LOONA – Page 3 – KPOPREVIEWED

I am back with the second LOOΠΔ subunit double review. Technically, this is the first subunit unveiled, back in March and is made up of 4 members (HaSeul, ViVi, Heejin and Hyunjin. Their first song, Love & Live was released on 13th of March, while Sonatine was released as their repackaged single on the 27th of April.

Love & Live

While I want to say nice things about the song, I find is incredibly hard. The song was quite boring overall. I wish it was a little more poppy (despite the nice bubblegum pop vibes), which would make it more memorable and catchy. The song does seem to pick up around the chorus, it just isn’t enough to give the song some character.

But I did like the music video Love & Live. It is about a cyborg or humanoid designed to win races. But clearly, since she is a robot, there are many things that makes her envious of her team mates. The video depicts the cyborg as a perfect being but in reality she is bound to a battery pack. Clearly, at the end, she attempts to break away from the battery pack in an attempt to fit in. The concept was interesting and the background shots were nice (for the choreography scenes).

The accompanying choreography looked graceful. It just didn’t hit that memorable mark. I did, like however, the incorporation of the starting position of a track race.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

Sonatine

The orchestral instrumental that basically stands out from the crowd is a great backbone for the track. It gives the song that really nice touch and makes it sound so unique. There was a nice Latin flare mid-way through the song. The vocals worked well with the song but they felt constricted somewhat due to the instrumentation. There really isn’t a catchy moment to look out for but I like this song far better than the previous.

The contrast between the colours in the previous video and the darkness in this video was quite nice. The difference between day and night made this entire debut a little more interesting, especially since the backgrounds for the choreography shots for this video were similar. The camera angles and different shots throughout the video looked cool.

Once again, the choreography was graceful like the music. It goes well with the song but it just doesn’t have that memorable factor (once again).

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 6.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

I have decided to scrap my initial plans to compile all the LOOΠΔ releases into a couple of reviews. Instead, I will be doing the unit reviews separately and gather all the solo reviews into one. Today, I will be focusing on the recent unit of LOOΠΔ, Odd Eye Circle, consisting of Kim Lip, JinSoul and Choerry. Their first single, Girl Front, was released on 21st of September and their second single, Sweet Crazy Love, was released on the 31st of October.

Girl Front

What makes Girl Front stand out is the very poppy chorus. In a way, it does feel in your face but there is a balance that keeps it from being excessive. There were also quirky moments in the chorus which you don’t hear often in KPOP which makes it so appealing. The synths are thanked for giving the song such a bright and vibrant atmosphere. Vocally, it pairs well with the instrumental, as the members are at the forefront of the song, rather than hidden by the synths. But if you take the chorus away from the song, it ends up being very forgettable.

The music video seems to be very confused. It feels like they tried to overload many concepts into the one video such as mysterious, aesthetics, artistic and bold. And while there are videos that have mashed up these concepts successfully in the past, this video just doesn’t really get to the point. They seem to be in search for some eclipse in the sky, but that is the most I can get out of it. The scenery in the background was very nice, which was a plus.

The choreography is good but it isn’t outstanding. The pop vibes do come through nicely. There just wasn’t anything memorable when I watched it.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

Sweet Crazy Love

The violins in the background just make my day so much better. The track is quite dynamic in its own way. The instrumental is a mixture of classical sounds (from what I can identify) and synths, creating a very smooth and sleek rhythm. The synths used on the track doesn’t feel over-the-top or can be described as ‘loud’, which is a good thing because it helps portray a more innocent sound. Vocals were very melodic and fits nicely onto the canvas that the instrumental provided. The only thing that I felt was missing was a climax. It felt too consistent from start to end and a climax would have made it more appealing. But overall, it is a great song.

Looking at the concept, it reminds me of F(x)’s Red Light (the eye badge and dark vibes) and anything Ladies Code has present us in their recent comebacks. I actually like the music video for this one more than Girl Front because it sticks to just one style and does a good job of portraying it. The cinematography in the video is also quite amazing.

The choreography isn’t that memorable as well, which is a little disappointing, given how good the song is. Like above, there isn’t anything worth mentioning.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10