Tag: DRIPPIN

DRIPPIN is nominated for Most Underrated Artist in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support DRIPPIN and your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today.

DRIPPIN is back with another comeback, making it their fourth release of the year. They begun 2022 with the release of VILLAIN, the title of both their third mini-album and title track. Then the group released their Japanese debut single, So Good, before returning to Korea in June with ZERO. Fast-forward 5 months, DRIPPIN rounds out the year (I hope, these guys need a break after the busy year!) with the release of their latest title track, The One, and their first studio length album since debut, Villain: The End.

Going into this comeback, I was expecting an intense dance track that found its roots purely in the EDM genre. But I was genuinely surprised that The One ended having a much bigger rock presence than EDM. Don’t misunderstand, however. There is still EDM here and there in the song, and it was definitely used to intensify The One and give it some textural components. The instrumental for the dance break was largely EDM-based and provided an epic climax for the song. But going back to the rock aspect of The One, I found it to be quite appealing that DRIPPIN and their producers went in this direction. What really gets me is that the rock isn’t necessarily a dark and emo piece, nor is it grungy. Instead, the rock influences in The One were surprisingly upbeat and vibrant. The drumming is superb in this track, and the metal guitar was definitely intense in itself. The explosive energy (there is a lot of going on in KPOP these days) and tempo of The One kept the adrenaline pumping – this track is definitely going on my exercise playlist. Aside from the instrumental, I quite enjoyed the pop charm of the melody and hooks to The One. The ‘I’m The One, One, Only One‘ is pretty much keyed into my mind. I thought that this gave the song a more appealing flavour, and took the opportunity to really transform The One into a pop rock vibe track. I feel the vocals and rapping were solid, though I wished the verses had bolder vocal and rapping moments, just to really bring it up to par with the rest of the chorus. Something like the rapping in the bridge would have been ideal. Overall, The One is an awesome track that I should have reviewed much earlier to tell you all about it.

An action packed music video was served alongside The One, and I am all for it. Junho was the common thread between all the videos that formed part of the Villain series, and it was pretty much hinted from the start that he would have a villainous role in the end. In the Villain music video, he comes hurdling into the ground and leaves unscathed from such an arrival. In the ZERO music video, he is the last one we see and we do see a taste of his fire power as he overlooks the city. In this music video, he causes meteors to come crushing down onto Earth (similar to how he arrived), forcing everyone into hiding. Upon hearing that villain Junho had killed the good Junho, good Junho’s bandmates emerge from hiding and revived good Junho. A very tense superhero-like action fight scene ensues between the two Junhos (with the bandmates also pitching in). The fight ends with the bandmates knocked out and no Junho around. The industrial setting of the fight becomes the grassy fields (the same fields at the start of the video) and the members celebrate their victory. They later find Junho, who smiles back at them. But a quick zoom into his face allows us to see Junho bearing a red and blue pupil, suggesting one of the two Junho came out victorious and absorbed the power of the other. But it leaves a question, which Junho won and which lost. Honestly, a really cool video, and I hope we see which Junho turned out victorious in the future (maybe this sets up a repackaged album?). As a little critique, I would have liked the story to delve into the other members a bit more, just to give us more of the story. .

The choreography was great. It sure exuded a lot of powerful energy and intensity, just as you would expect when listening to a song like this one. The dance breaks were really cool, and the move associated ‘I’m The One, One, Only One‘ felt like it could have been a really catchy move had it really been pushed. I also liked how it really complemented the pop side of the song, going for a less intense move, compared to the rest of the routine.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 9/10

There are a lot of comebacks dropping today, so expect the reviews to be posted over the next few days or so. Randomly selected to be the first release on the reviewing block is DRIPPIN’s comeback song, VILLIAN, which is featured on the group’s third mini-album of the same name. This is the group’s first comeback since last year’s release of Free Pass and the special single Vertigo (I highly recommend this Universe promotional single).

DRIPPIN revisits the groovy sound in VILLIAN thanks to the funky electronic bass line that runs throughout the song. The grooviness is felt the most during the song’s verses, while it felt somewhat lacking in the chorus due to the other instrumentation overwhelming the plate a bit. The grooviness is still there, however, it just felt less prevalent for me and I don’t recognise its presence as instantaneously as per the verses. This is more of an observation however, and I still thought VILLIAN had a decent backing to it. But when I compare to the wider industry, VILLIAN falters on the innovation side. As the vocals, I liked how powerful and forceful they got with their lines in the chorus. It definitely adds vibrancy and energy to the song that makes VILLIAN better. I also enjoyed the vocals at the very start of the song, as they ease into it. It was breathy and slightly sensual, which I think the members could have explored more in VILLIAN. The soaring high note from Hyeop was also impressive, though I wished it was slightly longer to be even more satisfying. Dongyun and Alex’s rapping were pretty good as well, though I wished they had more than half of the second verse. VILLIAN‘s outro did a good job of maintaining the momentum for that extra bit longer, making the end satisfying as well. Overall, VILLIAN is a decent song from the group with me wishing for (as usual).

Per usual, I am not entirely sure what the story of this music video is. The group became villains for this music video, as per the lyrics of the song, and went out to evoke havoc on the world. While their powers seem to help each other out and earlier scenes suggest that they had banded together, I can’t really tell if they are helping each/banded together for a common mission or whether they just want to cause havoc (or maybe, their mission was to cause havoc because they are villains). I wished the storyline came together to have an endpoint or a conclusion, just so whatever story was happening was clearer. But aside from that, a strong concept potential and awesome post-production.

The performance for this comeback was strong and powerful, which matches up with the energy that is exuded from the song. Nothing really stood out at me, but the entire routine worked well with the song and it is still a worthwhile performance to watch.

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

Back to catch up on the reviews I should have written weeks ago when the songs were first released. I will be choosing which releases to review at random, so there will be no order to what tracks I review. I just want to get them done! First up, I have chosen DRIPPIN’s comeback from 29 June. DRIPPIN returned with the single Free Pass as their latest title track. The song is featured on the group’s first single album which shares the same name as the lead single. Free Pass is DRIPPIN’s second comeback this year, with the first being Young Blood in March of this year.

Free Pass is quite dull. No matter how times I have listened to the song since its release, I find myself distracted looking for the next song to play and pretty much forgetting the song. To me, Free Pass doesn’t offer any new or innovative. It doesn’t even ‘reinvent the wheel’. It is pretty the same as any bright concept song that is release in the Summer season. This is disappointing to a degree, given that I liked both their debut song and their last comeback. The group has so much to offer based on their previous releases, but they are only given a song like Free Pass to show off their skills. But I guess that I guess this is the song that they will use to leverage their youthfulness. Though, it is interesting as their labelmates Golden Child and formerly Infinite have had their fair share of mid-tempo pop songs released in for the Summer season. And these songs by these more senior artists have been likeable and enjoyable (i.e. Pump It Up and Man In Love to name some examples – ignore my 7/10 rating and comments in the Man In Love review, that has been bumped up to a 9/10 rating when I reviewed mini-album in which it was featured on). Free Pass just doesn’t live up to that standard set by their labelmates. Don’t get me wrong, it is an okay song. But it could have been better and been more personalised for DRPPIN. One of the reasons to why I think Free Pass doesn’t have much to offer is because it lacks any substantial hook. This instantly reduces the memorability of the song. The instrumental is bright and energetic (so I will give it that), but it doesn’t have a sense of individuality or uniqueness. It feels plain and typical. Their vocal work and rapping are so-so. Not the best, but not terrible. So I guess what I really want is some identity so that DRIPPIN could really make Free Pass their own. Currently, Free Pass is theirs but it doesn’t feel individualised.

Once again, my comments above can be reflected down here. Concept-wise, I felt they have picked the general bright youthful concept that every other male group seems to do. Nothing new. And the music video is appropriately bright. In Free Pass, the group goes on a camping trip. They leave ‘Free Passes’ around the theme park they were initially at, so I presume their crushes would find them. Though, I think they put them in places that are a bit hard to reach or not that great hiding places. I mean, hiding them in a stack of other tickets, tying them to balloons, sticking them to the bottom of a park bench, floating in the fountain where it could easily fall in the water. Not really great ways of making sure they get to the intended person. In the end, someone ended up collecting them and had them in the tent next the campfire. So no one rocked up to be with the group. And the fell asleep around the campfire. The end.

I like the energy they brought to the performance. It is a great way to portray their youthfulness. Do note that I feel the choreography tends to fair a bit better when it comes to more typical aligned comebacks, as no routine are similar. Sure, moves can be replicated and borrowed. But no sequence would be exactly the same, and hence there is that opportunity to be different. What I liked about Free Pass‘ choreography is the formations they had during the first verse.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 6.5/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

After reviewing all of Monday’s releases, I can finally move onto releases from this week that occurred after Monday. One of these releases is DRIPPIN’s comeback single, Young Blood, which is featured on their latest mini-album, A Better Tomorrow. They are a relatively new group and this is their official comeback since their debut with Nostalgia. So for the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with DRIPPIN’, they are a seven-member male group under Woolim Entertainment. And here is a reason to why you should familiarise yourself with the group. They were overwhelmingly voted (44%) as the Best Male Rookie Group of 2020 in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. And if that it the attention they garnered within two months of their debut, the future for DRIPPIN’ is looking very bright. Let’s see what they are doing with Young Blood.

Young Blood reminds me of some of AB6IX’s early works. From the vocals to the upbeat yet straightforward nature of the instrumentation, it takes me back to those 2019 releases by AB6IX. What I did like about Young Blood that stood out for me was the groovy tinge to the song. Once again, this is another song to add to the ongoing trend. But this is who DRIPPIN’ made the song theirs. AB6IX’s releases did have a similar tinge, but it was not as satisfying or fulfilling as Young Blood. The electronic synths and energy come together to make a quite dynamic dance track that I am sure meets the expectations of fans. I find the pre-chorus slow down to be quite nice, especially with the piano coming through. It also helped make the launch into the chorus more exciting and impactful. The rapping in the song’s second verse was probably its weakest moment. Compared to the rest of the song, the instrumental strip down felt as simple as a blank canvas. Some synths can be heard, but they were used sparingly. The rapping just didn’t do enough to fill in that ‘blank canvas’ for me. The song then returns to the chorus, pulling the song back up to the thrill that was heard before the second verse. The bridge was short, but it was decent. I enjoyed the thumping beat that dominated the bridge. It added more to that thrill that just mentioned and threw in a bit of suspense. I also enjoyed the instant launch back into the final chorus, reinforcing that idea of being straightforward and not messing around. Overall, Young Blood was very energetic and dynamic, aside from its middle core.

I am not entirely sure about what is happening in the video. The start looked intriguing with one of the members going about his day as a convenience store clerk. During his usual duties, the power goes out and he notices a light behind the refrigerator. He looks into the light and this takes us to a world with no restraints (this is my assumption). The members look like they are having fun. But at the same time, they are seeking something (which I assume is in the box that they found the key for). What is in that box, I have no idea. It does give the video an air of mystery. But at the same time, it was lackluster and I don’t think there was enough in the video to decipher whatever was going on. Aside from that, I really like the use of multiple scenes throughout the video, which gave us some variety in the visuals of the video.

I really like the energy and drive behind their moves. It matches the dynamism and momentum of the song. No moves or not any moment stood out to me on its own. Rather I felt the entire choreography routine was a solid package. If I had to point out one part of the choreography that did at the very least elicit some sort of reaction from me, it was the spinning leg move they did at the start. The choreography just quickly moved on and so I didn’t really have much time to really think about it.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 6.5/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.4/10

It is time to have a deep dive into those Wednesday debuts. First up is the latest group to join the ranks of Woolim Entertainment’s roster – DRIPPIN. Personally, I don’t like their name. But there is nothing I can do about it. And who knows, it may grow on me in the future. The seven-member male group is made up of Hyeop, Yunseong, Changuk, Dongyun, Minseo, Junho, and Alex. Six of the members participated in Produce X 101. Five the members (aside from Junho, who made into the final lineup of X1, and Alex, the hidden member of the group) promoted under the name W Project 4 post-Produce X 101 last year. On Wednesday, the group made their debut with Nostalgia and the mini-album, BOYAGER.

What Nostalgia nails at first glance is its explosive and powerful nature. And I feel that this is always an appropriate way of making an entrance into the KPOP scene, given the massive influx of KPOP acts nowadays. You want to leave an impression and Nostalgia does just that for DRIPPIN. The song opens up to a pretty decent first verse. It felt very clean and the pre-chorus provided a great buildup to the first ‘explosion’, that is otherwise known as the chorus. My pick for the highlight of the song has to be the way they style the word ‘melody’ at the very end of the pre-chorus sequence by cutting it into syllables and taking away the instrumental for a brief moment. As already mentioned, the chorus is momentous with the way it is styled. The synths gave the song an electrifying effect and some zing to add appeal to the song. There is a subtle groove to it mixed in between the synths and intensity. And I also liked how the energy and intensity never lets up, even as the song moves into the catchy post-chorus ‘La La La… Nostalgia‘ hook. The second verse seems to be taken out of the book of all KPOP release and it doesn’t offer anything new. Glad it is followed up by another round of that explosive chorus. The rest of the song isn’t as cliche. I really enjoyed the more concentrated buildup to the dance break in the bridge and the added grooviness that followed in the dance/instrumental break, before returning to another and final chorus round. What I have yet to mentioned so far the members. Their vocal line is really good and their raps were pretty decent. I did have a craving for move ad-libs towards the end and even more rapping (away from the cliche second verse) to really bump up the song. But regardless, Nostalgia was a great first step for DRIPPIN.

The song is about wanting to return to the past with their lover. My guess when it comes to the storyline of the video is that the members want to recreate the scenery with the tree, as it has a sense of nostalgia for the members. One of the members plant the bare tree branch into the sand in the abandoned plane crash site, in hopes that it will grow to become that tree (which I assume they did). I may have gotten the story the wrong way around, but that is how I made sense of the music video with the lyrics. I really like the pale yellow that seems to be featured throughout the video in one way or another. It was a really nice colour to allow the members to pop, regardless of the white or black outfits that they wore throughout the video. It also felt pleasant, offsetting any harshness from the music/choreography that may have come about.

It seems like to be able to debut under Woolim Entertainment, your dance skills must be really good as they choreography some of the most intense routines ever that the idol must be able to perform in sync with everyone else. That is a particularly big ask and DRIPPIN definitely nailed it. The moves aren’t anything new, but the intensity and power that is placed behind each move is quite impressive. The ending of the bridge with the floating member seems quite cool, as well.

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