Tag: KickFlip

KickFlip will be making a comeback early next month with the release of their next mini-album, My First Kick (with one member, AMARU, on hiatus for health reasons). Ahead of that release, the group returned earlier this week with the pre-release track, Twenty. It is the group’s first album release since their 3rd mini-album, My First Flip, led by the single My First Love Song in September last year. KickFlip also released a digital single album, From KickFlip, To WeFlip, to coincide with their 1st anniversary earlier this year.

Twenty kicks right into gear, bursting with energy from the very first second, with its rock energy. I really enjoyed the propulsion and blastfulness that the rock instrumental brings to the song. The guitar work was definitely admirable and gratifyingly intense, while the percussion added great textures and moments to the song. Altogether, Twenty‘s instrumental creates a very powerful atmosphere. And it alone makes Twenty quite memorable and fulfils a constant craving I have for rock music. Both KickFlip’s vocals and rapping in Twenty sound good, and I appreciate that they can be heard over the powerful rock instrumentation (some songs don’t do this as well, creating an unbalanced song). The wavy melodies, particularly in the chorus, also felt very memorable. Similarly, the way everything intensified in the final chorus, with the instrumentation and vocals, ends the track on such a strong, positive note. The letdown in Twenty was its bridge. It was nice and pleasant, but it felt a little generic amid everything else going on in the song. But that was honestly a brief moment, and so it is a minor critique of an otherwise bold and great song.

The music video reminded me of TWS’ hey! hey! from 2024, with the biggest difference being the unfortunate rejection that DONGHWA receives at the start. This sparks a road trip amongst the members, who do face some problems along the way, like the breakdown of their van (leading them to sleep directly on the road – maybe they shouldn’t have taken such an empty road). They end up hitchhiking successfully, even though the driver almost left most of the members behind in the beginning. From then on, the members have a successful rest of the trip, stumbling across the beach and finding their way onto a boat, where a humpback whale crashes into one of their group shots. In a post-credit scene, we see one of the members find a post-it note with the message “Whale, I miss you” on it. This message links back to the song, which is about getting a second chance to confess one’s love next time around, with the post-it note giving hope that that second chance can come again.

I highly recommend you check out the stage performances for this track. Their stable vocals are one aspect I was amazed by, especially given such upbeat choreography. As for the routine, I really enjoyed it. Nothing necessarily stood out on its own, but I liked how the routine complemented the track’s energy and melodies.

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

It has been over a year since KickFlip made its debut on 20 January 2025. In celebration of that milestone, I am finally getting around to reviewing their debut single Mama Said. The single was featured on their first mini-album, Flip it, Kick it!, which also dropped on the same day. As part of their debut promotions, the group also pre-released the single Umm Great, which I will revisit for a review ahead of their debut mini-album.

Timing was one reason I didn’t review KickFlip’s debut when it happened (I was on a family holiday when it was first released). Another reason is that Mama Said didn’t really capture my attention, and there were several reasons for that. Personally, back then and now, the pop-punk dance track felt relatively heavy, instrumentally speaking, placing Mama Said in a slightly awkward position: there is energy that drives the song forward, but the overall feel doesn’t match that energy. This affects the members’ delivery, which was mostly low-register rapping or rap-speak, making Mama Said neutral and consistent. I expected some vocals to come into play throughout the song to give Mama Said some liveliness and more colour. And while we did get some, the vocals in Mama Said don’t reach that potential. But it isn’t all bad news for Mama Said. The lyrics that express the idea of rebelling against nagging words from adults (i.e., their mum, if we were to take the lyrics literally) and forging their own path were quite fun and refreshing. And there were aspects of Mama Said that I did warm up to, like the brief instrumental break in the bridge.

After their mum leaves the house for the day, the KickFlip members wake up and go about their day. In this light-hearted music video, things they do go against what their mum says (e.g., making a mess in the kitchen, eating cereal with milk inside the box, blasting music and making a mess in their rooms). Eventually, the members also step out of the house and do things that go against society’s norms, like walking under traffic blockage signs, leaning against trucks when they shouldn’t, spinning society’s view, walking along the sides of buildings, etc. This all culminates in the members coming across a special skateboard, which they use to ride down the side of the building. And they do all of this before they get the ‘Mama signal’ that their mum is returning home, who still sees them as her good little boys (despite all the havoc and mess they made throughout the day).

Despite what I said earlier about the song, KickFlip’s debut performances were quite energetic and lively. I put this down to the members’ execution and delivery of the performance. Moments I particularly liked were the “Ooo, Ooo” moments in the post-chorus hooks and the dance break that comes with the instrumental break.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.6/10

Don’t forget to also check out my reviews for KickFlip’s subsequent comebacks, FREEZE and My First Love Song.

Rookie group KickFlip has been on a roll this year, debuting back in January with Mama Said (yet to be reviewed) and the mini-album Flip It, Kick It! and returned with their first comeback in June with FREEZE and the mini-album Kick Out, Flip Now!. The group recently pre-released the single Band-Aid (review to come) ahead of their September comeback with My First Love Song and the mini-album My First Flip.

My First Love Song is a super energetic pop-rock track that instantly grabs my attention. Opening the song up with the chorus, in this instance, was super effective and had me hooked from the start. What KickFlip does super well throughout My First Love Song was use the energetic dynamism to show off their youthfulness. You can hear it in the instrumentals, their vocals, rapping and tone. And I find it to be quite infectious. While the verses don’t live up to the same momentum, there is a constant upbeatness and presence of the pop-rock influence during the verses that keep the song on track and moving forward. The pre-choruses and (really short) bridge of My First Love Song do slow down that momentum even more. But its placement is clever and makes the subsequent return to the chorus punchy and powerful each time. Putting this altogether, My First Love Song is extremely likeable and definitely grows my attention towards KickFlip even further.

My First Love Song sees the KickFlip members help KEIJU confess to his crush, from planning to executing the very moment he asks his crush out. It goes well with the lyrics of the song, which speaks to doing something they wouldn’t normally would do, but for the sake of love, they will do it. I quite like their energy and vibrant charms that are on full display throughout the video. In addition to the confession playing out, there is also a fair bit of focus on fellow member MINJE, bringing in what I suspect is a bit of a side-plot. MINJE appears to be jealous of KEIJU – perhaps he has the crush on the same person or that he like MINJE. The video does leave this side-plot open-ended, so we might see more of this story evolve in future videos.

Like the song and music video, the energy really makes the performance. The chorus never lets up and shows us a dynamic flow that keeps the performance going. The other parts of the routine are not as intense, but still shows off sharpness and energy. I think some fine-tuning of the synchronisation could have lifted the routine up slightly to make it consistent with the other elements of this comeback.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.9/10

Amongst the comebacks (i.e., SEVENTEEN’s THUNDER and Red Velvet – IRENE & SEULGI’s TILT) last Monday was KickFlip’s first comeback single, FREEZE. The new song is featured on their 2nd mini-album, Kick Out, Flip Now!. It follows their debut with the singles Mama Said and Umm Great – both of which I have yet to formally review. However, it is on the cards, so keep an eye out for these reviews. Until then, here are my thoughts on their new single.

FREEZE is a solid track with great energy, but the breakdown at the start of the chorus really throws things off. The verses are decent—nothing amazing—but they do the job, especially with KickFlip’s rappers doing their thing. I think FREEZE could’ve leaned into its upbeat vibe a bit earlier, especially during those rap sections. The pre-choruses do a great job of building up that pop-rock sound that KickFlip pulls off so well in FREEZE. But then the breakdown hits and totally kills the momentum. It has a bit of charm, sure, but it just doesn’t fit there. Luckily, the rest of the chorus bounces back with a strong, vibrant sound that could have worked perfectly following the pre-choruses. The breakdown returns in the bridge, but it feels more natural there, so it’s not a big issue. Vocally, the group really shines—the energy is high, the hooks are catchy, and the melodies are clean. If the song had been more cohesive and that breakdown had been placed better, FREEZE could’ve been a real standout.

I think SOOMPI describes the music video well – “playfully rebellious” feels like a very accurate description for both the song’s message and what we see in the music video. We see the group transition from school to their hangout spot at the skate park. We also see them enjoy their time together hanging out at night. The same description works well with the group, who are youthful and full of energy.

No surprises here – the performance complements the song well with its wholesome energy, super vibrant and upbeat flair. And I freaking like it for that! I do like how things slowed down for that breakdown, which adds a nice contrast and dynamic to the entire performance. But when the song picks up again, the members ramp up the energy and tone of the performance right back.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10