Tag: NewJeans

As mentioned in my review for Bubble Gum last month, NewJeans will be making their Korean comeback with two songs. Bubble Gum was the first, followed by How Sweet (which dropped yesterday). The group is also due to release two full Japanese songs next month – Supernatural and Right Now. I will hopefully be reviewing them after their release. But keep in mind I am very behind on songs in other languages.

In my books, How Sweet falls into the pleasant category. There is no doubt that it sounds good. But How Sweet isn’t compelling enough for it to be a memorable form of ‘pleasant’. The hip-hop based instrumental has a touch of Miami bass to it. This created a backing piece that good rhythm and drive to it. And while that does evoke some interest out of me, I do find that the instrumental for How Sweet also feels ‘held back’ for being too consistent throughout the length of the track. The vocals do sound nice and airy, which is NewJeans signature. But in the context of How Sweet, it is too light to hold my attention. It doesn’t help that How Sweet‘s melodies felt linear and flat, as well. And the hooks felt virtually absent, with the producers seemingly putting all their eggs into the melodies to pull the audience in. To me, that is a risk gamble and it didn’t pay off. The only element that gives off a little something different to How Sweet is the rapping that serves as a transitional piece between the first verse and chorus, and at the end of the song. This potentially really could have changed up the song and made How Sweet more engaging to me. But they had to keep it to the rest of How Sweet, which dampens my hopefulness. While I do get that pleasantness out of How Sweet, I feel the final line of the song portion of Bubble Gum‘s review sums up my thoughts on NewJeans’ new song quite well (with a slightly editorial) – “I am not sure how long I will be replaying Bubble Gum How Sweet [following this review]”.

The music video is okay. NewJeans essentially have a broken down car on the side of a road in the middle of nowhere, and they have a little fun whilst making their way to a mechanic to have their car towed. A bit of a standard story nowadays. I wished their concept for this comeback was a little more engaging, like their past video. However, I did like the little comedic moment where the members attempt to hitchhike into town as a vehicle passes them. At the back of the vehicle are cows, and all the cows can see as they are driven past are the members posing like models. That scene got a chuckle out of me. The video also serves as a little commercial for Coco Cola. It isn’t the first time one of their music videos was used to promote a product, but I guess it might become a regular thing now.

The members showcase some great choreography that works extremely well with that pleasant side of the song and the beat/rhythm of How Sweet. I liked how just like the song’s drive, the members just kept going and never really stopped throughout the performance. I also like how the members looked like they were genuinely having fun on stage throughout the performance. Also, the rapping sounds so much more impactful throughout the live performance. Pity it doesn’t come off that way in the studio version.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

In the midst of the ongoing dispute between Min Hee Jin (the CEO of ADOR – the home of NewJeans) and HYBE Corporation (including Bang Si Hyuk), NewJeans is moving ahead with their May comeback. This comeback will feature two songs – Bubble Gum (which is the focus of this particular review with the music video dropping yesterday) and How Sweet next month. The group is also due to release two new Japanese original singles in June. Bubble Gum also marks their first release since their Get Up (which features Super Shy, Cool With You and ETA) comeback from last year.

Bubble Gum serves as both the soundtrack for a Japanese shampoo commercial and a side track for NewJeans’ upcoming How Sweet release. While I do not review commercial music often, I am interested in the latter. And as a side track, Bubble Gum is a decent release. It definitely is not ‘title track’ material, with the overall airy and breezy profile of the song feeling too delicate for my liking. The song features groovy beat and retro elements that grounds Bubble Gum to a degree, but I find the rest of the song (i.e., vocals, melodies, hooks) to be a bit too feathery. Don’t get me wrong, everything works in harmony with one another and is executed well across the board. I also like the flute-like piece that we hear in the background of the verses. But I am unsure of the song’s longevity given all of the lightness going on within Bubble Gum (and the ongoing dispute is definitely taking attention away from the new release – for me, at least). There were definitely some attempts to ‘ground’ the song further, with some deeper vocals at certain parts and the paced rap-sing vocals (which was the exact ending I was hoping for). But again, I only come out of Bubble Gum remembering the higher pitched (sometimes falsetto) vocals and flowy melodies. Overall, I do like the song, but I am not sure how long I will be replaying Bubble Gum.

The music video sees NewJeans hanging out and having fun with one another. To complement the song’s breezy sound profile, NewJeans takes a trip to the beach. Keeping true to the ‘retro is making a comeback’ concept, some of the video (including the intro and outro shot of Hyein and her bubbles) is shot in a home video style. It is an aesthetic that I didn’t like as much when it first appeared in KPOP, but NewJeans does it well. I also like the call back to old technology that appears throughout the video, such as the VHS tape, the camcorder and that old computer. On the modern side, we see one of the members hold an iPhone and the members carry their official light stick.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

As mentioned last week’s review for Super Shy and the day before yesterday’s review for Cool With You, NewJeans was scheduled to make their official comeback yesterday with the release of their second mini-album, Get Up, and the mini-album’s third lead single ETA.

While I was impressed with Super Shy and disappointed with Cool With You, I find myself to be on the fence with ETA. I find the upbeat nature of the song to be a strong aspect of the song, and it sounds like that is a bit of a party flair to it. The vocals were solid, and I liked the chanty nature of the “What’s your ETA?” hook that forms part of the chorus. All of this brought a nice level of excitement to the song. One of the issues with ETA is that repetitive nature of the instrumental. While I usually don’t have much of an issue with repetition (which NewJeans and their producers employ a lot in their songs), I did feel like the repeated brassy-like synth was a bit much for me. I already didn’t enjoy as much in the first instance, and having it on repeat for majority of ETA doesn’t really help much. It stole the attention away from the vocals and clashed with the rest of the song by being overly prominent. Also, I didn’t remember that much from the verses and wanted more from them. Those were the big sticking points of ETA for me, but the rest of ETA falls into the nice and pleasant category.

This entire video was a product placement for the iPhone 14. I don’t think it was necessary to have the members hold a mobile throughout the entire video, as this just felt so forced and made for a distraction from the storyline, which I felt was the main star of the video. On that front, however, I am impressed. The video features a dark twist, in an otherwise vibrant video. The NewJeans members call up their friend after noticing her boyfriend was getting friendly with another girl at a party. The NewJeans members proceed to keep tabs on the boyfriend and his new friend, while their friend beelines to where the group is. A lot of emotions is felt by the friend, who surprises the boyfriend and his new girl by hitting them on the road. At first, it was a no fatality/injury crash with the boyfriend and his new girl on the car bonnet. But I guess her anger sees her drive over the pair off-screen, with the guy (and presumably his new girl) stuffed into the boot of the car as she drives to an isolated place to get rid of the evidence of their murders (as alluded to by part of the boyfriend’s shirt sticking out from the boot).

The performance for ETA is both familiar and refreshing. It felt very much like NewJeans’ style in terms of formation and execution, but it is also felt summery and vibrant. The members members felt like they had a more relaxed demeanour/mindset to the performance, and the appeared to look like they were having genuine fun on stage.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.1/10

As mentioned in last week’s review for Super Shy, NewJeans will be making their official comeback this week. The group has earmarked Friday as the official release of their second mini-album Get Up and a third lead single for said album. But earlier today, NewJeans have unveiled their second lead single from the mini-album, Cool With You. As part of the teasers leading up to the release, ADOR announced that two global stars would be featuring in the music video for Cool With You. Continue reading to find out who featured in this music video!

Just as simple as Cool With You is, my thoughts about the song is just as simple. This could either be a good or a bad thing, but I am not speechless over the song because I am amazed by it. Instead, I find that I more so lack words to describe Cool With You as I found to be an empty vessel and boring. There are some things to appreciate in Cool With You, such as the more mature sound profile that the group brings to the KPOP landscape (a complete change to Super Shy), the instrumental’s chill and atmospheric vibe to it, and the nicely soft and flowy vocals. But somehow when these elements come together, Cool With You doesn’t come off as memorable piece. It also didn’t help that the song was very quick to end, lasting less than 2.5 minutes. Instead, I find myself skipping through the song, particularly when I watching the music video as there isn’t much within Cool With You to focus on. The song does have one primary hook – the repetition of the title with the elongated “Cool“. But as we get to the end of the song, I felt like I heard the primary hook one too many times. Overall, I think Cool With You is a miss and a disappointment following the likes of Super Shy. Hopefully, tomorrow’s release of ETA is more promising.

As mentioned above, two global stars feature in the music video Cool With You. Furthermore, there are two versions of the music video! In the Side A version of the video, Jung Ho Yeon (who rose to fame in Squid Game) features as the main character. She plays the role of a ghost who becomes infatuated over a guy she sees in the art gallery. I am not entirely sure what happens exactly, but I think her character becomes tired of being unseen and her embracing the rain at the end of the video is her way of wanting to be seen and interact with the world around her. NewJeans, for some reason (maybe it is because they are angels), are the only people to notice her (which Jung Ho Yeon’s chraacter is aware of). In Side B of the music video, we are treated to choreography scenes with NewJeans (it looks artistic, but I don’t think I can say much else towards the choreography aspect of this comeback – hence no choreography section of this review) and Jung Ho Yeon is granted the chance to be seen and interact with the world (I assume NewJeans granted her wish, given they are angels). The first thing she does is become friends with the guy she was infatuated with. However, that opportunity is cut short when she disappears once again from the world (and her guy friend forgets about her) following the appearance of Tony Leung (who is the second global star to appear in the videos). Again, not entirely sure what his role is, but he has the ability to revert Jung Ho Yeon’s wish. At the end of Side B, we hear a bit of Get Up (the single) and Jung Ho Yeon sees NewJeans. But she smiles as she turns around, which might represent a subtle thank you to NewJeans for granting her wish. I personally would love to read alternative theories, as I am sure there are a few flying about at the moment.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.2/10

Ahead of their upcoming comeback next Friday, NewJeans made their return with their pre-release single Super Shy last week. Since its release, the song has risen to the top of the charts, proving once again NewJeans’ power and popularity in the industry. We last heard from NewJeans through their very successful Ditto/OMG comeback at the very end and start of this year.

Whoever is choosing the songs for NewJeans’ comebacks is doing a fantastic job. Their releases thus far have been top notch, consistent and super catchy. And Super Shy is no different to the small yet impactful discography that NewJeans boasts thus far. Super Shy‘s instrumental is just like the song title and lyrics – super shy. For the most part, the song features atmospheric synths that can just be barely heard and staccato drumming that feels quite prominent and brings good rhythm to the song. Both the synths and drumming weren’t bold or spontaneous, but rather they stay in their lane and is quite consistent. Towards the end of the short song. Super Shy bring in a light sprinkling of electronic synths that gives the song a very subtle funky/groovy undertone, which keeps the song from feeling too consistent for its 2.5 minute run. The members adopt a very consistent lighter and innocent sounding tone in Super Shy that gives off the impression of the members being shy, which reflects well with the title and lyrics of the song (which is about finding the courage to confess to a first love). The combination of this lighter and more innocent sound from the members also brings a very appreciative level of brightness to the song that just fits super well into that summery vibe the industry is going through at the moment. And it helps that Super Shy has super easy and enjoyable melodies to tie everything up together with. Overall, a strong pre-release that promises great things for the actual title tracks (yes, double title track situation once again) that will be released in a weeks time.

The music video for Super Shy was quite bright and vibrant, in terms of both energy and visuals. Both regards suits the song quite well. The idea of flashmobs feels refreshing (however, it isn’t the first time we see a music video use flashmobs in KPOP) and the place in which they shot the music video feels lively. It is my understanding, from the Wikipedia article, that the video was shot in Lisborn, Portugal. I also like how the world is still going around them.

The choreography was quite cool and was an interesting watch. There were moments in the song where there wasn’t a prominent beat, and to see the members still pull off choreography during these moments was quite the aesthetic. The up-tempo and speed of the choreography makes it a difficult routine, particularly during those non-beat moments. Definitely a worthwhile performance to watch.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 10/10
Choreography – 10/10
Overall Rating – 10/10

NewJeans is nominated for Best New Female Group, Best Group Choreography (Female) for Hype Boy and Best R&B Song for Attention in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support NewJeans and all your other favourite artists, songs and performances before voting closes this Friday by clicking here to vote.

As mentioned in the previous review for NewJean’s Ditto, I will also be covering the group’s first official comeback single, OMG, which officially dropped two days ago. This comes after the group debuted with Cookie (and pre-releases Attention and Hype Boy) in 2022, contributing to what has resulted in very intense battle for new female groups and debuts this award season in the KPOP industry.

It has been a couple of days since OMG‘s release and this short gap between release and review have really allowed me to evaluate the song and consider my thoughts on it. To me, OMG is an ‘alright’ song. I liked how NewJeans have forged themselves a unique sound in KPOP and this sound does comes through in OMG, despite the track gearing towards more mainstream pop and hip-hop influences. I enjoyed the upbeat nature of the instrumental, which comes to life as a result of the percussive and trap elements. NewJeans also sounds quite nice throughout the song. Their vocals really show off a youthful appearance compared to their previous releases and the brightness really cuts through the over-consistency that OMG was potentially heading in. What really held OMG back, for me, is the lack of a memorable element of some kind. Despite the number of listens of OMG over the last few days, I have failed to notice anything that really capture my attention and makes the song stay in my mind once the song ends. This is quite disappointing given the hype leading to OMG. Had the song had something more memorable to it, OMG could have ringed through. But because there isn’t a memorable ring or tinge to the song, I am not convinced that this is their greatest track. That being said, OMG had some pretty big shoes to fill following the likes the Attention and Hype Boy.

When I watch the music video for OMG, I can’t help but wonder whether the friends who Heesoo supposedly lost from the Ditto music videos (according to my theory) were sent to the asylum. When I wrote that storyline up based on what I saw, I hadn’t considered the events of OMG. But now watching the OMG’s music video and also considering how the school scenes were included as part of the performance videos, I am leaning towards a change my storyline – that Heesoo’s friends were sent to the asylum. The video also includes a bit of a twist towards the end, with the friends reminding themselves that they are actually NewJeans, which might also further alter the story theory I wrote for the Ditto music video. I quite liked the rewind montage that follows and the addition of a snippet of Attention to the video. Apart from that, I liked how they tackled the topic of mental health. It can be quite touchy topic, but my first impression of NewJean’s take was that it is light, felt liberating, and refreshing, which is much different to the more usual serious tone mental health garners in Western media.

I quite enjoyed the 90s touch some of their outfits had. It probably will be a case of regret in the future when NewJeans attempts more mature concepts, but it works really well at this point in time. As for the choreography, I really enjoyed the whole chorus sequence of the routine. Dubbed as the ‘OMG and crab dance’ according to the 1theKILLPO video, I do find the second half of the sequence to be more impressive, with the synchronisation and execution leaving me floored.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

NewJeans is nominated for Best New Female Group, Best Group Choreography (Female) for Hype Boy and Best R&B Song for Attention in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support NewJeans and all your other favourite artists, songs and performances before voting closes this Friday by clicking here to vote.

The first two official reviews of 2023 belongs to NewJeans, one of the new female groups who literally took over 2022 with a series of releases including Attention, Hype Boy and Cookie. And judging by the digital charts at the time of writing this review, it looks like 2023 is also on their radar for a take-over, as well. The first review tackles their recent pre-release single, Ditto, which was actually released in the final weeks of the 2022. It was released in preparation for their early 2023 comeback, which officially dropped yesterday. And you guessed it, I will be covering OMG in my next review tomorrow.

While I did check out the new song while I was on break, I didn’t pay much attention to it and haven’t formed an opinion on Ditto until today. But I am happy to report upon further consideration today for this review, I quite enjoyed Ditto. The song just feels so atmospheric and dreamy with its lo-fi approach, making it hard to dislike the song. The smoothness of NewJeans vocals pairs extremely well with that same atmospheric and dreamy nature of Ditto, and helped make it become such a captivating piece. The melodies also build on this and have a memorable ring to them, which just adds more substance to the song. And while it was rather subtle, there is enough bass and percussion in Ditto to help keep it slightly upbeat and riveting enough to keep the song itself grounded. I also enjoyed the consistency of the bass and percussion in the song this time around, which to me added a hypnotic effect to the song that does wonders. The only thing about Ditto I am not 100% sure of at this stage is the longevity of the song. I feel like the song is designed to be quite effective in the moment, but repeat listens might just dull Ditto down. I am not tired of Ditto just yet, but it it is interesting thought to have crossed my mind whilst writing this review.

The music videos for Ditto was impressive. That’s right, the plural there signifies multiple version – two versions in the case of Ditto – Side A and Side B. Side A shows the group NewJeans as a group of friends, with a sixth member of their friendship group (Heesoo) filming the group as they go about their high school days. Interestingly, during Side A, Heesoo never appears on camera with NewJeans. As a side plot, Heesoo develops a crush on a male student. But the main story of Side A is that NewJeans might not have existed at all, and that Heesoo was only imagining their existence through the camera. Her not appearing on camera with the others adds fuel to that storyline. As for Side B, we see that Heesoo is imagining the existence of NewJeans at the school. But it is revealed in later scenes within Side B that NewJeans do exist outside of the school, and that Heesoo only watches them afar and had created NewJeans as a fantasy for her school life. We do see her drop her camera from the top of the building in Side B, which signifies the destruction of her fantasy, her growing up, which leads her to date the guy she had developed a crush on. At the end of Side B, we begin with the start of Side A (confusing, I know). The scenes on the video however do show Heesoo subtly on camera with a group of girls (but in a haunting manner, we don’t see their faces whatsoever), which leads me to suspect that the group of friends did exist at one point. But she lost them in some sort of accident (which would explain her cast). She later became deluded into thinking that the group of friends still existed and NewJeans was that friend group, but she slowly comes to terms that is not the case and comes to accept that her friends are no longer with her. It is all a bit confusing, but that is my take on the video. I really liked the 90s/early 00s aesthetic and the creepy factor that underlays parts of the video, which gives an added flavour that keeps the videos interesting.

I really liked how the choreography looks for this particular release. And this comes through many layers. Firstly, I liked how it was weaved into the music videos. Secondly, I really liked how the choreographer really embodied NewJeans youth and made it feel like teenagers were just freestyling and having some fun, rather than a set routine that feels rehearsed and refined. The subtle bounce we got added to this fun nature, in my opinion. Thirdly, NewJeans chemistry was quite cool and the smiles they shared with one another made the performance feel so much more convincing.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 9/10 [Updated ‘Overall Rating’ on 12/08/2023]

NewJeans is nominated for Best New Female Group, Best R&B Song (for Attention) and Best Group Performance (Female – for Hype Boy) in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support NewJeans, as well as you other favourite songs, artists and performances by clicking here to vote today.

In addition to Attention, NewJeans also pre-released another single prior to the release of their NewJeans mini-album and their official debut single, Cookie. The single in question (and the focus of this review) is Hype Boy, which ended up going viral in South Korea for their choreography for the track.

Just like Attention, I didn’t pay much attention to Hype Boy when it was first released. I only started to pick up on the pop song as its performance started to go viral and was continuously covered by other artists. Since then, I have grown accustomed to the song and quite enjoy it. Structurally, it is a fairly simple song, made up of 2 sets of alternating verses and choruses. The producers chose to make the verses and choruses consistent and repetitive, which really helps make Hype Boy memorable. But there is more to the song that makes it memorable. Hype Boy begins with this interesting warped synth loop, which I still find quite intriguing. Similar (can’t tell if they are the same) warped synths present itself in the chorus, creating an equally interesting backdrop to the chorus. In addition to the warped synth, the chorus also features a heavier dose of percussion (in comparison to the verses), bright vocals and a unique and vibrant melody that just pulls you into the song. Together, the chorus ends up being quite an ear-catching central piece to the song. As for the rest of Hype Boy, there were some really good melodies and a strong showing from the members in the vocal department. But as the main attraction of Hype Boy was very much the chorus, you don’t really remember much from the verses. However, I did like the descending pre-chorus melody that led into the chorus. Overall, Hype Boy is short, simple and memorable.

As far as I can tell, there are four music videos and 2 performance versions for Hype Boy‘s promotion. I guess watching all of this would repeat the song enough times to have it literally engraved into your mind. Each music video tells a story that is centric to one or two members. The first video to be released focused on Minji, who falls in love with a friendly guy and changes herself so that he pays attention to her more. But in the end, he doesn’t remember who she is. The next video features a story line that focuses on Danielle and Haerin, who both fall in love with the same guy and he ends up two-timing the pair, ultimately lead the girls to choosing friendship over a relationship with the same guy. The third video features Hyein, who falls for a guy who ends up making fun of her and her group. The final video focuses on Hanni, who falls for someone over the internet, but it is not who she had expected. All of these videos feature a central theme of falling in love with a hype boy, but it just doesn’t pan out the way they had expected it to be in their head. I liked how each video converged onto one party, despite it all can be viewed as standalone. A really cool and unique concept.

The dance for Hype Boy is probably the most viral aspect in KPOP in 2022. Everyone was dancing it at one point in this year. And I don’t blame them. The entire chorus routine looks super cool (I will not attempt to name the move or describe it, as I just won’t do it justice), and the members bring a refreshing energy to the performance, making it addictive to watch. Altogether, it made me nominate Hype Boy for Best Group Choreography for female groups in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.2/10

NewJeans is nominated for Best New Female Group, Best R&B Song (for Attention) and Best Group Performance (Female – for HypeBoy) in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support NewJeans, as well as you other favourite songs, artists and performances by clicking here to vote today.

I am finally getting around to reviewing more songs from NewJeans. For those who have missed their debut, they officially kicked off their career back in July of this year through the release of their third single Cookie and self-titled mini-album. But ahead of the release of Cookie, NewJeans also pre-released a number of singles. One of them is Attention, which (if we are speaking in chronological order) was NewJeans first release. It was an unexpected one, as the music video for Attention dropped without notification, to the surprise of fans and new listeners alike.

Personally, I didn’t pay attention it it as much when Attention was first released. But over the last few months, my attention for Attention has really picked up. So much so that Attention is currently being nominated for Best R&B song in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. When you first tune into Attention, you don’t get a sense that the track is actually an R&B track. The choppy sound effect at the start of the song (which reminds me of a crowd of some kind) seems like the start of something pop-like. But when more of the dreamy style instrumental start filtering in, I find Attention starts too smooth out like an R&B track. A more pop energy comes through the instrumental as Attention progresses. Altogether, you get a pretty chill and wispy track. When the vocals start and as the song progresses, everything becomes subdued and I quite enjoyed this effect. There was a nice display of vocals skills for the new group, and the melodies had a memorable tinge to it. But the highlight of Attention comes during the opening line of the chorus, when the members beautifully drag out the ‘Attention‘ in “You got me looking for attention“. At the time of release, I didn’t think much of it. But as time went on, it just more stunning. Attention does repeat itself and all the elements that I have describe, but I just haven’t seem to gotten to that point where I have gotten bored of the song. A great hallmark for any song. Overall, Attention has stole my attention (pun intended) and I really enjoy the track to this day.

I am not exactly troubled by the fact the group is very young, but I am not exactly sure if the concert at a bar is the best place to start off their first music video. It seems a bit questionable, in my opinion. But hey, I will leave the production to the producer. They clearly have a plan in mind. All the other scenes in the video, with the members getting ready for the day and spending the day shopping, was perfectly fine. The choreography scenes in and around the stadium looked good and fits the chill vibe of the song (no flashing lights, no boxed or studio sets). Everything was lowkey and this worked well with the song.

The choreography for this comeback was pretty good. Nothing too crazy, with smoothness being a priority in this routine to match the smoothness that comes from the song. I did liked how the outstretched arms and hair flicks accentuates the opening line of the chorus.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

It is a new week. And it all starts with the debut of a new group. NewJeans is the group’s name, and they are a five member female group from ADOR, a subsidiary of HYBE. The lineup consist of Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, Hyein. NewJeans previously released music videos for Attention, Hype Boy (multiple videos in this case) and Hurt. A review for each of these songs/videos (and a hybrid review for Hype Boy) will be posted in the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for that. But for now, here is my review for the group’s debut track, Cookie.

First impression of Cookie is that the song is rather flat. I appreciate that the group is doing something different, avoiding the cliches of cutesy sounds or girl crush concepts. The new group went with a minimalistic approach with Cookie. While minimalistic approaches have been praised on my blog before, I felt the same praise could not be applied to Cookie. The feeling I should have got from Cookie was new and/or refreshing. I also expected a track that had more oomph or changed momentum once in a while. Instead, we are provided with a box with limited amounts of fat synths, trap elements and a paced beat. It didn’t go anything further, which is the source of my frustration. There was a bit of a change at the bridge of Cookie, which inserted some dynamic energy. But that was pretty relative and short-lived. Vocal wise, I didn’t get anything impressive out of Cookie. However, I do find the mature vibes and the cutesy lyrics to be an interesting and abstract combination, and the vocal work is charming. To avoid an overwhelming song, I liked that the hooks weren’t too bold or stood out too much. This complimented the minimalistic style in which Cookie was aiming for and paired well with the vocals. I wished there was more to the song, just to give NewJeans that launch they need to show KPOP their potential.

While the minimalistic vibes of the song didn’t work, I enjoyed the minimalistic aspects of Cookie‘s music video. There wasn’t too much to the video. The most we got were some CGI during the bridge, and a large cookie/CD rolling in the background. Other than that, we got a very big room and a bench, which was utilized in the performance. Interestingly, the video was shot in a way where the sets did not feel empty or spacious, despite it clearly being empty and spacious. Clever. I also liked the retro tinge we got from the visuals in the video, which helped add a bit more substance to the video than had it been without it.

Performance-wise, the choreography looked great. It wasn’t too energetic, but it wasn’t a drag, as well. I did enjoy the dance break that we got, which help provide a bit more energy to the entire comeback package that is Cookie. I also like the hip and cool vibe the member brought to the performance, which helped make it engaging for me to watch from start to end each time.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10