(G)I-DLE, Jung Kook (and his fellow BTS members), JENNIE’s groupmate JISOO and NCT (and its units) are nominated in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support your favourite acts by clicking here to vote today.
It has been a couple of weeks since the last International Song Review post, so it is time for another. Last time, I focused on songs releases by Anne Marie and Minnie ((G)I-DLE), LE SSERAFIM, ITZY & CHEN (EXO). This time, I will focusing on (G)I-DLE’s I Want That, Jung Kook’s Standing Next To You, JENNIE’s You & Me and NCT NEW TEAM’s Hands Up.
I Want That – (G)I-DLE
Language: English
Release Date: 5 October 2023
Release Type: Heat (1st English Mini-Album)
(G)I-DLE made their official Western debut with the single I Want That, following from their I DO pre-release earlier this year. I don’t have too much to say about the track. I do like what they have offered to us, but I think more could have been added to I WANT THAT to really enhance it. The club style and heavy bass gives this dance track some sassy and powerful energy, which is backed up by their lyrics. The chorus is super addictive, thanks to the combination of the beat drop and repetitive hook. Personally, I would have liked more character from each member, as I WANT THAT does get monotonous at certain points. A bit more sassiness and attitude from the members in I WANT THAT would have taken it to the next level
The music video begins with the members on the boat, which I presume is the aftermath of the events in the video. We are then shown the toxic relationships between the members and this guy. At points, it is sweet and romantic. Other times, he is abusive and a horrible human. In particular, we see Minnie walking down the aisle as a bride to marry this guy. But when she turns back, she only see a dark church (which alludes to her future with him). She runs away from the wedding before it gets any further. In the end, she takes matters into her own hands by walking into the guy’s workplace and points a gun to his head. We see glimpses of the other members pointing guns at the same guy, which represents the anger from his past partners and revenge they want. He taunts her, but he doesn’t realize that she was determined and shoots him point blank. To finish the job, she also brought a bomb, which causes chaos with the other workers. In the end, Minnie and the rest of the members walk out and get on the boat we see them on at the start of the video. As for the choreography, we don’t get too see much of it. But it looks okay. I just wished the choreography scenes were better incorporated into the video and featured better styling.
Overall Rating – 7.9/10
Standing Next To You – Jung Kook (BTS)
Language: English
Release Date: 3 November 2023
Release Type: Golden (1st Studio Album)
Following the success of his other singles (Seven and 3D) earlier this year, the announcement of Golden and Standing Next To You became highly anticipated releases. I will be making plans to review Golden, but that might not happen until next year. But for now, I can say that my thoughts on Standing Next To You are somewhat positive. When I really focus on Standing Next To You, I really find myself appreciating the sleek vibes, retro energy and funky tones this pop track offers. I like that the track doesn’t mess with such a formula, keeping the track consistent from start to end. In the context of Standing Next To You, this is a very positive aspect of the track. Jung Kook’s delivery is charismatic and sensual in this song, which I am sure fans are enjoying. His falsettos can become quite addictive, but I particularly like the shoutier style he gives the pre-chorus, which heightens the chorus that comes after. But reflecting on the track afterwards and when I don’t focus on Standing Next To You, the track is rather forgettable and doesn’t really hold me as much as Seven and 3D did. It might be the case of being too sleek, but I boil it down to a lack of memorable hooks to really get this song into my mind and make me want to return.
In addition to the song, the music video also shows off Jung Kook’s charismatic charms that fans consistently highlight. His good looks are definitely are also on full display, which again, I think fans would be loving. The video is descried as showing Jung Kook chasing after a mysterious femme fatale. We see him catching up to her at the “light at the end of the tunnel”, which is a nice way of showing us the positive effect this femme fatale might have on Jung Kook. I did also think Jung Kook dancing in front of the big hole in a way is his way of showing how he could potentially fill that void in the femme fatale. All of this (and I am presuming the dancing also had an effect) convinced her to approach Jung Kook at the end of the music video. Talking about dancing, it is no doubt that Jung Kook’s performance skills were on full display, which I personally really enjoyed each time I have seen the music video. The sleekness and sensual nature of the song comes through really well in the choreography, and I also like the more intense parts of the routine, as well (such as the pre-chorus and the end).
Overall Rating – 8.2/10
You & Me – JENNIE (BLACKPINK)
Language: English
Release Date: 6 October 2023
Release Type: You & Me (Digital Single)
You & Me was released following the conclusion of BLACKPINK’s massive Born Pink world tour. Upon first listen, I was disappointed with the track for a number of reasons, including the lack of personality, the disconnect between the different parts (particularly the verses and choruses), the lack of any memorable melodies or hooks etc. There was a lot in You & Me that just did not sit right for me. But the more I continued to listen to You & Me, the more I grew to like You & Me. After all, I am all about giving second chances when it comes to the music I listen to. The problems are still there, but they are less jarring then before. The standout parts of the song, for me personally, are the verses and the instrumental outro. The verses had a nice pleasant pop vibe to them. Sure, it isn’t anything riveting, but I felt a sense of nostalgia to those sequences. The heftier beats and electronic instrumental outro felt like a decent conclusion to the song, which was all very synth forward from the get-go. Heck, even the squeaks became charming for me. But there are some stuff in You & Me that I still feel the same way about from day 1 – the chorus instrumentation and vocal work was bland, there isn’t memorable melodies or hooks in the song to make the track memorable, the post-chorus vocal tone was not appreciable, and the rap speak sequence reiterated the song’s blandness. Overall, the good aspects were balanced out by the bad aspects in You & Me, and so I am on the fence for this one.
As for the performance video released to accompany You & Me, it is your standard high quality video that you would expect from YG Entertainment. It is more on the simpler side of the spectrum of music videos, but it still features a memorable moment or two, such as the silhouette of JENNIE and the male dancer whilst the moon in the background was brightest. JENNIE’s red dress is also pretty memorable. Performance-wise, it looks good. Nothing stands out to me, but it was a good routine nonetheless.
Overall Rating – 7/10
Hands Up – NCT NEW TEAM
Language: Japanese
Release Date: 8 October 2023
Release Type: Hands Up (Digital Single)
The final song in this post is for a future group. NCT NEW TEAM is the current temporary name for NCT’s Japanese (and final) unit, who will debut next year. Beats me to why we don’t have an official name when they are already putting out Japanese songs. Hands Up is what you expect with NCT title tracks – a very synth driven dance number. There is more to the synths, but my mind keeps on coming back to describing the synth selection as “tinny”, and this I find to be pretty standard. The drumming/percussion added to the song does infuse more energy and texture to Hands Up. But I would also describe this to be quite tinny, so it doesn’t really add anything new to the song. At least, the energy and texture does provide a fun vibe, which is backed by hooks like the “Ooh Ooh“. The vocal work is a bit standard, as well. A good showing of skills, but nothing worth discussing further. And with every other NCT (or SM song for that matter), the bridge is definitely on point. As a starting point, Hands Up does a decent job of introducing us to the new unit/group. However, as they begin to pump out more songs (which I hope will be the case) and finds an actual name, I hope they can also develop a sound for themselves that is within the realm of NCT’s music.
The music video sees NCT NEW TEAM’s world become overrun with these green blobs that keeps on self-generating. The group, whom are just high school students, use their skills as baseball players and the power of the baseball to smash these green blobs. Ultimately, they kill the biggest blob with a power pitch and hit by the members, which causes all of the others to die. At the end, we see one of the members back on a train with a glowing green baseball, suggesting we might not have seen the last of the green blob monster. Overall, I quite liked how the producers showed off the group’s youthfulness and the new energy they bring to the industry. The choreography looks good, matching their synchronisation with what the other NCT units are very much known for. The energy they bring via their performance and choreography is refreshing and fun, as well. The choruses’ routine is the best bit.
Overall Rating – 7.9/10
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