Category: Reviews

[Review] Fiesta – IZ*ONE

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It has been a rough end to 2019 for the female group IZ*ONE. Originally, the group was meant to return in November (presumably with the same title track and album). However, the group was whisked into a voting rigging controversy that occurred throughout the Produce 101 series. As IZ*ONE hails from one of the seasons where vote rigging did occur, the group went on hiatus (along with X1). Fortunately, IZ*ONE was able to push through the hiatus (X1 unfortunately disbanded at the request of the individual companies) and, as of today, return to promotions with Fiesta and Bloom*IZ.

As expected from the title of the song, Fiesta, the song is a colourful mix of sounds that is bound to get your attention. Whether the song is an appealing mix will definitely depend on the individual due to the unique sounds that the song features. We start the song off with what I would describe a typical pop instrumental for this current era. But it is one that showcases good producing talents. I liked the thumping beat which gives its a slight dramatic flair. The chorus is where the song gets a little wacky, thanks to the use of very squeaky horns. It was subtle at first when the members are singing, but it gets turned up a notch during the post-chorus instrumental break. I personally thought they gave the song a very unique character and helped the song in the charming department. Vocally, the song showcases a more powerful side of the group, which I really like (as you may know from past reviews).

I thought this was a stunning video. Let’s start off with the visual of the members. Their outfits and their closeups all make so damn beautiful. I am not exactly familiar with each individual member (I don’t follow the Produce 101 seasons closely). But this is the type of video that makes you want to learn everyone’s name. Secondly, the video features some of the best post-production editing I have seen in a long time. I definitely appreciate this and love the polished feel it gives off. Oh, and the video is colourful, as one would expect.

Two things stood out for me when it came to the performance for Fiesta. The first was regarding the bounciness of the chorus, which I thought was pretty cool. The dress twirling also looked cool. The second aspect which I liked was the pre-chorus formations, where they be walking and dancing at the same time. It is the little details that can make or break a routine and I think the group nailed it.

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

[Review] Eclipse – Moonbyul (Mamamoo)

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Apologies for the 3-day late review. I know I promised the reviews would only be a day late last week, but I took some time off over the weekend as I needed to recover from a lack of sleep. One of the reviews that were meant to be published on Saturday is Moonbyul’s solo comeback, Eclipse. The Mamamoo rapper and vocalist made her solo comeback back in 2016 with Selfish (which featured Seulgi from Red Velvet). It has been a while since we heard any solo work. I do need to warn you. If you are expecting something along the lines of Selfish, I would quickly change those expectations now.

Why would I lead into the review with a change in expectations? Well, Moonbyul goes full blast with Eclipse. We have never seen her like this. Not in Selfish and definitely not as part of Mamamoo. I think the relevant way of it saying it nowadays (Internet jargon/slang is not my thing) is that ‘She snapped’. The song has this intense trap-based dance instrumental as its backdrop. While this is typical in the industry, the way the song manages to come together makes it sound epic and helps breathe new light into the style/sound. There are also some smaller details such as the song’s slow down moments (which provide relief from the intensity) and the deep voice in the background during the chorus that helps with this. We see a mixture of Moonbyul rapping and singing in this song. I won’t describe this as an extension of what we have seen so far. Not when she raps with such intensity and her vocals shine through thanks to the raspy nature of her voice. I feel like Moonbyul created her own identity through Eclipse, far away from what we are used to. The song itself is also catchy and has a nice rhythm, which appeals straight to my tastes.

Talking about ‘sides’, Moonbyul presents two sides of herself in the video. I think the first is Moonstar, which is represented through the white outfits and her much lighter makeup. The second is Monster. This side of the artist is presented by the black outfits and heavy eye makeup. I definitely thought this was a very strong concept. Two sides of an artist has been visited before. But this one feels a lot more fulfilling once you finish watching the music video. I am not usually a fan of the flashy nature of music videos, but I thought it was very well used in this video and helped with the intense aesthetics.

I liked how despite the fact that Moonbyul still had to rap and sing throughout the performance, she delivers with her moves. No moves stood out to me. But I thought it was a cool performance, regardless.

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

[Review] Red Moon – KARD

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The next comeback to receive a day-late review is by KARD. The co-ed group is finally back after the release of their 2019 Bomb Bomb and Dumb Litty. Their new track is titled Red Moon and it is the title track from the album of the same name. In a recent review, the group aspires to release a a studio album in the future, which is definitely long overdue for the group. The only thing standing in the group’s way is J.Seph’s impending military enlistment, which means that there won’t be a full group comeback for about two years. While J.Seph is still here, however, let’s enjoy what Red Moon has to offer.

My first impressions of the song wasn’t that great. I thought it was rather bland. I am kind of glad I didn’t write this review yesterday, as it would have been so different. Red Moon swings right at you at the right moments. The song is another house based dance track (it is a KARD thing) that employs very heavy beats throughout the song to provide it with some definition. I think the song has good melodies and will be one to stay on my playlist for a long time. The vocal work is pretty amazing and the rapping is very impressive. I really loved how Somin echoes Jiwoo during the second verse. Something that I am still not 100% used to yet is how the song feels like it is a mashup of two songs. The verses and (what I believe) is the first set of choruses is one song, while the more robust and heavy part (the ‘run baby run’ one) felt liked it belong to another. While they are distinct, somehow they come together quite well the second time. The first times feels a little awkward but I guess a few more listens might just help merge the two together. Overall, a good song.

I thought the video was very classy. It is a dance track that looks and sounds likes what KARD has been doing throughout their careers thus far. But there was a little high-end feel when it came to the visual side of this comeback. All the members appeared in a glass box and wore really fancy outfits that really looked stunning. Likewise, that second heavy drop chorus featured the members in a cat-walk like moment. I thought was really cool and made perfect sense. There were more urban looks in the music video and they looked cool as well. But we have seen so much of that already, so it was a nice change.

The key point dance was from the first heavy chorus, which I thought looked cool in the small snippet that we got initially. And it is still looks impressive in the whole routine. I liked how they repeated the same routine but in a completely different formation the second time around. And it looks fresh as well, rather than using the same repeated moves that we have seen from the group before.

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

[Review] Dr. BeBe – Pentagon

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Yup, still a day late with the reviews. Bringing us one of two late reviews to be published today is Pentagon, who are finally back with their very first studio album. In my last album review, I was hoping a studio length album and my wishes came true! The group returns with Dr. BeBe, which is featured the album titled UNIVERSE: THE BLACK HALL. This release follows their Korean Humph! and Japanese Happiness.

Pentagon has had a strong run with their brighter concepts over the last few years. And while the group could continue what they have been doing with these brighter sounds, it is quite unfortunate that none of them really managed to hit the mark like how Shine got their name out there. So, the obvious choice was to change sounds and boy, what a change it was. The song kicks off with a suspenseful, anthem-like opener that really intrigues you. It would have been nice if the rest of the song followed through. But instead, we were presented with a very standard dance track setup. I do admit that I do find this new song a lot tighter and intense with its overall sound (which are all good things, especially with a song that opts for a darker profile). The chorus does provide a little more rhythm to the mix, giving the ends of some lines a little kick in the high note department which is rather unique. I wouldn’t say the song is catchy, but rather it was memorable for those high note line endings. The presence of violins during the bridge was good to help cut through the standard dance synths we get in this song. Vocally, I thought the vocalists and rappers did a good job. I just wished the sound wasn’t as generic and that the track be a little more unique.

Not only did their sound go from bright to intense, but their visual concept also shared the same change. Obviously, it matches up with the song. The lyrics provided insight into a crazed split-personality and the members did an amazing job of showing that in the music video. From their crazed dark side to their scared innocent side, their acting was spot on. In the end, it was shown that they were all patients in a facility, which makes me glad as they did seem they were freely roaming before. I really liked the dark scenes, particularly the choreography shots. It just really emphasizes the new image. I do agree with the netizens this time around when it comes to Hongseok’s outfit. I do think it is a little overkill for this concept and it is more to show off the abs that has been in spotlight.

No moves really stood out to me in the choreography, which is slightly disappointing. But that doesn’t mean it was a bad routine. In fact, I did think it was powerful and strong, which we have seen from Pentagon in the past. It just had no moves that I could really direct your attention to.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10

[Review] Hands Up – Cherry Bullet

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My reviews are going to be a day late, unfortunately. With that warning in place, I start this review for Cherry Bullet’s Hands Up, which was meant to be written yesterday as it was released yesterday. But as I say quite often on here, better late than never. This is the group’s second comeback, which follows their addictive Q&A debut and their alright Really Really comeback. Since their last comeback, the group reformed into a seven-member lineup after the departure of Mirae, Kokoro, and Linlin. Let’s see what seven-member Cherry Bullet has to offer us.

If I were to put their last two title tracks into list, Hands Up will fall into the Q&A list. Why? Well, I was blown away by the song from first listen. The most memorable aspect of this new song has to be the sample of Beethoven’s Für Elise. I thought it was a one time thing in this song but it kept on reappearing in the background. It had a very unique charm and gave the song some class. I particularly liked how the vocals merge with the sample at the very end of the bridge, which I thought was very cool. In addition of that sample, the song takes a mature profile, compared to their earlier works from 2019. And I thought that this was a nice change. It is another one of those songs that you expect a massive drop for, but they never delivered this drop, which adds to the suspense of the song. The vocal work and slight rapping we heard in the song was very good. The melodies give off a polish feel, further highlighting the mature side of the group. Overall, enjoying the song.

What I think the group is also nailing are their concepts. We first got a video game centred music video for their debut. Their comeback showcased the virtual reality aspect of gaming. And now, we are given a look into their Cherry Bullet Development, where videos games are made. I liked how to match their mature sound, the group is given mature colours to wear. Their sets are definitely less colourful (but not dull in anyway). Overall, I thought this was both a very visually and conceptually video to watch. I wonder if the group will extend their video game concept further somehow with their next release.

I thought the choreography was good. Not really the most unique performance out there or the most captivating. But it does the job in my opinion, especially for a song that does not drop.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10

[Review] Bouncy – Rocket Punch

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Rocket Punch made a mediocre debut last year with BIM BAM BUM. Their debut track was just another one of those that left me on the fence with both good and bad moments. Now, the group is back to take on the industry with a new track titled BOUNCY. This is featured on the group’s second mini-album, RED PUNCH. Let’s see if the track is any better than their debut song.

I will get straight to the point and address what I had left off at. I do think BOUNCY is better than BIM BAM BUM by a mile. Sure, it takes on that bright pop sound that majority of KPOP female groups attempt. And their debut track did just that. I just find this a lot more energetic and colourful than their debut track. I do like how the song lives up to the group’s name, with the beat during the chorus being literally punchy. There isn’t a dull moment in this song. It is super catchy and the pop moments really do pop out. However, the song isn’t perfect and it does bring back the ‘on the fence’ comment I made previously. The song features hip-hop focused parts and trap-based instrumentation. Usually, this could be infused well into some tracks. In this case, I think it would be best described as ‘trying too hard’. It flip-flops between the two sounds and I don’t think it mashes together well. I also don’t like how they get shout-y during the more intense moments. I think it pushes the group in the wrong direction. There were moments that I feel like they were channeling ITZY as the sounds are similar. That is all good. They just went overkill this time around.

Given the energetic and punchy sound they had going, there was no doubt that the video would be full of colour. It would be a complete dud if the video was dark and mysterious. It just doesn’t work with one another. Other than a colourful video, the video doesn’t have much else to offer content wise. If you are after a video that is definitely lively, then this is a video for you to watch.

Putting the song behind and focusing on the choreography, my comments are slightly different. There is no way this choreography could have come about if the group didn’t have the different sounds that BOUNCY has going on. It is an intense routine that shows off the group’s talent in the performance department. And like the song’s title, the chorus has this bouncy feel that I thought made it a fun routine.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6.9/10

[Review] Reveal – The Boyz

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The Boyz had another busy year with three Korean and one Japanese release. This is quite similar to their jam-packed debut year. Could 2020 be a repeat with multiple comebacks from the male group? Well, we will have to wait and see. The group does kick off 2020 with the release of their very first studio album, which shares the same name as their title track, Reveal. The music video was released 18 hours prior to the actual album drop, which is a rare occurrence. Unfortunately, I was asleep when the music video was revealed (and was busy yesterday) and couldn’t cover it until now.

I am torn about Reveal. The song has been out for a while now and I think my feelings to the song have budged at all. I thought the song is rather typical for a male group. That edgy and dark territory is pretty much a phase that majority of male groups must touch on in some capacity and is much preferred by many fans (myself included). So creatively, I don’t see anything new about this dance track (with trap synths and other trendy styles). And this was my mentality during the verses. It felt flat and disappointed me with its lack of memorable hooks or synths. The chorus was a lot better. There is definitely a kick to it with the ‘Down for your love‘ repetition (though, it took me a while to try to decipher what they were saying during this moment, as I thought they were chanting ‘devil’ or ‘dev-u-lah’). Vocally, The Boyz did an okay job. It was like how I thought the song was. Plain during the verses and a lot more lively during the chorus. The rapping was a lot more impressive, especially with how the rapping was incorporated during the lively choruses. Overall, I am on the fence when it comes to Reveal.

The music video had a ‘wolf’ concept. But I didn’t get much of a ‘wolf’ concept as it lacked canines. I think the only canine-related moment that I could detect in the video was the line ‘Time For Dogs and Wolves‘ just before the final chorus. It honestly just felt like a standard edgy and dark concept that majority of male groups do throughout their career. The video ended up being very mysterious, which I guess goes well with their dark concept. I did like the use of colour within the darkness of the video, which helped the colours pop out.

While the song and the video have been disappointing for me, the choreography is quite the opposite. I thought the performance they put on was actually quite cool. I liked how minute everything felt during the start, but the aura they had was very intense. That could be used to describe the rest of the choreography, with it being powerful in some parts and subtle in other parts.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6.7/10

[Review] Cool – BVNDIT

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BVNDIT made their return yesterday with Cool. This digital single is unfortutaely not a formal comeback. But since I enjoyed the song a fair bit and it had a music video, I had to place it on the review list. Cool follows the release of Hocus Pocus (the group’s debut single), Dramatic (the group’s first digital single) and Dumb (their comeback track released back in November last year). Both tracks were pretty good at the time of their release, so let’s see if Cool has the potential to as cool.

I find the track to be fairly simple. It is straight forward. And sometimes you need to things to be straight forward or simple. There is a potential problem in the sense that simple could be rather boring. However, if done perfectly, simple can definitely be pleasing. I find Cool to be of the latter category. The song isn’t jam-packed with synths effects that feel unnecessary. We do get some synths in the background, but they are used sparingly and kept very light. This allows their vocals to be heard without being masked in any way. The melody stands out and this obviously helps makes the song appealing. There is also a fun vibe to the song. All of this gets me tapping along to the song.. Its simplicity also doesn’t take the fun vibes down the cutesy route, which wouldn’t their image/sound. I do find the ‘dramatic’ flair just before each chorus to be rather odd and random. Not sure that I like that. Overall a pretty cool song that has my finger over the replay button.

We have seen this effect before in some music videos. So it isn’t a new idea. But since it has been a while, the use of images over the top of the person in the music video comes off as a new and innovative idea. Paired with the song, I find the video to be very refreshing as well. While the idea already gives off the impression of a cheap video, the shots where the members are in the studio really cheapens and dulls the video. I don’t like that section of the video. If they just continued the overlaid images only, I think the video would have fine.

While this isn’t a formal comeback, we are pretty lucky to get a full routine to the song. We don’t really get to see it in the music video for stylistic reasons. It is a simple choreography that compliments the song. There really isn’t much else to really mention about this. I did like how the routine changed with the tempo during the bridge.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Album Review] Timeless (9th Repackaged Album) – Super Junior

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Super Junior made their comeback last week with 2YA2YAO!, which is the title track from their recent album, Timeless. For those who don’t know, this is their group’s 9th repackaged album, which was formerly titled Time_Slip. Through Time_Slip and Timeless, the group has showed us two polar sides of themselves. SUPER Clap (the title track from Time_Slip) was a much more energetic and colourful song. 2YA2YAO! is a lot darker and more serious. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the repackaged album (new songs only!) will play out.

Timeless Album Cover

1. 2YA2YAO! (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for 2YA2YAO! (9/10)

3. Ticky Tocky (악몽) – Don’t let the title trick you. I thought Ticky Tocky would be this obnoxiously bright track and would totally hate it. But it was definitely the opposite. Ticky Tocky is a hip-hop based dance track that is very serious. There is a level of edginess to the song that pretty much appealed to my tastes right away. There are some parts of the song that I do place a question mark over, namely the bridge once again. It just brought too much of a pop vibe to the song which I don’t think this subtly intense song needed. The rest of the song was awesome, with really smooth vocals and nice rapping to compliment the hip-hop sound. (8/10)

4. Shadow (赤霞) – Probably the most modern sounding song on the album. The song has this funky sound to it that makes this song sound so awesome. Rather than settling for that hip-hop sound that the other three tracks in this album review have opted for, the song incorporates a bit of that sound through a dance electronica beat. The bass to this song is perfection and the chorus is really addictive. The vocals, once again, is very smooth for a song of this style. But what really caught my attention is the rapping. It is one of their best efforts yet. The rap sequence, at the end, was my favourite bit and I loved the energy that flowed from this part. (10/10)

12. Rock Your Body – Rock Your Body opts for a heavy hip-hop sound on top of the dance genre that the song had going, fitting right in with the rest of the repackaged album. You will notice that only four members performed this track (Yesung, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Ryeowook). The chorus had this anthem-like vibe to it, which helped bolden the song in my point of view. Yesung, Ryeowook and Donghae handled the vocal department really well in this song, helping the song achieve an epic feel. The rapping, handled by Eunhyuk, was pretty good as well. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9/10

Timeless Teaser Image

[Review] Dive – iKON

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After an exceptionally long wait, iKON has finally returned to the music industry. It has been rough year for iKON. For those who missed it, B.I withdrew from the group after it was revealed that he tried to buy drugs in the past. This effectively put a stop on the group’s 2019 comeback. Fast forward to 2020, the group has returned as a reformed 6-member group with Dive and an album produced by B.I (along with many others). It was revealed that this album was originally the comeback slated for 2019. But due to the ‘controversy’, the group had to re-record everything.

I definitely find it interesting that YG Entertainment decided to keep B.I’s song despite the controversy. There could be a number of reasons for this. iKON could have pushed very hard to keep the songs that B.I had put his sweat and tears into. Or YG Entertainment kept the songs as they came from a very trendy producer. Whatever the reason, the song seems to take on a growing trend in the industry. The song features traditional instruments on top of its standard hip-hop backdrop. I think majority of songs that adopted this trend have only featured one instrument. Dive seems to have a few. There are definitely some sort of string instrument and a horn of some type. It gives the song a very appealing and unique profile. This also gave the song some lightness, as I found the song not heavy handed as some of their past tracks. While I do find this side of the song interesting, the vocal and rap work was not as exciting. Instead, it didn’t have the impact it needed and it just didn’t feel captivating. It did try to get there at the end when they brought everyone together, but it just wasn’t enough. On a personal level, I think the song will grow on me. It just needs a little more to it.

One thing that is always a promising sight when it comes to music videos from YG Entertainment are the sets. And this one features some really awesome. A flaming bridge, a non-flaming bridge, a ring of fire just to name a few. Essentially, these are all dangerous and this plays neatly into the lyrics. The members sing that they will be willing to go through anything to be with their lover. If their lover was a thorny bush or a fire, they will dive right into it because they will be willing to do so.

The choreography was good. It was toned down to fit the song’s lighter and melodic nature, which I quite liked. It just doesn’t ping me as a memorable one, unfortunately.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.4/10

[Review] So What – LOONA

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Today’s major comeback is by LOONA. Finally, the group that took out the Best Female Group Choreography in the recent 2019 KPOPREVIEWED Awards with Butterfly has returned. This is the group’s first comeback since Butterfly, so it definitely has been a long wait. Hopefully, So What isn’t the group’s only comeback in 2020, as we don’t want to wait another whole year for a comeback! Unfortunately, this comeback does not feature Haseul, as she sits out due to health concerns.

The song is titled as So What and I think this is a great title for such an intense and attitude filled song. The song is probably best described as a hip-hop infused urban dance track. Usually, I would say that the song ‘throws at you’. But this time, I am going to say that the song kicks you (sorry with the violent analogies) with its intense moments. The chorus is just loaded and comes hurling in your direction with no warning. And I feel that way each time I have listened to the song today, despite knowing fully what is coming my way. Vocally, I have no complaints. There is a fair amount of rapping in the song due to the hip-hop direction, which makes total sense. The vocals were also quite strong, despite it being limited this time around. I did like the slow down in the bridge. It brought relief from the intensity and that they recovered all that lost energy pretty well in the final chorus (i.e. it didn’t ‘start’ a ‘drag down’ of the song). Overall, very impressed.

I only have a limited section in this review to discuss the music video. But my heading it whirling with theories at the moment as this video definitely connects with Hi High and all of their pre-debut singles. But that is another post. The teasers referenced the dark side of the moon, the side that we don’t know of the moon. In this video, we are shown the ‘dark side’ of LOONA or the side that we did not know existed. And it seems Olivia Hye, the final member to be revealed has some influence with their unveil. I remember quite fondly that red lighting was a thing in her music video, and at the end the members were shot with a red light over them. On top of that, a white feather is burning at the end. The feather is an important aspect of the video connecting Haseul (who is absent) and their animals to this video. In addition to the connection of their LOONAVERSE, the group managed to incorporate amazing cinematography, stunning closeup shots and a great depiction of the girl-crush concept.

Their knife-like precision is shown off again in this performance. I like the intense sections of the song feature powerful moves, while the slowed down bridge showcases a more elegant routine. The start, the pre-chorus section and the chorus all looked really cool. It was just so hard to choose a favourite section!

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

[Review] Nun Nu Nan Na – Cignature

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As January was a fairly slow month, there were not many debuts from memory. But as things start to pick up in February and onward, I am confident in saying that more debuts will occur. Cignature is a new seven-member female group from J9 Entertainment, which is a subsidy of C9 Entertainment (which is the entertainment company that manages CIX). The group, formerly known as C9 Girlz, is made up Chaesol, Jee won, Ye Ah, Sunn, Seline, Belle, Semi. They made their debut on Monday with Nun Nu Nan Na.

As a debut song and an introduction to the wider KPOP industry, Nun Nu Nan Na is a good song. But when you think about the song in the wider KPOP industry, we have heard this sound too many times before. This obviously leaves the group in a tight position, with their song leaving the audience’s mind a little sooner than what they thought. There are some good elements to the song, though. The chorus is punchy and the instrumental is vibrant. But the song needed a little something more than its basic girl-crush sound. The instrumental, for example, could have been a little more defined or robust. What we got was fairly light and lacked something memorable. I found the vocal work to be okay. But it isn’t really that impressive, to be honest. Their cutesy take just doesn’t play out, while their sing-shouting felt very cliche. Overall, the song is okay. But it definitely needs some oomph to go for a long ride.

Despite the music video being quite colourful, the lighting in this video alludes to the girl-crush concept quite heavily. Not that there is anything wrong with it. I just thought it was a clear indication of the concept. I did feel there was a bit of aegyo in the video. As I have mentioned in the past, I don’t really enjoy too much aegyo in a girl-crush concept. It does cut the potential mature feel and gives off a childish look. As for the individual rooms, we see in the video, I don’t get them. Don’t know how they play into the lyrics, as the lyrics don’t really seem to reference it. But other than that, it was an okay video to watch.

I thought this was a rather weak performance. It fits the light and vibrant side of the song. But I thought the moves just didn’t do enough justice for the girl-crush concept. There was a mix of cutesy, standard and sensual, so at times it was confusing to know exactly what concept they were aiming for. I also find that the way they got into their formations was a little messy.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 5/10
Overall Rating – 6.4/10

[Review] Crossroads – GFriend

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GFriend also made their comeback yesterday with Crossroads. Unfortunately I ran out of time to review it yesterday. But here is the review now, better late than never. This is a major comeback for the group, as this is the first comeback by the group since Source Music (their company) was acquired by Big Hit Entertainment (the home of BTS and TXT). According to Wikipedia, this isn’t the first time that both companies had paired up with one another, as they previously both partnered to form GLAM and are currently co-managing 8EIGHT (who were confirmed to be returning quite soon).

You would expect that with a ‘change’ in management such as the one outlined in the above paragraph, the group would have faced some sort of transformation. But that isn’t the case. The group retained that sound that we got from Time Is The Moon Night and Sunrise. And while I have enjoyed that sound greatly when it was released, it is slowly becoming a bore and I think that might be the consensus this time around. The string-dominant instrumentation feels like a copy of the previous songs. However, Crossroads did incorporate a little more with faint woodblock like sounds, feature another explosive chorus and the presence of electric guitar at the end felt like it was ‘in-your-face’, which surprisingly was what I had wanted a few comebacks back. All of these did help the song feel new. But I just wished they went an entirely different direction when it came to the ‘main body’ of the song. Vocally, I felt that it was good. It didn’t have much epicness to it as compared to Sunrise (Eunha’s high note still gets me). But I did thoroughly enjoy that brief milli-second pause just before the final chorus, which capped the song in a unique fashion. Overall, it was okay. Just not what I had expected.

One line stood out to me in the song. “Even if you pass by me, I will find you. Then I’ll reach out again to you“, which essentially is all about returning to one another despite difficulties. In the music video, we are shown a whole bunch of scenes where the members fight. And it seems like the fights are very hurtful. For example, Umji and Yuju have a massive fight at home. A few scenes later, Umji wants to make up with Yuju, but Yuju rejects this, showing us the extent of this fight. At the end, we do get to see the members come together and enjoy their time with one another, which I assume shows us that they all made up after finding their way back to one another. That is the story line that I managed to get after watching the video a couple of time and may have missed on important details (i.e. Eunha’s introductory doesn’t really fit into this category, but may link up with their previous videos possibly?). So let me know if I missed anything or what you think happened in the video!

Even the choreography reminds me of their previous comebacks. I do still like the elegant side of their performance and am glad that did carry over, as this is very fitting for this song style. I thought that both the start and the end of the performance looked really cool, especially with the speed at which the ending came hurling at.

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

[Review] Dun Dun – EVERGLOW

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Did EVERGLOW take the Best New Female Group Category for 2019? Click here to find out!

One of the groups that I am going to be keeping an eye on throughout 2020 is EVERGLOW. Why am I keeping an eye out for them? Well, their debut track (Bon Bon Chocolat) and Adios comeback puts them on a whole new level. And it is EVERGLOW’s goal to continue this or even top it through their next comeback and beyond. Well, the group has returned with Dun Dun today. So it will be interesting to see if it does.

I read an article headline today where the group stated that the first time hearing the song, they loved it. And I think I can say the exact same thing. Once again, EVERGLOW manages to blow my mind with Dun Dun. It is bolder than their other title tracks, which basically means they achieved their goal mentioned in the first paragraph. There is a ethnic vibe to the song in the opening that filtered throughout the song as it progressed along. The song then threw us one of the best lines in KPOP so far at the very start. I say that because that line just oozed so much attitude. But the part that blew my mind was the chorus. There is a delay drop and we get one of the most memorable moments of the song through this (i.e. where they sing softly ‘You Are So Done Done Done‘. The chorus was explosive and their shouting really makes it memorable. I also liked how they didn’t repeat the delayed drop for the second chorus, which help prevent the song from becoming repetitive. Towards, we do get a instrumental break which basically encompasses all the adjectives (i.e. bold, explosive, attitude-heavy) that I have mentioned in the review so far. There is a lot to this song and I definitely think it is another amazing track from the group that is one up from their previous tracks.

The music video definitely fits in with the song. It is bolder and helps define the song in a way that makes it so much more explosive. That is why I consider visuals to be a very important of KPOP. The music video also no doubtfully made them look very stunning, with their outfits and closeups highlighting the individual members. I really liked their sets in the music video looked really cool, as they helped the video to become even more memorable. I think the icy set, with the black background and their black dresses were the best in the video.

All the adjectives that I have mentioned thus far were actively portrayed throughout the performance. I have honestly run out of things to mention, as I have basically describe the dance already. I think the only word that I haven’t mentioned is edgy, but I use that term a little too much nowadays. I really like the swaying thing they do when they delay the drop and the dance break at the end was really cool.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.7/10

[Review] Say My Name – ANS

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The next review I have coming your way is for ANS, an eight-member female group that I have yet to cover on my blog. They made their debut with Boom Boom in the later half of the year. Originally, I was going to review Boom Boom but that has been delayed. The review for Boom Boom will be coming later in the month as part of the Catch Up segment that I am planning. So, keep your eyes peeled for that. In the meanwhile, this is the review for Say My Name, the group’s comeback track which was released at the start of the year.

Say My Name is a good track. It just has a few things that don’t sit right for me. But I will get to them later on. The song has this level of boldness, which really helps put the spotlight on the track. The song’s EDM based instrumental does sound a little typical but there is a good level of energy to it that I really enjoyed. The pre-chorus vocals were probably my favourite parts of the song and I liked the hook that they had. It was very catchy and has grown to be somewhat addictive. But the rapping just did not feel right. It just didn’t feel fitting and I think if they somehow better mixed into the song, that would have helped a lot. The second has to be one of the ‘addictive’ hooks. The ‘going Boom Boom‘ felt very cheap, particularly since it was the title of their debut single. I wished they were a little more creative and opted for a different catchphrase. Minus those two problems, Say My Name is a pretty decent track to continue onward with their careers.

The music video is what really caught my attention. Based on concept, it reminded me of EVERGLOW’s Adios comeback from 2019. But they added a few little more elements to make it their own. These additions also made it turn into a quite colourful music video. But it isn’t brightly coloured as the edgy factor is maintained throughout the music video. I also thought the video managed to showcase a very bold side of the group, which goes hand-in-hand with the song. Overall, a cool music video.

I really liked how they brought the edge through their performance. The song does have a ‘don’t mess with me’ type of vibe to it and I think they worked that vibe well into their choreography. The song does also give them a little leeway, as it is all seriousness, giving them an opportunity to smile for the camera. I think they could have lost this element but it still managed to work.

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

[Review] Without You – Golden Child

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Golden Child is the second artist to comeback this week that is returning with a repackaged album. In November 2019, the group returned with the rebooted Wannabe, which earned them their first weekly music show win ever! Now the group is looking to continue the same momentum through their Without You comeback and the repackaged version of Re-boot, which also shares the same name as the new title track. In other related news, the group also recently held their first solo concert mid-January.

Based on my initial listen, I categorize this track into the classy category. I think what Golden Child managed to do in Without You was really impressive and unique. Going into this track, I had expected the common structure. So, I thought the soft-spoken start was the launchpad into a song that would have built up to into something explicitly epic. But we never get to that point as the song doesn’t really build. Instead the epicness we do get was a lot more subtle. The beat was a lot more hidden, but the chorus still managed to be groovy and fitting as a follow up from Wannabe. There is also a trap-infused dance break following the choruses, which was designed to be fitting for the song yet subtle at the same time. The second half of the song does have a more beat to it, but it keeps relatively aligned with the first half in its subtle-ness. The vocal work was superb and the rapping gave the song an extra punch, which I thought was fun. While I do like the song as a whole, my favourite section has to be the rough texture in the first verse, which is followed by a brief pause. That was really cool effect.

I don’t have time at the moment to really dig into the meaning behind the video. But I can tell that each scene seems to be in this music video for a symbolic reasoning. I would like to see what they are trying to portray, so if you have an idea about the storyline/meaning of the video, then let us know in the comment. This makes the music video a lot more interesting, lifting the dark concept from typical to captivating.

I thought the start to the choreography was pretty cool. The way they get up one by one. It is followed up a really cool setup where they are able to pull Jaehyun backwards. Then they were able to have really stunning formations during each pause in the first verse. And all of this happened before we reached the chorus. The dance break we ended up getting looked awesome, while the key point of the choreography during the chorus helped ‘smooth’ everything out.

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