Moving along with the albums released this year, I am reviewing ITZY’s second studio-album BORN TO BE today. It was released back on 8 January 2024 and follows on from their KILL MY DOUBT mini-album (which features CAKE as the lead single). BORN TO BE features a total of 10 tracks, including the pre-release with the same name as the album, the title track UNTOUCHABLE and five solo tracks from each member of ITZY (including LIA, who has been on a hiatus since September 2023). Regarding the solo tracks, I have not reviewed them separately ahead of time despite them having a short video released to promote them for a few reasons, but I have included each video down below.
Overall, BORN TO BE is strongest in the solo tracks and most of the side tracks. UNTOUCHABLE has grown on me a bit and was definitely a highlight. But there were some other tracks on the album that had more potential and I personally felt had more of an edge over the title track. Continue reading to find out which songs they are.
4. Dynamite – Dynamite lifts the song quality on the album back up with a very upbeat and loaded dance track. It is super engaging and I personally felt that was a lot of ITZY energy coming off it. The percussion keeps Dynamite dynamic and bouncy. I did think the members’ vocals were pushed a little too far, but there was some nice control on the members’ part. I am also not a massive fan of the abrupt ending. It didn’t finish Dynamite off satisfyingly. (8/10)
5. Crown on My Head (YEJI Solo) – We now turn to the solo songs and first up is YEJI. Crown On My Head is a rock track. I liked the different ways the electric guitar was employed in the song. In the first verse, the guitar work is exhilarating and electrifying, and I constantly wonder why it wasn’t continued in the more typical synth-based second verse. In the chorus, the guitar work takes on more of a grungy vibe. But the best use of the guitar comes in the instrumental break, where we get a shreddy effect. As for YEJI, her vocals definitely soared throughout and upped the intensity of Crown On My Head. She had full command of the track and delivered it superbly. (9/10)
6. Blossom (LIA Solo) – Despite being on hiatus, LIA does feature in this album through her solo track Blossom. The song takes us down an alternative R&B route, thanks to its more experimental instrumentation. This EDM-based adds a lot of energy and the synth work gives off a dreamy affair. LIA’s vocals fit the R&B style really well, especially with the slight rasp to her vocals. There are a few varying vocal styles in Blossom from LIA, all of which makes it an engaging solo track. (9/10)
7. Run Away (RYUJIN Solo) – Out of all the solo tracks, Run Away was the one that I instantly liked when I first checked out the album back when it was released. I remember it was the chorus that caught my attention, which brings together a passionate delivery from RYUJIN and some amazing guitar work that reminds me of pop-rock from the early 00s. I also like the mellow direction the bridge took, which was a nice yet brief break from the pop-rock energy. If I had to pick, RYUJIN’s Run Away is my top pick from the solo tracks on this album. (9/10)
8. Mine (CHAERYEONG Solo) – CHAERYEONG has the shortest solo track of the bunch, spanning less than 2 minutes. Mine is a synth pop track with a groovy tinge. CHAERYEONG brings a very sensual and sultry vibe to the song, which makes it very alluring. Of the five solo tracks, I think Mine was one that stood out the least. Not on the merits that it was bad song, but rather not reaching its full potential. An easy way to do this in Mine is to give CHAERYEONG’s vocals more definition and boldness. This would have helped oomph up her parts to give them more depth amongst the instrumentation. (8/10)
9. Yet, But (YUNA Solo) – Yet, But is YUNA’s solo contribution to the album. It is a rather straight forward track that feels like a good embodiment of what KPOP is. It brings a fun and playful energy to the album. This pairs with YUNA’s youthful vocals. Personally, I do feel like Yet, But is a little too sweet for my liking. It also stays within the lines and feels rather ‘safe’. But I enjoyed the exploration into the light-hearted territory of pop. (7.5/10)
10. Escalator – Bringing the members (sans LIA) back together for the final song is Escalator. It is an experimental dance track, that features a fierce demeanour from the members and loud synth work. It was definitely a blast on all fronts. I did like the way the vocals were processed at the start, panning from either side. I also like the shouty motif the members went for the chorus, which felt right for such a loud and strong song. Lastly, I also like the techno synth work at the end, adding a lot more flair and bombast to the song. (9/10)
Very early on in January 2024 and ahead of the official release of their BORN TO BE album release (led by the title track UNTOUCHABLE), ITZY also pre-released the single Mr. Vampire. Today, I will be reviewing this single. This was the second pre-release from the album (not including the solo releases that are also featured on the BORN TO BE album), with the first being the single that shares the same name as the album, BORN TO BE.
My thoughts on Mr. Vampire is fairly simple. Instrumentally, Mr. Vampire is a fun song to me. I quite enjoyed the percussion that features throughout the track. There are also some harps (in full and rather choppy later on) and whistle-like synths in the chorus (which I find to be quite familiar, but I just cannot pinpoint where I have heard something similar). These all help Mr. Vampire‘s backing piece to be engaging and intriguing to me. In terms of the members and their input into Mr. Vampire, that is where the song unravels for me. It is a fair effort from the group, but the melodies are incredibly dull and the vocal work feels strained. Nothing from the members pings me as memorable. In fact, all of it (if not most) was pretty forgettable. I wished what the members had to offer in Mr. Vampire was striking enough to be on par with the instrumentation. Or just even compelling enough to get a better reaction out of me. But as it stands, the instrumentation was by far the most memorable aspect of the song, and the rest of Mr. Vampire just … well… disappears.
The music video appears as dull as the song did. While I did like the colour palette that was used in the video and the close-up shots of the members do look real nice, there just isn’t anything more to the video (apart from the performance aspect of the release, and even then the song weighs this down as well) that sticks out. I also noticed some poor editing in the later parts of the video, where the lip-syncing just does not match up to the song. I understand the song is about falling in love, but I would have liked a touch of that vampire concept in the video. Maybe a bit of blood or some symbolism that represents the mythological creature.
As mentioned prior, the choreography for this pre-release was also bland and dull. But it is slightly better than the music video. From what I can see, there are vampire references in the routine and the chorus part of the choreography had a slight dynamic touch and sharpness that I was looking for in the other parts of this Mr. Vampire release.
Song – 6.5/10 Music Video – 6/10 Performance – 7/10 Overall Rating – 6.5/10
Welcome back to the Weekly KPOP Charts for the second week of January 2024. As mentioned last week, I will be offline from mid-January to mid-February once again, and have for the last week been preparing scheduled posts to be published whilst I am away. So I will be making this post a short one so I can continue doing that. In terms of plans for the blog over the coming weeks:
I will be posting my final review for new releases this Wednesday (17 January 2024). This should give me time to cover NMIXX, YENA and SISTAR19’s new releases before I go on my break.
From 18 January 2024 to 11 February 2024, I will be releasing scheduled posts. I am aiming for one a day, but that depends on the number that I can draft before I go on my break.
I will resume normal posting on the blog on 12 February 2024.
Weekly KPOP Charts for the 3rd, 4th and 5th Weeks of January 2024 have been cancelled. I will resume tracking for a Weekly KPOP Charts post for the 1st Week of February (4 – 10 Feb), which will be posted once I am back.
The results for the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Charts will be delivered at the end of February (date to be confirmed).
So without any further waste of time so I knock out some more scheduled posts, here is the Weekly KPOP Charts for the 2nd Week of January 2024. Wish you the best and see you again in February!
FINAL DAY – 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards
If you have yet to vote in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, you will need to vote now by clicking the link here to support your favourite artists, songs and performances of 2023. Voting closes 11:59 PM on 15 January 2024, which is literally tomorrow!
Non-Korean Song by a KPOP Artist of the Week
The highest non-Korean song by a KPOP artist each week is considered the Non-Korean Song of the Week. For the 2nd Week of January 2023, that song is E.SO’s Perfect Crime, which ranks in the 32nd position this week. You may recognise E.SO as former Berry Good member Seoyul.
The Charts
Congratulations to ITZY for debuting at the top of the Weekly KPOP Charts for the 2nd Week of January 2024 with their latest single UNTOUCHABLE. For more of the charts, keep on scrolling down below.
ITZY is nominated for Best Female Performance (Group) for CAKE, while RINGO is nominated for Best International Song by a Korean Artist (Japanese). Support ITZY’s CAKE and RINGO, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today.
Joining the Monday lineup of comeback is ITZY, who makes their comeback today with their comeback with their 2nd studio length album, BORN TO BE. The headline song of the album is the single UNTOUCHABLE. And it appears that JYP Entertainment has gone all out of this comeback, with 2 pre-release tracks (BORN TO BE and Mr. Vampire – the latter I will be reviewing later in the future) and 4 music videos for each of the solo singles from the four member lineup of this comeback (Lia is currently on hiatus, but she also has a solo single on the album and a lyric video was released instead). This is ITZY’s first Korean comeback since CAKE and KILL MY DOUBT.
I love that UNTOUCHABLE is bold and sends a strong and powerful message. However, I don’t think it is the song to win people back. I say that because I am a little iffy on the chorus. While I do like their approach and it standalone makes for a very good centrepiece, I am a little disappointed over the fact the producers chose synths over a rock centric backing for the chorus. The verses were a great incline towards the chorus, and thanks to the guitars in the background, it makes you expect a chorus with a rock vibe to it. We do get some presence of guitar in the chorus, but it isn’t the forefront, which is what I was hoping for. That being said, the chorus we do get in UNTOUCHABLE still comes off as bold and makes for quite a statement piece. The vocals, rapping and overall delivery of the chorus (and other parts of the song) was on point, with the ad-libs at the end serving well. The part of UNTOUCHABLE that could use a revamp are the verses. They fall short from feeling memorable and comes off as more of a blur when you compare it to the choruses. The part of the UNTOUCHABLE that could have used a rethink is the post-chorus, which felt a little werid for me. I am not exactly sure if it fits into the bigger picture that is UNTOUCHABLE.
This music video made me go wow! We are only 8 days into the new year and there might already be a strong contender for Best Music Video of 2024. The crispness and high quality of the video definitely takes it to the next level. You can feel the intensity at the start with all the guards standing around the members, and via the lighting that mimics a prison or lasers directed at them. The members themselves look stunning and fierce throughout the video, depending on which part you are watching. The best part of the video has to the beginnings of the final chorus, with the guards exploding in slow motion and ITZY dancing at normal speed in the midst of that chaos. We also get sole really cool cinematography in the final moments of the video, as well.
I found the performance to be quite striking and bold, which is on par with the song itself. The movements were very sharp and it showcases ITZY’s knife-like precision. There are some graceful moves in the routine and I felt their presence helps balance everything out, so it isn’t too precise and edgy to watch.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 10/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 8.8/10
Welcome back to the Weekly KPOP Charts and to 2024. As previously mentioned, today I will be posting the combined Weekly KPOP Charts for the 3rd and 4th weeks of December 2023 (dates spanning 17 to 30 December 2023). I will be back tomorrow with new song reviews, beginning with the songs the major releases that were released during my absence over the holiday break!
ICYMI – 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards
If you have yet to vote in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, click the link here to be taken to the voting page to support your favourite artists, songs and performances of 2023.
Voting page does not close until 15 January 2024, so keep on voting!
The Charts
Congratulations to ITZY and their pre-release single BORN TO BE for topping the Weekly KPOP Charts for the 3rd and 4th weeks of December 2023. For more of the charts, keep on scrolling down below.
Pos.
Song
Artist
Change
1
BORN TO BE
ITZY
(NEW)
2
HEARTRIS
NiziU
(▲ 24)
3
Drama
aespa
(▲ 6)
4
Miss You
Bang Yedam
(▲ 51)
5
AMNESIA
WOODZ
(NEW)
6
Be There For Me
NCT 127
(NEW)
7
Boogie Man
LUCY
(▲ 17)
8
MEGAVERSE
Stray Kids
(▼ 3)
9
Soñar (Breaker)
NMIXX
(▲5)
10
MANIAC
VIVIZ
(▲ 3)
11
God of Music
SEVENTEEN
(▲ 12)
12
To. X
TAEYEON (SNSD)
(▲ 9)
13
BEEP BEEP
JESSICA
(▲ 27)
14
What Are We
BAEKHO ft. Park Jiwon (fromis_9)
(▲ 11)
15
Do It
Youngjae (GOT7)
(▲ 19)
16
Wait
DINO (SEVENTEEN)
(▼ 13)
17
LALALALA
Stray Kids
(▼ 16)
18
To My Boyfriend
ILY:1
(▲ 37)
19
BATTER UP
BABYMONSTER
(▲ 36)
20
NOBODY
Jeon Soyeon ((G)I-DLE), Winter (aespa), LIZ (IVE)
(▼ 1)
21
Guilty
TAEMIN (SHINee)
(▲ 15)
22
RUCKUS
GHOST9
(▲ 33)
23
What’s My Name
MAVE:
(▲ 32)
24
Even If It Is Alive
Won ft. Dohwan
(▲ 31)
25
Must Be Nice
ONE PACT
(▲30)
26
Chill Kill
Red Velvet
(▼ 10)
27
Standing Next To You
Jung Kook (BTS)
(▼ 10)
28
WATCH IT
THE BOYZ
(▼ 24)
29
Talk Saxy
RIIZE
(▼ 19)
30
Rebel
TVXQ
(NEW)
Songs leaving the charts
The following songs have wrapped up their nine week run in the charts system, and will no longer be on the charts from next week:
ITZY is nominated for Best Female Performance (Group) for CAKE, while RINGO is nominated for Best International Song by a Korean Artist (Japanese). Support ITZY’s CAKE and RINGO, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today.
Ahead of their official comeback on 8 January 2024 with their second studio album, ITZY has pre-released the single BORN TO BE. This upcoming comeback will be ITZY’s first return with a four-member lineup, after it was announced that LIA would not be part of this comeback due to anxiety. It also follows on from the group’s CAKE comeback in July of this year and their more recent Japanese single RINGO.
BORN TO BE attempts to become the group’s most powerful and bombastic sound yet, based on the visual aspect of this release (more on that in the music video and performance aspects of this review). And while I do hear it during certain parts of the song, I just don’t think BORN TO BE gets there. I personally thought the song was rather tame. Sure, the instrumental was busy and loud (though it was very clear to me that it was typical and lacked originality), and ITZY’s delivery at times alludes to a powerful undertaking. But I felt something was holding back the song from realizing its full potential. To me, a more innovative instrumental could have resolved some that. For example, I was waiting for some added vibrancy and intensity to kick in during the final chorus to make everything at the end feel more enhanced. That would have made BORN TO BE‘s ending to be more satisfying to end on. Also, I wished the chorus was less monotonous with its ‘Born To Be’ repetitive hook. I felt that really dulls the song down quite a bit. But it isn’t all bad news for ITZY. The shoutier moments of BORN TO BE felt like a statement, and I actually like the stillness (relative to the rest of the song) that the pre-chorus brought to the track. The vocal backing in the instrumental break was actually refreshing and different to the usual synth-only dance breaks we get. Overall, I definitely think more can be done with BORN TO BE.
The music video goes for a darker than usual concept for this performance centric music video. But I also like its simplicity. It might not be apparent, given the different visual effects utilized in the video and the amount of dancers present in video. But when you start breaking it down, there really isn’t much. The room is literally dark, with post-production used to apply a limited yet cool set of visual effects that plays out above the members/dancers. LCD screens are below the members as the ‘floor’, which at times was lava or just a white foundation for the group and dancers to perform and ‘pop’ out on. Minimal lighting was also used – there was enough so that you can see the members/dancers, but not enough such that the background feels like it is darkness. At a certain point, red carpet was introduced along with a rock formation that some of the members danced upon, just to give some form of height and depth to the video (otherwise, the video would have been very flat). I like it, simply because all of the above works well together with the song to show us what was intended out of BORN TO BE.
Performance looks amazing. The synchronisation at the pre-chorus is probably my highlight, simply because the angles at which their arms are at make it super difficult to achieve. The sheer volume of dancers (alongside ITZY) makes the chorus looks epic. And the dance break was awesome to watch. We might just have a contender for the 2024 KPOPREVIEWED Awards already.
Song – 7/10 Music Video – 8.5/10 Performance – 10/10 Overall Rating – 8.1/10
Language: English Release Date: 9 March 2023 Release Type: Expectations (Digital Single)
I start off this post with Anne Marie and Minnie’s collaboration single, which I was promptly reminded of last week when they (and Expectations) were nominated for Best Collaboration at the 2023 MAMA Awards. For me, Expectations is very much on trend with the current sound of pop music in the Western world. I really like the instrumentation, which has an addictive vocal synth in the background, some really refreshing guitar work and the slight punkish pop rock sound in the chorus. Both Anne Marie and Minnie’s vocals are quite good and sound well-rounded. The bridge is probably a really good example of this. As for the chorus, the centrepiece of Expectations feels like an anthem, both easy to follow and easy to commit into our minds. I like how the instrumental makes way for the vocals at certain points within Expectations, allowing the vocals to have moments of impact. Overall a strong showing from the pair, with a song that has an impactful message telling you to go on your own way, rather than following the expectations of everyone around you.
The music video is a miss for me. I think I watched it once when the song was first released, but I definitely have not gone back since then. It is super cheap, and I think the company behind this video (Warner Music Korea) could have done a lot better. It honesty looked like two random rooms were chosen on the fly and the producers just gave a microphone to the pair to sing into. No additional styling or budget was given to give the rooms some life or identity. At least, there was some post production to the video, but even that was pretty ordinary.
Overall Rating – 7.1/10
Perfect Night – LE SSERAFIM
Language: English Release Date: 27 October 2023 Release Type: Perfect Night (Digital Single)
Perfect Night is the newest track in this post, dropping only just yesterday. I would describe Perfect Night to be a pretty track, thanks to subdued instrumentation consisting of the twinkling synths, trap beats and the rhythmic guitar. This formula unfortunately doesn’t push any boundaries and doesn’t offer the usual upbeat energy that LE SSERAFIM puts behind their title tracks (which I kind of was hoping for in this collaboration – more on this in a moment). In fact, the instrumentation remains pretty much the same through and through. On the flip side, however, I found that LE SSERAFIM’s smooth and light-on vocals went quite well with the instrumentation subdued nature. Again, this is through and through Perfect Night. I think with that comment, you can probably guess that I found Perfect World to be quite consistent. As usual, I say consistency can be a good thing. But in the case of Perfect Night, I find the consistency to be a problem, where that multiple listens to Perfect Night might wear off the current charm and prettiness that I get from the song. At the moment, I find this new song to be “just nice”, but I don’t know if that is how I would describe the song the more I listen to it.
As mentioned above, this release is actually a collaboration with the game Overwatch 2. Essentially, LE SSERAFIM are celebrities in this virtual world, and the OVERWATCH characters make their way to watch LE SSERAFIM’s performance of Perfect Night. The characters experience some problems, such as bumper to bumper traffic and forgetting the tickets. But having abilities, the characters bypass these issues quite easily. But the video ends happily with the characters enjoying the LE SSERAFIM concert. I also like the slight node to Fearlesswith the dance studio that LE SSERAFIM started in for this music video. As for the choreography for this release, it looks quite nice and matches up with the prettiness that the song embodies.
Overall Rating – 7.8/10
RINGO – ITZY
Language: Japanese Release Date: 18 October 2023 Release Type: RINGO (1st Japanese Studio Album)
RINGO is a fairly new release that I haven’t actually checked out yet. So my thoughts on RINGO here will be my first impression. RINGO is a very in-your-face type of song, kicking off with some bold beats. I like the Latin tinge and the bombastic feel that RINGO brings to the table. The chorus concentrates all of this into a singular strong central piece, which comes off as both memorable and intense. The hooks were fantastic, as is the dance club energy that comes off RINGO‘s centrepiece. However, the disappointment aspect in the chorus, for me, were the vocals. They felt very shouty and was definitely pitched higher than what it needed to be. This approach makes me nervous for the group, because it makes things more difficult for the group and creates a needless form of tension in the song. Yes, the members needed to be heard over the bombastic energy coming off the background, but surely the producers could have been a lot clever about how to approach this. On the other hand, Ryujin’s rapping, particularly, in the second verse, leaves me impressed. Overall, I do like what RINGO has to offer and there is enough in the track for me to enjoy and remember the track by. But I think better execution in terms of production would have made RINGO feel more at ease.
RINGO is about forging one’s story, rather than following a story that is already set out for them, such as in the fairytales. The word RINGO is the Japanese word for ‘apple’, and the music video begins with the infamous fairytale of Snow White (which we all know features an apple). The bitten apple in the story turns into a sword and shield, the very same sword and shield that is later held by Lia. This represents that the members don’t need a prince charming (or another ‘saviour’) to help them out. Instead, we see the members protect themselves when they are under fire and finding their own way out of situations. We also see the members pick their own apple and taking a bite out of it, regardless of if it is forbidden or poison, going against the fairytales to create one’s one story. The choreography for this release is equally as strong and powerful as the song and story behind the music video. I like the many apple biting references and also that power walk that kicks off the final chorus.
Overall Rating – 8.5/10
Light Of My Life – CHEN (EXO)
Language: Japanese Release Date: 17 August 2023 Release Type: Polaris (1st Japanese Mini Album)
In the lead up to the release of Polaris, CHEN dropped a single from the mini-album each week. This ended on 17 August 2023, when CHEN dropped the final and lead single Light Of My Life and the full mini-album. Light Of My Life is another beautifully executed and really well-done ballad to add to CHEN’s repertoire of ballads. But what I like about Light Of My Life is that it doesn’t conform to the ballad numbers that CHEN has previously released before in Korea. Instead, he opts for a mid-tempo band instrumentation and some orchestral touches in the instrumental, which is distinct from his previous tracks that were just orchestrally instrumented. The band instrumentation really helps make the track more powerful, in my opinion. It added some punchy moments that we haven’t heard in CHEN’s ballads in the past. The band instrumentation also allows CHEN to really show off his vocals and give Light Of My Life so much more oomph. When the combination of the instrumentation and his vocals peaks in Light Of My Life, you find these to be the most powerful moments in the song, and are truly breath-taking. Overall, a breath-taking number.
The music video features CHEN at two locations – the more memorable location (in my opinion) is on the moon. I thought the moon was a clever concept. The song’s lyrics features a message of finding the light, which implies that someone is in darkness. And the source of light in the night (which is when we commonly find ourselves in the dark) is the moon. So having CHEN sing on the moon, with the light shining of him is a clever way to represent light in the darkness. The second location is the city scenery, which were briefer moments in the video. CHEN doesn’t look sad in these scenes, even if the lyrics do feel emotionally charged. Instead, I think these scenes represents finding one’s way. And the only way to do that is if you get up and move about. For me, this was a super nice video to watch and works perfectly with the song.
For me, ITZY feels like they are the underdogs in KPOP at the moment. ITZY’s mini-albums have been a mixed bag for me and many others lately. It is interesting to note that the scores I personally been giving their album releases have been continually going down each time I review them. And so, I do hope that ITZY can turn things around and dispel the misconceptions about them to the KPOP industry. I am happy to report that KILL MY DOUBT does reverse the trajectory ever so slightly, and I hope this is a sign that their album outputs will improve, to the point they will release an album that will smash and changes people’s perception of them as artists. KILL MY DOUBT, released in July, features the title track CAKE, pre-release tracks BET ON ME and None of My Business and an additional 3 sides track, taking the total number of songs to 6.
2. CAKE (Title Track) – As I had predicted, CAKE has grown on me a fair bit since I reviewed it. As a result of this, I have decided to bump up CAKE‘s song rating by 0.5 full point. My other thoughts on the song do stand, however. Click here to read the full review forCAKE. (7.5/10)
4. Bratty (나쁜 애) – For me, Bratty is the mini-album’s most skippable song. First impression had me thinking that the track goes for a playful arrangement with its unique instrumentation. However, the more I listen to it, the less so does Bratty sound this way to me. The reason for this is because Bratty sounds quite linear, which didn’t bode down well in the long run for me. The members give Bratty some nice vocals, but they didn’t offer anything melodic or catchy enough to be get the song stuck in my head. (6/10)
5. Psychic Lover – Psychic Lover appeals to me with its pop rock influenced chorus. The energy from the central sequence of Psychic Lover feels pleasantly electrifying and exciting. The buildup during the pre-chorus was amazing, as well. My only wish for Psychic Lover is that the vocals followed through with the energy and stayed in this energetic form. This easily could have taken the song to the next level. ITZY kind of gets there at the start of the choruses, but the energy from them fizzles out as the choruses progresses, flatten its potential. (8.5/10)
6. Kill Shot – The shortest song by far is Kill Shot. And this is its biggest flaw. The electronic synths give such a dark, edgy and cool vibe to the song. ITZY themselves carries this edgy and cool vibe through into their whispery and low tone delivery. The song also manages to incorporate a ‘Ring around the rosie’ melody, which an unexpected development in the song. But it keeps it interesting, aligning with the rest of what we heard. I just wished Kill Shot was longer. (8.5/10)
Ahead of their comeback with CAKE earlier this year, ITZY released two music videos for two side tracks off their Kill My Doubt mini-album – BET ON ME and None of My Business. Long overdue, but I am finally reviewing the two side tracks in this double review post ahead of the album review for Kill My Doubt which I am looking to post next week.
Neither BET ON ME or None of My Business are of bold title track material that ITZY always promotes with. Instead, I found both side tracks to be quite subdued, each in their own way for ITZY’s standard. While subdued tracks can be good, I find both these tracks to be very much on the generic side. BET ON ME is my personal favourite of the two. BET ON ME is just a lot meatier in my opinion, which I put it down to the pulsing beat in the background and melodies with a bit more bite to them. That being said, however, BET ON ME needs a bit more substance to it to take it to the next level. Otherwise, the generic comments I made at the start pretty much stand firm in this track. Maybe the chorus could have used a more effective and catchy hook and the vocals could have been more developed. None of My Business is a lot smoother in terms of melodies and had some catchy hooks, which I do like. Their vocals sound pretty nice in this track, and I appreciate how the rapping cuts through the melodies and prevents the song from becoming too repetitive. But the biggest problem I have with None of My Business is the sluggish instrumentation, which results in the energy of the track to be subpar. Released in the midst of the Summer season, None of My Business reflects that in a tropical sounding and mid-tempo backing. It does the job, but it is also very paced, feels draining and made me lose interest in the track quite quickly. Overall, it is clear that both tracks are lacking, and as such were not my favourite songs off Kill My Doubt.
The music videos for both BET ON ME and None of My Business fairs better than the songs themselves. BET ON ME‘s lyrics feature a message of believing in yourself, and we see that in the video. Each member is isolated or isolating themselves from the world throughout the video. But at the end of the video, we see each member one-by-one run come together to run away from the feeling and towards the light at the end of the tunnel – the brighter outcome that they desire. I like the grey tone featured throughout the music video. But like Stray Kids’ DLC, I wished there to be more colour as the members come together at the end, just to give a better expression of hope. However, on the flip side, they are still in that tunnel and so the grey filter does still stand on that side of the tunnel. As for None of My Business, the video opts for warmer colours and the members wear appropriate outfits to match the summery vibe the song had going on. The rest of the music video is rather simple, comprising of close up and choreography shots, so there isn’t much else for me to mention.
The choreography for BET ON ME was quite good. I liked how each member had a moment with the dancers and the routine during the outro to the performance. On the other hand, I feel like the subdued nature of None of My Business weakens its choreography, which felt already felt minimal and lacks energy from the members.
BET ON ME Song – 7/10 Music Video – 8.5/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 7.7/10
None of My Business Song – 6.5/10 Music Video – 7/10 Performance – 7/10 Overall Rating – 6.8/10
One of the releases kicking off this big week of new songs and albums is ITZY with their newest single CAKE and their 7th mini-album, Kill My Doubt. Their comeback also features two pre-release tracks Bet On Me (released on July 3) and None Of My Business (released on July 24), both of which I have not reviewed just yet (but I will return to review some day in the near future). CAKE follows the group’s CHESHIRE era from November of last year.
CAKE is a solid track for ITZY. I just wish the verses weren’t such a bore (in the case of the first verse) and didn’t ‘switch it up’ (in the case of the second verse). Something more riveting and cohesive with the rest of CAKE would have better appreciated. Also, the vocals sound off to me in these segment. I don’t think it is the members’ fault for this, but rather the vocal processing just doesn’t feel right. Those were the biggest issues for me in CAKE, as they do stop the momentum that the pop melodies in the choruses and the growing CAKE repetition does create. These were the best parts of CAKE for me. Those pop melodies just bring a lovely dose of sweetness and brightness to the song that just makes it feel right for this season, while the CAKE repetition adds just the right amount of sass and attitude to the song to not fall into bubblegum territory. I wasn’t necessarily a fan of the repetition in the instance when I heard the song earlier today. But with the help of the catchy brass and the pounding beat, the CAKE repetition has really grown on me and I can see the song continuing to snowball further from here on out. It is just a pity that the verses just didn’t do it for me.
The editing at the start of the video where the members are appearing out of thin air makes for a really cool opener to the video. Other than that, I thought the music video was a fun and light-hearted accompaniment to the song. Yuna falling from that height because of another member being distracted and making impact with that vehicle, but later getting up and acting pretty was one of my favourite examples of this. I also like all of their looks in the music video, from the brighter tones to the darker outfits to the factory tracksuits. ITZY looks stunning throughout the video.
Choreography-wise, CAKE features a solid routine. Everything that we do see in the music video fits in with the music of their respective parts quite well. But my favourite part from what I can see is the CAKE repetition sequences. You know I like a bit of edge and that part of the song, music video and choreography had it all.
Song – 7/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 7.5/10
A much shorter gap than compared to last time again! Not yet ‘on a roll’ status, but I am hoping to smash out more of these International Song Reviews posts over the next few weeks to make sure I catch up on them as soon as possible. Last time, I focused on DRIPPIN, Rocket Punch, Kep1er and KANG DANIEL’s international releases from 2022. Today, I am still focusing on 2022 releases, but the attention is focused on ITZY’s Blah Blah Blah, JAMIE’s 3D Woman, what appears to be LOONA’s final song ever (:( aka. LUMINOUS) and Rocket Punch’s DokiDoki Love. Let’s go!
Blah Blah Blah – ITZY
Language: Japanese Release Date: 5 October 2022 Album: Blah Blah Blah (2nd Japanese Maxi Single)
Ahead of their impending Korean comeback at the end of the month, it is time that I review Blah Blah Blah, ITZY’s latest Japanese comeback track which was released in October 2022. Blah Blah Blah is a song that shows off a more intense side of the group. The instrumentation of Blah Blah Blah definitely feels more abrasive and textural. However, I am particularly not a fan of the more typical and squeakier synths that were used as bookends in the introduction and end of Blah Blah Blah and post first chorus. The members did a great job with their vocals and rapping. The more chanty approach helped made Blah Blah Blah charming and appealing, as well. As for the music video, I really liked the colours in the video. The music video primarily used black and white in its sets. But the members’ outfits and some post-production elements present in the latter half of the video introduces small amounts of colour that really pop out. ITZY themselves looks amazing throughout the video, and I liked how the video’s concept brought out their intense and fierce sides. The choreography was definitely cool, and shows off a confidenct and sassy side which works well with the rest of the comeback.
Overall Rating – 8.3/10
3D Woman – JAMIE
Language: English Release Date: 5 October 2022 Album: One Bad Night (3rd Mini Album)
JAMIE made her comeback with 3D Woman, in October of last year, following on from her Pity Party release from earlier on in 2022. The track showcases a mature sound and side of JAMIE. It features a slow and sensual vocal delivery from JAMIE, and an alluring and hypnotic trap instrumentation. It does get repetitive as it progresses, but it is still a strong foot forward for JAMIE. However, had the final chorus not been too much of a repeat of the what we heard earlier in the song, 3D Woman could have been a bold hit. As for the music video, I didn’t know exactly what was going on. But it was definitely a sexy music video to watch. My best guess about the plot is that the video depicts JAMIE as a femme fatale, who is part of a group of empowered and confident woman. A guy at a club is seen making a move on a particular lady at the club (whom I think is identified as a possible new recruit at the start of the video), but three ladies whom are at the club with JAMIE get in the way and drag her away from the guy. The guy ends up being distracted (and later gagged and bounded) by JAMIE, while the lady whom he was making a move on taken away and recruited to be part of the team of empowered and confident females. The video ends with as a group of ladies, including the newly recruited lady, walking by the bound and gagged guy. She takes one look at him and leaves him behind with her new friends.
Overall Rating – 7.4/10
LUMINOUS – LOONA
Language: Japanese Release Date: 28 September 2022 Album: LUMINOUS (2nd Japanese Single Album)
As mentioned above in the introductory paragraph to this post, LUMINOUS potentially could have been LOONA’s final song ever following the group’s lawsuit against and departure for Blockberry Creative earlier this year. There may be potential for a regroup, as the members have predominately stayed with one another as they signed with new companies. But I guess, we will have to wait and see. Back on topic, LUMINOUS is an awesome track. I really like the bold energy that came off the song and the confidence that the song instills on you (which without a doubt works extremely well with the lyrics). LUMINOUS has drive and this really helps make the song appealing for me. Admittedly, the instrumentation is a bit repetitive and the vocals could have been through less processing. But the combination of both manages to offset each other and create that bold energy that I already mentioned. In terms of the music video, I am not a fan of the portrait frame. I think their previous Japanese track (Hula Hoop) was also shot in a similar manner. I guess it helps with the current form of videos we see (i.e., short form) and relates to the mobile phones (product placement perhaps?) in the video. The catwalk feel of the video matches up with the song very well and I like how their members’ message of confidence on the catwalk gets heard by the ordinary people/their fans who become confident as the video progresses. The choreography did look good, but I think better sychronisation would have made the performance I saw look better.
Overall Rating – 7.9/10
DokiDoki Love – Rocket Punch
Language: Japanese Release Date: 5 October 2022 Album: DokiDoki LOVE (1st Japanese Studio Album)
DokiDoki Love is a track I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did when it was part of the Weekly KPOP Charts post. simply because it sounds very cutesy in passing and that isn’t my cup of tea. As usual, there is always exceptions to this and DokiDoki Love is probably one of the most recent additions to that exception list. I just remember finding the chorus super catchy and fun one day, and DokiDoki Love‘s appeal snowballed from there. The synth instrumental and subsequent pop energy that comes off the song was extremely likeable, and the members did a good job at executing the song. Come to the think of it, the song is quite summery – well suited for the current season (or in my case, my desire for the summery season). My favourite part of the song, overall, was the post-bridge/pre-final chorus Doki Doki chant. Brief, but it was a memorable part of the song. The music video was very bright and colourful, which is what you expect with this type of song. It is more on the typical side, but it works. Similarly, the choreography is cutesy and upbeat, exactly what you would expect with this type of song. Overall, a solid comeback.
ITZY also made their comeback in November 2022 with CHESHIRE, the title of both their latest title track and mini-album release. Alongside CHESHIRE, there is three side tracks on the mini-album, including the pre-release Boys Like You. Unfortunately, I have decided to not review Boys Like You in the usual spot of an International Song Reviews post due to time constraints (otherwise at the rate I am going, I might not get this particular album review for another few months). But I will definitely me sharing my thoughts on the group’s first all-English track, just like the other songs on the mini-album. CHESHIRE follows the group’s SNEAKERS and CHECKMATE mini-album release.
On a quick side note, but has JYP Entertainment given up on ITZY’s album art? The album cover below is just so plain and boring. This follows the revised album art that was release for the CHECKMATE mini-album, which I thought was rather low standard for album art.
2. Snowy – Snowy has a certain sinister vibe that comes and goes, which is thanks to the Für Elise sample that is present in Snowy’s chorus. This is further emphasized by the piano that follows the sample and the vocal tones that the members adopt. To be honest, the chorus (which contains the sample) feels more like the pre-chorus, and the “Na Na Na” segment that follows feels more like the chorus. I wished there were more obvious segmentation of the song, so that it does not feel like a blur and make the different parts more clear-cut. The sample and hooks do make the song catchy enough for me to be intrigued and like it. (8/10)
3. Freaky – I did like their vocal work in Freaky. It felt very clean and showcases their vocal capabilities. The instrumental, whilst does fall into the R&B genre, was pretty forgettable. The detailing we hear in the background was very subtle and faint, but they do have their place in making the song more interesting. Without them, Freaky would have been extremely plain and very empty/lacking. (7/10)
4. Boys Like You (Pre-Release Single) – I found Boys Like You to be a very catchy track. It feels very juvenile, almost childish. But this expected with a teen-pop song. To the point that it feels unfitting for this mini-album. But there is a bit of charm to it. I really liked the post-chorus shouty affair that follows the second and final choruses. It felt bold and showed some good control from the members part. (7.5/10)
ITZY is nominated for Best Female Group in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support ITZY and your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today!
Also making a comeback this week (and performing their new song for the first time at the MAMA Awards) is ITZY. Their new title track is titled Cheshire and is featured on the group’s sixth mini-album of the same name. Cheshire follows the release of their fifth mini-album CHECKMATE and their July single SNEAKERS. It also follows the pre-release of Boys Like You, which is an English single also featured on the Cheshire mini-album that I will review one day in the future as part of the International Song Review segment.
Despite being for a few days now, Cheshire doesn’t give me much rhyme or reason to be grinning. To be more accurate, I find the song to be quite dull. Again, the song could potentially grow on me with even more listens. But I just don’t see it possibly climbing to the likes of their past hits from their earlier days or even the recent SNEAKERS single (which I really enjoyed). The opening verse wasn’t exciting enough to pull me into Cheshire, which isn’t an ideal start, though you can fill the momentum accumulating in the background of the song. And this momentum eventuates into a questionable chorus. I think the producers were aiming for a similar explosive effect (given the contrast between Cheshire‘s chorus and lackluster verse), similar to the contrast from the previous song I reviewed. Unfortunately, I don’t think the intention is delivered. And it comes down to the ITZY’s vocals, which were very strained. The boastfulness that comes from the strained vocals just didn’t sit well with me and it distracted me from the rest of the chorus. You can’t really focus your attention much on the dance pop instrumental (though the ping-pong effect synth does poke through) nor the melodies, as the vocals are just in the way. They do a much better in the verses. The rapping was a positive aspect of the song, with the quieter rap sequence in the second verse showing off Ryujin’s charsima in audio form. Yuna’s rap segment in the bridge follows the same concept as the vocals in the chorus, but I find Yuna do have a much better handle on it. The plentiful post-chorus ‘La La La’ was pretty catchy, but I wished there was a bit more innovation to it. Overall, Cheshire is a slip for the group. Hopefully, next time around, their title track is better executed and punchy enough to make it an ITZY standout.
Not entirely sure what the concept of this music video is, but it seems like a magical performance of some kind. The members carry out a lot of magic tricks, transformations and special effects. And towards the end, there was a Cheshire Cat influence on the video, via Yeji’s smile being the last thing I could remember from the video – the Cheshire Cat in Alice In Wonderland folklore is known for its wide grin that remains behind momentarily after the cat itself disappears. What I quite enjoyed about the video is the changing background, especially around the second chorus segment of the song, that had to be applied in post-production. It was a really cool effect that gave a dynamic profile to the video.
Aside from the combination of the small swaying movement and the hand movement that makes a smile that pairs alongside the ‘La La La‘ post-chorus hook, there isn’t much else to talk about for the performance. It was rather bland looking performance, which I think was the intention. But it just felt like they did so much of it that it just ended up being bland.
Song – 6/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 6/10 Overall Rating – 6.6/10
ITZY is the next group to be getting the album review treatment this week. In particular, I am looking at ITZY’s fifth and most recent mini-album since their debut. Titled CHECKMATE, the mini album features both the Korean and English version of the title track, SNEAKERS, and an additional five tracks. This is the first album review for the group, since their first studio length album release in September of last year.
CHECKMATE is an okay mini-album. I get the impression that listeners got more out of the mini-album, whereas I enjoyed the title track more (compared to the rest of the mini-album). Interestingly, the original album cover (which featured the queen chess piece) was replaced with the pink album cover you see below. Personally, I feel like the pink album cover is terrible and I much prefer the original album cover – even if the concept didn’t match the title track. I guess I am against the world with this review. Let me know if you agree or disagree with me.
2. RACER – For me, the coolest aspect of RACER was the chorus. This is thanks to the trap hybrid instrumentation and edginess it brought out of the song. In addition, the start of the second verse (i.e., with the autotuned muffled vocals) follows a similar vein. Unfortunately, the rest of the song does not live up to the same standard as the already mentioned parts. It all pretty much felt typical and cliché to me. The vocals and rapping didn’t elicit much from me, and I felt the groans at the end of the hooks were very cringy. (6/10)
3. WHAT I WANT – WHAT I WANT settles for an electro-pop instrumental. I feel the cool and trendy descriptions that could not be applied to the entirety of the previous song can be applied to the entire instrumentation of WHAT I WANT. I particularly like the strong infusion of pop during the pre-choruses through the vocal melodies and the layering of instrumentation in the final chorus. Throw in some catchy repetitive hook that are keyed into your memory bank once this song is over, and you basically have a strong track. (8/10)
4. Free Fall – Free Fall begins with dramatic thumps that alludes to an intense atmosphere. At first, I thought this meant the song was going to feature a mature change up to the album. But we don’t get that whatsoever. ITZY brings their usual bright and youthful energy to Free Fall. But they do so in such a firm matter that any thought of the song being mature was long forgotten and that bright/youthful energy they bring takes full control of the song. The ‘Weee’ we get throughout the choruses were cringy at first, but I ended up warming up to them a fair bit. I am quite surprised I enjoyed this song. (8.5/10)
5. 365 – 365 builds on what was alluded in the previous song, just without the initial dramatic start. As a result, this makes 365 the darkest sounding release on this album. It features an EDM instrumental that sounded like it had mechanical, metallic and robotic sound effects. The members themselves bring a hip-hop energy to the song. I did wish the song had bolder hooks and a more prominent peak, just to potentially take itself to a higher level. (7/10)
6. DOMINO – DOMINO’s instrumentation moves towards pop rock territory, but it just feels a tad on the pop side. The vibrant energy that comes from the instrumentation fits perfectly into the summer season. There was some good rhythm to the song, and the melodies were quite pleasant. I did think the vocals could have used a bit refinement. I personally felt during some parts the members were really pushing themselves, and I wished the producers took a moment to rethink those moments. It was slightly uncomfortable to listen to, if you really hone into the details. (8/10)
7. SNEAKERS (English Version) – Refer to the full review of SNEAKERS above.
As promised in the previous International Song Review post to increase the frequency of these reviews, I am back with a new International Song Review post for another six releases by our beloved KPOP artists. In that previous post, I reviewed non-Korean songs released by Momoland, BM (from KARD), Mark Tuan (from GOT7), THE8 (from SEVENTEEN), JAMIE and SEVENTEEN. In this post, I will be focusing on releases from ITZY, Mark Tuan, Jackson Wang, CIX, Golden Child and WOOSUNG. Let’s go!
Voltage – ITZY
Back in April of this year, ITZY released their first original Japanese single, Voltage. One of the aspects of Voltage that I really enjoyed was the electrifying energy that came from the song for me. It isn’t as in your face as it could have been, but holding it back definitely helped make it more impactful from how I see the song. The pop rock influence was very cool and fulfilling. The brassy synths were cool, as well. The vocals and rapping were substantial and definitely added bit of attitude and sass to the song, which took Voltage to a different level for me. I have no qualms with the eventuating girl-crush vibe that comes from Voltage, mainly because it is was well executed. My only criticism I personally have is that Voltage lacked a centric hook – one that usually makes their Korean releases more memorable and addictive. Had Voltage found a centric hook like that, this would have been a 10/10 song for me.
There were some good editing and post-production throughout the video. You might even call it seamless. It, combined with the motorcycle rider concept, helped create an edgy and cool vibe, as well. However, there were some questionable examples of post-production, as well. Namely Lia’s solo scenes with that glassy and snowy background was pretty awful. I don’t know what was the purpose of her scenes, given that the other scenes involved the night time or some sort of darkness in the background. The choreography was pretty cool and definitely worked well with the energy coming off from Voltage. I wished there was a more angsty vibe from the choreography and stage performances, just to give Voltage more oomph.
Overall Rating – 8.5/10
lonely – Mark Tuan (GOT7)
Mark Tuan is going to be a recurring artist in this segment over the next few posts, as he has been quite busy with his solo releases. lonely was released back in March of this year. It too jumps on board with the rock trend, though it steers away from the current pop rock trend of KPOP. However, I am not talking about an electrifying form of rock with headbanging potential. Instead, lonely is quite an emotional song, where the singer realizes his true feelings for his lover following their breakup. You can definitely feel the emotions from his vocals as well. There is still a degree of charge from the rock influence, which helped made lonely quite impactful, particularly since since it emerged out of nowhere. Usually you can tell from the pre-choruses of emerging influence, but Mark Tuan just skips the pre-choruses altogether. The combination with the synths and bass gives off more of a trendy vibe. Altogether, lonely is a strong solo track without the need of using a powerful backing.
The music video is quite simple, with a white backing, some fog, some black paint marks (couldn’t tell what the paint marks were trying to show/say), a black couch and Mark Tuan dressed in a black outfit. The video itself was almost a one-shot video, but there was some editing part way and in the bridge. But with such a video, the focus is on Mark Tuan and the passion he puts behind the delivery of the song within the music video. This, along with the fact that I am a sucker for simplicity, makes the music video for lonely very appealing to watch.
Overall Rating – 9/10
Blow – Jackson Wang
Fellow GOT7 member Jackson Wang has also been busy this 2022 with a few new solo singles under his wing. Today, I am reviewing Blow, which was released at the end of March. Blow is an example of my personal favourite style of pop rock genre combination that I am into. The beat is just so stompy, while the actual rock components of the song give off a grungy vibe. The pre-chorus has that head-banging potential, while the chorus really concentrates that stompy factor that I already mentioned with everything else instrumentally. And this is on top of being memorable with the background ‘Oh-Oohs‘. The bridge featuring Jackson’s falsetto was very sleek, while the follow-up autotuned ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star‘ provided a different colour yet familiar atmosphere that came about from the preceding sections of the song. I think it is safe to say that I am still digging Blow, after all these months.
Blow is about being addicted to and unable to escape from a toxic partner. And I feel we get an abstract showing of this idea. The music video depicts an old style roadshow (maybe of the circus variety, and thus The Greatest Showman vibes). Jackson, along with the dancers, are performers of the show. The conditions are quite dusty and old looking, suggesting these are the victims of the toxic partner (which I am assuming the grand show person of the roadshow). It is one massive interpretative dance party, before Jackson leaving, suggesting that he realizes and leaves the grip of the toxic partner. I found the use of smoke to depict the ‘blowing’ to be quite clever and fits in with the rest of the video’s concept. I also like how the choreography within the music video really picked up on the energy of the song and how the space was used.
Overall Rating – 9.6/10
Pinky Swear – CIX
Also at the end of March, CIX released their third official Japanese single. Titled Pinky Swear, it is a pop track that is a completely different offering to what CIX puts out in Korea (see the recent 458 for an example of CIX’s Korean work, if you are unfamiliar with the group). Pinky Swear is a lot brighter as a song and falls on the pleasant side of pop music. It is fun and upbeat, but a lot more traditional and typical. Decent melodies, vocals and rapping are also a feature in Pinky Swear. I do like the sweetness the vocal brings to the song, which helps add a cheerful factor to the song. It does lack a memorable hook, relying on a smooth melody to really key the song into my memory bank. As a result, Pinky Swear does slip away from me (and I nearly forgot about it when I was planning the segment). I much prefer their pre-release, Wondering, which I felt would have been a better fit as a promotional track for CIX when you consider their Korean work, as it potentially could have been aesthetic.
Pinky Swear‘s music video is quite colourful and plays well into the pop side of the song. The colourfulness adds a level of sweetness to the visuals of the song. Plus with the presence of sugary visuals (i.e. donuts and candy), I feel like the video almost teethers into the saccharine territory. Thank god, we aren’t seeing sets made out of candy and sugary treats. The members show off cute and loveable visuals, which I am sure fans would enjoy. Though, I do find it amazing that in a matter of five months, the members are seducing with a more sensual and masculine appeal in their recent Korean comeback. The choreography was quite nice and enjoyable. I love the smiles they all bring to the performance, which adds to the song just as well.
Overall Rating – 7.9/10
RATA-TAT-TAT – Golden Child
RATA-TAT-TATA is a more recent release (relative to the other releases in this post). It dropped as Golden Child’s second official Japanese single in May. It is a definite improvement from their debut Japanese single, which was quite cringy when I think back to it. The title of this song also hints at a similar potential for this song, but I am thankful that was not the case. RATA-TAT-TAT is a fast paced dance track, especially as the chorus hits. The instrumental for RATA-TAT-TAT definitely has an oomph factor and feels meatier, which boosts the song and makes it quite badass. But it is still not at the same caliber as their Korean releases. There was a strong showing from the members. The rapping showed a slightly more aggressive side. The vocals were well incorporated into the song but I wished there was more of a wow factor to the vocal line. Joochan’s high note was pretty impressive, though. RATA-TAT-TAT‘s hook was catchy. Overall, I had fun listening to RATA-TAT-TAT.
The music video for RATA-TAT-TAT goes for an edgy concept, but fails to really hit the mark. Shot in an industrial setting and with an underground race car theme, it feels all pretty cliché and ‘done before’ for a male group. I feel like keeping the video simple with the members in leather jackets and dark lit rooms would have done the job fine. I wished there was more to the video. The choreography is a much better fit for the song. While I really did like the fast pace of the movements (which goes well with the fast pace nature of the song), I also commend Golden Child on their sharpness and synchronisation. The fast pace also brings about some aggression, which is a pretty decent addition to the routine.
Overall Rating – 7.6/10
Phase Me – WOOSUNG (THE ROSE)
Another May release, but this time it is WOOSUNG’s Phase Me. Like the song’s at the start of this post, Phase Me finds it squarely in the rock genre as well. But Phase Me‘s instrumental also has a groovy vibe to it, particularly in the chorus. Part of me really enjoys the groovy nature of the song as it brings a uniqueness to the music scene, but a part of me felt the song could have gone with a completely stronger rock sound had it continued the momentum of the rock in the first verse (and not met with an anti-drop). WOOSUNG’s vocals are very clear and crisp throughout Phase Me, which I appreciate. He brings out the husky and raspy nature of his vocals in this song, which felt so alluring and captivating. I also liked how the song is short but sweet. While it does feel like a blur, Phase Me felt very satisfying, fulfilling and complete.
The moth concept was very interesting, but it makes sense. Moths are insects that are unphased when there is light around. In the music video, Woosung plays two roles. One is an actual moth. In the darkness and during the sunset, he emerges to sing the song. When there is light (i.e. that ending), he is attracted to it and just stares at it. I do find the eyes a bit freaky, but Woosung plays a moth well. The second role is where he plays the light, which attract the dancers in a similar fashion to how moths are attracted to light. This section was a lot more sensual. To add to the sensual themes of the video, Woosung spends a lot of time shirtless, but I think it works with the themes of the video.
It has been over a month since it was announced that ITZY would be making a comeback in July and embark on a world tour that will run throughout the second half of the year. Fast-forwarding to today, ITZY made their long awaited comeback with their new single SNEAKERS and their fifth mini-album, CHECKMATE. It follows the release of LOCO, which was released in September (almost 10 months ago!) last year. It also follows their first Japanese original single, Voltage, which I have yet to review.
I didn’t necessarily follow their one month long tease towards their comeback (that is just too much), so I had no expectations going into this comeback. As a result, I am genuinely surprised about how much I enjoyed SNEAKERS. It is such a bright and giddy track. Sure, their past tracks have been youthful and energetic. But SNEAKERS brings a whole new level of brightness to their portfolio, in a similar fashion to the likes of ICY but with a cutesy tinge. The bright pop (which seems to have a hint of hip-hop as well) instrumental was quite playful and comes off as refreshing. I do think the backing could have been filled in more and heftier, just to give SNEAKERS some more body and oomph. But overall, I enjoyed the fun nature of the song. Adding to the fun nature are the melodies and hooks. At first, they do feel quite elementary and childish. But repeat listens to the song have helped these melodies and hooks grow on me considerably. ITZY also does a strong showing throughout the song, with the vocals in the first round of pre-chorus being my favourite moment of SNEAKERS. As for the rapping, I enjoyed all rapping sequences including the verses and bridges. But overall, SNEAKERS stands out to me for its fun nature and addictive hooks.
Music video was fine. I like how the video really encompassed the energy that the song exuded. In addition to that, it also emphasised the fun vibe of the song, by story telling how the sneaker travelled through time. It was first introduced to royalty in the first sequence, before a Spread Sneaker Worldwide mission told everyone about sneakers in the second sequence. The bridge seems to show the members opening a shop, with the ending showing them in the future. I really liked the green screen usage in the video, and the members looked great throughout.
I was only recently informed of this, but ITZY finishes all their main title track choreography with a crown. I don’t know how I missed that, especially since I have taken note of these endings before. It made me pay attention to their other hand formations, and I noticed the ‘W’ in this pre-choruses. As for the chorus, I liked how they incorporated the leg movements so the members can show off their sneakers. It is quite clever. Aside from that, I enjoyed the energy and brightness that the members brought to the stage for this comeback, as well.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 8.8/10
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