Category: Reviews

[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

[Review] 2YA2YAO! – Super Junior

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As the Lunar New Year has passed, you an expect an influx of comebacks this week from some of your favourite artists. Super Junior kicks us off this week with the release of 2YA2YAO! This is the group’s title track for the repackaged album of Time_Slip, which has been renamed as Timeless. As the lineup for Super Junior tends to change between comebacks (though this shouldn’t happen anymore as all the members have passed the mandatory enlistment stage of their careers), I just wanted to clarify that this comeback features the same nine members who participated in Super CLAP and the Time_Slip album. But on with the review!

Pronounced as Il-Ow-Il-Ya-Oh, 2YA2YAO! takes on a completely different profile to their previous title track. This new song is a lot more intense and edgy, as opposed to the bright and pop nature of SUPER Clap. To me, this would be Super Junior’s answer to the more intense comebacks that we have heard in this era of KPOP and definitely a return to their more powerful sounds that they had going when they were at the peak of their careers. And I thought it was a really awesome song. The instrumental felt like it took a page of the 90s and I honestly liked how deep it sounded. I think this was largely the reason to why I really enjoyed the song. The vocal work helped support this. The rapping was good but it felt a little plain. The part that did get the biggest question mark is trap-focused bridge of the song. It started off good, matching with the rest of the song. But then the melody become a little too mainstream pop, which didn’t feel like it was fitting for the otherwise cool track.

Based from the top of my mind, this comeback features one of their edgiest videos yet. I think the last time I got this type of feeling from a Super Junior music video was Bonamana. While I do like this type of concept, I have to admit that it is a little typical. Aside from showing the members in a dark setting and charismatic light (which does match the song’s vibes), there just wasn’t really anything worth talking about.

The music video did feature the standard choreography shots and I thought that these were a better element of the music video. You could feel the edge when watching the choreography shots. My favourite bit has to be short instrumental segments we get following each chorus. I thought the section looked really cool and it was like they were tutting with their entire bodies.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Review] Black Swan – BTS

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In addition to Interlude tracks, I don’t often review pre-release tracks. The main reason for this is that there usually isn’t any music video (which would reduce my review to a 2 paragraphs. Last week, BTS unveiled Black Swan, the pre-release track off their upcoming album release, Map Of The Soul: 7. Accompanying this pre-release track is an art film, which I have decided to be the music video for this release. Hence, this fulfills the criteria for a review. Map Of The Soul: 7 has been confirmed for release on the 21st of February 2020.

The more I listen to Black Swan, the more I find it to be extremely calming. There is something about the song that just relaxes me. It might be the instrumental, which doesn’t go into any ‘hard’ territory and remains relatively light throughout. The Eastern influences that you can hear in the instrumental give off complexity, definition and personality. All elements that you definitely want to find in a song. The more modern trap beats keeps it grounded and adds robustness to the song. The combination comes together nicely and allows for a flow like water trickling over a riverbed. Their vocals could also help make the song feel calming. Their harsher vocals (for both rappers and vocalists) were not present in this song. Everything was a lot softer and more melodic, which helped smooth out the song even further. The use of autotune usually would have countered this. But somehow, BTS managed to utilize this element without disrupting the atmosphere. If I was to be honest, I didn’t feel this way about the song the first few times I heard it. It felt awkward and I just didn’t get it. But more listens definitely helped out and I am looking forward to the rest of the album when it comes out in February.

The art film contains a slightly different version of the song, where the song features more traditional instruments and a more acoustic profile. And I think this version really helps make the choreography stand out. I find the following explanation to the performance to make a lot of sense and is more detailed that whatever interpretation that I would have made.

To me, the level of aesthetics in which the art film reaches is a very fine point on any scale. That takes a lot to do and the producers nailed the film perfectly, capturing everything that needed to be captured. It is definitely one of check out. I highly recommend it.

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

[Review] Interlude: Shadow – Suga (BTS)

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This review contains my personal opinions regarding the song and music video. This is my interpretation and mine only.

This is the first time I am doing a full review for the Interlude track for BTS (or any artist). Why am I finally doing a review for the Interlude track? Well, I have noticed that these are actually tracks worth talking about themselves. The music video that accompanies these tracks also tend to be full of symbolism and hence there is more to talk about. The Interlude track is titled Shadow, courtesy of Suga. It was the first track unveiled after the announcement of their upcoming comeback in February with Map Of The Soul: 7.

There is something haunting with the start of the song in the ‘I Wanna Be…‘ montage. Suga’s signature husky and low tone brings this section to life, making it a memorable part of the song. Suga then start to throw lines at us through the rapping. And it is in this part do we get more of an idea of what the song is all about. Essentially, the ‘I Wanna Be…‘ montage at the start is more like the dream that we keep on repeating to ourselves to help make it a reality. But the verses and chorus paint a darker picture. That sometimes this dream isn’t somewhere we would want to be. In this sense, Suga says as part as of the world’s leading musical act, he is lonely and is often followed by a dark shadow that stays with me no matter whats. He doesn’t want to fly nor does he want to fall from the top. The rock sound in this part was really good and well accented. He then repeats the montage and then the song manages to flip a switch. It becomes a lot more intense and powerful. Suga’s rapping becomes more erratic and chaotic, as opposed to the control at the start. In the lyrics, I think he is referencing that darker side, which I thought was interesting. There is a lot to take in, but I thought Suga nailed this track with a very likable backdrop/instrumental.

I think my interpretation of the song lyrics and the musical intentions of the song reflect well with the music video. Remember that this might not be the actual interpretation. We see shadows at the start, with Suga standing in front of door. I think this foreshadows the shadows that will follow him once he rises to the top. We then see the same corridor with Suga, but no shadows, which shows his desires prior to realizing the darker side of show business. He runs, which shows his climb to the top. This lands him on the stage, with everyone watching. In this era, social media is like a double-ended sword. It help create his career. But at the same time, it allows for the focus to be too much on him. There is a scene in which the camera angles continually changes but the focus remains on him the entire time, further emphasising this part. The more erratic part of the song shows cameras directed at him, similar to how paparazzi tends to get. We see the shadows run after him. But we see human hands instead, showing that some fans can be the shadow. Overall, I thought this was a really cool video. The different ways symbolism was shown in the video was really profound. The post-production also helped out.

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

[Review] Dear Me – Taeyeon (SNSD)

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Despite not promoting her solo work in 2019, Taeyeon has managed to prove herself and her status in the industry by sweeping awards for her Four Seasons single earlier in the year. In addition to that, Taeyeon returned with Spark and her second full length album, Purpose, in November 2019. Both Spark and her album were very good and you should give them a try if you have missed out on them. But the focus should be on what happened yesterday, as the soloist returned with a repackaged version of Purpose and the new title track, Dear Me.

Dear Me is a pop ballad all about self-confidence and self-love. In this era, a song like this speaks volumes to everyone and will truly makes them feel better. You could also describe the song was warming, which would be a fitting way to see the song given its message. Apart from the message, the song features Taeyeon’s usually soothing vocals over a band and orchestral instrumentation, which I thought was quite nice. The verses seem to be quite lower register, allowing the chorus to explode in a fashionable manner that makes it seem slightly epic. I wish there was a little more to the verses, as they were the weakest moments of the song. The melody for the English lyrics during the chorus was quite cool, being one of the highlights of the song. I think the best highlight has to be the buildup during the bridge, leading to the final chorus. The song coincidentally needed a ‘spark’ and it got one in that moment. I don’t think Dear Me will be described as Taeyeon’s best song ever. But it is a really good one, if you were to ask me.

The music video is rather simple, made up of shots of Taeyeon walking around and sitting in a built set. I think the simplicity works well with the song. The song isn’t complicated and wouldn’t call for a video chock full of symbolism, a crazy colour palette or flashy lights. It is another video that highlights her beauty in a more natural sense, which also would make sense with a song about self love. I just feel that watching the video too many times would make it come off as dull, which is always a problem with these types of music videos.

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

[Review] TOP GANG – MCND

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TOP Entertainment has their fair share of male groups (Teen Top and UP10TION). But interestingly, none of their current lineup have delved into the hip hop genre that many male groups have been tackling. However, it seems that MCND is going to TOP Entertainment’s answer to this. The soon-to-be six member group made their pre-debut on the 2nd of January with a five member lineup (Castle J, BIC, Minjae, Huijun, and Win), with the sixth apparent member being Yechan (who currently is promoting as part of the project group 1THE9). No actual debut date has been set yet.

The group pre-debuts with TOP GANG, which is a track that has a heavy hand in the hip-hop genre. As mentioned on Monday through Zico’s review, this is not my cup of tea. It is loaded with raps and feels extremely weighted, which isn’t my personal style. But the rapping does have some momentum to with it, which drives the song forward in a neat manner. The song is no doubt a good introduction to the group’s rap line. After all, a lot of the hip-hop centric tracks tend show rappers in a strong, vigorous and tough limelight. However, their group’s current vocal line is short handed in this song, with their parts being forgotten and doesn’t even spark any curiosity about their potential. Other groups manage to find a balance in some capacity, but this track didn’t feel like it even tried. Hopefully their debut will find a little more balance between the two elements. I also wish their instrumental isn’t too typical in their debut track, which was the impression that I got in this track.

The music video starts off with some closeup that shows the members names, making it easy for new viewers and fans to identify the members (like an opening montage to some TV shows). And I think that is a great tactic when it comes to the first release of a group (rather than have rely on more physical features, such as face shape or hair colour, to determine who is who from their teaser images). For the rest of the video, there really isn’t much to it other than the members rapping and dancing along to the song. Plus some more solo closeups and group shots. There isn’t anything else that adds substance to the video to make it worth watching in my opinion.

One good thing about the performance that I noticed was that it gave some of the members an opportunity to perform without the other members in the background. I think this is a good way to be fair to all the members, especially after the unbalance nature of the song. The song also seems challenging to perform on stage, since it requires a lot of energy to rap and dance together in such a powerful manner like what they did. So props to them.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6.4/10

[Review] Any Song – Zico

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A Zico-centric Catch Up Review will be posted on a later date (to be determined – looking to be during February). This review will quick contain reviews for Human, Daredevil and Being Left, which are tracks that the solo rapper released in late 2019 that I have yet to cover. In the meantime, I present to you my review for his latest single, Any Song, which was released today. Zico has also brought in Chungha and Hwasa from Mamamoo to help promote the track through small videos of them dancing to the song on social media recently.

Any Song is actually a pretty decent song. As mentioned before on the blog, I am not a fan of the hip-hop or rap genre. But over the years, I have been introduced to songs of these two genres, opening my mind up to a new genre entirely. One name that does keep on popping up is Zico and I think I have been satisfied with all the songs released by Zico in the past. What I really like about this song is that it is pretty laid back. It doesn’t get heavy in any department, keeping it relatively calming (which is perfect for me in many ways). I also like the jazzy elevator music that he uses as the backdrop of the song. I thought that was quite cool and gives the song a unique character. He pushes the song along neatly through his rapping delivery (as expected from Zico), which has good melody as well. His rapping and the use of saxophones also helps lift up the instrumental vibrantly, keeping it from going boring. The energy of the track is fun, whilst the lyrics do hint at the opposite (i.e. toning the fun down) after a while. Overall, a good song indeed.

Zico channels me in any party situation. It has gotten to the point where I don’t get invited to any more parties as my friends know I won’t have any fun (that or I am the one that is no fun, but I tend to think optimistically). Hahahaha… I really liked how they added more people to the party to really highlight the introverted feeling that he had at the start already. I also found it funny how he danced alone at the end and ran when his friends started to sing Happy Birthday to him. I probably won’t go to that length if I were to continue comparing him to me. But I thought it was hilarious nonetheless.

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

[Review] We Belong – Ong Seong Wu

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As mentioned in Park Ji Hoon’s 360 review, all of the former Wanna One (excluding Ong Seong Wu and Lai Kuan Lin) had made two comebacks throughout 2019. With the release of Ong Seong Wu’s We Belong today, we add the soloist to the list of former members having multiple comebacks (and I am sure we will see Lai Kuan Lin’s second release someday). The main reason to why we have seen so little of Ong Seong Wu on the music front is due to his focus on his acting career. He did, however, participate in his drama’s OST.

We Belong is a fresh song, unlike Heart Sign (which reminded everyone too fondly of Energetic). We Belong has this vibrancy that I really like, thanks to the instrumentation and vocal work. The song featuring this one synth throughout that was so piercing (I cannot figure out what it sounds like though). But this is not a bad thing, as it made the song so memorable for me. In addition to that synth, the chorus is very upbeat and lively. So much that it draws me in and brings a smile to my face, even though I had no idea about the lyrics (which I think is all bout declaring his love to his significant other/fans). I also like the acoustic guitar strumming during the pre-chorus and start of each verse, as well. The other element I really like are Ong Seong Wu’s vocals. He pushes himself in this song and this makes the song sound so good. The different melodies that features definitely helps make this even more dynamic. Overall, We Belong is an awesome track and a step above his ‘debut’ track.

Ong Seong Wu opens many doors in this music video. Behind each door was a way for Ong Seong Wu to declare his love. To whom is based on how you interpret the lyrics. I really like how the producers presented him in the music video, showing off his visuals and handsomeness. To put it shortly, the video is very sweet and I think fans will really like this particular music video.

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

[Review] My Angel – B.O.Y

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As mentioned in a previous post, some reviews may be posted later as I will be moving interstate for work. VERIVERY‘s review was the first to fall victim to my move and now B.O.Y is the second late review that I am rushing to complete. B.O.Y is a duo made up of Kim Kook Heon and Song Yu Vin, both of which released the single Blurry last year. Their duo name was confirmed after the release of their first single. Their comeback from two days ago, My Angel, is the first single under their new name.

When I heard that both Kim Kook Heon and Song Yu Vin would be returning with a new song, I was worried that they were going to keep the ballad side that Blurry adopted. There isn’t anything with wrong a ballad and that the genre can be be very popular if done right. Blurry just didn’t get to that level and was forgotten easily. So when I listened My Angel and heard a more EDM based sound, I became excited. In addition to the dramatic and dynamic synths that the song delivers, the track does borrow emotions from their ballad predecessor, which helps makes the song a little more epic. Their voices did give a captivating appeal to the song, which I personally like. These two elements to the song alone drew me in and got me hooked. The hooks themselves didn’t feel as memorable as you would hope with a dance track. If they managed to do something more with a little spark in this domain, the track would have really stood out. I felt the song could have used a rap sequence somewhere, to up the intensity.

The music video looks like a whole heaps of different were shots put together, with it seeming like there was very little connecting these shots together. However, my guess that this was intentional as we do see the two members come together at the end, showing that they are from two different worlds initially. Kim Kook Heon represents a wolf, while Song Yu Vin represents a horse. I personally don’t know the symbolism of these two animals, so it will be interesting to find out what this is all about. With this, I find it captivating to watch.

Another reason to why I liked the music video is the choreography shots. Like the song, the choreography put together for the duo for My Angel is extremely dynamic and fitting for the epic nature of the song. Their chemistry on stage was pretty good, as well.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Review] Lay Back – VERIVERY

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As mentioned last year in VERIVERY’s Tag Tag Tag review, both Gugudan and VERIVERY have big shoes to fill due to the inactivity of VIXX (as their members are approaching military enlistment age). However, it seems like Jellyfish Entertainment have under utilized them in 2019, with each of these group promoting only one song in the past year. With their debut and two other comebacks, VERIVERY has taken reign as the most active groups under the company in 2019. Despite that, however, I personally hope that Jellyfish actively pushes their two active groups in 2020 to be a better performing company. And VERIVERY’s comeback yesterday is a step in the right direction for the year ahead.

The comeback title track is titled Lay Back and I feel like this could have potentially be a unique track. It just needs a slight boost out of the ‘typical’ domain to really give it that status. The deep house genre could be a little more epic and this would have given the song what it needed. The energy that they had going in the chorus can be stepped up a notch as well. But apart from that, it was a decent track. I really like the whispering rap that featured in the second half of each verse/pre-chorus. That was quite unique and gave the song a smooth feel, contrasting with the more upbeat funky vibes that VERIVERY is widely know for and featured during the chorus. Their vocals were loud and clear, which I really like. I did not care for the rougher rap sequence during the second verse. It did feel a little cliche and added a slightly ill-fitting hip-hop infused sequence to the song when it didn’t feel necessary.

I personally think the music video has a similar vibe to their creepy hide-and-seek theme that they had going on in Tag Tag Tag. This time around, however, the group meet up with their reflections. That creepy vibe is present and I thought that made the video worth watching. The lyrics seem to be directed towards a second person, but I thought it was really clever that the director/producers made the video so that the lyrics are directed to an alter ego or their inner self. Another plus is that the group isn’t always dancing in front of a mirror, which is what I meant by reflection. Instead, the reflections ended up dancing side by side one another, which I thought was cool.

I thought the choreography was quite good. I really like the slight leg bobbing that they do at the start of the chorus. The energy that the song was channeled well throughout the choreography, making this a really good one from the group.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10