Tag: LE SSERAFIM

Alongside HOT from March this year, LE SSERAFIM released the single Come Over as part of their 5th mini-album. At the end of March, LE SSERAFIM collaborated with Android for a music video for the single, making it eligible for a review (i.e., this post!).

While I was not much of a fan of HOT (which has remained true almost two months on), it is a different story regarding Come Over. The song is a very addictive retro-pop, all-English song. LE SSERAFIM kills it in this song, unexpectedly. At first, I thought their very light and high-tone approach would be plain and boring. But a few repeats quickly changed my mind. The hooks, though repetitive, were effective at being earwormy and catchy. I have the “So baby come over, come over, come over” in the tone LE SSERAFIM delivers it in still stuck in my mind. The retro influences in the background made the single colourful and vibrant, while the beat kept Come Over moving along. I did like the instrumental breaks Come Over had, which helped emphasise those influences. There are two things Come Over could have done better: a longer length and more variety in the lyrics. While I praise the repetition hook-wise earlier, I feel like Come Over feels short of being taken to the next level for its repetitive lines and lasts for just over 2.25 minutes (though not the shortest song on the album).

For the music video, we see SAKURA go shopping in a retro grocery store, picking up a mysterious can labelled with an anagram that, when rearranged (thanks to the nifty AI on her very ‘retro’ cell phone), says “Open a new world” – a message she shares with the rest of the group, before paying for the can and drinking its contents. This message is about the potential of the Android-based mobile devices used by the members, which, in a retro world, definitely opens a whole new world for the user. Aside from being an Android commercial, the video nicely encapsulates those retro influences from the song. I liked the vintage patterned outfits worn by the members, and later on, the Android robots. The curled hairstyles also screamed retro, and I loved how fantastic the members looked, particularly HUH YUNJIN.

The dance for Come Over is equally as catchy as the song. I liked the energy and oomph the members put into it, which complements the vibrant and upbeat nature of the music. I also enjoyed the members’ serious demeanour during the first instrumental break following the first chorus. This gave off fun vibes, despite the members not showing that as they performed that sequence.

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

LE SSERAFIM ended the week with their latest release, HOT, the lead single of their 5th mini-album of the same name. HOT follows their 2024 releases EASY and CRAZY.

Many of my comments in EASY‘s review apply to HOT. The new song is way too consistent for my liking. This contributed to HOT being more like a blur and breezed past quickly. In addition to being too consistent, the blur and quick breeze can also be attributed to HOT‘s short length and lack of anything exciting in the song. The melodies and hooks (not sure if there is one in HOT) didn’t offer much, nor did the members’ vocal focus delivery. They sound quite pleasant and soothing throughout HOT, but the material just wasn’t compelling. When I really pay attention to the song, I liked the atmospheric charm of the instrumental and the song’s bass. But other than that, I don’t have much else to say about the song, aside from the fact it felt like a repeat of EASY from last year.

I don’t know what is happening in the video, but I think there is a darker horror vibe alongside the moments of heat. The imagery of someone melting matches the lyrics, and I assume this forms a storyline of some kind. I do want to know how this all connects with EASY and CRAZY, because apparently, the three releases are a trilogy. Anyhow, the music video does bring on the heat, and the members look stunning throughout the video. My favourite part is the monochrome filter, with the members dressed in chic and sleek outfits.

The choreography for this comeback is definitely the best aspect yet! There is a sexiness and elegance to the moves that LE SSERAFIM pull off really well. Their stage presence was also felt, despite not being expected alongside a song like HOT. I like that moonwalk-like move in the chorus, and the whole routine at the end where Kahuza is in the centre and the members do that spin.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.1/10

From the start of the week, I move to the end of the week to cover LE SSERAFIM’s comeback with CRAZY and their fourth mini-album of the same name. This comeback follows their February comeback with singles EASY, SMART and their third mini-album, EASY.

I personally feel LE SSERAFIM thrives best in a more upbeat environment. As such, I think CRAZY stands out more than their previous subdued comeback. The house EDM used in CRAZY is definitely a vibe and adds fun to the mix. I liked how meaty and heavy the beat felt, making the song robust. The members do follow through with their vocals. Their delivery gives off a serious tone, which contrasts nicely with the upbeat instrumental, adding some quirkiness to CRAZY. The rapping is solid in the track and is probably where LE SSERAFIM stands out best in CRAZY. They had some strong hooks in the song, such as “Act like an angel, Dress like crazy“, and some more grating hooks, like “All the girls are girling girling“. But despite how I perceive them, they all make CRAZY memorable and add flair to the song. When I first listened to CRAZY, two thoughts ran through my mind that still stay true after repeat listens to the song. The first is a lack of melodic material. I think more melodic material would have added some complexity to the track. Some people would argue that the track’s composition is minimalistic, but I feel that it is borderline in some regards. The second is the short length of the song. I know that is the trend nowadays, with most songs released in KPOP now being less than 3 minutes. But some tracks get away with their short length, as they do not feel as short as they are in reality. Unfortunately, CRAZY is short and feels short, a feeling that never sits well with me.

As the title suggests, things need to feel a little crazy. And where else is it best to do that besides the music video? Some of the best examples from this video that highlight the craziness are KIM CHAEWON wearing a satellite dish on her head as she sings about Pikachu, the lampshades in the aquarium, the underwater choreography bits, and HONG EUNCHAE slipping on the soap and ending in a fabulous pose. The craziness does make it a fun video to watch. The music video also features the Iconic House of Juicy Couture as the dancers in the video. They, too, added a lot of fun to the video, complementing the craziness that the LE SSERAFIM was showcasing. Their dancing was iconic and captivating. Their presence was an excellent way for KPOP to pay homage to the culture and people who form part of it.

A lot is riding on this comeback, particularly after the mixed response to their Coachella performance earlier this year. Based on what I heard in their live performance on Music Bank yesterday, they do not need to worry about those comments. The choreography for this comeback was incredible. There is a lot of inspiration drawn from vogueing and influences that we also saw from the music video, and you could see it come through in this routine. This helped create iconic moves for this comeback, such as the arms around their heads and the lifted legs.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10

Back in February of this year, LE SSERAFIM made their comeback with the single EASY and mini-album of the same name. As part of the same mini-album is the side track titled Smart, which was re-released as a follow-up single a couple week after the primary release. Today, I will finally get around to reviewing the likes of Smart, which emerged as a very popular side track and another hit song for the group.

The chorus of Smart is probably one of the most recognisable elements in KPOP this year, for me at least. It is actually even more recognisable than LE SSERAFIM’s main song from the mini-album! But beyond from the chorus, I don’t remember that much from Smart. Listening back, I think I know why. To help articulate my thoughts, I pull out my linear line analogy that I have used in previously to describe these type of songs. If you travel along the linear line only, everything is relatively flat. If a song keeps to the same all throughout (just like the linear line), it too can be quite uneventful. And that is what I perceive to be the case in Smart. Smart was very consistent throughout and didn’t have enough variety to make it memorable. Smart‘s instrumentation has been described as an Afropop-inspired Amapiano sound. I think there is also a slight tropical vibe from it. While the beat and rhythm was good, the background was also quite light and didn’t have an anchor of some kind for me to grab onto. Similarly, the vocal work from LE SSERAFIM was pleasant and the melodies do have a ring to them. But there wasn’t much difference from how the song started and all throughout to the end. Also, I couldn’t tell the members apart. There were touches of autotune in Smart, but they weren’t used in a manner that really brought attention to the song. Overall, Smart does have a slight edge over EASY, thanks to its catchy chorus and melodies. But the rest of the song becomes lost, for the reasons I have described above.

For a light and simple track like Smart, a corresponding simple music video is justified. For the music video, we see LE SSERAFIM perform in a singular warehouse, with different pieces of tapestries of art hung up and lighting used to highlight the art pieces. The lighting also gives the music video some life and colour. In some parts of the music video, dancers dressed as students (or are they students that are dancers) feature in the background. They do not do much at first, but they help full the space towards the end of the video by also dancing to the song alongside the LE SSERAFIM members. Altogether, it feels very artistic and looks very sophisticated at the same time.

For both EASY and Smart, the choreographies stand out the most in their respective releases (relative to the music video and song itself). I actually can’t tell which I like more, nor do I have much else to say about Smart‘s performance that I didn’t say for EASY‘s performance. So here is a quote from the former’s review that I think applies here: “… the choreography is light and rather smooth, while also striking a balance to keep up with the rhythm and beat of the song.”

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10

Making their comeback today is LE SSERAFIM, who returns with their 3rd mini-album and latest title track, both of which are titled EASY. This comeback follows another successful year for LE SSERAFIM, who capped it off with the all-English hit and Overwatch 2 collaboration single Perfect Night.

Just like Perfect Night, LE SSERAFIM’s new song is a bit too consistent for my liking. EASY is pretty much a blur that I don’t really register much of, based on the few listens I have given the song ahead of this review. Before I know it, the song has breeze over my head and I am moving onto the next song without much thought. Not exactly the best outcome for any title track. The producers really needed to find a relatively striking element that fits the the current arrangement to really draw attention back to the song. We did get a muted flute-like sound and some really low and unsettling synth work just prior to the choruses, but neither of them struck me. Rather, both contributed to the blur. Similarly, the vocal work also added to the blur. I did think the group showed a solid effort in the song. But their vocal delivery was too light to anchor the song to our minds. It isn’t all bad news for EASY, as the additional listens I have given EASY for the purposes of this review did manage to allow me to register some aspects of EASY. I do appreciate the pleasantness and the easy going vibe that the group and their producers went for in this hip-hop/R&B track. The melodies might have an ear-wormy effect on me if I can give the song more listens. But the lack of anything stimulating in the track or anything to remember EASY by doesn’t really work in the song’s favour.

It was announced recently that one of the major broadcasting stations in South Korea (KBS) would be banning the broadcast of the music video for EASY, citing concerns due to the ‘risk of imitation’ (which attracted attention to its vagueness). Now, watching the video, I kind of agree with this ban (which I wish to reiterate is a rare occurrence). To provide some context, the song itself is about making life easier in tough situations. But there are scenes in the video that doesn’t really connect with the lyrical message of the song, such the dropping of a connected hair dryer into a water-filled bathtub and some representation that alludes to self-harm (the thorny rose vine that forms part of the swing that one of the members hold onto). I like to give the benefit of the doubt, but even I am left scratching my head on the meaning of these scenes. On a lighter note, I did like the darker atmosphere that the video had going, as well as the editing, which I thought was a cool aspect of the video.

Watching the stage performance for EASY, it is clear to me that the group is really good at engaging with the audience. The members really show an alluring and charismatic side to themselves whilst on stage. To match with the song, the choreography is light and rather smooth, while also striking a balance to keep up with the rhythm and beat of the song.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.2/10

Kicking off the week is LE SSERAFIM, who returns to the stage with their shared titled latest single and 1st studio album – UNFORGIVEN. It is the group’s comeback since the release of ANTIFRAGILE (also a shared title between their single and mini-album release) in October of last year. This release also marks the return of LE SSERAFIM in the very intense competition of female groups from last year, joining the likes of NewJeans and IVE who have already made successful comebacks this year.

UNFORGIVEN felt very LE SSERAFIM to me, but there was a major sequence in the song that I am not exactly keen on. I will explore this a bit more later on. But let’s focus on the strongest and most characteristic aspects of UNFORGIVEN. The first has to be the instrumentation, which samples the theme of The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. While I don’t think this is the first time we heard this particular piece of iconic music in KPOP, I did like how it aids in making UNFORGIVEN appealing and fun. The iconic western cowboy whistle also features in the song, adding to the western theme of the song. There are also additional guitar work and a few extra twangs added into the instrumental, which I take is Nile Rodgers’ contribution to UNFORGIVEN. These felt cool, and builds on the concept the producers of UNFORGIVEN have forged. The second characteristic element of UNFORGIVEN is its repetitive hook. I liked the simple yet subtly expressive delivery of the song’s main hook, and how addictive it has become in the subsequent listens I have given UNFORGIVEN. Now, while it is all very solid, the part that I am most unsure about in UNFORGIVEN is the chorus itself. While I do like the melodic touches to the song and the ring it gives UNFORGIVEN, I did think that the main chorus felt a bit juvenile and felt a bit cutesy. The sing-song delivery doesn’t go well with the rest of the UNFORGIVEN, which felt sassy and attitude-heavy. I think there was a miss opportunity to do something more fitting. But at the same time, I guess the producers didn’t want a continuous churn of the same style for the 3 and a half minute length of the song. But apart from that, UNFORGIVEN is another strong and empowering song from the group, who is unafraid of showing a more confident side of themselves.

The song was all about being themselves whilst also breaking away from social norms. And the video shows this quite well. For me, the most impactful scene was the angel Kahuza, who probably represents the innocent and pure social norm, ripping off her other damaged wing and throwing it aside. Similarly, Yunjin’s scene with her pink dress tearing in the elevator was probably the second most impactful and memorable scene. There are a few other references such as dancing on tables and bright coloured wigs. In addition to all of that, LE SSERAFIM’s visual game is very strong in this comeback, showing off a very confident side to themselves. I also liked how the western theme of the song is also carried through into the music video. It makes the most sense after all.

This entire routine was super cool, and I really enjoyed it all. I liked how there was still an element of fun and a nice bounce to the choreography. The “horns” (I am assuming that is the concept behind the choreography’s main dance move) was an interesting yet easy to follow point of the choreography, while a nice mature side to the choreography works hand-in-hand with the confident vibes that the members put out.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10