Tag: ALLDAY PROJECT

Making their comeback yesterday was ALLDAY PROJECT, with their self-titled debut mini-album. The mini-album does feature their recent single release ONE MORE TIME, but it is led by the single LOOK AT ME, which also dropped yesterday.

After a successful debut with FAMOUS and a comeback with ONE MORE TIME, I am disappointed with LOOK AT ME. From the nursery rhyme-based chant in the chorus (which makes the song sound childish) to the plain instrumental elsewhere in the song, everything pretty much felt a downgrade in comparison to their previous singles. LOOK AT ME is also relatively short in length, and that hindered its ability to actually develop into something decent. On the flip side, I did find some aspects of LOOK AT ME to be decent, so it isn’t all bad news for the song. The bass was appreciated, as was the rapping by ANNIE, BAILEY and TARZZAN in the second verse. TARZZAN also does well in the bridge. But overall, I very much prefer their more recent single ONE MORE TIME over LOOK AT ME any day.

From what I can gather from the music video, ALLDAY PROJECT is the centre of attention, breaking free from the rest of the world and garnering attention in the process. Some trampoline bounces, cool-looking close-ups, and nice editing/post-production make for a decent video. I felt the song limited the video’s potential. For example, the brown tones of the video complemented the music, but felt so boring and dull.

While the performance has been a strong point for ALLDAY PROJECT, I don’t necessarily think it was much of a highlight in this comeback. While we have not seen a performance for LOOK AT ME yet, the music video usually steps in to highlight the key points of the choreography. But aside from the ADP signage, I don’t remember much of the choreography from the video. I might return once we see a performance, in case there is more to it.

Song – 5.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.3/10

One of the biggest rookies of the year is without a doubt ALLDAY PROJECT. In case you missed it, they kicked off their careers in June with the singles FAMOUS and WICKED. Almost five months on, they are back with their third single, ONE MORE TIME.

To be honest, I was a little sceptical whether the group would be able to exceed the heights of FAMOUS. But one listen to ONE MORE TIME, consider me hopeful. Can’t speak to their chart performance just yet, but things are looking promising on that front as well. I really liked the liquid drum-and-bass sound they used initially, with WOOCHAN and YOUNGSEO adding a delicate, sentimental touch through their vocals. From there, the instrumental gradually builds, with BAILEY, WOOCHAN and ANNIE doing a great job of matching the trajectory. The chorus kicks ONE MORE TIME up a notch with its drum-and-bass instrumental, increasing the momentum strongly (relatively to the earlier part of the song). This contrast between verse and chorus also helps make the centrepiece punchy. TARZZAN doesn’t appear until the second verse, with a rap sequence that I thought was somewhat classy, thanks to the atmospheric vibe going on. I liked the approach, but the rap sequence itself could have been executed better. BAILEY gives us a ‘calm before the storm’ moment for the bridge, before the instrumental switches from that drum-and-bass sound to a more electronic sound profile to close out the song. I personally enjoyed this moment in ONE MORE TIME, as it gave the song a more hyped and dynamic flair. Parts of me still want ONE MORE TIME to be more explosive and less ‘held back’ at specific points, but I think the end was satisfying enough.

I liked how the music video complements the differing momenta within ONE MORE TIME with the differing energies you would expect of a night out. The song started out slower (described above as delicate and sentimental), and the corresponding scenes show the members alone as if they are winding down after a long day. As the song builds, we see the members regroup and start hanging out together. In the choruses, we see the members dance together (but without a crowd), and the electronic and dynamic switch-up at the end of ONE MORE TIME is complemented by some club energy and a crowd to hype them up. It was a well-thought-out music video.

A dance performance has not yet been revealed for this comeback. But I could piece together enough of the reels to see what the dance performance would look like. And I am really digging what I’ve seen so far for earlier parts of the song. But it should come as no surprise that I am most excited for the routine that pairs with the electronic ending of the song, which features some interesting, fast-paced tutting and footwork.

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

I haven’t reviewed many rookies this year, but I hope to cover some of the rookies of the year as I post more reviews. One of the biggest rookies thus far this year is ALLDAY PROJECT, a five-member co-ed group (consisting of Annie, Tarzzan, Bailey, Woochan, and Youngseo) under The Black Label (the home for MEOVV, JEON SOMI, TAEYANG and ROSÉ). They made their debut last month with the single album FAMOUS, which features two songs – one that shares the same name as the album and another titled WICKED.

FAMOUS

I must admit I didn’t care for the track when it was first released. This is a track that I don’t tend to gravitate towards because of its heavy hip-hop influence. However, after sneaking onto my queue and recommendations, I can see why FAMOUS had such a strong appeal. The Latin-influenced guitar work that started off the song felt very classy. The rhythmic percussion that follows gave FAMOUS drive. It was also minimalistic in nature, which allowed the focus to be on the engaging vocals and rapping that ALLDAY PROJECT gives. The shouty ‘We ain’t even famous‘ and the melodies during YOUNGSEO’s vocal moments were super memorable, while Annie and Bailey’s choruses have grown immensely on me. At the end, we are presented with a trap-based instrumental piece that, although brief, embodies a cool persona.

FAMOUS‘s music video stands out for its superb editing. I really liked how the different scenes connected with one another. The heel turning into city streets was a definite example of this.

The performance is just what you expected, with ALLDAY PROJECT embodying the hip-hop that the song features prominently. It was a super engaging performance and a very cool one at that. The highlight has to be the intense routine by Bailey and Tarzzan’s jump at the end of the performance.

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

WICKED

Similar to FAMOUS, I didn’t really engage with WICKED as much when it was first released. But like FAMOUS, it made it onto my queues and recommendations. But it didn’t really fare the same. The catchiest element of WICKED is the ‘Wicked‘ repetition at the end of some of the choruses. The rest of the chorus was spoken words. However, while repetitive, it didn’t have the same catchiness. The Brazilian funk production was unique, but it ultimately fell short in terms of memorability. I did get a very ‘cool’ vibe from the intense rapping, which holds some potential. However, in terms of the single album, FAMOUS was by far the superior track.

We don’t have a formal music video for WICKED. However, we did manage to get two ‘performance videos’. The first is the ‘MOVIE SET’ version (embedded below) that felt like a music video. While the editing was not as creative as FAMOUS‘s music video, I really liked they did YOUNGSEO’s bridge segment of the video turned out, with different things happening in the same background each time the beat hits. The movie set elements also give off a very cool vibe. The second version is the ‘BASEMENT’ version, which felt like the actual performance video, with the members performing WICKED in the basement. Nothing else happens, and there isn’t any change between shots. This version does bring out their synchronisation and sharpness, which makes the performance feel more chic and impressive.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video/Performance (based on Version A – MOVIE SET) – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.1/10