Category: Reviews

[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

[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