Tag: GFriend

GFriend is nominated for Best Female Group, Best Female Group Performance (for Apple), Best Outfit (for Apple) and Best Concept (for their Temptation Concept for Apple) in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Click here to support GFriend and your other favourite artists of the year.

GFriend returned with their impressively catchy MAGO at the start of November, which was released as part of their third studio album, 回:Walpurgis Night. There are a few major points about this studio album that are very important to note before we crack on with the review of the album tracks. The new album marks the end of the group’s 回trilogy and also features their last two comeback tracks, Crossroads (released back in February of this year) and Apple (released in July of this year). Labyrinth, which was a side track that attracted a lot of attention this year was also included in the studio album, alongside seven other new tracks. And without anything further, let’s move onto the review!

1. MAGO (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for MAGO. (9/10)

2. Love Spell – Love Spell opts for a pop rock vibe. I adore the guitars in this song, which give the song a grungy edge and a 90s persona. The members themselves make the song sound a lot sweeter. I also find it a nice balance between pop rock and GFriend (though part of me would have loved to see them go full on rock or even punk rock, which Love Spell hinted towards). (9/10)

3. Three of Cups – Staying within the pop realm, Three of Cups opts for a city pop vibe or a 70s disco vibe. This style really gives the opportunity for the group to do something light, which their airy vocals reflected quite well. There were also some catchy moments in the song that made Three of Cups appealing. (9/10)

4. GRWM – Based on what I can gather, GRWM stands for ‘Get Ready With Me’, a term used to describe vlogs that shows the morning activities as you get ready for the day. What I like about this pop song is GRWM’s instrumental felt grounded and tighter than the previous tracks. I did feel their vocals could have followed that same feeling, but instead they felt overly light for such a heavy instrumentation. As a result, it felt slightly mismatched. Only slightly, but noticeable still. (8/10)

5. Secret Diary – Secret Diary is the first the three unit tracks on this album. This was brought to you by SinB and Yerin. It was nice track to listen, with good vocals and a likeable instrumental. Pleasant at best, as I have recently been saying. It just didn’t really feel memorable as it could have been with catchier hooks. (7/10)

6. Better Me – Better Me features Umji and Sowon, an interesting pair. Vocally, I wasn’t sure how the song would turn out, given that these two members aren’t exactly known for their vocals. But I think Better Me was more than a pleasant listen. The song has this subtle Latin vibe to it and they both sounded quite clear. I also liked how they pushed themselves for this song, which ultimately paid off. I find Better Me as the better of the three unit tracks. (8.5/10)

7. Night Drive – I expected a bit more from Eunha and Yuju, if I was being honest. They are both known for their vocals, so I expected something exciting for them. But instead, the pair went down the cliché route by opting for really soft R&B track that comes off like a ballad to me. That being said, the two did show off some vocal flair by effortlessly going into falsetto mode for some of the song. I also find their vocals compliments the song’s soft approach, which helps give off a slightly polished feel. (7.5/10)

8. Crossroads (교차로) – Click here to read my full review for Crossroads. (7/10)

9. Apple – Click here to read my full review for Apple. (9/10)

10. Labyrinth – Click here to read my song review for Labyrinth. (10/10)

11. Wheel of the Year (앞면의 뒷면의 뒷면) – The final song on the album, following the three songs the group has previously released, is Wheel of the Year. It opens up with a consistent piano tune. The song builds to incorporate other classical and band instrumentation to develop the song into a a really strong pop sound. Once again, the vocals are quite light, airy and smooth, but I felt they were fitting for this song. There was also some really nice melodies. The song also features a bunch of catchy moments, especially as the song starts to pick up momentum. It is definitely an excellent pop track to end both the album and trilogy. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.5/10

Today’s album review will be a deep dive into GFriend’s ninth mini-album, 回:Song of the Sirens. This was released two weeks ago and features the group’s latest promotional track, Apple. This comeback is distinctively different to their previous comebacks (such as Crossroads on their eighth mini-album, 回:LABYRINTH, which was released earlier this year). This is another highly reccomended album release from the female group, with a lot of great side tracks. See what I thought about each of the songs below and check them out to see if you agree with me!

1. Apple (Title Track) – Click here for the full review of Apple. (9/10)

2. Eye of The Storm (눈의 시간) – The explosive start of Eye of The Storm really got me hooked to the song. It had Labyrinth (an awesome sidetrack from the group’s previous mini album) type of vibe to it. Unfortuately, the song does not keep to that type of vibe throughout. Such a bummer, as I would have loved a Labyrinth 2.0. Instead, Eye of The Storm opts for smoother pop melody that truly feels like the calm eye of the storm. It feels like an anime OST track, which is an appealing thought to have. I like how the song just keeps going with its fast tempo. It is quite dynamic this way. As for the vocals, I give them a big thumbs up. Their vocals are fluid, flowy and calming, which essentially compliments the title of the song. The melodies are also quite stunning. Overall, a really great start to the sidetracks on this mini album. (9/10)

3. Room of Mirrors (거울의 방) – This time, the start of Room of Mirrors reminds me of the early days of the modern era of KPOP. It actually has a bright and Summery start. As the song enters the first verse, you can feel that the song is a lot moodier than originally thought. The song is more in familiar territory for GFriend with the classical instrumentation. It alone is quite stunning. Paired with the melodies and you have a pretty alluring and beautiful song that is equally as dynamic as the preceding song, in its own way. We get a bit of an electric guitar solo during the bridge just to add to that GFriend familiarity, though the electric guitar does give off slightly different vibes. As like the last song, thumbs up to the vocals. It too is a stunning element of the song. But it is Sin.B’s rapping that really caught my attention and is what really solidified that idea of nostalgia in this song. (9/10)

4. Tarot Cards – One element of Tarot Cards that I like is it just doesn’t stop to take a breath. It might be an overwhelming song to some, as the song literally throws itself at you with its different routes and sounds. But I quite like it due to its exciting and thrilling nature. The start of the song starts off calm, before we are thrown into the fast-paced nature of the song with an opening that feels like the chorus (but it isn’t!). We are then taken on a rollercoaster ride of a choppy yet cohesive first verse that feels like it can be split into 3 distinct parts before being dropped into the actual chorus. And that is just the first verse. The rest of the song follows a similar set up. What makes everything quite cohesive that it collectively comes together to form another anime OST-like song. There was some really memorable parts in this song such as the ‘Shuffle haebwa’ just before the final chorus and the ‘la la la ta ta ta’ post-chorus hook. A definite strong song, in my opinion. (10/10)

5. Crème Brûlée – Crème Brûlée is the ‘odd ball’ song on this album. It doesn’t fit in any of the categories of anime OST or familiar GFriend territory. It is definitely has a playful tone and feels experimental. Good on GFriend for trying something a little different. The only issue is that I find the song to be quite boring. The song has this really dulled wooden xylophone start to it that is quite similar to other instrumentation that we have heard from other artists in the industry. The chorus infuses some trap into the song, but that is also something we have heard quite a bit. Their vocals are quite crisp in this song, so I would give the song that. I will also applaud Sin.B and Umji’s rapping in this song, which is another drawing factor in this song. I want to hear more of this rapping in the future, especially since Sin.B has established herself in a previous song. (7/10)

6. Stairs in The North (북쪽 계단) – We have finally reached the final song on the album and it is a beautiful song to end the album with. Stairs In The North is a classical rock ballad that ticks a lot of the boxes for a nice ballad. Firstly, the rock instrumental is quite refreshing and different to usual ballads. The instrumental break we get as part of the bridge where the electric guitar takes centre stage was a killer part! Secondly, the melody is makes me sway along to the song, which is always a sign for a good ballad. Thirdly, their vocals are stunning in this song. Fourthly, I love how the song felt like it was ending for a brief moment, but they instead got the song to fade out with an extensive instrumental break that I found quite captivating. So far, it is shaping to be a perfect song. However, I am not keen on one small detail. That is the sudden transition between the first chorus and second verse. But apart from that, this is such a pleasant and soothing song to finish up with. (9.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.9/10

Apologies for the random publishing dates for these album reviews. I expect all my reviews to normalize back to the usual days in the coming weeks.

GFriend have returned and took the past week by storm by taking the top spots of the Weekly Music Shows with their most recent comeback, Crossroads. Today, I will be looking at the rest of their album which is titled Labyrinth. Within the review, you will notice that they experiment with their sounds but stay relatively safe for their title track. More on that very soon (literally as part of the review of the first song on album). But I find that very interesting. Let’s see where their side tracks sit relative to the title track, Crossroads.

1. Labyrinth – In my Crossroads review, I mentioned that the group’s sound is becoming a little too consistent and this might be an issue if they were to keep to the same sound for their future releases. If we were to get a change in sound from GFriend, something like Labyrinth would be amazing. The start of the song reminded me of Fingertip, a previous title track of theirs. I really like the melodies in this song. Paired with a funky techno-like dance beat, the song is a great opener and track from the ladies, overall. All of this helps make the song extremely addictive and I keep on coming back for more. It is okay for GFriend to keep some of their influences in the track, as they did with the electric guitar during the bridge of Labyrinth. (10/10)

2. Crossroads (교차로) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Crossroads. (7/10)

3. Here We Are – The verses in this song were very unimpressive. It was a pretty bland start and I was wanting to pass the song the first few times I was listening to the album. But it until the song starts building up during the pre-chorus that the song has a kick to it. And the kick delivered a pretty solid chorus full of harmonies and melodies that highlights the best of the group’s vocals. I find it a very wholesome song, where the group longs to return to the best moment of their past or dwindling relationship. The bridge brings out a new sound that we haven’t heard from the group, opting for a slight anthem-like vibe. (8/10)

4. Eclipse (지금 만나러 갑니다) – Here is another good change to the group’s sound. This one would be considered to be in more familiar territory, as it retains the group’s classical instrumentation. But they seem to add a little Latin influence into the mix. There were also moments that I thought the song had a ‘diva-like’ vibe to the song, which I would love to hear the group explore more. Regardless of the slight touch add to the song, I thought the energy coming from the track was very encapsulated. There was a rush to the song but it wasn’t necessary a rush that we would associate with in this era. The vocal work is quite nice in the song, even though it seems a little linear for the most part (Yuju helped recover this at the end, but I would have liked to hear more character throughout). (9/10)

5. Dreamcatcher – Dreamcatcher is a very soothing song, suitable for a song about dreams and how their partner/crush is recurring in them. I don’t think this is very new territory for the group, as there is an ongoing trend on this album regarding ‘new sounds’. The way the group does perform the song do give is a refreshing feel. Their vocals are also very delicate, which makes sense regarding the theme of the song, and I thought the song had really good hooks/melodies to help drive the song and make it even more appealing. (8/10)

6. From Me – The final song on the album is a ballad. No surprises there, as this is commonly the place for the ballad of the song. The way the song started, I thought that there was a chance that the song would not be a ballad given the heavy thumping beat. But the song develops in that direction regardless. One thing that does make this song very appealing to me is its acoustic guitar that builds on and on as the song progresses. I thought that was very cool. Their vocals shine in this song, as you would want with a ballad and I think their vocals get even better towards the end. So, it is another song to listen through all the way! (8.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.4/10

Making their comeback a few weeks now is GFriend, who returned at the start of July with Fever and Fever Season (their 7th mini-album). While I still stand by my comments regarding the comeback track, the group managed to score a number of wins on the weekly music shows with Fever since their return. Congratulations to the girls for these achievements. To explain why the album review is out a little later than usual, I had always planned to write an album review. Just my snap decision to focus on the solo artists bumped the review down the road. But here it is!

1..Fever (열대야) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Fever. (6/10)

2. Mr. Blue – Mr. Blue opens over a dance instrumental with violins incorporated as an interesting detail. I thought they were a nice addition to the song, adding an extra dimension to the dynamics of the dance instrumental. The track is quite upbeat and the instrumental also provides the song with some intensity. The vocals were quite good, blending in well. The track does have a typical feel about it. But despite that typical feel, I think Mr. Blue had more potential as a title track, as it felt more defined and had substance. (8/10)

3. Smile (여자친구) – Smile is another upbeat dance track to join the album that evokes a smile while listening to the song. But it isn’t the dance instrumental that does that. Instead, it is the vocals that make me smile. It is both cute and playful. I really like the higher-pitched vocals during the chorus, as they consolidate these cute and playful vibes, whilst adding to the catchy nature of the song (i.e. memorability). I also really like the dance break, with the electric guitar reminding me of their earlier dance breaks they promoted with. My favourite bit is Yuju’s ‘You know what meaning’ during the bridge. It is a short moment but damn, it stole my attention. (9/10)

4. Wish (바라) – Wish takes the exact pathway as the preceding tracks. The album is now starting to look repetitive and bland with what seems to be very similar tracks. Before moving onto the negatives of the track, I wish to point out some positives. Wish has nice vocals and a decent beat. This is all good, except for one major problem. It fails to stand out. While Mr. Blue had saxophone and Smile had a very catchy hook, Wish doesn’t have anything to really lift it out of the generic category. And since the track felt very similar music-wise to the tracks before it, Wish falls behind the rest of its counterparts. (6/10)

5. Paradise – Paradise takes more of a retro approach with its instrumental, which is different to what we have heard so far. I liked the bold start and thought the verses were well-presented. The hook they started off the song with was revisited throughout the track and it was quite decent. But the track is far from perfect. The chorus felt like there was a little too much going on. There seem to be a tad too many cymbals in the mix, which ends up drowning out the delicate vocals that they went with. It is an odd pairing in my point of view, as I stress that the combination just doesn’t work. (7/10)

6. Hope (기대) – If you wanted a track that brings you nostalgia, then Hope is a pretty good track to do exactly that. The entire track gives me those girl group vibes from the 2000s to early 2011s. The track also feels highly suitable for the group, as they seem to be the benchmark of that type of girl group nowadays. The track is quite soothing at times and yet it remains upbeat for the majority of the track. I also like the vocals, which takes a page out of the typical book. But I felt the consistency of the vocals was one of the song’s strong points. The instrumental was very pop and enjoyable, due to the nostalgia factor. (7/10)

7. Flower (Korean Version) – I have previously reviewed the Japanese version of Flower. Click here to read my review for Flower. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.4/10

The album review is for today is on schedule!! Woo!! Today’s album review is focused on GFriend’s latest release, Time For Us. The group made their comeback last week with the title track of their 2nd studio album, Sunrise. The new album also features the Korean version of the group’s latest Japanese single, Memoria. There is a fair bit to get through, so let’s get cracking!

1..Sunrise (해야) (Title Track) – Click here for the full review of Sunrise. (9/10)

2. You Are Not Alone – I personally think this track could have been a potential contender for the title track. It is quite up to par with Sunrise when you think about it. It is vocally driven, and the instrumental adds a dynamic dimension to the song. I really like the rock elements in it, despite it being what I would consider a relatively pleasant sound. Together, there is a very interesting depth to the song, which makes the song very interesting. Those ad-libs at the end are phenomenal and its melody was a standout. All of this contributes to the album’s first perfect score. (10/10)

3. L.U.V (기적을 넘어) – There were certain moments of the song that I quite liked. And then there were moments that I thought the song was a little too typical. The verses are an example of the great parts. They featured this hip-hop vibe in, which I thought was a unique touch as it doesn’t really conform to a lot of their previous work. The rapping was my highlight for the song, basically for the exact reasons mentioned. The chorus was my pick for the typical moment. Following the verse, the chorus took a very melodic route that I thought was rather safe and didn’t really carry the same vibes over. (7/10)

4. GLOW (만화경) – GLOW, to me, does what the title suggests. The song does glow extremely brightly with its cute voices for the chorus and an instrumental that does pop out. Throw in a catchy melody and you pretty much have a winning formula. I find the song suitable for all climates as it showcases a warming vibe for the colder months but also a refreshing vibe for the hotter months. The only thing that does let me down is the sudden ending. (9/10)

5. Our Secret (비밀 이야기) – Opening up Our Secret is a very addictive high pitch whistle synth, which I really like. It pulled me into the song straight away. The vocals were quite nice, giving the song a lot of different appealing factors to really grab onto. The chorus itself felt fun and energetic (in a subtle way), which was another element that I liked about the song. Altogether, the song was a gem itself, earning the album’s second perfect score. (10/10)

6. Only 1 –Only 1 doesn’t offer much within the verses. It felt rather typical and didn’t stand out. The first half of the chorus also shared the exact same feeling. But it is the second half of the chorus that really draws my attention to the song, as there was a choppy effect that I have never heard of before. While this does sound rather messy, it works extremely well and felt just right for this song. I thought the instrumental was nice, especially around the bridge of the song. (7/10)

7. Truly Love – Truly Love brings back the cutesy sound in their voices and this gives the song a sweet vibe, which I thought was rather pretty. The song also allows for the focus to be on the vocals with its minimal instrumentation. I like the chorus of the song. It isn’t as strong as their previous tracks on the album, but it was rather pleasant. The instrumental was also another likeable element to the song but I am not really sure how to describe it. (8/10)

8. Show Up (보호색) – Show Up has this aesthetically pleasing vibe surrounding some bits of the song, which I find to be quite interesting. It is the rap-speaking verses that I find very intriguing as it isn’t something you hear all too often, especially from GFriend. Unfortunately, the rest of the song felt like a standard pop song, losing that unique touch. The only other memorable part is the second half of the chorus, which was quite memorable. Everything else just didn’t really felt appealing. (7.5/10)

9. It’s You (겨울, 끝) – It’s You is a good song but it isn’t their best. It is another passable song on the tracklist as there really isn’t much development to the song, where stillness might be its biggest charm. But as a result, the song doesn’t become appealing due to its lack of momentum. I did like the soft R&B style that they went for and there was a slight warming touch, thanks to their vocals. (7/10)

10. A Starry Sky – A Starry Sky is a soft pop ballad that showcases the best of the member’s vocals. The instrumental is very calming and soothing. The harmonies were equally as nice. And like most ballads that I enjoy, there is a slight swaying effect to this song. But that is basically it to the song. To me, there really isn’t much else to discuss regarding the song. (7.5/10)

11. Love Oh Love – Love Oh Love takes me back to their debut days. The song just gives off those vibes and I thought was rather cool. There also seems to be a girl group retro influence in the instrumental of the song. I thought the vocals were amazing in this song and managed to give a pretty and freshening characteristic to the song. I like the chorus for its pack of energy and catchiness. I also really liked the ending of the song. (9/10)

12. Memoria (Korean Version) – I previously reviewed the Japanese version of Memoria. Click here to read the full review of Memoria. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.3/10