Tag: DIA

And now we skip back to a today release. DIA makes their comeback today with Hug U. This is a slightly different looking DIA, as the lineup for this comeback is only five members. If you know your DIA members, Chaeyeon and Somyi are absent from this comeback as they are currently taking a break, while Jenny left the group after their previous promotions (Woowa) due to an injury. Despite only being a five member lineup and the group is still promoting under the name DIA, their management and the five refer to themselves as a unit of the group. But that’s okay, as we will take any form of a DIA comeback, given that they have been absent from the stage since March 2019.

Hug U, to me, feels like they are returning to their early days. Unfortunately, I was looking forward to a track as dynamic as Woowa (their previous single) was. So I was a little disappointed to hear Hug U, initially (to an extent). I am also disappointed as their throwback to this earlier sound might not be a good idea, given that the group was never successful with it. But I am keeping an open mind with the new song. I like their delicate touch that they give the song throw their vocals. And based on their tone, it has definitely sounds like they have matured vocally. There is nice melodies and I can it becoming mildly catchy with multiple listens in the future. Instrumentally, I am not that excited with Hug U. There is a nice graceful touch and a level of prettiness to it, which matches the vocals. As mentioned before, I wanted something dynamic and energizing. Hug U‘s instrumental sadly doesn’t have that. They could have somehow infused some additional energy into the song, but given the dominant use of classical strings in the instrumental, that would be difficult to achieve. I feel like if I was looking for a song that as soothing and graceful at the same time, then this song might be for me. But that I am not into that niche and sadly, this song isn’t for me.

While the song wasn’t up my alley, I actually liked the music video. There is small yet good story to it, which made it worth watching. In this video, it seems like the DIA members are apart and doing their own thing, which may be the reality of over the last year or so. And they all look quite happy alone. Eunchae seems to be planning a reunion party of the members. And it seems like all the members are on board. Jueun, however, did look a little hesitant about going at first. But she is soon reminded of the fond memories during their time to go, so she ultimately decides to go. But it started to rain, which delayed her arrival. Eunchae was quite sadden that Jueun did not turn up at first. But she was definitely relieved when Jueun came late. The members ended up looking at their happiest together, showing their forever bond It feels relevant to the group, who may have experienced a similar thing event while setting up for this comeback. It is a pity that Chaeyeon and Somyi weren’t there, as a full group would have made it more emotional for fans. I also liked the choreography shots as well, as the members looked very pretty in their colourful dresses in those drone shots.

Naturally, their performance is a lot more graceful and pretty to match the song’s style. But I do note that while watching the performance, the song is pretty decent tempo, which allows for their moves to be quite quick. That being said, there is a bit of slowness at some parts, which also helps create a balance in the performance. This, overall, helps makes their choreography visually appealing and a strong point of this comeback.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 6.9/10

I know that I promised reviews for songs last week but I just finished scheduling them and they will be spaced out this week! But there are two exciting comebacks that I wanted to write about tonight so I will be prioritising them first. The first comeback is by DIA, who has returned with Woowa. This is the group’s first comeback since WooWoo, released 7 months ago. WooWoo also earned the group’s first weekly show win ever! Hopefully, they can win again this time around with Woowa. Unfortunately, the group will have to do it without Jenny, who is not participating in this round of promotions.

Woowa starts off with a power rush of energy that really gets you excited for what is to come. The instrumental, particularly the main instrumental hook of the song, delves into a techno-funk sound. There is a very powerful retro vibe to the song which I am loving.  This combination results in a very groovy and upbeat track that I just want to dance to. I really like the tiny bit of brass you get during the start of the bridge and I actually want more of it in the song. The vocals were pretty nice. At first, I did feel that they were relatively plain, especially towards the end. But I guess the song is growing more on me as I don’t seem to feel that way anymore. The rapping is what I disagree with. They go with an ethnic sound which I don’t think suits the song’s groovy vibes. It does feel distant to the chorus and it does cut the flow of the song. But aside from that, I think Woowa is a really good track. It is getting pretty addictive.

The group goes to the roller skating rink in their music video. Besides that, the video is rather typical. It goes between choreography shots to close-ups of each member posing in areas associated with the rink. So there isn’t really anything to really comment on. However, I did like the set for the choreography scenes. The flashing lights are quite suitable for the song and I think the slight push of purple throughout the video really goes well with the dark lighting at the rink.

The choreography was quite nice as well. I really like the intro part, which was extremely fitting for that section and its tempo. It seems like the choreography went with a flaunting touch as the girls do a lot of that in the performance. I felt that they could have gone with something a little more relaxing or fun as the song seems to really go in that direction.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

DIA joins the Summer comeback rush with a brand new mini-album, Summer Ade. Featuring on their 4th mini-album to date is the title track Woo Woo. The group was previously meant to make their comeback last month but ultimately delayed it to August to ensure a higher production quaility. This is DIA’s first comeback since Good Night was released and the departure of Eunjin. Some of the members of DIA also participated in The Unit, with only Yebin making into the project group, UNI.T.

Woo Woo is a very Summery song with the instrumental providing a very refreshing feel. Initally, I thought the song was quite boring. However, within a day, I can say it is quite catchy and can potentially become addictive. It isn’t their strongest release to date but it does a good job trying to catch up to their strongest release (Can’t Stop). I thought the chorus had a nice melody and the ‘Woo Woo‘ hook was really cute. On top of that, I really liked the vocal sections of the song, which were quite itneresting section. I thought the rap sequence was rather dry but did like the incorportation of Lee Hyori’s famous line of ‘Just One 10 Minute‘ from 10 Minute. Overall, I thought the song was good and as I said, I think the song has potentially to be replaying in my head (it has already started).

When you think of Summer, you think of the beach. And that is what the video starts off with. There seems to be a mini competition embedded in the music video where you have to find some items (like a scavenger hunt). Something similar popped up in Momoland’s BAAM but I don’t there were any prizes invovled. It progrsses into a very typical music video shot on sets we have seen many times and the overall feel doesn’t relly allow it to be differentiated much. There were a number of cute scenes that I thought were nice, such as the hiding from pizza scenes at the end. I am a tad confused with the ringing telepohone at the end. But other than that, it was a fair video.

I thought the choreography for this comeback was quite nice. It falls into the cutesy category but it works well with the song, especially the moves for the hook. Furthermore, I really thought the dance break was really cool.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.1/10

DIA has made their return to the stage with their repackaged mini-album and the title track, Good Night. They made their last comeback a month ago with Can’t Stop, which has become my favourite track of the group since their debut.

Good Night is not their worst song but it is not their best song. It brought a smile to my face the first time around when I listened to it. And it suits the girl’s vocals quite nicely. But to be frank, that smile isn’t going to last. I can literally feel it dying off. Why I say that? Well, the track is their attempt at the tropical sound that has dominated KPOP for the past year or so. And while I do find their attempt appealing to an extent, the song doesn’t really get far. They were on a roll this year but it might just have stalled with this song. The tropical influence, I have to admit, is in your face. There is no escaping it. I don’t find it catchy nor does it have that element that makes me want to go back to it like Can’t Stop. There is an interesting mix of people doing vocals and raps this time around. Personally, I think the song could have done better in the Summer season and to appeal to listeners, despite it being a little cliché, they could have done something for the Fall season.

The video is incredibly boring. I don’t find much captivating about it. The girls are having a bit of fun and hanging out with each other. There really isn’t much else to say about the video. I did notice Chaeyeon seemed to get a large bulk of the video, espeically at the start of the video, while some members didn’t get any screen time until the end of the video. And while I have nothing against her, I think the company should start looking at other ways to get the girls well known (I already know two members are in The Unit but maybe look for other things for the other members to do during their non-promotional periods?).

The dance seems to be just fan service for their fanbase. The girls act cutesy in a cheesy way basically for the majority of the video. There is a set routine but it doesn’t feel like much for the song.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 4/10
Performance – 4/10
Overall Rating – 5/10

DIA is also another group to make their return with a brand new song Can’t Stop (or E905). While DIA’s return is welcomed, the promotion of their comeback felt very sudden and that is an issue that I find common throughout the industry.  But nonetheless, this is DIA’s first return since their promotions of Will You Go Out With Me? earlier this year.

Can’t Stop is your traditional KPOP girl group song. There isn’t new about it, but it has a very refreshing sound that I can’t help but go back to. The vocals in the song are quite nice and the instrumental is something that I totally dig. Sure, the violins were made to fit the cute sound, but it still sounds amazing nonetheless. The chorus wasn’t exactly catchy but there was enough to make you want to go back for more. Moving to some of the things I didn’t like regarding the song. The ending was sloppy and didn’t give time for the song to actually end, in my opinion. It felt like a knife came down at that exact moment onto the song. The rap sequence for the bridge was disappointing. While I know the members had moments in the past where their rapping was quite good, the way it was edited and presented in this song felt awkward and mismatching. Overall, I think this is their best song yet, despite there being some things that don’t suit my taste.

I actually think the school-girl concept fits them quite nicely. The entire video revolves around the girls having fun during school time through sports and just hanging out in general. And while I did like all the scenes, it seems like the photo booth seemed a little dis-coordinated from the rest of the video. It didn’t match the school theme of the video. The cinematography was quite nice. The camera angles and work did feel a little too overdone, but it wasn’t too bad. While it did seem like Chaeyeon had fewer scenes this time around, her close-ups were just a subtle way of marketing her, compared to the rest of the members, who had to share scenes with each other. But overall, nice video to watch.

I actually liked their performance. Though it keeps to that traditional side of KPOP, those kicks at the end of each chorus were amazing. Not exactly fond of that ribbon that features during the verses, but everything else looked great!

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

 

DIA has returned with their first full-length album, YOLO. The title track off this album is Will You Go Out With Me?. This is their first comeback since Mr. Potter, which was released last year. DIA also collaborated with Hong Jin Young and Kim Yeon Ja for their pre-release. This is also their first comeback as a 9-member girl group, with the recent addition of Jueun and Somyi.

I have not been much of a DIA fan since their songs haven’t really caught my attention. I am on the fence for this one, which I guess could be considered as a start. The song is made to sound overly cute, which annoys me to an extent because it sounds exaggerated. However, through that overload of exaggerated cuteness, the song has its moments.  The “어머어머어머어머” or “eomeoeomeoeomeoeomeo” did catch my attention. The chorus was also quite catchy. The instrumental doesn’t stand out, but it adds a little more liveliness to the song with its consistent and bright sound. However, there were parts that I didn’t really enjoy. First of all, that exaggerated cute sound I was talking about. Secondly, the opening rap sequence just sounded odd. Thirdly, those small speaking segments in the middle of the song. I just am not a fan of them and their use just doesn’t change it (awkwardly sounding). Overall, it is an okay song. I can’t say it is terrible, but at the same time, I can’t say it is a good song.

The music video shows the members in Tokyo (I think). The majority of the video is having them wander around the city and show shots of them having fun. Chaeyeon is the main member of the video and she wanders the street, wondering if she should contact her crush. She does have a few scenes where she does contact him through messaging and they were cleverly inserted into the music video alongside the scenes shot outside. The video reminds me of their debut music video, which also showed them wandering the streets in Hong Kong. Overall, I thought it was a pretty nice video to watch. It was smart and it worked. Not too sure on their marketing for this comeback though.

The dance was actually fun to watch. I see hearts everywhere in this choreography, which is pretty cool. Their first heart formation during the chorus was really hard. Let’s just say, it looked cool and it looked easy. But I tangled my arms and that is probably another reason why this review is out a few days late…

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

DIA has returned. This is my first time reviewing the girls. For those who are unfamiliar with this new girl group, they are currently a seven-member girl group under MBK Entertainment, which also houses T-Ara. They made their debut last year with Somehow and also released My Friend’s Boyfriend. On The Road is their first comeback for 2016. Some members of the group featured on the Produce 101 show and is also part of IOI. Currently the lineup of the group includes Eunice, Hui Hyeon, Jenny, Yebin, Eun-Jin, Chaeyon and Eunchae. The group’s former leader, Seunghee, withdrew from the group once her contract with the company expired at the start of the year.

The song is quite good, but it isn’t amazing. It didn’t blow me away and I am a little disappointed by it. It is a catchy song and I think that is why I like it. Particularly the chorus. The somewhat long note at the end of each chorus gives the “quite standard catchy” chorus more of a hook to it. It is a great song to have to play on in the background. The song isn’t heavy nor extremely loud, so it won’t distract you in any way. Their vocals compliment the overall balance of the pitch and tempo of the song. Same as the rap. Neither overpowered the instrumental or any other components of the song. What this song needed more of is harmony. They already sound quite good, but a little more background vocals or harmony with the other members could have made the song a lot better.

The music video was pretty boring. Again, it was quite standard and that was disappointing. Such a good song, with such a bland video. Basically, it is that formula of closeups and choreography, nothing more to it. There are some other shots with the girls and a guy, but there isn’t anything to talk about in those scenes. I want to say and speak about the video more, but there honestly was nothing to talk about.

The dance was boring as well. I am not fond of their live stages. But I guess the dance does fit the song. It is very underwhelming and lacks a lot of appeal. Maybe because the song isn’t heavy and “loud” that they adopted this style of dance, but overall, I would have like something with a little more powerful. (I guess I am all powerful choreography this and powerful dance that nowadays).

Final Rating –  5.5/10