Category: Reviews

[Review] Tiger Eyes – Ryu Su Jeong (Lovelyz)

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During the week, we saw the solo debut of Ryu Su Jeong, who may better known as a member of Lovelyz. Su Jeong is the second member of the group to undergo solo promotions after debuting, following Kei, who debuted under the stage name Kim Ji Yeon last year with I Go. As for Ryu Su Jeong, she made her solo debut on Wednesday with Tiger Eyes, which is the title for both her solo title track and mini-album. As this review is already a few days late, let’s get right into the review.

I am unfamiliar with the members of Lovelyz, so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect with these (and any future) solo releases. Kei’s genre choice was a ballad, which made sense (in a cliche way) as she is the group’s main vocalist. Su Jeong is the lead vocalist of the group, so I half expected her to follow with the ballad route. But she ended up going with a dance track. And I think it is very refreshing move. Interestingly, Su Jeong strays away from the more innocent and ‘lovely’ (pun intended) style we always associate with Lovelyz. Instead, she opts for a very mature sound and a complete 180 from the concepts in which we usually see Su Jeong in. It is definitely exciting and adds to that refreshing note. I think this is a great song. The consistent beat we get in the instrumental reminded me songs from Kylie Minogue. There is slight heaviness to the beat, which is a major difference from the iconic artist. In addition, there is a very subtle intensity mixed into Tiger Eyes, which was interesting. The chorus has a nice kick of energy, which keeps the song exciting. I also enjoyed how the bridge had those piano key strikes, adding a light element to the otherwise pretty bass heavy dance track. I liked how Su Jeong’s vocals don’t go into that powerhouse mode or really any powerful mode in that sense. Instead, her vocals go down a more subtle route, with her vocals staying relatively low. By doing this, Su Jeong adds an intriguing touch to the song. The ‘Tiger Eyes‘ hooks was quite memorable after a few listens and I really liked how Su Jeong gave that phrase some life. I feel like this song could have used a rap sequence of some kind to give it that added edgy dimension, which I believe will make Tiger Eyes even more exciting.

You probably could already read my mind ahead of the next sentence. The music video had that typical close up and choreography formula. But I can’t always expect for a music video to incorporate a plot line. What the director of Tiger Eyes does right is highlighting the mature change that Su Jeong is undergoing. I mean, we are seeing a Lovelyz member in a way we have never seen them before. And there is a little bit of mysteriousness in the music video. I feel like there is enough interaction between the close up shots (even though they do not necessary connect to one another) that allows that mysteriousness to come from.

I feel like the performance could have used some more catwalk like moments, as I feel like there is enough attitude into the song to really make that feel natural. That, with the right stage effects, would have made this a knockout performance. But what we got is very suitable for the song. My only problem is how Su Jeong would return to a more innocent image through Lovelyz’s promotions. Unless, this solo promotion is easing us into a very different Lovelyz…

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

[Review] Punch – NCT 127

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Since March, the members of NCT has been quite busy with various music releases and promotions (Props to Haechan for participating in all of them!). NCT 127 first returned with Kick It and their second studio album, Neo Zone, in March. NCT Dream only just returned a few weeks ago with Ridin’ and their mini-album Reload (album review coming). And yesterday, NCT returned with their 127 lineup for promotions for their repackaged album and Punch. The music video wasn’t released until today, so this prevented me from getting a review out yesterday.

Punch is a song that seeks to make an impact in one way or another. And I feel like they give that impact at the start of the song when the electronic retro arcade-like instrumental was probably the strongest. They start off with a rap sequence in which they all share, before reverting to a breathy whisper over the same instrumentation. The contrast here is very strong and unique. The song then strips away the electronic arcade-like backdrop, allowing for melodic instrumentation and vocals to exist. And this before the song brings in an anthem-like chorus that I feel was rather aesthetic in its own right. As you can tell, it seems like a messy roller coaster ride in just the first half of the song. As to be honest, I did find this approach to be rather messy when I first listened to the song. But with multiple listens, Punch gets better and feels less messy, especially as the song comes together quite neatly. There are other elements to the song that I thought were quite good. The instrumental, as you listen more of it, contains additional elements that really help bind the song together. From the trap influences (that remind me of Superhuman‘s trap instrumentation), to the faint electric guitars that add some pop to the song, to the cinematic-like dance break that features at the end of the song. I have to admit that I find both the vocals and some of the rapping to be quite safe for the group. I wished they managed to ‘pack a punch’ into this element to give the song some life. I was also surprised to hear that they laid off the intensity and energy, which I think was a missed opportunity. Kick It seems to be the more superior in this sense, with Punch toning it down significantly. Overall, Punch is a good song. But I don’t think its their best effort.

I found the music video to be rather weak and bland. Apart from the wavy distortion applied in the post-production phases to the closeup shots that I will say looks cool, the music video followed the typical closeup and choreography set up, which isn’t as exciting when you think about it. I feel like the members were dressed at the start in a manner that made them look extra tough and I didn’t really get that feel from the song to warrant all that black leather. The sets looked cool and the lighting was rather nice. But apart from that, not much else to discuss.

The choreography definitely had that wow factor that I wished the music video had. That entire sequence at the start when the members are standing in a circle looks amazing. I also liked how the members come at you during the breathy rap sequences in the verses. The entire final chorus and dance break sequence at the end was pretty cool as well.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.6/10

[Review] Can’t You See Me – TXT

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Making their comeback and kicking off the week is TXT. For those who may not remember TXT (where have you been?) or if you are new KPOP listener (an acceptable excuse for not remembering TXT), they were the biggest male rookie group of 2019, debuting with Crown and Run Away. Today, the group returns with Can’t You See Me, which is the title track on their second mini-album, The Dream Chapter: Eternity. It also continues their series of growth, which has the themes of their past two releases. Let’s see how their latest release stacks up to their debut singles.

Can’t You See Me starts off with a really promising air of mysteriousness, which I think continually features throughout the song. It helps create an aesthetic atmosphere. The song then brings in a rock transition and this transition into what I would describe as a subdued rock dance track. Featuring throughout the verses are autotune moments that remind me of Billie Ellish’s Bad Guy. They add a really impactful and rough texture to the song, giving Can’t You See Me some character and profile. Instrumentally, the chorus feels very similar to the verse. But I really liked how their vocals help bring some life to the chorus, which helps differentiate the sections. I thought the chorus had decent hooks, with my favourite being the speaking line ‘My friends don’t understand me, no‘. The rest of the song is quite similar, with some different changes. The opening to the second verse is heavily filtered rap sequence brought to you by the members. I really liked the intensity of this sequence and how it added to the aesthetics of the song. The bridge takes away that subdued rock sound, leaving the vocals to do most of the work. Apart from some really soft crunchy synths, the slow tempo and the breathy vocals of Soonbin and Yeonjun makes total sense. I think the downfall of the track is that the different components I have described feel a little disorienting and it took me a few listens to cohesively piece the track together. But overall, I liked the more subdued sound and the different things they had going on in it.

The trailer for this comeback depicts the members becoming socially distance from Soobin. We get a sense of the social distance in the music video as well, as the members sing about how their friends no longer understands them. In the video, Soobin is the main character. The other members come over and I noticed that when they are all having fun, one or two of the members become ‘distant’. For the video, it happens to all the members. But storywise, I feel like only Soobin has this feeling. Things start to get wild as the members start to have a food fight with tomatoes and strawberries. During this food fight, Soobin screams (I assume he has had enough) and each of the members leave. All tomato and strawberry stained, we see the members outside (with exception of Soobin, I think) in a sadden mood. Skip a few seconds and we see the house on fire. I think Soobin takes his life (the red food fight depicts blood). But why are the members still around the house? Well, I think they are like voices in Soobin’s head and they realize their effect. Death is referenced in two parts. The first is when Beomgyu places a blanket over Yeonjun. When Yeonjun removes the blanket in a later part of the video, the other members are holding their heads, experiencing some crazy headache and are shown in a fast forward filter around Yeonjun. Maybe a headache caused by voices in one’s head? When the members leave Soobin, they are in the same fast forward filter as before, further showing that they are in his head. Yeonjun is later crushing a tomato in his hand and he looks at it like how someone would look at a blood-covered hand. When he looks up, all the members are zoned out. Each of these sections are followed by a red light (a foreshadowing moment). My next guess is that each member (other than Soobin) represent an emotion or desire. But for the sake of this review, I won’t delve into that level of detail. Overall, a really good video. I liked the set and the story (if my interpretation proves true).

The choreography has this subdued level of intensity that feel just right for the song. I liked how those autotuned moments in the instrumental became the more erratic moments in the choreography. These parts contrasted very nicely with the smoother texture of the rest of the choreography. I also liked their entire setup for the rap sequence in the second verse.

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

[Review] Jungle – BVNDIT

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Returning yesterday was BVNDIT, with Jungle. This is the group’s 3rd comeback since their debut a year and a month ago with Hocus Pocus. Jungle is the title track of their second mini-album, Carnival, which also features Cool (which I have already reviewed) and Children (yet to review), both of which were released earlier this year. Let’s see what the group has offer with this latest comeback.

Jungle continues that intense sound that the group debuted and returned with in 2019. Their sound and visual concepts have aligned to the ‘girl crush’ realm since debut and they only stepped away from that side for the release of the two singles prior to Jungle. And while the group’s past title tracks have been rated fairly, I feel like Jungle is a step backwards and shows off that intensity in a not-so-good manner. The song goes with a middle-eastern influence within the dance track, which I personally don’t mind. I have praised many songs in the past for going with that foreign influence. What I do mind is that it is always there. Apart from the bridge of the song, it is never stripped away. It is always at a much lower tone so it is barely audible underneath the decent dance beats. This pretty much feels like an unnecessary incorporation, and frankly, it makes Jungle quite messy. I felt like they could have kept it when it was the main centre piece of the instrumental and then replaced it with more dynamic material to give the song some bulkiness during the other parts. I do admit it does give Jungle some colour and some character. It just could have been cleaned up. Another thing that the song lacks is a strong, catchy hook. I think this would have helped give the song some extra definition and made the song more robust. The only good solid part was the final dance break, just before the final chorus kicks in. But I felt like it was a bit too late for that.

The visual concept for this comeback was very strong and this definitely improves the comeback package by a mile. The members stand out throughout the music video, by wearing colours that pop in the various different settings in which they filmed in. There were some visual effects throughout the chorus, which helped make the video more captivating and helped boost the song’s appeal. The video was more of a close-up and choreography styled music video, but I think the video had some good points.

What I think is pretty strong in this performance is that the choreography used a staggered touch to some of the various moves, which I thought made the performance looked good. Unfortunately, the actual moves don’t really have much impact. The only part that looks pretty decent is that dance break just before the final chorus. There was some attitude to it, which I thought was good.

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

[Review] Didn’t Say Anything – Baek Z Young & Ong Seong Woo

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Don’t you just love surprise releases? This is another collaboration single, joining the two big releases from last week (i.e. IU ft. Suga from BTS and BOL4 ft. Baekhyun from EXO). This single, Didn’t Say Anything, features Baek Z Young, a well known singer in KPOP, known for her songs such as Like Being Hit By A Bullet; My Ear’s Candy (ft. Taecyeon from 2PM); and my personal favourite, Garosugil (ft. Song Yu Vin). And alongside Baek Z Young in this song is Ong Seong Woo, whom we all know from his Wanna One days and recent solo comeback, Gravity.

I associate Baek Z Young, a lot of the time, to ballads. In addition to that thought, the title just screams out emotion and sadness. So that was my expectation going into the song. And boy, Didn’t Say Anything was definitely a ballad. I have only replayed it a couple of times since it was released. And each time, I have been left breathless and speechless. I miss these types of ballads that are just stunning to listen to and I can guarantee that it will continue that way for a very long time. Take Still Love You by Hwesung from N.Flying and Lee Hong Ki from FT Island, it still sounds amazing and floors me to this day. Didn’t Say Anything leaves me that way for a few reasons and it is usual suspects. Didn’t Say Anything features a very nice orchestral instrumentation that continues to build as the song progresses. And this buildup is paired alongside the vocals of both Baek Z Young and Ong Seong Woo. Both singers belt it out from about the half way point, slightly earlier than when most artists would unleash a high note or two. That high note at the end of the bridge was spectacular. Both artists surprised me with that one. Baek Z Young, sure. Ong Seong Woo, very unexpected. And to show off his vocal abilities further, he handles most (if not all) the ad-libs to finish off the song. But it wasn’t just the high notes that wowed me. Even at a normal volume, the pair sounded amazing. The harmonies were beautiful and Baek Z Young’s voice at the start and end was just velvety.

The song is about not saying anything to each other after a breakup due to the emotions one would feel, causing further heartbreak. For majority of the video, we see the singers alone, being heartbroken alone. But at the end, it was revealed that the two were actually side by side. They were in very close proximity to each other and a word or two easily could have been shared. But you could feel that there was an imaginary barrier between them that prevented them from doing so. And this imaginary line that was formed by their emotional states that prevented them from speaking (i.e. the sadness and the glances we could see them making towards one another). I thought that was an interesting yet clever way of presenting the meaning of the song.

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

[Review] Good Night – H&D

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Last month, I wrote a review for H&D’s debut single, SOUL. In that review, I promised that I would get around to writing a review for the second title track, Good Night, on the same debut mini-album, Soulmate. A music video was released for Good Night alongside SOUL, which I didn’t know about until a few days later. Though it seems I have taken a little longer than expected to review it, I finally present to you my review for Good Night. In other related news, both Lee Hangyul and Nam Dohyun have been confirmed to be debuting as part of a male group later this year.

When I listen to Good Night, Leessang is a name that keeps on popping up in my mind. For those who may be unfamiliar with Leessang, they were a duo who delved into the hip-hop and were very popular back in the day for songs like Turned Off The TV and Girl Who Can’t Break-Up and Boy Who Can’t Leave. I find the melody and the beat would be something that could have come from Leessang. Good Night is obviously a lot more upbeat, well suited for a youthful style and modernised. And the lyrics are a lot more innocent and pure. Moving the focus back to H&D, I thought their execution was pretty good. Both the rapping and singing from the duo were pretty strong. The only part that I thought was a little awkward was the chanting anthem sequence that followed the choruses in the song about half way and the at the end. I am unsure how to describe it as I am no musical expert, but it felt like the song become a lot rougher and messier when it came to that sequence, in my opinion. The instrumental of the song was more of your typical tropical island beats, but it did feel rather refreshing and well-suited for the upcoming Summery season that South Korea is about to enter. I personally think Good Night is a good song despite it also delving into a typical domain. I just feel that Good Night has more of a fresh appeal compared to SOUL.

When it comes to the concept of the music video, it is clear that they went in the opposite direction to their other debut music video. This video shows a sleepover concept and it was definitely a lot more lighthearted, colourful and innocent. I really liked how they wrote some the lyrics in the comic style font, in addition to having it act as a visual effect to give the video some extra character. Usually they do this for key English words in the song or just some typical ‘pow’ or ‘wow’ text. Overall, it looked fun and I think this video suited the song well.

To match the casual sleepover concept, the entire performance was done so in pajamas. I liked that they retained this detail, which made the performance feel more approachable and chill to watch. But the moves looked pretty typical and didn’t offer anything new to us viewers on the performance front. I did like the start and end, however, where they used the dancers to lean on, like they are on a couch, adding to that casual detail I mentioned.

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

[Review] I’m In Trouble – NU’EST

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Also making their comeback this Monday is NU’EST with I’m In Trouble. This new track is featured on the group’s 8th mini-album, The Nocturne. NU’EST has had a busy year in 2019 with the release of Bet Bet and Love Me (their most recent release prior to today’s comeback). 2019 also saw the long awaited return of Minhyun to the group’s lineup from other activities. Let’s see what the group has installed for 2020.

I’m In Trouble kicks off with the plucking of guitar strings. It took a brief moment before the proper beat to kick in, which end up being more instrumentation contributing to a beat that continues the low deep tone which the song started off with. As it delved into the chorus, I’m In Trouble took a R&B pop approach. I have to say that the song is already quite sleek and classy in an elegant manner. But it never really picked up, which was something that I really wanted as the song progressed. It just stayed in a very neutral setting. I was glad when it came to the bridge that the song inserted that vibrating-like synth. It was an odd addition, but it added some life and variety to the song. But I wished they continue with the additional elements as the song reverted back to the same consistent sound to end it off, which was bland. The vocal work was good, but not their best effort. Interestingly, JR opted for vocals this time around, but I felt a rap sequence of any degree was warranted to give the song some edge. Just enough so that the classy and sleek nature of the song isn’t lost. I think that would provide some extra variety to the sound and give the song some uniqueness. The hooks didn’t offer much, which I thought they could have fell back on to give the song that memorable touch. Instead, their main ‘I’m In Trouble‘ was incredibly plain and failed to gain any interest from me. Overall, it has some good things going in. But it just failed to capture my attention.

NU’EST’s latest music video that accompanies the release of I’m In Trouble is very aesthetic to watch. I really liked the pentagon platform with the partitions that they sit in. That looked really cool. The cinematography was also very good in this video. As for the plot line, I am not too sure what is going on in this video. It seems like the members are playing a game (that looks familiar) where they choose to who to kill (i.e. vote out). It seems based on the teasers and the music video, this game is played at night, while each member goes about their respective days. Who they choose seems to have do with something in their normal life. The members reach out to one another to form an alliance or warn one another of betrayal. In the end, the members voted for JR to be eliminated, though I am not sure why. My best guess is that a person they are all interested is playing a cruel game and this person edges the members on with text messages throughout the day. Though, I am not sure how the teasers fit into the video. My interpretation is very literal and I don’t think anything that I wrote above is part of a proper interpretation, as everything seems mysterious and mine feels a little too lighthearted. Do you have any clue? Fill me in by commenting below.

I thought the choreography was pretty good. The routine looks complicated despite it not really ultilising any crazy movements like in many other choreographies. Instead, this routine matches the song in the sense that it is sleek and refined. I thought the sections in which the members sing the hook (i.e. ‘I’m In Trouble‘ repetition) to be pretty dynamic looking.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.3/10

[Review] Zombie – DAY6

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We kick off this week with the return of DAY6, who we last saw through Sweet Chaos. The band from JYP Entertainment released their new single, Zombie, and the group’s 6th mini-album, The Book Of Us: The Demon. The actual album itself includes two versions of the title track, a Korean and English version. It seems like we will only be seeing the members through the music video and the teaser images, as their company announced that the band would be halting all activities (including promotions) so that some of the members can recover their health, as it has been revealed that some of the members are suffering from psychological anxiety. Let’s all wish the members a quick recovery so we can see them on stage soon.

Zombie is best described as a rock ballad, leaning more towards the ballad side of that pairing. It is a little dry at first. But once you delve into it, you will grow to like it. I liked how the song didn’t conform to the usual routine and structure, which was opposite of the songs lyrics of being stuck in the same routine and hence becoming a zombie for living life on repeat. And this way, it made the rock ballad quite unique as well. Every time we heard the chorus (the lyrical sequence that was repeated), it was paired with a different instrumental piece. The first time around it felt like it embedded in the first verse, which was followed by an instrumental break that felt like it should have backed the first chorus (but was delayed). This instrumental break here felt extremely powerful in the English version and I assume it would have the same impact if you understood the Korean version. The second time we heard the chorus, it was back by what felt like the usual chorus instrumentation. And the third time was actually as Zombie was easing out, with just a synthesizer and then a keyboard playing in the background. The other parts of the song were really nice as well, instrumental-wise. But the vocals were definitely the standout element. You can hear the tiredness of the usual routine and the desire for more in this voices. My favourite section of the song, which showed off the vocals the best (in my opinion) has to be the short second verse. Jae’s ‘This Meaningless Life‘ just comes out so smoothly. Overall, it is a really beautiful song. I don’t know exactly when one would play it, given its message. But it definitely a relatable song.

I thought the music video was cleverly produced. In the video, the main character played the role of a ‘zombie’, which is a guy who lives the same routine every single day. He gets up in the morning and goes to work as a businessperson. I like how the video was shot with everything else moving around him in a fast forward motion, while he is in neutral gear and dragging himself towards his job. Another thing I like is when his apartment is filled with water, this corresponds with the ‘Wanna Cry‘ lyrics. However, I liked how the main character does not care that his home is flooded and just goes to bed as per his routine, showing that he is truly stuck in that same routine. I also liked how the members play instruments within the apartment. The set was very narrow, but they managed to get everyone in there. I also liked how they shot closeup of one member standing close to the camera and the next person standing in the background, so that the camera only need to adjusts its focus to get to the next person (and the video doesn’t need fancy transitions to move along).

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

[Review] Leo – BOL4 ft. Baekhyun (EXO)

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May is going to be one intense month given the popularity of many acts that have been confirmed a release for the month. And we have just saw the competition get a little more intense with the release of another big collaboration. This one is between BOL4 and Baekhyun from EXO. BOL4 has been a huge artist, dominating the charts over the past few years with songs like Galaxy, Some, Travel and Bom. More recently, BOL4 was reduced to one member (Ahn Ji Young) with the departure of Woo Ji Yoon. Despite that, it was confirmed that BOL4 (now a solo act) would return later this month, with Leo being a pre-release single. Joining her later this month in a solo comeback of his own and Leo is Baekhyun from EXO, who no doubt every knows of due to EXO’s popularity and through his past digital hits such as UN Village and Dream (with Bae Suzy).

As this is a pre-release single for BOL4’s upcoming album, Leo is very much in her willpower. Her unique vocals shine throughout this song from the very first moment we hear her. There is something about that slight nasally voice that just makes many of her songs so captivating. The song has this really light and floating feeling, which really compliments her vocals that doesn’t make it tiring. It pretty much throws you back to BOL4’s early days with the songs in which grew the name and got her to the top of the charts. The song’s instrumentation is jazzy and I find suits the Summer season quite a bit. And Leo‘s brightness compliments the lyrics is about being happy when seeing the person you love. But BOL4 only makes up one half of the song. The other half is occupied with Baekhyun who sounds really sweet in this song. I don’t really have much to say about his voice. But I do find that his voice keeps the song grounded in a way, which was an interesting thought I had. It might have something to do with the contrast between BOL4’s high tone and Baekhyun’s deeper tone. When they sing and harmonise together, I find that they manage to bring the the floating feeling and grounded feeling together quite neatly, creating a very balanced atmosphere and relaxing in the song.

The video only features BOL4, who portrays that happy feeling that the song expresses. It seems like she is a homebody in the music video who doesn’t enjoy going outside. She keeps to herself and practically lives on her own. Not sure why she doesn’t leave her sanctuary. But she has her up and down moments living alone. She has her happy moments when she listens to the little stereo (which is how Baekhyun made a cameo in the video – without even appearing physically – I thought that was very well planned). But she has her low moments (i.e. when she was winding the wool and got board). A butterfly (i.e. something that she loves a bit) flew into her apartment and attracted her attention. From then on, she was quite happy. So happy that she followed the butterfly outside and enjoyed her time. I like how the video sends a simple message of that if you are with someone you love, it will make anything you worry or are scared about meaningless, allowing you to overcome that hurdle. Overall, a nice video.

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

[Review] Eight – IU ft. Suga (BTS)

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You take the digital queen of KPOP. You take one of the members of the most popular KPOP group in KPOP. You put them together in a room and apparently that equates to Eight. If you couldn’t tell about the title of this post, I will be having a looking into the collaboration single that came about when we combine the likes of IU and Suga from BTS. And that collaboration single is set to dethrone every other song at the top of the charts, given the power of the two in the industry. After all, they have already debuted at the number 1 position for two of the domestic charts and they are rising fast on the rest of them. After all, it is what IU and BTS does best.

The song is produced by Suga and IU themselves and it all about being 28 (which is also the Korean age of both IU and Suga this year). The song takes the form of a pop rock track, which already sounds amazing. I liked how mellow Eight started off as and how fast it was to ditch that sound to become an epic pop rock song that I could rock out to. That is really big tick in my books. To me, it is like the song mashes up IU’s pop rock Blueming and BTS’ more modern influence. I do think Eight could have used some electric guitar riffs to really give the final chorus a little something different to the rest of the song. Or would this be a little cliche? The song just felt a little too consistent as I was listening to it after multiple replays. Though, this doesn’t stop me from pressing the replay button. IU’s vocals never seem to disappoint, with this song highlighting her vocal abilities in the same way as her ballads and well known hits have always managed to do. Her voice comes off very refreshing and suits this pop rock style a lot. Suga has a very limited section in Eight, but he comes in with a really cool whisper and he continues the momentum of the song without diverting to a new or different sound. The only other flaw of the song is how short it was. But after all, it is a short but sweet song.

The music video starts and ends off with IU in this futuristic world. It seems like the machine that she gets into is a memory machine that replays memories in her dream. The memory that we see on our screen is what I presume to be an experience at the age of 28. She takes care of a lizard or gecko that she really loves. One night, she has a dream that she is on a plane and her lizard is on the outside of the plane. The plane experiences turbulence, waking IU up. IU runs downstairs to find that her lizard pet has gone into the wild. IU, in another dream, goes looking for her pet. But soon realizes that her pet had evolved into a dragon like creature. Knowing that her lizard pet is well and moving on with its life, she moves on with hers as she flies away to her destination. I thought the video was really cool. I liked how they showed four versions of IU without confusing us as they used a different style of each. They used a human form for Futuristic IU and memory IU, while animated 3D IU (which may have included 3D animated Suga) and cartoon IU for the different dreams. Overall, a fantastic video.

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

[Review] V.A.V.I Girl – FANATICS

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Making their comeback on Monday was FANATICS. The group started out as a trio, FANATICS-FLAVOR, back in 2018 with the single Milkshake. The subunit was reformed with new members and the FLAVOR part was dropped from their name. The full group, FANATICS, was expanded to be 6 members in 2019 through the release of Sunday. The group then expanded to a 8-member lineup this year through V.A.V.I Girl (this review) and currently the group’s lineup is Sika, Doi, Chaelin (hiatus), Chiayi, Yoonhye (hiatus), Doah, Rayeon and Via. This is the group’s second official comeback, which features on their second mini-album which is titled (appropriately) as Plus Two.

Right off the bat, I want to say that I don’t mind V.A.V.I Girl as a song. There are a number of elements in the song that I quite enjoy and there are a number of elements that I am not digging. As always, let’s start off with the negative aspects that is dragging the song down. I personally don’t like how they pushed the cutesy style vocals onto this group. I understand that was the more fitting sound given the song’s energetic and lively nature. But I felt it was still quite unnecessary push that ended with the song developing a really typical profile. I think they could have adopted a mature vocal style (allowing for the use of their raspy and husky vocals that I can hear) and this song still would have had the same impact. The instrumental was also quite loud, so they had to push their voices extra hard to be heard over it. This was also an unnecessary step that the producers could have prevented. I usually don’t mind the dubstep breakdown that cuts through songs, but this was pretty ill-fitting. They had to a take what felt like an extra long pause to return the song its original instrumental, a sign of something that just doesn’t go with the majority. But as I said, it isn’t all bad. I thought the instrumental (aside from that dubstep breakdown) was awesome. There was an explosive and punchy nature to the retro instrumental, which was quite addictive. This also made the song very colorful and fun. Adding to the addictiveness of the song was the hook. I thought the ‘V.A.V.I Girl‘ was actually quite smart as it pronounced similarly to Barbie Girl. The main reason why they did this was to avoid being banned from promoting it (as songs with actual brand names have been banned from music shows in the past), as that won’t help to get their name out there.

If you had been reading this blog for a while now, you might have noticed that I prefer videos with a story line or some sort of . It doesn’t have to be a spectacular movie blockbuster style. It just has been something that they can weave into the video so it doesn’t become a typical closeup and choreography style music video, which I find boring. This music video had it, but it was missing a key detail. The members are dolls that have become alive and they go into a toy shop after realizing that the product they used to be part of were not doing well in sales. It seems like they go in play around with some of the toys and go looking for themselves to put in the middle display. We just don’t get to see the part where they find their product, which I think was the whole point of the video. I don’t think they grabbed the ones from the front as they have ‘Buy 1 Get 1 Free’ stickers on the front that you can’t remove without leaving some of the sticker behind. In regards to the rest of the video, it was very colourful and had a fun vibe, matching the tone of the song.

The choreography was good. It didn’t look that impressive at first. But after multiple replays of the choreography on stage, I thought that circle formation they move in for the second half of the chorus was very cool. The music video showed a few black flips (don’t know if they are the actual name of that move) at the end of the video. It was probably for the best given their outfits, but I would have liked to see that on stage as it would added a little wow factor in my opinion.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

[Review] Knock – ASTRO

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Also kicking off the month of May is ASTRO, who makes their comeback with the title track, Knock, and the mini-album GATEWAY. This is ASTRO’s first comeback since the release of Blue Flame late last year and it is also the first official comeback which marks the return of Moonbin, who sat out of promotions for Blue Moon for health reasons. ASTRO, with Moonbin, did release a special single, One & Only, in March for their fourth anniversary. I am also very glad that ASTRO is coming back today as opposed to a week from now due to the intense competition due next week. It gives ASTRO an opportunity to shine, which will help them immensely in this crazy month ahead.

Knock may be the song that pushes the group further into the spotlight. I feel like All Night and Blue Flame did a fine job at putting the group into the spotlight, but it hasn’t been enough to make them the centre of attention based on the resultant reception that I got from my research. After all, the group is charting higher than ever with Knock. I put my finger on a number of aspects of the song that may be helping with this. The first has to be the song’s robust and very dynamic chorus. I like how the song’s main hook (i.e. the ‘Knock Knock Knock‘) felt like mini jabs throughout the chorus that really reeled you in and grabbed your attention. The second has to the be powerful rapping. Both JinJin and Rocky shined in the verses. But once the bridge came, I wanted more and they delivered with an extra powerful sequence. And as a cherry on the top, JinJin had a final section with was rapping overload for me (in a good way). The third has to be the vocals. MJ, Moonbin, Eunwoo and Sanha all sounded really clear and crisp. The powerful dance instrumentation was very loud and I was concerned that the members would be drowned in the midst of the music. The fourth has to be the instrumental, which I have just touched on. I liked how the chorus contrasted with the instrumentation in the verses, which was a lot more melodic and calmer. Put everything together and you get Knock.

The concept of the music video and comeback is dimension travelling, which isn’t a unfamiliar concept in the KPOP world. I am a little hesitant calling it time travelling, even though their image teasers hinted towards it, as I didn’t see much references to time. But what I think I find very unique about the music video is that they focus on the middle region of this travelling between different worlds, which is often not even shown in music videos related to time travelling or going in between worlds. It was stunning video and you could see how the multiple worlds was accessible in this realm or limbo that they are in. The visual effects for the spiraling staircases and the floating planets looked amazing. Even the members looked very attractive and captivating in this video.

The choreography left a very strong impression on me. In an interview published by Soompi, the group expressed how tiring the choreography. And what I saw in the music video looked really exhausting. But it was a very powerful routine that shows off the group’s dancing ability. Just watch look at each moment where they sing ‘Knock Knock Knock‘. There is no resting period in this choreography and it requires stamina. So props to the members for this powerful choreography, especially in the weeks to come.

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

[Review] Happy – Taeyeon (SNSD)

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Today, Taeyeon makes her grand return with her single, Happy. This comeback was meant to happen 2 months ago on March 9th, which is also her birthday. But due to her father’s death on the same day, the decision was made to delay the comeback up until a week ago when the new single confirmed its new release date. Before I begin the review or go any further, I would like to express my condolences to Taeyeon and her family for their loss. On a happier note, this is Taeyeon’s first comeback since the release of her second repackaged studio album and the title track, Dear Me.

Happy is the first release of May that will be a tough digital contender throughout the month, as is the case for most of Taeyeon’s releases. And listening to Happy, you can tell there is a certain level of boldness in this song that is needed to achieve high rank on the charts. For Happy, this boldness comes in the form of a deep and loud thumping drum, which not only gives the song boldness but it also adds a little cute flair to the song which makes it extremely appealing. The song is said to combine old school doo-wop and R&B to create such a heartwarming and wholesome song. And it is because of these feelings that just make you want to smile. Adding to the really positive atmosphere that comes from the song are Taeyeon’s vocals. They just feel down to earth and really captivating without the singer pulling out crazy vocal chops. In a way, she keeps to a simple presentation and I quite like this. The melodies were just so flowy and this too adds to the appeal. Altogether, the song manages to bundle happiness in a 3:46 minute track.

I am not too sure if this is the original music video that was meant to be released. But I find the video to be extremely relatable (not including the fridge positioned in the middle of the living room) to the current circumstances that we find much of the world in at this moment. I wonder if this was the intention of the music video, if it was not re-filmed to be applicable to current times. Essentially, we see Taeyeon enjoy her time alone, with what I assume is memories with her love one. We also see Taeyeon in a fake field, surrounded with flowers. This may be an artistic choice, or it could be due to the restrictions in place around the world. I thought this was a great video. The lighting was extremely bright and complimented the happy tone of the song. I would say the music video was simple to a degree, as there wasn’t much going on. But it managed to work with the song.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10

[Review] Lucifer – NOIR

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It has been almost a year since we heard from NOIR, who last returned to the stage in June 2019 with Doom Doom. On Monday of this week, NOIR made their comeback with Lucifer and the group’s fourth mini-album, Up The Sky. For those who don’t know or remember NOIR, they are a nine-member male group from LUK Factory. Their past releases include Gangsta, Airplane Mode and Doom Doom.

As it has been a while since the group’s last release, NOIR has become lost to the countless releases that have released since their last comeback. I do vaguely remember key descriptors that I have used for their past tracks – Intensity and powerful. Two words that would be too comfortable to describe Lucifer with. Coincidentally, it is also two words that I have used a lot to describe many other songs. One word I haven’t used to describe their songs yet is ‘typical’. I guess there is always a first for every thing. Listening and comparing the song with their past releases, it seems Lucifer is only intense and powerful when it came to only certain moments of the song, when the rappers come into play. It is the only element that really captures my attention. The vocal work is fine, just not really impactful. And it doesn’t help the song doesn’t have a more catchy hook. What we got was incredibly boring and typical. The chorus of Lucifer, which has been the main attraction with their last releases, takes on a melodic approach, which I don’t mind. It just lacks that, well, main attraction. It comes off as incredibly plain. Overall, the song just doesn’t do it for me. It needs to be bolder and contain another ‘main attraction’, similar to what Airplane Mode and Doom Doom had.

We all know of Lucifer as the angel who fell from grace. In this video, we often all a member dressed in white, which I assume depicts the fallen angel walking with other members dressed in black. At the table, this fallen angel sits at the head, which is where we know Lucifer would sit given his status as prominent member of the underworld. There was also a scene where one of the members was dressed in black, while the rest were in white (i.e. Lucifer before his fall). I did like the simplicity of the plot line and imagery. The lighting and effects seemed a little cliche and typical. I didn’t get the outside choreography shot we got at the very end. It felt out of placed and random as a throw in. But overall, a fair video.

The choreography was okay. I guess that since the song isn’t as dynamic, the performance doesn’t need to be dynamic as well. Most of the moves look rather standard and plain. But there was a few formations and moves that depicted the fall from grace in an interesting manner.

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

[Review] Ridin’ – NCT Dream

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The returning group of the day is NCT Dream, who returns with the highly anticipated, Ridin’. Technically, this is the comeback where the members would ‘graduate’ from the group, as they have reached the adult age in South Korea. However, it was announced two weeks ago that NCT Dream, after promotions for Ridin’, would abolish the graduation system and become a fixed lineup group. In more exciting news, Mark (who graduated from the group at the end of 2018) would return to be part of the lineup, where small units of the members (if not all the members) would promote under the name of NCT Dream. Definitely exciting news to all NCTzens who support the ‘young’ subunit. But we will have to get through the Ridin’ promotions before we get to that stage, so let’s have a dive into the new song.

Ever since the release of Boom last year, it was obvious that the group would never set foot into their more youthful title tracks. And that game changer song really set them up for future releases, as evident by the quality and style of Ridin’. The intensity that you can feel from the song really rivals the intensity that we got from Boom. The instrumental is described to be an urban trap song. I like how the song plays with the heavy bass synths, mimicking the sound when a motorcycle revs. Given their teasers and music video, I thought this was rather ingenious. Apart from this revving-like synth, I was surprised that the instrumental had a subtle smoothness to it. The vocal work was also surprisingly very smooth. Glad the deep revving-like synth and the rapping gave that rough touch to an extent. But all the members sound very on point. The song had a very catchy melody and ‘Ridin’ and Rollin’‘ hook as well. That kick at the end that Jeno and Jaemin brings in bridge definitely gives the song that impact and climax that boldens the song’s already strong appeal. I do wish they would have gone with something a little bolder so it could have a chance to rival Boom, which I think is still the superior song after writing this review.

To think that this is the group that kicked off their careers with Chewing Gum. They have definitely grown up. The music video seems to throwback to their Go days, where the subunit took on a rebellious phase as part of their growth. When you look at their releases throughout the years, it felt like they moved too soon into that concept at the time, especially since they followed up with We Go Up and Candlelight. The release of Boom really consolidated that image of the group maturing. And hence, the progression into this Ridin’ concept felt natural and the right step forward. Needless to say, the group looks really cool. I thought the set was rather nice, looking like a legit alleyway that leads to a hidden underground garage and mechanic (but obviously a lot cooler than that description!), like in those movies with illegal car racing events. A great music video, in my opinion.

The choreography for this comeback equally looks as cool as the music video. There seems to be some movies where the members mimic the action of revving a motorcycle and show off some other edgy movies. My favourite has to be the smooth move they pull off in the second half of the chorus, contrasting with the intensity and supposed roughness of the song.

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

[Review] BAZOOKA! – GWSN

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Another returning group this week is GWSN, who made their comeback yesterday through the release of BAZOOKA!. This is their first release since wrapping up their Park In The Night and debut trilogy with Red Sun (021). This is also their first release since moving to a new label (MILES), which is a sub-label under their original entertainment company, Kiwi Media Group. For those who may have noticed, the group is down a member as SoSo is sitting out due to an injury since earlier in the year. Hope she makes a fast recovery!

Through their previous promotions, the group has developed a very strong association with the quirky and upbeat side of EDM and house music. And I feel like the group could have continued on with this sound and style through their future releases without replicating a carbon copy of their three previous title tracks. BAZOOKA! steps into a different direction entirely, which I am quite sure they have chosen this route to show off some variety in their discography. But I do feel like they stepped into that questionable ‘typical’ region with this new song. It partly conforms to what we hear from other female groups and as a result, I feel that they lost that individuality that they kicked their careers off with. But it isn’t all bad news. They do show off their strong cards in this song. BAZOOKA! is a very bright and upbeat pop track. There is a subtle retro root to the instrumental that I did enjoy. There is also good energy that does keep the song from becoming overly boring. I also like the song’s catchy hooks, particularly the ‘Watch Me, Catch Me‘ repetition and cutesy sounding ‘Play BAZOOKA!‘ that they ‘shout out’ during the chorus and post-chorus hook. Their vocals are what I am a little torn about. The more cutesy parts seem okay (I know, I can’t believe that I enjoyed it), but their other vocals seem a little plain (and is one of the drivers to the early ‘typical’ direction complaint).

The music video opens up with the line ‘Ever have that feeling where you’re not sure if you’re awake or dreaming?‘, which actually sent me chills. It sets the scene to the video and help connect the song to the music. At first, I thought the video had an Alice in Wonderland theme, which is the go-to fairy tale for KPOP video producers to play with. But instead, the members of GWSN had to go around through different doors to find special keys to open the universe, based on the lyrics. There was also some hidden gems of their previous video, such as the symbol on the book and the number 021. I didn’t pick up anymore, but I assume there would be others. The lighting and colours were also helped make it a fun video to watch, while that urban background to the setting helps make the video feel modern.

I thought the choreography was very nice. There was definitely a lot of energy in this performance, as its was jumpy and the music was very upbeat. I really like their ‘BAZOOKA!‘ move and the other hand movements that they do throughout the performance.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10