This week is Rookie Week, where I’ll post reviews of debut tracks from new groups I haven’t covered on the blog yet this year.
The longest-standing group I am covering this week is LNGSHOT, who debuted in January this year. The four-member male group hails from More Vision (the label founded by and home to Jay Park) and consists of Ohyul, Ryul, Woojin, and Louis. They debuted with Moonwalkin’, the title track from their first mini-album, Shot Callers. After their debut, the group made their first comeback with Vanilla Days in March, collaborated with Jay Park on 4sho 4sho in May, and will make another comeback later this week. I will return later to review these tracks.
Like many of the songs I will be reviewing this week, I don’t remember my first impressions of Moonwalkin’. That in itself could say something, but I am not sure that is the case for LNGSHOT’s debut single. Anyhow, Moonwalkin’ is a melodic hip-hop track, which I find sleek and fluid. The flow in this one was really nice and has made it more of an earworm over time. LNGSHOT’s delivery was impeccable, with their R&B-leaning vocals and rapping selling that melodic flow, especially in the choruses. As for the instrumentation. Moonwalkin’ features a trap backing, infused with some pronounced guitar work. I liked how pleasant the combination was. What Moonwalkin’ fails to land is a strong hook. While it does the other aspects well, the track still needs a hook. It doesn’t need to be a lyrical hook; an instrumental one would have worked too. It desperately needs an anchor so it doesn’t feel plain and can become memorable. Otherwise, and I have noticed this at times when Moonwalkin’ appears on my queue, it can be quite a blur.
I liked the high-end production of the music video, but I still want more. The crisp quality and wide shots allow the music video to feel polished, which matches Moonwalkin’s melodic flow. You can also visually see the hip-hop influences through LNGSHOT’s outfits and demeanour. The dusk and moon visuals were also quite cool. On the other hand, the video also feels sterile in places. I also wonder if the video could have referenced MJ visually, especially since the lyrics do. That could have been seen as ‘too on the nose’, but with the creative minds in the KPOP industry, I am sure they could have pulled it off subtly without making it feel cheesy. Just a thought, but that is why I am left wanting more from the music video.
While the performance had a strong hip-hop influence, which worked well with the song, I felt they tried to do too much and make the choreography seem bouncier than it needed to be. However, their execution and delivery were good, which made up for it.
Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10
