Tag: BamBam (GOT7)

It has been months since BAMBAM made his solo comeback with the single LAST PARADE and mini-album BAMESIS. I am finally reviewing the title track today, ahead of a future album review post focusing on the mini-album. It is the first solo Korean release of BAMBAM’s since early 2023’s Sour & Sweet comeback.

LAST PARADE sees BAMBAM venture into a much darker vibe than ever before. I like the idea of exploring a new side of the artist when it is done well, and I think LAST PARADE is a good example of it being done well. LAST PARADE opens up with some anthemic choir before settling for a hip-hop-centred sound. But the song catches you by surprise. Instead of a punchy or upbeat production, the track holds itself back – maintaining a sparse instrumental and allowing the tension to simmer and build rather than explode. It is an intriguing way to approach things, but this does give LAST PARADE a memorable to let the song linger in my mind once it is complete. But while the instrumental remains sparse, LAST PARADE does allow itself to turn into a dynamic piece via the electronic follow-through of the choruses. The rush of energy in this part of the song contrasts nicely with the rest and feels quite a satisfying release of the tension mentioned above. BAMBAM does well with his rapping and vocals, with the pre-choruses standing out the most to me. The only part of LAST PARADE that I didn’t like was how it ended, which made the song feel incomplete and unsatisfying.

The music video is split into three chapters. The first chapter features BAMBAM as a leader of a city, in an almost dictator-like manner from the looks of it. He has complete control of an army that defends the city. The second chapter features BAMBAM as the leader of a rebel group who isn’t happy with the leader BAMBAM. The third chapter features the rebellion, where both BAMBAMs meet and fight. I am unsure of the intent of the third BAMBAM, who we see at the start of the video yielding the same flag as the dictator version. But he is definitely away from the action and is very blase about what is happening above him at the end of the video. Perhaps he is a more evil ‘all-knowing’ character who tempts the dictator version of BAMBAM to do his dirty work? Aside from that, I really like the epicness of the city, the darker and creepy vibes channelling through the video, as well as the Hieronymus Bosch presentation style of the music video. Put all this together, and you get a cool music video.

I really like the performance. The verses and first part of the choruses really build intensity in the routine, similar to how the song does the exact same thing. But then, when it comes to the second part of the choruses, BAMBAM and his dancers release the pent-up energy to create a powerful waacking-like piece.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.1/10

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Somehow BamBam’s March comeback with Sour & Sweet keeps on being passed up for a review. Obviously, I missed the opportunity to review the soloist’s latest song in March. I have also started a draft of the review a month after its release in April, and then again in August. But I am finally writing a review of Sour & Sweet, the title track of BamBam’s first studio album of the same name. It follows on from his release of Slow Mo at the very start of 2022 and will form the final song review to be posted in 2023.  

Thanks to the synthwave instrumentation of Sour & Sweet, many people have been drawing parallels between this song and The Kid Laroi’s Stay. And I can completely hear that. Sour & Sweet is not better than the international hit itself, but it is still very much a likeable track. The synthwave backing and the fact that BamBam doesn’t go too hard makes for a pleasant track in Sour & Sweet. It all feels wispy and breezy, but yet the hooks keep the song grounded. And these hooks are very effective in keeping the song in your mind. Given the many months between release and this review, you might think that the hooks can’t be that effective. But it has beckoned me to starting writing a version of the review in between that will never see the light of day. BamBam’s delivery in the verses is also quite good. Not as riveting at the chorus, but still enjoyable. The instrumental break continues the momentum of the track with ease and doesn’t disrupt the flow or the song in anyway. Sour & Sweet is a very neat track from BamBam.

The music video shows two sides of BamBam. Based on the title of the song, one side depicts the “sour”, while the other depicts the “sweet”.  In the video, we see BamBam investigate a crime. A crime that is later shown to have been committed the other side of BamBam. To me, it is a little unclear which side is which. I have a feeling that it might not be what we expect, however, given everything is slightly different. You might notice the song title is ‘Sour & Sweet’, when the saying is usually ‘Sweet & Sour’. Similarly, the writing on the newspaper says ‘Evil & Good’, when the saying is usually ‘Good & Evil’. Similarly, the business card he picks up associates ‘Sour’ with white, and ‘Sweet’ with black, when it would more common the other way around. It is quite a different take on things and brings out an aesthetic vibe that makes the music video even more thought provoking. That, or I am overcomplicating things, once again.

BamBam’s live performance skills are definitely shown off during this comeback with a solid routine and engaging performance from the soloist. His impressed me with his consistent live vocals, and the instrumental break highlights his dance performance skills. It is most effective when BamBam dons a jacket of some kind, with the opening of one side of the jacket having the most impact. It looks slightly awkward without the jacket.

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

As you can probably tell, I am now reviewing the tracks released later in the week from last week. Next up on the reviewing block is BamBam’s Slow Mo. This latest song from the GOT7 member is featured on his second mini-album, B, alongside the pre-release single Who Are You (which was released back in the last week of December and features Red Velvet’s Seulgi). This is BamBam’s first official solo release since his solo debut with riBBon in June of last year.

Slow Mo thrives on the fact that it is atmospheric and a gentle track. While we hear similar songs with the same descriptors all the time, they usually isn’t the lead track on an album or even a dance track. This alone makes Slow Mo unique and stands out, even thought its elements aren’t intended to do so. In addition to the atmospheric vibes of the song, there were hip-hop influences in Slow Mo and I liked how the beat helped balance out the song and kept Slow Mo‘s lightness weighted. BamBam’s vocals were on display throughout this track and I liked how he kept his delivery soft and light to match the other elements of the song. The chorus was definitely a prime example of his vocals on full display, with the verses taking on a bit of a rapping tone. Everything was quite soothing and calming, which works well with the instrumentation. The melodies and hooks were probably the most lacking component of the song, simply because they didn’t appear to be as memorable. I also feel that repeat listens to the song might dull it, but I guess that is a ‘wait and see’ matter. What I needed the most in Slow Mo was a bit of a punch to keep me interested in the song, and I feel the producers of Slow Mo delivered with that brief yet subtly intense dance break we get at the 2:10 mark of the music video. It just fits in so well with the instrumentation and overall vibes, but also gave the song a little bit more oomph. Overall, Slow Mo was a great track. It might be slightly weak in certain areas, but its execution and delivery overall can overlook that flaw.

I really like the bright pastel colours used as the video’s colour palette. It just felt so fitting for this song. Anything too harsh or bold would have obviously clashed with the song. Aside from that, the music video consisted of a mixture of ordinary (i.e. some of the interior shots) and aesthetic shots (i.e. all of the shots in which looked like they were an ‘exterior’ shot), along with some high quality choreography shots. I would have liked the video to be a bit more interesting in some regards, though. It is one of those videos you just need to watch once as you kind of seen all of it, and doesn’t pull me back for a replay.

The performance was probably the outlier of this comeback. It felt a bit loud, compared to what I would have thought the choreography would look liked (i.e. wideness, energy thrown into delivery or the fast pace nature of some of the moves). Don’t worry though, as it still managed to work well with the song nonetheless, capitalising on the heftier beats of the song.

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

Since GOT7’s departure from JYP Entertainment earlier this year, the members have gone their separate ways, vowing to return on a yearly basis to great fans as a seven-member group. But while we awaiting new of a GOT7 comeback, the members have been doing a lot of solo work. Some of them have gone into acting, while others have gone onto release solo music that shows their individual colours. Today, we witness the solo debut of BamBam, who has signed on with ABYSS Company, the current home of fellow JYP Entertainment alum Sunmi. The title of BamBam’s solo debut single is riBBon (I like the play on his initials within the song’s title), which is also featured on his solo debut mini-album of the same name.

When it came to the GOT7 members, it was clear to me which style of music certain members would go towards for their solo work. But the biggest question mark for me was placed over BamBam, who didn’t really have a chance to showcase a musical style as much as the other members during his GOT7 days. So, to hear riBBon, which is quite upbeat pop sound that has a tinge of hip-hop to the song was a surprise for me. But I guess that really fits in with his cheerful and vibrant personality. To me, riBBon is a pleasant pop song. Nothing more, nothing less. To facilitate the review process, I have had a couple of listens to the song. And each time, I found myself taking a mental step back and appreciating the song for its enjoyable and sweet nature. I have tried to sit down to really tear the song apart. But I just can’t help but take it all in as a whole piece rather than break it up. I think this is a good effect, showing me how wholesome and good the song is. In addition to that, I also liked how ‘riBBon‘ sounded like ‘reborn’. I think that is quite intentional, especially given the lyrics of the song which talks about being a better version of himself. That being said, riBBon is no perfect song. There are some wrinkles throughout the song that need some attention. Firstly, the song could have reduced the autotune it used to process BamBam’s voice. While I believe this is his thing (based on some of the work we have heard during promotions with GOT7 and the fact that it gave the song a good sense of texture), I think this would have cleared up some English pronunciation issues. Personally, I was a bit confused on what he was singing in the opening lines of the chorus without the aid of the lyrics side-by-side on the screen. I know BamBam is a strong English speaker, so I think the issue comes down to the vocal processing. I am also not a fan of the rap inserts in the pre-chorus. I feel that muddled the pre-chorus a bit. Overall, riBBon is pleasant solo debut for the GOT7 member.

Like the song, the music video can also be described as pleasant. it was an extremely well styled music video and all worked in harmony with one another. From the black background at the start, the black suit worn by BamBam and the use of multi-coloured flowers on the ground and on the suit complimented one another. In the more colourful scenes, everything was pastel and nothing was overwhelming or harsh to look at. The video definitely showed a good side of BamBam.

The choreography is pretty good. It is upbeat and bouncy, which fits in with the song. While I am not a big fan of those rap inserts in the pre-chorus, the move that it enables to be in the performance looks quite cool. I also found the moment in which the two dancer used their legs as like gates to which BamBam opens up to be quite memorable.

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