Category: Reviews

[Review] ONE (Lucid Dream) – Golden Child

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Recently, Golden Child participated in Road To Kingdom but was eliminated after the first round for having the least amount of points out of all the teams. If you are interested in my thoughts of their performances in the competition, you can view Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of the special review series. But while the group did not last as long as we hoped, they announced their comeback soon after and hence why we are all here today. Golden Child returned today with their 4th mini-album, Take A Leap, which features the title track, ONE (Lucid Dream). The group pre-released the music video for this comeback 18 hours prior to the official release, but I was asleep then and was not able to review it. Instead, the group has landed on the top of my review list, so let’s get cracking.

The group has definitely gained attention with their dark sound and mature change, which contrasts greatly from their more brighter and energetic releases. In addition to that, Wannabe and Without You has become some of their best works in my opinion. But it seems like Golden Child hasn’t completely unleashed their new sound as ONE (Lucid Dream) raises the bar even higher than those other tracks can reach. The song’s instrumentation is quite unique and individualistic, something that will definitely allow the group to standout in a sea of typical and generic releases that will be due throughout Summer. The verses are made up of a very strong electronic vibrating synth and strong thumping beats. It feels quite grounded and impactful. The pre-chorus opts out of those two elements and goes for a more floating-like vibe, which really adds some smoothness to the roughened song. The chorus opts for some funky beats that adds character to the song and this fuses with some violins in the second half. The hooks just glide over and this too helps gives the song some smoothness. From where the song’s bridge should have started, ONE opted for with heavily distorted and high pitched vocals that form part of an instrumental break, before throwing us into dance break to end the song. I feel like Golden Child could have kicked it up a notch in this section to give the song a much needed climax. It just feels like a missed opportunity in my opinion. After all, they ended the song without diving into a final chorus. But it is still a very strong piece, regardless thanks to everything they had set up prior. The vocal work and rapping delivery are just on point. I liked how they kept their vocals relatively linear in comparison to the instrumental. This really helps add definition to the background and adds some contrast (that you know I like). My favourite part has to be the whispering in the first verse! Overall, a very strong effort, just a shy away from that perfect label.

So I wasn’t aware that Wannabe, Without You and ONE (Lucid Dream) were a trilogy until I scrolled through the comments to see what some viewers thoughts on the music video were. Why am I always the last one to find out that a string of comebacks are trilogies or a series of some kind? Based on those comments, Wannabe was about becoming the best version of oneself. Without You was getting lost in that idea. ONE is about realizing that best version of oneself was them originally. That is a pretty interesting interpretation of all the music videos. As for ONE by itself, the visuals for this music video was really cool. The visual effects were very strong. For the some of the individual scenes, I couldn’t tell if they were dreams or nightmares, which forced me to watch the music video a few times this morning to try to work it out. Some of them were obvious, others were a little hard to decipher. But I can agree that all of them were aesthetic.

This performance is very captivating. It, in a visual sense, looks very aesthetic as well. I really liked how they made it punchy once the song enters the first verse. I like how there was a lot of twisty formations and ‘over and under’ type of movements as they move around. The moves for the chorus has this subtle smoothness to it which matches perfectly with the music. And the dance break ends the performance on a very strong sense.

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

[Review] Left & Right – SEVENTEEN

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Giving us directions into this week is SEVENTEEN. The 13 member male group makes their grand return comeback with their 7th mini-album, Journey of Youth or Heng:garæ, and the title track Left & Right. Alongside Left & Right, the group also pre-released My My (which I reviewed already). In the My My review, I said that Us, Again was another pre-release track for this new mini-album. But upon the album’s release, I see that this single is not part of their 7th mini-album and is just a fan single (with no formal release aside from the lyric video they dropped a few weeks back). Aside from that little note, let’s see where SEVENTEEN is going to take us with this release.

SEVENTEEN has been focusing on very mature and dark sounds over their last few releases. As it is Summer time in South Korea, the group’s new single takes on a more energetic and upbeat feel to suit the season full of bright energy and colour. Left & Right takes on a modern hip-hop sound, a different style to what SEVENTEEN has released before. This might because SVENTEEN had retained that mature sound from their previous comebacks, whilst infusing it with a brighter sound. And it is because of this that I find Left & Right is unlike their previous Summer tracks, such as Oh My or Aju Nice, which each had a teenage vibe to it. And unlike those tracks, I find the the dynamic profile of this song to be well hidden in the music. What I like already about the song is that everything comes off as easygoing. From the light instrumentation to the laid-back nature of the hooks and melodies, SEVENTEEN really makes sure we are not overwhelmed in any way, making this an ideal Summer track to kick back to. And to match with this approach, their vocals and rapping are not overly dominate in the song as well. Everything just feels well-balanced and I liked that. Sure, Left & Right doesn’t have their most impressive vocal and rapping delivery to date, but their easygoing tone really appeals to me. The song’s main appealing point has to be its casual hook. Its presence in the teaser already sold me this comeback, but to hear it in full with the rest of the song really adds that more melodic touch to it. I am thoroughly enjoying this song and I can definitely tell it will be one that I will be replaying in the weeks to come.

The song is all about doing what you believe in. And I think the video does a good job presenting that. Take the race as an example. The old man starts the race off with the gun and seems to represents all the grownups that tell you what you should and should not do. Seungkwan seems to be the only one who listens and runs off, while all the other members stayed back and danced. When Seungkwan stops running, he is faced with two signs – ‘Early bird catches the worm‘ and ‘Youth can change everything‘. They don’t spark happiness in him, as you can tell with this facial expressions. Those signs talk all about being successful and don’t really tell you much about growing up and learning from your mistakes. The members burn a book about becoming successful and a trophy to go against becoming successful and perfect. The graffiti on the wall says to ‘Do Your Best’, but the members respond with ‘But maybe not sometimes‘ to say that it is okay regardless of the outcome. The biggest moment of the music video is when the members run into the dilemma of going left or right. Joshua instead doesn’t follow the two paths that are set and redirect the arrows to go up (i.e. doing what you believe in). As S.Coups is the oldest, it is logical he would go up first. He is strapped into car pretending to be like a rocket ship, which only goes up. Lift off was okay, but the car explodes and end up going back down, signifying failure. I final scene where S.Coups get out of the car and starts dancing represents that is whatever the outcome of a choice you make is, everything will be okay.

I really like how the choreography really brought that fun aspect to the performance. It just makes the stage so much more engaging and appealing to watch. I think the chorus looks like one of those that will go onto becoming viral and everyone will be dancing along to it. I also like how the performance related to the song’s easygoing vibe and didn’t incorporate anything complex looking, which obviously wouldn’t work well. I say this because SEVENTEEN is notorious for difficult dance moves.

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

[Review] Oopsy – Weki Meki

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After dazzling their way with Dazzle Dazzle earlier this year, Weki Meki has returned with their second release of 2020. The new song is called OOPSY and features on the group’s Hide and Seek. As it has only been four months since their Dazzle Dazzle comeback, not much has seemed to happen with the group from what I can recall. And with that, let’s just stuck right into the review.

The main backbone of the instrumental (i.e. beat) for OOPSY is quite generic. It just didn’t feel exciting. A better description would have been ‘pretty linear’. But without the other elements in this song, OOPSY would have gone in that direction. For example, the addition of all those details and sound elements over the top of the main instrumental really helped add an exciting energy to the song. All of that whistling and twinkling effects we get from the instrumental are thanks to the detailing and additional sound elements. It added texture, which resulted in the instrumental in being very appealing. It also added a slight funkiness to the song (i.e. that low guitar strumming during the verses), as well. Add to the song some catchy hooks, such as the ones you hear during the chorus of OOPSY. While I am sure they could have been more defined and dynamic, what we got had a slightly fun tone to it, which helped boost the appeal of the song. The members vocals and rapping were also pretty good as well. It might not be their most skillful display of vocals and rapping, but there was a lot clearness and crispness in their voices. Oh, and while the title does have that childish association to it (which I have noted in reviews for songs with the same time), I found that Weki Meki managed to put a decent mature spin, whilst also keeping that fun tone which is true to their style. Overall, a good song in my opinion.

The music video consist of choreography and very crisp and elegant closeups of the members. So it seems like the group’s music video takes on that close up and choreography formula that feel boring and generic. However, I am slightly convinced that there is more to video which I can’t just seem to decipher. You have one member whispering something to a member with a white cloth over her head. That has to mean something, right? And that glass feather, as well. Their solo shots also look very suspicious, as if they are hiding something within them. On top of that, there was some Morse code that I noticed appearing on screen during the video. Someone deciphered it off YouTube says the Morse code meant ‘I always think about you’ and ‘I will always be with you’. That has to be mean something as well. This video has to have some sort of story or meaning, right???

I liked the choreography. It was rather clean and felt straightforward. It also made the group look a lot more confident and mature, at the same time. It isn’t a mind blowing routine if that what you are looking for. But it definitely makes the members look good and more refined.

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

[Review] God’s Menu – Stray Kids

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Stray Kids also make their grand comeback today with their new single, Gods Menu and their first studio album, Go Live. I am definitely excited for this comeback and cannot wait to review both the song (in this post) and their new album (hint hint). Prior to this comeback and since their last comeback Levanter, the group released two mixtape tracks, Gone Days and On Track. The group also released English versions of their song and made their official Japanese debut with Japanese versions of their Korean tracks. In addition to that, Stray Kids also released their first original Japanese single album (which I have yet to review) which will serve as opening tracks for an upcoming anime. Definitely a busy first half of the year for Stray Kids.

One of God’s Menu flaws is that it is rather short. I wanted more of it, so naturally I am reaching for the replay button. God’s Menu is a hip-hop based dance track. I felt the instrumentation was quite generic for this style, as we have heard many hip-hop centric songs with similar instrumentation in the past. But what we are shown from the start of the song is that the song is very rap intensive. And Stray Kids is one of those groups with a very strong rap line and this helps open the song in a captivating the song instantly lifts up once we get to the chorus. The song slows down but maintains the suspense for the vocalists to show some of their skills (Bangchan and Jisung also join the vocal line in this song, which I really like). But the rapping takes the win in this song. Remember how I mentioned that I found the instrumentation generic? Another skill that Stray Kids has is that they really know how to hold their ground and blasts us with this powerful and bold chorus. The ‘DU DU DU‘ and the ‘TANG TANG TANG‘ just gives the song so much life and energy. Another observation I have made is that the chorus was quite lengthy and this seems to quicken the song. I also like how the second chorus differed from the first and I also note that Felix is getting the lines that he finally deserve! A lot of positive aspects to outweigh its few negatives. And we can agree that Stray Kids can definitely serve it up.

We all know that Stray Kids music videos are interlinked in one way or another. They released a prequel prior to this comeback confirming just that, so it makes you wonder how this video connects with the rest. And while I can spend so much discussing possible theories, I want to step away and think about this music video as a stand alone music video. One day I will return to discuss possible connections between all their music videos. God’s Menu seems to be a song about making an impression. There is a lot of food references in the song to fit in with the concept and they sing about making flavours stand out. And in the music video, they stood out in one way or another. At the start when everything was in slow motion and Changbin was rapping away at normal speed. The odd placement of people in various scenes (i.e. school girls at the race track, scientists at a construction site, marching band in the kitchen) and the member’s non-matching outfits with the scenery (i.e. they wore chefs outfits at the construction site) all seem to make an impression. And that impression was definitely left on me.

From what I can see in the music video, the choreography looks awesome. Definitely dynamic and powerful to fit the energy of the music. The pre-chorus (i.e. the smoother sections of the song) looked very interesting due to its more subdued vibes. The chorus looked very intense and I wonder what the verses look. Though my favourite section has to be the start of the second verse, which looked awesome in the music video with the camerawork.

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

[Review] Girls – NATURE

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Making their comeback today is NATURE. For those who may not know or remember the group, NATURE is a female group under n.CH Entertainment and the voice behind innocent cutesy tracks such as Allegro Cantabile and I’m So Pretty, and very upbeat bright tracks such as Oopsie (My Bad) and Some (You’ll Be Mine). For the group’s first comeback of 2020, they returned with a complete mature sound change up through the title track, Girls. The group also has a 6 member lineup, but will only be promoting with 6 members only due to various reasons.

As mentioned above, NATURE turns a complete 180 degree with this mature sound. Girls is a change up that I personally did not see coming. And while I do enjoy a change up every now and then, I fear this has taken a once different female group who is willing to standout with crazy instrumentals and catchy hooks and turned them into a generic sounding female group. I just didn’t find the dance track to really have those moments that Oopsie and Some had. I am not really looking for anything unique as well, rather something to catch my attention and give me a reason dig into the track more. It unfortunately didn’t and this disappoints me. That being said, Girls has some good moments as well. Not great enough to resolve the generic issue I just discussed, but good enough to make this song an occasion listen. The pre-chorus build up was quite nice, especially with the member that started off low and built her vocals up. I also dig the bridge of the song, which felt bold and brings something that cuts the generic nature of the song to a degree. It is like a textural autotune is applied to the main member, before the rest of the members echoes in a softened shouting manner. Apart from that, everything just fell into place and that typical category for me.

Given the mature sound, it was expected that their visuals change for this comeback as well. And the music video is does exactly that. There was an article a few days back that the music video was considered a little too graphic for broadcast and wonder how far they took the video to have that warning slapped on it. And it isn’t because the members were sexualised or showing off too much skin. Rather, the warning was in concern for some of the dark and suspenseful imagery. One member was hold a pair of scissors over another’s head with the top facing directly between the eyes in one of the teasers. Teddy bears were gutted and a flying axe closed up the music video with what seemed to be a a scream like synth. There might be a story line somewhere. My guess is that the other members are ghosts and that they are there to drive the member with the long black wavy hair insane and eventually kills her to be one of them. Altogether, it makes the video very intriguing and I quite like that idea.

For the most part, the choreography was a bore to watch. That being said, the post-chorus hook that featured after the first and final chorus really helped bring some edge, which helped make the performance go from boring to slightly exciting. Same thing can be said about that bridge, which brought a little more dynamism to the performance.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 6.6/10

[Review] Secret Story of the Swan – IZ*ONE

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IZ*ONE made their comeback yesterday with their 3rd mini-album, Oneiric Diary, and the title track, Secret Story of the Swan. A review should have been written yesterday, but IZ*ONE’s agency made a last minute call to delay the release of the music video until today. In place of the music video, we were treated to the performance version of their music video along with performances from their comeback showcase. But as I focus on the music video usually, this meant I couldn’t write a whole review. But as we only had to wait a day, I decided to delay the review until today, as well. We last saw the group through their Fiesta promotions early this year.

Each of IZ*ONE’s title tracks have grown on me considerably, regardless of whatever comments I have made in the past regarding the songs. The beauty of time. And with time, maybe Secret Story of the Swan (henceforth Swan) may go in that direction as well. At this present time, I find the song to be very standard and meh. I just didn’t get a level of excitement that I had felt with Fiesta or Violeta. Swan‘s biggest asset is its instrumental, more specifically the chorus. It is the only part that really captures my attention. The drop feels memorable and bold, in comparison to the rest of the instrumental. There is a lot going on in its instrumentally, but it is all tied together very well with the loud crashes that accompany the ‘Like Swan Swan Swan‘ hook. This hook is also a really good element of the song and is helping me warm up to the song (though there is a big hurdle for it help get me over). Everything else in Swan just failed to stand out. The vocal work didn’t have much oomph to it, especially with a standout chorus like this. It was pretty much forgettable during the verses. The rapping had momentum, but it just felt very typical and something that we all heard before. Swan had some highs and lows, with the lows seemingly taking hold of the song. But as I said at the start, maybe time is needed to help make this song more appealing.

While the music video does take on that closeup and choreography formula, I found the music video to be captivating. This is because of the use of chroma-key (i.e. the technical name of the green/blue screen effect). It helped made the video look very pretty, from the purple coloured sky, to the presence of clock gears, to the use of circle. It was quite mesmeric. There might be a bit of a story in the video via symbolism of the different elements in the video, though I didn’t pick anything up. The choreography shots are stunning, as well. Very nice looking music video.

One of the strong points about the performance is that is looks really elegant, which suits the idea of a swan as in the song’s title. At the same time, the choreography finds that sweet point where it can be dynamic, allowing for the performance to take full advantage of the energy from the chorus.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Review] Swear – E’LAST

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One week ago, E’LAST (which is shortened from the term Everlasting) made their debut with their first mini-album, Day Dream, and title track, Swear. But before I proceed further with the review, who is E’LAST? Well, this male group is made of 8 members (Choi In, Rano, Seungyeop, Baekgyeul, Romin, Won Hyuk, Wonjun and Yejun) and is the first group from E Entertainment. Members Won Hyuk and Wonjun have previously participated Produce X 101 and placed in 33rd and 47th on the show. Now that we know a bit more from the group, let’s move onto the review.

My initial listen to the song when the first came out didn’t rule in its favour. And naturally, I passed on the opportunity to review, pushing it behind the pack to focus on other artists of the week. But I ‘rediscovered’ Swear towards the end of week and was drew into its grand and epic nature while it played in the background while I worked. Now, I find the mash of classical orchestra and trap to be quite captivating. That opening medieval sequence really sets the song up. It allowed the group to focus on the more elegant side of classical music, before the song fuses with those trap influences in the second verse (which provided a different form of intensity and tempo). As Swear progressed, we were treated to a build up that hinted towards an epic drop. But once the chorus came around, we are unexpectedly given a slow and paced instrumental sequence. While this does not make sense to me at first, I am enjoying it now because they manage to maintain the intensity and energy in a unique fashion. They could have followed what we thought was coming (i.e. an epic drop), but that could have been seen as typical. I liked that the producers deviated from the formula, which attracts my attention. Similar comments can be made for the delayed climax. You could tell it was coming, but the producers kept on dragging it out, giving it impact once it came around. I was amazed at how amazing the vocals and rapping turned out. At first, I felt like Swear could have been more dynamic, giving the members an opportunity to show off more of their vocal/rapping potential. But we are treated to very powerful vocal moments and memorable hooks, whilst also getting some leeway through the use of trap elements to allow the rappers to fit in and bring their own intensity/some tempo to the song. Overall, an interesting song.

As I spent a fair amount of time on the song part of the review, I will cut to the chase for the music video and performance sections. The set design is really epic and looks amazing. It makes their solo shots a lot more captivating. The members showed off their acting in a satisfying manner, as they looked really hurt after thinking that their partner would stay with them. It gave me the impression that they are only coming to terms of this, which is the journey they take in the lyrics, as well. Big ticks from me for the music video.

We see a bit of elegance at the very start through the opening sequence of the song. As the song progresses, we get more of those epic and grand vibes translated into the choreography. But all is maintained despite the changes in the music. The final section of the bridge and final chorus drew my attention the most in this choreography, as it showed off a lot of potential and intensity from the manners.

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

[Review] My My – SEVENTEEN

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Yesterday, we were treated to a surprise by SEVENTEEN. The 13-member male group unexpectedly released a music video for My My, ahead of their upcoming June comeback which has been scheduled for the 22nd of June. It seems like everyone was caught off guard with this release as there was no indication of it. I actually thought My My was going to be the groups title track. So it begs the question, what will the actual comeback be like? Until the 22nd, we won’t know. But I can quickly sit down and review this release, as we have both song and music video (and a little choreography – but I won’t cover this) present for a decent review to be written. The group also released a lyric video for Us, Again earlier in the week as well (but as this is no music video, I will not be reviewing it). Let’s get reviewing.

While we are pretty much unsure about what their title track is going to be like, My My serves as a nice introduction to whatever is about to come. I find the song plain and typical sounding, but it doesn’t give off a boring feeling. Rather, it is a versatile song that can precede many others and hence why I think it is a nice introduction. The island/synth based instrumentation was easy going and carefree vibe, which helped it make appealing. It is quite heavy on the beats, but there was a light component to the song which makes it perfect for the Summer season. It is bright and it brings a smile to my face even during the stressful moments of the last two days. What more do you need to ask for? Vocally, I thought it was a strong effort. There were some great moments on the vocal front, such as Woozi’s part in the first verse (never heard him like this before), Vernon and S.Coup’s rapping sequence and the entire bridge section of the song. The chorus has a mildly catchy melody that really felt suitable for this Summery track. While the song comes off as quite likable, it is best serve as a pre-release track only. It just doesn’t have the chops to be a title track, but it is a refreshing number to help kick start the countdown to a new era of Seventeen’s career.

I only paid attention to some of the teasers which gave us a behind the scenes look at the the music video set. It revolves around a flying ship, which the members are travelling on to different places. And this relates to the individual journeys that they are taking (i.e. being oneself and going their way) that they reference in the lyrics. As for what they are doing, it seems to be all fun and games when they park their flying ship. The only person who seems to doing something a little more than hanging out is Vernon, who is making some sort of orange jam. Not sure what it is, but Jun and Joshua seem to be very intro it, as if they are addicted to it. It might just be an orange jam, but it could be something a little more suspicious. This, in turn, could link up to their next music video. That is something I do wonder, if elements of this video pops up in their next music video. But we will find out soon. Overall, it is a nice video that suits the song.

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

[Review] No One Knows – Seo Eunkwang (BTOB)

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It is time for another review for another Monday release. I believe this is the final Monday release that I will be reviewing and I shall move onto reviews for other days that I may have missed over the weekend. The star of this review is Seo Eunkwang, who is the leader and main vocalist of BTOB. Seo Eunkwang recently returned from his military enlistment earlier this year and marks his return with his first solo mini-album, FoRest: Entrance and the title track, No One Knows. In other related news, the majority of BTOB are currently fulfilling their enlistment, so it might be some time until we hear from the group again.

As mentioned earlier in the week and multiple review posts in the past, main vocalists tend to go down the ballad route as this style allows for their vocals to be shown off. I know I sound like a broken record as I mention it every time I write a review for a solo release by a group’s main vocalist. When it comes to Seo Eunkwang, however, ballad is the way to go. While the work that BTOB have released in the past have been upbeat (take Beep Beep, as an example) and a little crazy at times (referring to some of their side tracks), I just don’t see BTOB’s main vocalist releasing a dance track as a main promotional track. Maybe a slow R&B track, at best. Why? Well, No One Knows is probably a good indication of that. He nails ballads perfectly. Over the 3 and a half minutes or so, I was captivated to the point where I couldn’t write my review while concurrently listening to song. I had to stop typing as I was in awe. Definitely a sign of a good ballad. While the ballad does follow standard backbone with its classical instrumental, there was a nice buildup throughout the song that made it sound so grand and heavy towards the end. I liked the electrical guitar that peeped through at the end, as well. It wasn’t much, but you can still feel its presence in the song. But the real captivating element of the song is Seo Eunkwang’s voice, which we already know is amazing through past solo tracks and his BTOB work. But we hear it in its full glory, which is probably the best thing about this track. Not only does his voice soar, but it powers through the heaviest instrumented parts to be the main element of the song. I really liked how he dragged out the final word, before repeating it 3 more times in short and sharp delivery. Its kind of a ‘Thank you, move along’ type of vibe that suits the song’s lyrics and meaning so well. The other melodies are just so good, it is hard to find a fault in the song. After all, I do like a good ballad and this one is as good as it gets.

The music video opens up with Seo Eun Kwang singing the song to himself. We get a sense in this scene alone that he is very lonely. After all, the song is about being alone, yet pretending that everything is okay. I thought it was a really good video, emphasising loneliness is the recurring theme in all the scenes. And in all these scenes, we see his facial expressions. You can tell that he is very stuck in his thoughts and lonely (yep, that recurring word). He interestingly does not show sadness on his face, though he does carry himself in what seems to be a depressed manner. I liked the cinematography of the music videos and like not all of Eunkwang is the shot. It makes the video artistic and aesthetic in a way.

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

[Review] Hug U – DIA

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And now we skip back to a today release. DIA makes their comeback today with Hug U. This is a slightly different looking DIA, as the lineup for this comeback is only five members. If you know your DIA members, Chaeyeon and Somyi are absent from this comeback as they are currently taking a break, while Jenny left the group after their previous promotions (Woowa) due to an injury. Despite only being a five member lineup and the group is still promoting under the name DIA, their management and the five refer to themselves as a unit of the group. But that’s okay, as we will take any form of a DIA comeback, given that they have been absent from the stage since March 2019.

Hug U, to me, feels like they are returning to their early days. Unfortunately, I was looking forward to a track as dynamic as Woowa (their previous single) was. So I was a little disappointed to hear Hug U, initially (to an extent). I am also disappointed as their throwback to this earlier sound might not be a good idea, given that the group was never successful with it. But I am keeping an open mind with the new song. I like their delicate touch that they give the song throw their vocals. And based on their tone, it has definitely sounds like they have matured vocally. There is nice melodies and I can it becoming mildly catchy with multiple listens in the future. Instrumentally, I am not that excited with Hug U. There is a nice graceful touch and a level of prettiness to it, which matches the vocals. As mentioned before, I wanted something dynamic and energizing. Hug U‘s instrumental sadly doesn’t have that. They could have somehow infused some additional energy into the song, but given the dominant use of classical strings in the instrumental, that would be difficult to achieve. I feel like if I was looking for a song that as soothing and graceful at the same time, then this song might be for me. But that I am not into that niche and sadly, this song isn’t for me.

While the song wasn’t up my alley, I actually liked the music video. There is small yet good story to it, which made it worth watching. In this video, it seems like the DIA members are apart and doing their own thing, which may be the reality of over the last year or so. And they all look quite happy alone. Eunchae seems to be planning a reunion party of the members. And it seems like all the members are on board. Jueun, however, did look a little hesitant about going at first. But she is soon reminded of the fond memories during their time to go, so she ultimately decides to go. But it started to rain, which delayed her arrival. Eunchae was quite sadden that Jueun did not turn up at first. But she was definitely relieved when Jueun came late. The members ended up looking at their happiest together, showing their forever bond It feels relevant to the group, who may have experienced a similar thing event while setting up for this comeback. It is a pity that Chaeyeon and Somyi weren’t there, as a full group would have made it more emotional for fans. I also liked the choreography shots as well, as the members looked very pretty in their colourful dresses in those drone shots.

Naturally, their performance is a lot more graceful and pretty to match the song’s style. But I do note that while watching the performance, the song is pretty decent tempo, which allows for their moves to be quite quick. That being said, there is a bit of slowness at some parts, which also helps create a balance in the performance. This, overall, helps makes their choreography visually appealing and a strong point of this comeback.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 6.9/10

[Review] When We Are Us – Super Junior KRY

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Another Monday release that I need to review. I think there is one more after this one, but I will hold that for tomorrow. Today’s focus will be on Super Junior K.R.Y, which is a subunit of Super Junior’s main vocalists – Kyuhyun, Ryeowook and Yesung. The unit made its debut back in 2006 with The One I Love and we last saw the three promote as a unit in 2015 with the release of the Japanese single, Join Hands. On Monday, the unit made their grand return with When We Are Us and their first ever mini-album of the same name. It is said that this comeback is the start of the many Super Junior activities we will see this year as they celebrate 15 years in the Korean music industry.

As Super Junior K.R.Y is made of main vocalists, it makes the most sense for the unit to go with songs that focuses on their vocals. And as I have stated a lot recently, the most typical way to do this is through a ballad. With that statement, you can tell that When We Are Us is a ballad, singing about longing for a loved one. It feels and sounds like your typical ballad, with those swaying melodies that I always enjoy in ballads and a beautiful instrumental made of the classical piano and strings. Vocally, I don’t think it is worth pointing how breathtaking they sound (FYI, they do sound amazing, as one would expect). They have already showed us long time fans and listeners of KPOP their vocal abilities through Super Junior activities and more recently through their solo endeavours. As for which section caught my attention, I didn’t find anything that memorable to talk about as it is that typical ballad. But as the song progresses towards its peak in the bridge, the song got very interesting very quickly. Sadly, it was brief but that is what you expect from the peak of the song. Here, the soaring vocals are layered on top of each other, before ending with high note harmony with all three members. The ad-libs that follow, along with the final set of harmonies ties the song together nicely. Overall, it is still a nice ballad. Just very typical in a nutshell.

I think I have mentioned this before. But Super Junior is such a senior group that they are well respected by fans and other artists that come after them. And with that mentality that their fans will continue to support them nonetheless, the music video can be dry as a bone. This is what we are experiencing here. Aside from some artsy shots with TVs positioned around them, the sets were incredibly lackluster. While I assume the swimming pool set was meant to offset the darker scenes of the member’s closeup shots and go hand-in-hand with their lyrics (i.e. references to the colour blue and Summer), I can’t help but note how empty it felt. I am not expecting flashing lights and club scenes to fill up the space, but there are many successful ballad music videos with a lot more substance within them.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Overall Rating – 6.6/10

[Review] Butterfly – WJSN (Cosmic Girls)

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While there are a few more Monday releases to review, I am going to skip them for now and move onto the Tuesday release. It is time to review WJSN’s Butterfly. We last heard heard from the group in November of last year with As You Wish. Not much has been heard from the group since that round of promotions aside from the fact that the members recently had their 2020 concert, Oblivate, in South Korea and Japan. Butterfly is the lead title track off the group’s eighth mini-album, Neverland.

I am not sure if Butterfly is marketed as a summer single, as it is featured on a standard mini-album rather than a special summer mini-album. But I find that Butterfly strays away from the group’s usual fantastical sounding releases in a similar fashion to what last year’s Summer hit Boogie Up did. Maybe that is a bit too extreme to say that they go in a complete different direction, as there may be that slight influence in the song. But what I do find is Butterfly is much more synth heavy and quite heavy with its instrumentation, overall. There is a good level of bass and I think there is a bit of guitar mixed into it. The instrumental isn’t overwhelming nor do they hold back with its energy. As a result, the song is very upbeat and feels very suitable for the season of refreshing energy and a neat follow up to Boogie Up. In addition to the song’s energy, I find the hooks of he song to be very catchy. They also feel quite bold over the top of the upbeat instrumental. And the members sound freaking fantastic in this song. Good job to Soobin, who handles the high note in Butterfly. I also like Exy’s singing just before her rap sequences kick in. I would have loved to hear more of her in the song though, as her rapping really fits this style. The rest of the members showcase solid vocals, to the point where it is hard to pinpoint who is a sub vocalist in this song. Overall, Butterfly is an amazing Summer hit which I am already enjoying just from today’s listens.

This music video largely adopts that closeup and choreography formula that I dislike in KPOP music video as it feels quite plain. But what Butterfly‘s music video does so well is highlight the member’s beautiful visuals in each of their solo shots. I was in awe when each member had their closeups, as each of these scenes made them look like goddesses and had a really artistic appeal to them. I also liked their use of colours in the music video, particularly in the sets where they shot their choreography shots (as the members were all dressed in white and hence made the colours stand out). It might have used that dreaded formula, but it made good use of it.

I liked how in every opportunity possible, WJSN managed to incorporate some sort of butterfly references into the choreography. It would be insane to count each reference as they do not just limit to just the two hands joined together to make it look like a butterfly slowly flapping it wings. They had moves that used their entire arms to mimic wings and their capes on their outfits really give the performance a heavenly look.

Song – 9.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.3/10

[Review] Oh Really – N.Flying

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N.Flying is due to make their comeback tomorrow on the 10th of June. However, the group unveiled the music video for their latest title track, Oh Really, yesterday. And with that reasoning, it should have been the first review of the week. But as yesterday’s album review took a lot longer than expected and I had to bump N.Flying’s review to today. Oh Really marks the group’s return to a five-member lineup, with the addition of Seo Dong Sung, who is the former leader and bassist of N.Flying’s younger labelmate, HONEYST. For those who don’t know of HONEYST, they were a younger band who debuted in 2017 with Like You and later disbanded in 2019 due to creative differences.

Since the band’s popularity has flourished since the release of Rooftop in early 2019, N.Flying has demonstrated a range of styles within the year alone. And as we move into a new year for the group, Oh Really adds a suitable upbeat Summery style to the band’s portfolio. Paired with what you know is actual instrumentals (as they are band!), I find the song to be quite extremely pleasant and lighthearted, unlike their past upbeat tracks which seem to be more in your face and energetic that this number. In addition to that, some of the guitar work in the song has that Hawaii theme to it, which allows us to associate to the beach environment. As for the members, we know that Seunghyub and Hwesung are capable singers through their past releases and Oh Really is further proof of that. Their vocal work throughout the song is superb, with Hwesung’s section in the bridge being utterly amazing. I wish that their harmonies were further highlighted in this song, as this would be the perfect vehicle for that purpose. My favourite aspect of the song is the really simple but effective hooks that really make this song catch on. It feels as if the hooks go with the flow and doesn’t feel like it is forced onto you or into your mind. Subsequently, I find myself humming along to the music after listening to it. Overall, Oh Really is a memorable song for its simplicity and catchiness. Just another reason to start listening to this underrated band.

Oh Really seems to be a very versatile expression. For the lyrics, the song expresses the term of a relationship context, where their partner is pretending to love them but the members are not willing to give up just yet. Oh Really is used in a pleading manner in the song. But as the music video demonstrates it, it can be used in an affirmation context (i.e. the TV infomercial), in a questioning context (i.e. the antique TV show), in a stressful manner (i.e. the non-working TV remote), in a surprised context (i.e. the award show), in an emotional context (i.e. Hwesung singing in the telephone booth) and a disbelief manner (i.e. that scene where it looks like the members are world leaders sitting at a round table and the newest member is in between the argument). I really liked how these contexts were cleverly weaved into the music video to match the lyrics of the song. The antique TV show is a good example of this, when Cha Hun asks about whether Hwesung can dedicate himself to the antique using the Oh Really hook and, later on with Hwesung expressing how hard it is for him to let go once the antique was smashed on the ground.

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

[Review] Get Ready – Ha Sung Woon

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This Monday is loaded with comebacks and I won’t be able to get through all of them today (as I am running out of time to write them – the album review took a lot longer to write than expected). Apologies in advance. The rest of them will come Kicking us off with this week’s intense influx of comeback is Ha Sung Woon, who makes his return with Get Ready. This track is the title track off his 3rd mini-album, Twilight Zone, which was also released today. This is the soloists first comeback of 2020 and since the release of Blue mid-last year. Since this Blue comeback, Ha Sung Woon has been busy with a solo concert, collaborations, charity work and an OST release (based on his Wikipedia profile). After that busy absence from the music scene, let’s hear how his return fairs.

Prior to the release of Get Ready, we were promised with a funky number as his comeback title track. And that funkiness was delivered from the first second. Funky guitars and the featuring of one brass sound kicks us off into a very dynamic and upbeat track. During the verses, we got to hear some nice vocal work and I really liked the falsetto part (this funky falsetto combination reminded me to Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines for a brief moment). However, I didn’t like that sudden change up for the pre-chorus, which weakened the song in my opinion. Interestingly though, it felt fine in the second verse. It just doesn’t sit well with as part of the first verse and catches me off guard as it cuts the flow of the song. The chorus is no doubt the catchiest section, with it kicking up the energy of the song and applying more of the brass to up the funk. While add more brass makes logical sense to input more energy and funk into the song, I do have the concern that the brass overpowered the chorus and it doesn’t let the melodies or hooks (and hence vocals) shine. I think the melodies and hooks were fine as they were and the producers could have gone with a less overwhelming brass line. Apart from those falsetto moments, Get Ready‘s bridge was another favourite section, as it provided a bit of relief from the two choruses that surrounded it and allowed for Ha Sung Woon to show off his vocals before the brass drowned them out. The melody was smooth and the ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah‘ was quite catchy.

The music video starts off with a very mysterious sequence. We don’t have much context to the video, so everything is quite confusing. So here is a literal breakdown of what I see occurring. We see Ha Sung Woon swim to a house under the ocean. He enters the house while its under water, where there is a house party going on. He is thrust into the party (which looks really boring). He reflect that exact same feeling with some of the part goers later on in the video. About part way into the video, we see the house vibrating and Sung Woon jumps out of the house with a life buoy. Good thing he took that life buoy as he ends up floating away with it and the house was revealed to be floating in the sky. I would definitely like to know what this all means as I have no clue, even once I put it into words. What I can say is that the video looks quite good. His orange hair is a miss for me, even though I get Joker vibes from it.

While we haven’t seen a full performance just yet, what we managed to see in the music video promises a few things. The chemistry with the dancers make it look very appealing and adds that lighthearted vibe to the performance. The chorus looks fun and likable, especially how the dancers jump out from behind Ha Sung Woon for the final chorus. That looks unique. Overall, it looks dynamic and very fitting for the music.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.3/10

[Review] Still – DKB

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It is time for another review and it is time to zone into a relatively new group. I am talking about DKB, who made their comeback a few weeks ago with Still, the lead title track from their second mini-album, LOVE. But who is DKB? Well, I haven’t reviewed them yet, so I am not sure myself. Based on some research. DKB is a nine-member male group currently under Brave Entertainment. They made their debut back in February this year with Sorry Mama (which I have yet to review). While I will get to writing that review some time in the future, let’s not delay a review for the group just because I am not going in chronological order.

Still opens up with the strumming of some electric guitars before a beat is infused into the song. And I quite like this. The song pushes along was we near the end of the verse, with promise of a somewhat decent drop. What we are given instead is a slightly amplified instrumental of what we have heard so far, a lackluster hook and a really whiny synth that I am just not digging. We then launch into a hip-hop based instrumental sequence for the rappers, before the rest of the song is a repeat of what we have heard thus far. The only saving grace in the instrumental for me is the bridge, when the song brings in a set of clashing synths. It drew my attention in more a moment and it really cuts into the song’s airy and unfilled nature. So far, everything has felt very consistent and typical. This is an example of when the song could have used some additional textures and energy to give it some zing and life. I think the vocal work and rapping was a strong point of the song. Though, I felt the filtering and auotune on some of the members just degrades it slightly and this lessen the impact of the song’s direction. I felt like the producers were going for a refined touch to hip-hop and I quite like that idea. Still just doesn’t execute it properly and doesn’t have much going on to make it memorable.

As for the music video, I liked its minimalist vibes and simplicity. This was aimed for in the song but it came off as something different. Visually, the group nailed with the simple background and coloured lights. Some scenes felt slightly over-saturated, which I wasn’t a fan of. But the rest of the video was quite good. As we enter through the second chorus, the video got a little more complicated with water on the floor, computerized rain and some strong editing from post-production. And I thought it was a good progression, as we could have been easily been bored with the same coloured lighting and white background if it was put together right. Overall, a pretty good video.

The group opens up the performance with a very sharp movements in the opening sequence. Unfortunately, their performance didn’t really have any impressive moments. There was some good formations and those sharp movements and synchronization continued throughout the performance, which are undeniably good signs for any up and coming groups.

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

[Review] Headache – Moon Jongup ft. YUNHWAY

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B.A.P is a group with a lot of wasted potential. This is something that I will continually remind you time and time again, so that they are not forgotten like other defunct, inactive or disbanded groups. A group comeback, even though promised by some members, seems like something that won’t happen any time soon. Since the start of 2019, B.A.P have gone their separate ways and embarked on solo careers. The latest member to join this movement is Jongup, who returned as a solo artist four weeks ago with Headache. The song also features YUNHWAY, who participated in Show Me The Money 8 last year.

Headache is a funky pop number that had this infectious feel good and easygoing vibe to it, which is quite pleasant. To me, Headache‘s energy is the main star of the song. It was gladly not compromised with any instrumental breakdowns or musical change ups (like mashup of different genres into one song or slow downs). Even when YUNHWAY joins in for a rap sequence, the song doesn’t change too much and maintains the energy. Her voice is rather unique. She brought a nasally yet light tone to the song and her sequence goes for an optimal amount of time (not sure if it would have had the same effect if it went for any longer). In a way, the song felt monotone. But this singular tonal approach paid off greatly. I am quite surprised and unsure why I put off writing this review. Jongup brings a nice voice to the party and helps makes the song’s melodies and hooks be more approachable and catchy. While he was more known for his dancing skills during group promotions, Jongup has definitely improved during his absence from the music industry in 2019. It would have been nice if his voice had a little more colour to it, to give it that much needed oomph. But Headache was a very nice and laid back song, overall. Oh, and in no way does the song feel headache inducing. It is just the feeling he gets when he thinks of his crush.

Jongup becomes playful in the music video when making his move on the waitress from the local cafe. That is essentially the music video summarised in the one sentence. There were a few things I noted while watching the video, though. It actually features YUNHWAY, which is a fantastic part of the music video. Many times the promotional material (including the music video) does not feature the the featuring artist when it should. Always a pity when that doesn’t happen. I also like when Jongup dances with his ‘crush’ in the music video. The flaw of the music video has to be the mistry filter, while dull the viewing experience.

While Jongup had this more carefree and easygoing vibe in the performance, I don’t think it is his most impressive performance to date. That probably will be attributed to one of the B.A.P stages from the past. With a song like this, there is a lot of smiles and energy infused into the performance, which made it very appealing to watch.

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