CN BLUE, who made their comeback 11 years ago in 2009. Today, I will be reviewing a brand new female group, aespa. The new female group comes from the legendary SM Entertainment, the home of well known groups such as BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, SNSD, EXO, SHINee, Red Velvet and NCT. Four members currently make up this group’s lineup, Karina, Giselle, Winter and Ningning. They debut yesterday with Black Mamba.

One thing that I have continuously mentioned when it comes to debuting acts is that the song they are debuting with needs to be bold enough to get the attention of the industry and kickstart building that fanbase. Most of the time, both female and male groups start their careers with a very generic or standard track that isn’t their best foot forward. Many don’t make it past that first track and very few actually ‘make it’ down the track if they are fortunate to pass a second track. When I listen to Black Mamba, I feel that aespa nails the brief within just this song. It might simply be due to the fact they are under one of the biggest companies in the KPOP industry. But Black Mamba is groundbreaking for the company in terms of a debut track. I really like the dark and mature feel that this dance track brings to the table, giving off a EVERGLOW type of feel for me. I like the song’s grumbling bass and the explosive pow that the chorus brings when we are launched into the chorus. I like the thundering drums, combined with the various synths that make the chorus so dynamic. Vocally, aespa impresses. Catchy hooks that really highlight an appealing side to the group and the song. Both Winter and Ningning’s vocals during the bridge were superb, and the latter’s high note leaves an impression. The rapping could have been a little more punchy, if I was to be critical about something in this song. But overall, Black Mamba ticks the boxes for a solid debut from this up-and-coming female group.

aespa is a unique group, given the fact that the group actually consist of human and virtual members. Each member has an ‘æ’ version of themselves, who also make a presence in this music video. And this idea of virtual members gives way for a new era of music videos and storylines that I am sure SM Entertainment and aespa will indulge us with in the future. For Black Mamba, the video is very digitally aesthetic, colourful in a punk-ish way and almost felt like a futuristic landscape, similar to Avatar (the movie of blue aliens) – just a lot more purple and pink. There is also seems to be a new trend with SM music videos. At the end of the music video, we see a figure emerge from the visual glitchiness and this figure resembles a male person. Fans assume this is Kai, who is due to make his solo debut later this month. Something similar happened at the end of SuperM’s One music video, where aespa’s logo made an appearance at the very end. Interesting to see whether SM will be linking the videos in the future, as I don’t think any company has gone down that route before.

Performance-wise, aespa carries over that boldness from the song to the choreography. Definitely a show-stopping element to the choreography are those drops that they do at the start the chorus and lunging to the other side. The choreography, overall, also matches the mature and darker feel of the song.

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

[Review] Then, Now and Forever – CN BLUE

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Many of the male groups that I ham a fan of are currently in their mandatory military enlistment phase. However, some of them are re-emerging in the industry after completing their enlistments, which is the case for the artist of focus for this review. CN BLUE has been inactive since 2017, which was when they released their last mini-album and title track, 7CN and Between Us. Military enlistment was not the only thing they experienced since 2017. They also underwent a lineup change, after Jonghyun withdrew from the group due to the chatroom scandal. Thus, this leaves Yonghwa, Minhyuk and Jungshin as the three members to continue the CN BLUE with Then, Now and Forever.

Firstly, it is super exciting to hear CN BLUE once again. There is definitely a lack of bands in KPOP. And while there has been a slight increase in the amount, I sometimes need that sense of nostalgia that only two bands in Korea can bring (i.e. CN BLUE and FT ISLAND) as two bands are the ones that I grew up with. Hearing Yonghwa’s voice is enough to fulfil that craving. Secondly, Then, Now and Forever is an alternative rock track that sounds blissful and captivating. Yonghwa’s vocals compliment the alternative style of the instruments played by all three members. I particularly really liked the peak of the song, which gives Jungshin and Minhyuk an opportunity to shine. They could have stuck with the alternative side of the track for the entirety of the song (which would have been fine), but I would have made a comment about it being plain or ‘is stuck in a neutral gear’. The peak just gives the song that icing on top to make it feel more satisfying to listen to. I liked how the sound helps shows themselves off as mature and refined, which works well with the lyrics. The song itself expresses the emotions one experiences and deals with when a person they love is no longer around. Hopefully, one day the trio will return with a more hard hitting promotional track. But in the meanwhile, Then, Now and Forever is a nice comeback for the band and satisfy my specific craving for nostalgia.

It is a nice video to watch. Not exactly the most attention grabbing or outrageous video there is, but it does the job complimenting the song’s mature and emotional sound. We see the members are quite expressionless with their lives, now that their special someone had left. And even with the changes in their lives (which I am assuming the colour blue represents), their emotions still take hold of them. I did like the transition between white and blue. It is a strong contrast and really sends off an impression to the viewer. I do have questions about Yonghwa’s milk though. It seemed a bit random to me (and I think alcohol would have been a more appropriate prop for the video’s intention). But then again, how do you show the transition to blue clearly and aesthetically. I also liked the ‘stage’ they performed in and the three rooms hidden by the curtains were their individual sets. I thought that was smart and provided a physical connection to everything to help give that a ‘whole’ feeling to the video.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Review] Show Your Love – BTOB 4U

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It has been a while since we heard from BTOB. All the members (with the exception of Peniel) over the last two years enlisted in the military. Some members have completed their enlistment while other are close to finishing. For those who have completed their enlistment (Eunkwang, Minhyuk and Changsub), they have regrouped (with Peniel) for unit promotions under the new name BTOB 4U with the new single, Show Your Love. The new single is also the title track off the unit’s first mini-album, INSIDE.

Show Your Love is a moombahton dance track that (fun fact!!) fellow member Hyunsik wrote prior to his enlistment. I have to admit the backing of Show Your Love is a typical for this era of music. But it was still refreshing and enjoyable to listen to. And it also gives us a BTOB fix. It is a nice change up to BTOB’s usual works, which have focused primarily on vocal centric tracks and ballads pre-military. Obviously, a subunit is able to explore and experiment with different sounds and genres. But this doesn’t feel like a unit release. Show Your Love feels very BTOB to me. I am instantly taken back to Only One For You thanks to the song’s melody. Show Your Love is just a more energetic and upbeat version of the mentioned title track, with an instrumental that really knows how to amplify the vocals and melodies. Eunkwang and Changsub handle this department with ease and the combination of the vocals and instrumentations makes the song sound explosive. Peniel and Minhyuk focus more on the rapping. Their rhythm was really good and they add some intensity to the song. If I were to pick a singular member who shined the most in Show Your Love, my pick would be Peniel because he has more opportunity to shine and his rapping was probably the most memorable in the midst of the other three members. But that doesn’t mean the others didn’t shine, given that Show Your Love comes together really well and fulfils that BTOB craving that I am sure we have all experienced over the last two years.

Based on the comments section of the music video, the members portray the different forms of love that can exist. Other fans have also noted that each member is portraying a character who experiences love in some form in their movie (given that Minhyuk’s is clearly representing the very infamous story of Romeo and Juliet). I do prefer the former option as I cannot pinpoint what the original movies Eunkwang, Changsub and Peniel are showing. Changsub is showing a toxic relationship, Peniel is showing self-love, Minhyuk tells us the story about willingness to die for a lover and Eunkwang portrays a same-sex love story. Each of these stories have ‘love’ as the running theme, fitting in with the song’s call to ‘Show Your Love‘. The end of the video shows the four member reuniting thanks to a simple card. They walk to an old warehouse and we are left with the image of the four members smiling over a glowing golden light. We aren’t shown exactly what they see. But my guess is we might be seeing the remaining members, who might be forming their own subunit when they return and they would reunite with BTOB 4U at the end of their video. Who knows…

The added bonus of an upbeat song is that BTOB 4U is able to show off more dance moves. I really like the start of the performance with the three lines of dancers/members. I feel like that is made to be an optical illusion as I could only see Peniel move to the middle line and when Minhyuk/Eunkwang appeared, my mind was blow. I also liked the part when Minhyuk suddenly kneels (it had an epic feel) and the cute little ‘LOVE’ letters they made with their hands at the end of the video.

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

[Review] Happening – AKMU

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Kicking start the comebacks for this week is the return of two groups known for their vocals. The first is AKMU, the infamous sibling duo from YG Entertainment. Not much has happened since their last comeback, aside from Suhyun making her solo debut last month with Alien. Alien was also confirmed to be the first of a series of comebacks AKMU have scheduled for late 2020. Today, the pair makes their comeback with their second single/comeback of this series, titled Happening.

AKMU’s comeback single features a mid-tempo band instrumental that is really easy on the ears and extremely enjoyable. It also feels quite refreshing and different, relative to AKMU’s already diverse array of genres and musical styles. Happening starts off with predominantly acoustic guitar in the verses, before progressing to a slight touch of rock in the chorus. They form the bridge of the song with a half acoustic and half rock approach, before proceeding to add some suspense to the song by holding back on the upbeatness we got in the earlier choruses for the final chorus. But Happening isn’t just made of instrumentation. Happening also features amazing vocals from AKMU, which is the usual expectation. I really like the vocal processing in this song, especially the contrast between the Chanhyuk’s vocals in the verses and chorus. Also, the song seems perfect for his vocals so I liked that he took the lead in the chorus. Suhyun should not be forgotten as well, as her light tone brings some lightness to the song. I wished they sung together more. The resultant product was really top-notch already. But I wanted more of what I think is the briefest of harmonies at the end of each chorus. Overall, Happening is another fantastic addition to the duo’s discography.

When I watch the music video, I find it quite confusing on what the scenes are meant to represent. But I have a feeling the story behind it is quite simple. From what we know, the lyrics of the song is about a breakup. From how I see the music video, Suhyun’s scenes shows the reality of a breakup. We are shown how different the world is pre- and post-breakup. Everything that was once there and vibrant either disappeared or changed to be abandoned. And it looks like Suhyun comes to terms with this towards the end as the switching doesn’t happen as much at the end of the video and remains in the ‘pre-breakup’ setting. Chanhyuk’s scenes on the train a little more cryptic. But I see it how he views his world after the breakup. He sees that he is all alone as there is no one there for him anymore (i.e. skeletons appear instead of people) or that it is his fault for not being able to keep up with his ex (i.e. when he is darting around everyone coming towards him). I feel that he also comes to terms with his breakup as well. One moment in the middle of the video, it looks like he manages to get to her and is holding onto the memory of her. While the other moment (the ending) shows him hugging a skeleton, which suggests to me he has accepted that she is longer there. But that is my interpretation of the video. I may be wrong and I am sure there are many other interpretations out there as well.

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

[Review] Miss You – B.O.Y

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In the midst of many recent releases that I should be reviewing, I will be sliding in reviews for the releases that I had promised to review a while back but haven’t gotten around to doing so yet. One of these releases is B.OY’s Miss You, which was released mid-September (apologies again for the super delayed review). It is featured on the pair’s second mini-album, Phase Two: We. Miss You follows Kim Keok Heon and Song Yu Vin’s official debut under the name B.O.Y with My Angel (in case you are unfamiliar with B.O.Y’s past releases).

To me, Miss You is a ballad posing as a dance track. It has elements of both styles. But I feel that the ballad side of the song prevails more, given the song’s emotive title and lyrics. There are a few elements to the song that I find to be quite good. The vocal work and rapping were nicely executed. You could hear the emotion behind their voices and their voices really helped drive the mature profile of the song. The chorus really soothing melodies. I personally don’t remember what I thought of those melodies when I first heard the song back in September. But whatever my first impression, hearing them over and over again really reinforced them in my mind and helped them become more likable over time. Unfortunately, the song isn’t perfect so there are a few things I don’t like. The main issue with the song is the instrumental. It suits the balladic side of the song and there is an appropriate kick to the instrumental for the chorus (where the pop elements come more to the forefront of the song). But for some reason, I also felt that the same instrumentation brought a dullness to the song. KPOP has shown that ballad dance tracks do exist and that they can be really strong songs, provided that it is executed well. Great examples that I can think of from the top of my head is BTOB’s more recent releases. BTOB’s songs have managed to showcase moving vocals/rapping, captivating instrumentals and really strong melodies that are memorable and enjoyable. Miss You ticks two of the boxes for me (vocals and melodies), but its instrumental fails to obtain a tick. And as a result, Miss You‘s aesthetics and appeal is dragged down.

My take on the music video shows the pair reminiscing over the past and missing their former lover. The sand in their glasses might represent the time (such as sand in an hourglass). However as they are in your standard drinking glasses, it might mean that the hourglass concept where time can continue forever is no longer possible. You can’t flip the standard glass over and have it flow like an hour glass (because then the sand/time would be lost entirely). Within the sand surrounding the pair are popcorn, a camera and ice cream, which seems to be specific memories that look like they have abandoned (in attempts to move on), but have continually come back to so they can reminisce over. I am, however, not sure what the significance of the yarn is though, despite it playing a very big part in the video. But it is a nice video that looks simple and is not unnecessarily complicated to suit the song. The sets and their outfits look good as well.

The choreography is quite fitting for the song’s slowness and more mature audio. The bridge of the performance had both the routine’s strongest and weakest point. The strongest has to be when Song Yu Vin and Kim Keok Heon had a solo choreography moment while the other member sings. The weakest has to be the sudden movements whilst they are on the floor, which affected their live performance (which I felt was quite essential for this song in particular). So it was a pity that it affected their live vocals.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.8/10

[Review] Run Away – Mino (WINNER)

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I definitely have a long way to go to ‘catch up’ with the magnitude of comebacks, debuts and other releases I haven’t reviewed yet. I just wished I could ‘Run Away‘ from it. Hahaha… Excuse my lame pun. As you can tell by that terrible joke and the title of the post, I am finally getting around to reviewing Mino’s comeback track, Run Away. The comeback occurred two weeks ago at the very end of October (apologies per usual for the super later review). It also headlines Mino’s second studio album, TAKE.

As expected, Mino’s solo comeback delves into the hip-hop genre. No surprises there. While his solo debut track (FIANCE) was more robust and had very unique flourishes, Run Away is a lot more straightforward and plain. There are advantages to plainess if I were to think of it in an optimistic manner, but unfortunately it didn’t work in Mino’s favour. I didn’t get much excitement from the song instrumentally and that is the reason why I didn’t have much drive myself to start typing out a review for the comeback. One definite good thing about Run Away is Mino himself, who’s delivery was pretty dynamic throughout the song. It is admittedly quite sluggish at the start. But from the first chorus onwards, his delivery has a bit more of an energy kick to it, which gives the song a bit of needed dynamism. His super fast rapping sequence in the second verse was probably the song’s iconic moment and it does provide a minute and limited wow factor. However, no matter how much energy Mino infuses into the song via his delivery, the instrumental drags down the song nonetheless. Overall, Run Away doesn’t have that pull or enticement to get me into the song and get itself an earlier review.

The music video leaves me confused for a bit. But upon some research, it seems like the video is showing Mino is running away from the painful memories represented by different scenarios (i.e. people turning into stone, water filled train carriages and a pixelated former lover pushing the artist away). Each of these probably have some sort of significance and shouldn’t be taken literally. The final scene makes the most sense, as that would be his most painful memory of all (i.e. his former lover pushing him away). The scene where the people turn into stone represents the sadness that has lingered around and ‘hardened’ as mentioned in the lyrics. The water filled train carriage doesn’t make any sense to me, however, though I assume this has something to do with the ‘alcohol mixed with memories’ he sung about in the first verse. Despite the mild confusion, I did like the overall concept of it, which goes nicely with the lyrics. The video also features Kang Seung Yoon ever so briefly at 1:38 mark of the music video.

There really isn’t much of a choreography for this comeback. Hence I won’t include a rating for it. Unless you believe that Mino stumbling around on stage as if he is drunk and a mess is a dance routine. Obviously, this choice was made so that he can focus on performing live and I respect this choice. There are dancers in the background with some choreo, but I didn’t think they were necessary for this comeback.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 6.6/10

[Review] Idea – Taemin (SHINee)

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Taemin did not keep us waiting for long for the second part of his 3rd studio album, Never Gonna Dance Again. He made his comeback on Monday with the second part of his 3rd studio album, Never Gonna Dance Again: Act #2, which is headlined by Idea (the actual title is IDEA:理想, but I am going to stick to Idea throughout this review). It follows the release of Act #1 of Never Gonna Dance Again in September, which was lead by the track Criminal.

To me, Idea seems to be one of Taemin’s weakest title tracks ever. However, this statement doesn’t make Idea a bad song necessarily. I just felt Taemin has raised the bar to an extremely high level with his past promotional tracks, the last being Criminal. There is some positives to the song, such as the intensity that is quite apparent and I felt that the atmosphere was going in a suspenseful direction overall. But to me, I feel like the future bass song gets straight to the point a little too quickly. There really isn’t much of a build up to the chorus from the verse (i.e. no pre-chorus really amped up the suspense and excitement). It just switched from verse to chorus without much thought, leaving you wondering what happened preceding the fact and dulling the song’s appeal after the fact. The chorus itself isn’t too bad instrumentally. I really enjoyed those synthetic violins that take front and centre of the chorus. They seemed to make the song more epic and gave the song some interesting textures. However, the chorus lacks a strong hook and the hook that we did get was quite distasteful, if I were to be honest. The second verse was pretty much non-existent given that it was blurred with the first chorus instrumental-wise. The bridge felt quite rushed, making way for a prolonged final chorus which had elements of what I liked and disliked in this song. Vocally, it was okay. The verse part was quite good, but I did find the overlapping at the end to be a bit much. BoA does make an appearance as the female voice we hear just ahead of the chorus, but it seems like she isn’t formally acknowledge as a featuring artist. Overall and put simply, Idea isn’t up to par with what we know Taemin for.

With a song as messy as Idea, I am not entirely sure how the video accompanying its release can be anything else but that. But the music video comes together quite well. There is some confusion on my part in interpreting the storyline that is hidden throughout the story (I am not sure why it isn’t the forefront of the video – this would have made this SM Entertainment music video unique, relatively to other music videos released by the company). From my understanding of the visuals and the lyrics, Taemin is imagining everything we see in the video. From the people at that bar whispering about him to the ghostly figures that appear in the forest with him. He thinks his bad experience in relationships and love is as result of someone in particular. But that person is a fragment of his delusional imagination. Hence we see Taemin in a white outfit (resembles a stray jacket) behind a glass wall, similar to the ones we see in jails in TV shows for the public to chat with locked up love ones. Per usual, this is my interpretation, so I maybe wrong. But I am still interested in reading about your interpretation and I know that Taemin has spoken about the actual meaning on a VLIVE recently.

The choreography looks really good. Regardless of whether we like the song or not, Taemin always exceeds expectations with the choreography. The entire final chorus routine looked really complicated but alluring, thanks to the increased intensity during this segment. He really pulled out his performance chops. The body rolls looked really nice, as they always do. Hahaha…

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.2/10

[Review] MAGO – GFriend

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GFriend is back with their third comeback of the year! MAGO and 回:Walpurgis Night follows Crossroads and Apple as the third and final instalment of the 回 series. While Crossroads was a familiar sound for the group, both Apple and MAGO have strayed away from the usual GFriend sound. Each of the comebacks (including this one) have been executed flawlessly, so it definitely tells me that GFriend is definitely capable of versatility, though I think we we already know that from their earlier works. Where they go from here is definitely an exciting upcoming chapter for the group.

It is clear from the concept of the music video (and once you listen to the song) that GFriend jumps onto the retro train that has been picking up idol groups and soloists for pretty much the entire year. We have heard retro sounds from the group before, so this is pretty much explored territory for GFriend. But MAGO manages to outshine those previous sounds by going with something a lot more vibrant and disco-y within the retro sphere. And per unspoken rules of the retro sphere, MAGO effortlessly comes off as catchy and a fun musical number. The entire chorus was definitely the highlight of the song. The melodies during this section catch on quite quickly and it doesn’t help that the members deliver those melodies with such a cheerful persona that you cannot deny is there. I also enjoyed the background lines (i.e. the whispering ‘Yes you‘ and high pitched singing ‘Hakuna Matata‘) that really popping out for me. The verses were not as memorable, but I liked how the energy was consistently there throughout the length of the song. The lyrics, which has the simple message of being yourself, comes off with a little bit of attitude. I am not complaining about this as I love that it adds a bit of flavour to the song. Actually, my only complaint was that I felt the vocals were slightly over-processed. But the more I listen to the song, that observation is slowly dwindingly away. MAGO definitely makes me ‘feel so high’.

I love the retro concept that the producers opted for. There was no holding back, with the sets, outfit and overall atmosphere taking on a retro flair. And that cheerfulness that I mentioned before was carried over into the music video via the members. Epic moments of the music video has to be when Sowon rips off her suit, Sin.B’s sparkling red outfit and Yuju’s pole dancing and disco ball-ing (?). I also wonder who the music video connects with the rest of the 回 series. I have a theory, as I think there are elements of the two preceding music videos (and possibly other music videos) in this video (i.e. the red drink, Sowon’s suit amongst other things). Though I am wondering if anyone has any theories of the possible storyline yet.

I really like the MAGO move and the retro vibes that the choreography channels from the song. Other than that, nothing really sticks out at me. But as a whole, it was a good routine.

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

[Review] Forbidden Island – Ha Sung Woon

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Today, Ha Sung Woon continues his solo career with his latest comeback, Forbidden Island, which is the title track of his fourth mini-album, Mirage. It follows the release of Get Ready and Twilight Zone earlier this year. It is interesting to remind ourselves that Ha Sung Woon was once a member of HOTSHOT. I am a little surprised that he has yet to make an official return of HOTSHOT group’s promotions. It could potentially be that the group has gone on a hiatus due to military enlistments. But as Ha Sung Woon continues to make solo comebacks and his company continues to remain silent on a potential return, it is looking more like Ha Sung Woon had unofficially left the group’s lineup.

Forbidden Island is one of those songs that manages to surprises me as I listen to the song. And if you have already checked out the song, you probably know what I am talking about. There isn’t much to the start of the song aside from a building atmospheric instrumental piece and some clicks. I did like how he put forwards a raspy and breathy version of his vocals, further heightening the suspense that is slowly building. Nothing really happens until we reach the chorus. It changes up the song completely, driving forward with falsetto vocals and a funky instrumental (made up of guitar and percussion) that instantly lights up with energy. You could tell that a change up was bound to happen given how the song started. But what we got was not something I had expected. And I am digging it. The second verse pretty much is the same concept as the first, just the background has a little more momentum to make it feel appropriate following the first chorus. The bridge was stunning with the slowdown. It felt like it returned to how the song started, just without the suspense building in the background. His vocals, once again, stand out here, with an impressive high note. And the slowdown, per usual, makes the final chorus more vibrant and punchier. Overall, Forbidden Island is a strong release and possibly one of his best to date.

The music video shows a world without people, as suggested by Ha Sung Woon as he sings about this ‘Forbidden Island‘. He wants to be lead there by the person he is singing to – where we can only assume that life is infinity times better than with people. It sounds like an introvert’s dream. The setting of this video looked quite aesthetic, especially the scenes that one could describe as ‘in the dark’. I am talking specifically about the scenes where he is sitting on a chair surrounded by flowers, a circle that you can make out on the floor and some stage fog, or the scenes where is head is surrounded by colourful crystal-like structures. Even his choreography scenes and outdoor scenes looked really stunning.

You might feel that lifting people as part of a dance routine is something that happens quite a bit on stage. But I am impressed with the complexity of the lifting that happens in this particular routine. At the start, he is instantly lifted upon walking into the arms of the dancers. Towards the end, he is lifted to slide over one of the dancers in a really unique take of the move. Pretty much made me go wow. I also really liked how in sync he was with the dancers for the chorus and the duo moment that Ha Sung Woon and one of the dancers had during the second verse.

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

[Review] MMM – TREASURE

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TREASURE is back with their final release of 2020. The group has definitely been quite busy since they made their debut in August of this year with BOY. They followed up their debut single with I LOVE YOU in September. Once promotions for the second single was wrapped, the group was confirmed for a third single (MMM, the focus of this review) which dropped earlier today and a full-length studio album in January next year. For those who are wonder, December won’t be a month off for these guys as they prepare for and perform at a number of award nights and those end of year music festivals.

TREASURE has so far stepped away from YG Entertainment’s association with hip-hop. BOY was more of a departure than I LOVE YOU was, but both felt to be outside the common hip-hop bubble. MMM, on the other hand, pretty much steps back into that bubble. While I do like their individuality, I also liked that MMM plugged themselves back into the roots of their company. It says that they are still a YG group despite the different musical influences that they are drawing upon. MMM retains the modern KPOP hip-hop influenced structure (rap intensive verse, followed by a vocal-heavy pre-chorus, which leads into the chorus – a typical structure nowadays from how I see it), whilst also incorporating the EDM that they have really embraced in all their releases thus far. The peak of the EDM in the chorus was a very interesting centerpiece to the song. It works really well with the more serious nature of the song and it seems to add a bit of dramatic flair to the song. For the hooks during this part of the song, I thought they were weak at first. But those ‘Mmms’ and ‘Treasure you‘ whispers ended up feeling quite substantial for the song in retrospect. To me, the chorus was probably the only impressive part of the song. Everything else felt a little hit and miss for me this time. The instrumental had a nice Middle Eastern flair, but it failed to excite me for the most part. MMM manages to change it up by throwing some energy at us and keeping the EDM more consistent for the final chorus. It was a needed move, but I wanted more oomph to really get out of the repetitive loop that the song felt like it was stuck in. Similar ‘repetitive loop’ comments can be made in regards to their vocals and rapping. MMM doesn’t feel like their most impressive foot forward, in my opinion, and I will be picking their earlier singles over MMM any day.

The music video looks quite good. I like their use of the industrial look of their setting and the use of black and white throughout the video. It gives off a stylish look and adds a bit of simplicity to the music video. This also make the choreography scenes that feature their more colourful outfits feel like a ‘splash of colour’ and thus stand out a bit more. They do opt for the choreography and closeup formula, but it isn’t really that noticeable to me. I only realized it when I was typing out their review. Some fans mentioned that the video features YG Entertainment’s new building, which I thought was a little fun fact to add to the review. I think you can definitely say that this is a YG video. Hahaha… 🤣

The choreography for this comeback is definitely a highlight. Let’s definitely talk about the choreography they had for the EDM centrepiece. It looks amazing, complicated but very sophisticated. I didn’t want to say this before in the song review section, but those ‘Mmms’ had a sensual sound to them. And it looks like the choreography had that effect as well!

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.2/10

[Review] GOTCHA – Park Ji Hoon

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Also on the reviewing block today is Park Ji Hoon’s latest comeback, GOTCHA. How odd of me to be writing a review on the day of the song’s release. GOTCHA is the title track of Park Ji Hoon’s first studio album, Message, which also dropped today. This comeback comes after Park Ji Hoon’s earlier music release in the year, Wing, and another web drama for the actor side of Park Ji Hoon.

GOTCHA is a slight mashup of genres that end up coming together quite nicely. It is described as a ‘refreshing Latin rhythm as well as an 808 bass and trap rhythm’ (taken from SOOMPI). Some of the song might be overwhelming, namely the post-chorus hook that follows the first and final chorus, as it does appear out of nowhere and is more abrasive on the ears that any other part of the song. However, I heard it as an exciting change up that kept me on my toes. The Latin influence keeps the song very upbeat, bright and adds a very nice colour to the song. It did make me wonder whether GOTCHA would have more successful as a Summer track, as the Latin flair does seem to give off that impression. And I think it might of. However, I think KPOP has been blurring the lines between seasons as a number of releases I felt have been better suited for the Summer season have been released during what was supposed to be the ‘Autumn’ season in Korea, so Park Ji Hoon’s release isn’t really an outlier by any means. His vocals have gotten a lot stronger and they impressed me throughout the song. The melodies that his vocals had carried were quite strong and alluring. He also throws in a bit of a high note (though it was rudely interrupted by that rewind effect). His rapping was also quite interesting, adding some additional energy into the already quite upbeat song. I particularly liked the switch up between rapping and rap-speak he does in the first verse. Overall, GOTCHA was a really enjoyable track and highlights improvements in Park Ji Hoon’s skills.

Park Ji Hoon embraces his inner bad side for this comeback. Fans will definitely enjoy this darker side of Park Ji Hoon. This evil side of him is actually quite captivating and he was very alluring with his facial expressions throughout the video. His blonde hair was definitely ‘icing on the cake’ for this music video and concept. The producer and director did a pretty good job of pulling this video together and making sure Park Ji Hoon looks good. I also feel that the music video also gives us a taster to what the artist could do as an actor. If he is playing a character with evil intentions and the storyline is good, sign me up as part of the audience!

A big part of the performance that I don’t tend to mention as much are the outfits. And for his showcase stage, I felt Park Ji Hoon felt quite overdressed in comparison to his dancers. I hope that this doesn’t happen on the actual comeback stages. Apart from that, the choreography looks quite cool. I like the slight popping (at least, that is what I think it is) he does for that more abrasive post-chorus hook sequence and how he (as a solo artist) basically carries the entire second verse on stage.

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

[Review] AYA – Mamamoo

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Another day late review! This time the review is for Mamamoo, who have made their first comeback as a full group since HIP (which was released around the time last year). Headlining this comeback is AYA, the title track from their tenth mini-album, Travel, and it follows the release of their pre-release track, Dingga two weeks ago. It may have been the first group comeback for the ladies, but it isn’t really the first time we have seen each of the members. Solar made her solo debut with Spit It Out, while Moonbyul and Hwasa made their solo comebacks with Eclipse and Maria. So it has been a busy year for the group since their last comeback, nonetheless.

Since HIP was such a successful song for the group, I was wondering how they were going to top that release. It was going to be one difficult feat. After many repeats of their new title track, I don’t think AYA even comes anywhere close to overthrowing HIP as one of their best tracks ever, if I was to be completely honest. This is because AYA noticeably lacks hooks. I was dying to hear a catchy moment but that was never delivered. That is what made HIP so addictive. Here AYA just keeps on giving us really nice melodies and vocal work. But it never went back to a central line to really establish itself, if you know what I mean. Likewise, it lacked a chorus that could have acted as a central point to return to. The pan-flute sequence is probably the closest form we get to a chorus in this song. By all means, that the lack of chorus or hooks wasn’t frustrating. The member did manage to give us another stunning song. But it just needed that foundation or ‘safety net’ as I might call it to go back to. So what makes AYA stunning? Well the vocal work was quite nice. It isn’t their most vocally charged song nor does it feel much of a statement. But the vocal work compliments the exotic nature of AYA. I like how Moonbyul’s rapping adds stability to the song. And this exotic nature was definitely a really captivating piece of music to listen to. The change up for the last half a minute of the song was very interesting. If you were becoming bored of the exotic flair that AYA had going on in the first three minutes, then they will surprise you with the change in tone. Overall, the song lacks a fundamental element. This impacts the song, but Mamamoo still manages to make do.

To match the exotic flair of the song, the music video goes with a visual concept of the same calibre. I am wondering if each of the characters that the members play in the music video are there for a distinct meaning. I have yet to find a theory explaining the music video or the characters, as I feel that the outfits Wheein is wearing during some parts of the video, Moonbyul’s archery shooting character, Solar’s monobrow character and Hwasa’s character decked out in leather and knocking out teeth are there for a reason (I do note that the latter was mentioned briefly in the lyrics). Other than that, I enjoyed the detailed sets and the emphasis on the golden hue throughout the video. Definitely fitting for the concept and these Queens.

The choreography for this comeback is definitely elegant and looks quite stylish. I really like how the member embraced their sensuality in this performance, which makes everything a lot more captivating. I also liked that despite how intense the final moments of the song got, the performance still went in well with the rest of the choreography and retained that exotic and sensual flair.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.1/10

[Review] Love Killa – MONSTA X

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The second comeback that occurred yesterday was by MONSTA X! Once again, apologies for the day late review (I explained why I am a day late in my last review). MONSTA X’s latest comeback comes in the form of their third studio album, Fatal Love, and the title track, Love Killa. This is the group’s first comeback since the release of FANTASIA and FANTASIA X this past May.

One of my complaints with MONSTA X’s previous comeback was that their sound was possibly encroaching into an overwhelming feeling with their heavy reliance on powerful EDM as their instrumental. And I am glad to hear that MONSTA X has diverted from that possibly overwhelming and overpowering version of EDM. Love Killa opts for an electro-bass instrumental that knows to when to hold itself back to make the song more impactful. It is a super addictive beat that I am enjoying and I feel that it enables for stronger melodies in the song. Take the chorus, particularly Kihyun’s opening line, which feels smoother and has more character. And as a result, I feel that Love Killa lands itself on the top end of ‘Best MONSTA X’ tracks for me. The presence of stronger melodies end up allowing the rest of the members to stand out, particularly those who are not as vocally as strong as Kihyun (the group’s main vocalist). It also allows the lines to stick a bit more. What I particularly like about Love Killa is that while it allows the vocalists to shine more, it doesn’t forsake the rappers. Love Killa has awesome rapping sequences in my opinion, with both I.M and Jooheon delivering some of the most impressive lines of 2020 KPOP. “That’s right, you look at my eyes. Straight into my eyes and just say…“, “Got room for one more. Oh I’m sorry, did I make you anxious?” and “Imma slay, Imma chill, Imma kill” just to name a few. I also like how the members echoes the lines in the first half of the chorus, giving the song more effect and impact. Overall, Love Killa ticks many boxes for me when it comes to MONSTA X.

One of the things that had me hyped up for this particular comeback was their alluring teaser images. But those did not prepare me for the music video, which seems to have a murderer concept (and it is probably one of my favourite concepts to date – cause I have an affinity towards this type of stuff). Based on comments in the YouTube comments, fans noted that each member was portraying a character that seems to be inspired by infamous movie killers. Jooheon’s character is similar to the Joker (and his smile and sudden change at the start of the video will forever haunt me), Minhyuk’s character seems to be inspired by American Psycho, Kihyun’s character is inspired by Hannibal Lecter, Hyungwon’s was another obvious one with Fight Club, I.M’s character is inspired by Drive and Shownu is inspired by Kingsman (or other since fans are still debating this one). Aside from an awesome concept, I also really liked the dominance of the red and black in the sets, depending on the colour suit they are wearing for the scene. Also Hyungwon’s hairstyling is on point in this video! Just thought I put that out there.

The choreography looks awesome. I liked the angst and (once again) fierceness that the members bring to the choreography and performance. I also loved how they nailed the sleekness at the start and end of the choreography.

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

[Review] SALUTE – AB6IX

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Yesterday, we saw the return of two groups. And I will be reviewing both releases today (Sorry once again for the day late reviews – I may have overnapped yesterday…). First up on the reviewing block is AB6IX’s latest release, SALUTE, which is featured on their third mini-album of the same name. This comeback comes after the group moved to a four-member lineup and released The Answer and Vivid.

Opening SALUTE up is this very epic thumping marching band sequence that hypes the song up. Unfortunately, it felt like a standalone piece when it was followed by the trap-based first verse. All that energy that the introductory sequence had managed to create within the opening sequence had dissipated suddenly into thin air and in place was a generic first verse that had no momentum. It would have been nice if they continued to channel that energy somehow. I did feel that the introductory sequence matched up with the brass-heavy chorus nicely, both working hand-in-hand with their own epic vibes. I liked the theatrics that they used and the simplicity of the ‘SALUTE‘ and ‘Come and get me. Come get it‘ repetition. They followed up the chorus with another generic second verse, but it contained a really pleasant surprise. That surprise was Lee Dae Hwi rapping, which was a standout moment for the song. The rest of the members didn’t seem to stand out as much, which is slightly disappointing. To me, the instrumental (bad or good sides) overpowered their presence in the song. So far, it seems like I have a mixed view on the song. SALUTE ends in a more positive manner, with the final chorus changing up the momentum by mixing in some more EDM with the brass-heavy chorus. Overall, I feel that AB6IX was going in an epic direction with SALUTE. It felt lacking in some reasons, which dulled the potential epciness of the song.

What the group did nail were those decorated military-like outfits and use of the marching band in the video, which seemed very fitting for both the introductory sequence and chorus. It also works with their fierce and confrontational visuals, which does compliment the song. It definitely makes for an awesome concept. I liked how clean the sets felt (not visually, but aesthetically). I personally didn’t like their use of the upward perspective. I know many groups do use it in their videos, but I felt that there was too much of it in this video.

And like the music video, the choreography has their fierceness to it that I am sure will make other groups very jealous. The concept suits ABI6X so well, which was most evident during the performance. I really like their military-like transition to get into formation during the chorus and the entire ending-sequence definitely had this powerful energy to it that I really enjoyed.

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

[Review] Siren – P1Harmony

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It seems like FNC Entertainment, once the home of famous KPOP bands, have moved onto producing KPOP groups. P1Harmony is the latest addition to the company’s lineup, which includes AOA, SF9, Cherry Bullet (the KPOP groups), N.Flying, CN Blue and FT Island (the KPOP bands). The new group is a six-member male group consisting of Keeho, Theo, Jiung, Intak, Soul, and Jongseob. Based on their profile (I get all the details of various KPOP groups from KProfiles), it seems like P1Harmony is one of the few new groups nowadays that are not connected to the Produce series or any other trainee survival show in some way. Just a little observation I made while looking them up for this review. The group also made their debut on Wednesday with Siren and the mini-album, Disharmony: Stand Out.

P1Harmony’s Siren is a hip-hop centric dance track, something quite different from their labelmates’ sounds. The verses could have used some oomph in the instrumental department. The background was bland for my taste. One good thing about the instrumentation during the verses was how it contrasted with the chorus, making the latter standout by miles. The chorus instrumental is very dynamic and robust, with the brass-like synths comes together to form an edgy and energetic punch. For those who may know, hip-hop centric sounds are not really my jam. But there is something very alluring about Siren that has me excited to see what is next for the group. It might be due to the fact that Siren really shows off some edgy flair and showcases a lot of potential. As it is a hip-hop sound, the song is mainly focused on the rapping. And boy, the members’ rap all added a lot of energy and intensity into the song, especially during the verses where I made an earlier comment about it being bland. The standout moment has to be the member that pulled that insanely fast paced delivery just before the final chorus. That really shocked me, but in a good way. Between the rapping, there was really good vocal moments. They don’t necessarily steal the limelight, but do help bring some balance to the song. The anthem-like delivery when it came to the chorus made everything in that section catchy and uplifted the energy to even more dynamic levels. Overall, another strong debut and one that puts P1Harmony on my radar!

The group and the producers of this music video were quite ballsy having so many people in one particular place, given the current circumstances worldwide. I was a bit nervous watching the music video because of this. Hopefully all people involved are okay. The graphics and post-production of this music video is definitely on another level. The apocalyptic scenes that kicked off the video was so intriguing. I wanted more of that in the actual music video, but it seems like that would be far too complicated to infuse into the rest of the video. But hey, those opening scenes made me stay and brought my attention to the members and song.

This group definitely has some performance skills up their sleeves. There was twist and turns, footwork and syncness to really help the group standout. The energy that come off from their choreography is something many other groups would envy. Even their facial expressions seemed relaxed and didn’t give off any newly debut feels. Definitely a strong impression was left on me by this group.

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

[Review] Nostalgia – DRIPPIN

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It is time to have a deep dive into those Wednesday debuts. First up is the latest group to join the ranks of Woolim Entertainment’s roster – DRIPPIN. Personally, I don’t like their name. But there is nothing I can do about it. And who knows, it may grow on me in the future. The seven-member male group is made up of Hyeop, Yunseong, Changuk, Dongyun, Minseo, Junho, and Alex. Six of the members participated in Produce X 101. Five the members (aside from Junho, who made into the final lineup of X1, and Alex, the hidden member of the group) promoted under the name W Project 4 post-Produce X 101 last year. On Wednesday, the group made their debut with Nostalgia and the mini-album, BOYAGER.

What Nostalgia nails at first glance is its explosive and powerful nature. And I feel that this is always an appropriate way of making an entrance into the KPOP scene, given the massive influx of KPOP acts nowadays. You want to leave an impression and Nostalgia does just that for DRIPPIN. The song opens up to a pretty decent first verse. It felt very clean and the pre-chorus provided a great buildup to the first ‘explosion’, that is otherwise known as the chorus. My pick for the highlight of the song has to be the way they style the word ‘melody’ at the very end of the pre-chorus sequence by cutting it into syllables and taking away the instrumental for a brief moment. As already mentioned, the chorus is momentous with the way it is styled. The synths gave the song an electrifying effect and some zing to add appeal to the song. There is a subtle groove to it mixed in between the synths and intensity. And I also liked how the energy and intensity never lets up, even as the song moves into the catchy post-chorus ‘La La La… Nostalgia‘ hook. The second verse seems to be taken out of the book of all KPOP release and it doesn’t offer anything new. Glad it is followed up by another round of that explosive chorus. The rest of the song isn’t as cliche. I really enjoyed the more concentrated buildup to the dance break in the bridge and the added grooviness that followed in the dance/instrumental break, before returning to another and final chorus round. What I have yet to mentioned so far the members. Their vocal line is really good and their raps were pretty decent. I did have a craving for move ad-libs towards the end and even more rapping (away from the cliche second verse) to really bump up the song. But regardless, Nostalgia was a great first step for DRIPPIN.

The song is about wanting to return to the past with their lover. My guess when it comes to the storyline of the video is that the members want to recreate the scenery with the tree, as it has a sense of nostalgia for the members. One of the members plant the bare tree branch into the sand in the abandoned plane crash site, in hopes that it will grow to become that tree (which I assume they did). I may have gotten the story the wrong way around, but that is how I made sense of the music video with the lyrics. I really like the pale yellow that seems to be featured throughout the video in one way or another. It was a really nice colour to allow the members to pop, regardless of the white or black outfits that they wore throughout the video. It also felt pleasant, offsetting any harshness from the music/choreography that may have come about.

It seems like to be able to debut under Woolim Entertainment, your dance skills must be really good as they choreography some of the most intense routines ever that the idol must be able to perform in sync with everyone else. That is a particularly big ask and DRIPPIN definitely nailed it. The moves aren’t anything new, but the intensity and power that is placed behind each move is quite impressive. The ending of the bridge with the floating member seems quite cool, as well.

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