Tag: ONEWE

Returning earlier in the week was ONEWE, with their new lead single, Universe_. And yes, the underscore is purposely present in the title of the song for whatever reason. Universe_ is featured on the band’s second mini-album, Planet Nine: Voyager, which dropped on Tuesday. This comeback follows the June 2021 release of Planet Nine: Alter Ego and Rain To Be, the release of single STAR (which I will review at a later date), and the release of the collaboration single with their brother group ONEUS, STAY (which I will also review at a later date).

I found Universe_ to be a stunning and beautiful track. The new song is a ballad for the most part, though the song develops more into a rock ballad as the song builds. Universe_ starts off as a very delicate piece with soothing and warm keyboard melody and soft vocals from both Yonghoon and Dongmyeong. This lasts for all of the first verse, before Yonghoon takes us into the chorus. I love the breathtaking nature of Yonghoon’s part. The instrumental is stripped to its bare minimum (i.e. the sparse use of keyboard once again) before the band instrumentation comes into play. His vocals were also so delicate and soft like how the song started, but ended up escalating in such a satisfying manner as the band instrumentation comes into play. The second verse was a lot shorter, given that it didn’t need to build as much as it maintained the band instrumentation. However, I thought the melody to be so beautiful in this part of the song. Not sure why, given it was the same melody throughout the song, but it just felt so pleasant and neat here. After the second chorus, ONEWE brought to us a relatively powerful electric guitar solo that just has the right punch of energy for Universe_, after which the final chorus is played out with the energy from the guitar solo also being maintained throughout via the presence of some high notes from the band’s two vocalists. To really reiterate Universe_‘s roots as a ballad, the song slows down for its outro, bringing back the song’s delicate and soothing start to close out the song. Overall, Universe_ delivers a great song and addition to ONEWE’s discography.

The emotions didn’t really hit me as much when I listened to the song alone. But it definitely hit me when I listened to the song in tandem with the music video. I liked the homey vibes of the first half of the video. We see the members individually, and then with their love ones. Not entirely sure if they are really the members actual love ones, but I assume the additional characters represent either siblings, friends, lovers, mothers, grandmothers and pets. The members then go on a road trip to bury a time capsule-like object. At first, this part threw me off. It was such a warm vibe video, but then they switched it a industrial mining site in the night time. It was a random change in scenery that I wished wasn’t the case. Maybe something closer to home would have been approriate (i.e. trip down to the beach, for example). Anyhow, after burying the capsule, the members start running around in like a celebratory manner as the song reaches it peak. Those additional characters run alongside them, making it look like whatever is buried in the capsule is actually a piece of those additional characters that the ONEWE members hold dear to their hearts. This got to me (just loved the beauty of this final set of scenes) and it brought a tear to my eyes.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10

The next group to be making their comeback this week is ONEWE. Today, the band dropped their latest single, Rain To Be, which headlines their ever mini-album (Planet Nine: Alter Ego) under the name ONEWE. For those who are unaware, ONEWE was formerly MAS before their re-debuted under RBW with new branding (hence the name ONEWE) in early 2019. Since then, the group have made a number of comebacks which lead to their first studio album, Studio We: Recording, in 2020 which was headlined by Parting. They also made a comeback later in 2020 with the single A Book In Memory.

Within the already niche sub-category of KPOP, Korean bands each bring a different individuality to the industry. While the bands do experiment with their sound between releases, going between moody rock tracks to warm ballads to upbeat rock tracks, there is always a distinct sound for each Korean Band that you would recognise. While ONEWE is a relatively new band, they have too already established a sound for themselves. It is a bit hard to describe, but for ONEWE there tends to be a moody aesthetic and delivery that I associate with their name. And I feel Rain To Be is an excellent reflection of that. And what better to show just that than a ballad (at least that is what I thought at first). The introductory verse of the song featured an instrumental background that slowly built up, starting from soft mellow guitar work and it gears up to something a bit more substantial. In combination with the solid vocal work from mostly Yonghoon in the first verse, I was convinced that Rain To Be had tapped into only the ballad genre. But when the chorus came around, Rain To Be changed up is aesthetic, amping up more of the rock influences. Rain To Be is no intense rock song, but it seems to direct the song more into the rock-ballad genre. I liked the tempo change here and the subtle intensity and dynamic they brought to the song. Despite it going into the rock sound From the second verse onwards, we pretty much get a repeat of the first verse and chorus setup. The second verse slips the song back into a ballad mode, though we get to hear more of the other vocalists in the group (Dongmyeong and Cya). Following the second chorus, Cya further amps up the intensity of the song with a pretty good rap sequence. For the bridge, I am glad they brought in something electrifying. It changes up the song, so that it just doesn’t become a repeat of the repeat we got for the second portion of the song. I am glad they did this, or else the song would have been too boring for my liking. The second portion of the song was already on the way of feeling like this, so a third repeat would have gone overboard. But overall, Rain To Be is another good song from the group that reiterates their ‘associated’ sound, differing ONEWE from other Korean bands.

To also reflect the moody aesthetic of the song, I liked the direction in which the music video headed in. For the entirety of the video, we saw the members perform the song (with their instruments) in a rising pool of water. The pool starts off empty and by the end of the video we see the water levels rise to just below their heads. It is definitely a unique take on the whole idea of rain and water that we see commonly in music video. Usually, rain would be represented in less intense manner, like rain drops running down the side of the window or the occasion scene where we see the characters of the video stand soaking wet in the rain. This video is definitely on a whole different level.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

ONEWE is nominated for Best Band in the 2020 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Click here to support ONEWE and your other favorite artists if you haven’t done so yet.

Over the last few months now, I have been promising to write multiple reviews for many songs that I have been holding onto for quite some time. One of the notable songs on the list that I keep on pushing back for some reason is ONEWE’s Parting, which was released back in September of this year. However, I am now pushing out the review out alongside ONEWE’s latest song release A Book In Memory in a double song review format. A Book In Memory is also ONEWE’s fourth comeback of the year, following the release of Q, End of Spring and Parting.

Let’s start off with the older song. Parting is a moody but straightforward rock ballad track. I will be honest that I do still find the start of the song to be quite slow and sluggish. But the rest of the song (i.e. from when the energy starts trinkling in as the first verse moved along and then the rush of energy we get in the first verse) was definitely worthwhile listening to. Everything sounded better as Parting progressed along, peaking at the instrumental break where we got rock angst incorporated into the mix, which definitely was what I had hoped for when I first heard the song (I made notes for a few of the song I have been holding back reviews for). ONEWE’s vocal work throughout the song was pretty good, but the scene stealing member had to be Cya with his dynamic rap sequence. It gave Parting a bit of edge and transformed a typical rock ballad track into something a little more unconventional.

A Book In Memories continues the rock ballad style from their previous song. I do find that the song is more balanced between the two styles of music, with the verses being more balladry and the choruses honing into that rock influence. The ‘glue’ that binds the two two sides of the song was quite well done. The rock influences were slowly introduced via the use of drums and then electric guitars. That being said, there was still a moment of a sudden change. But it wasn’t as sudden as you expected, with the slow introduction and ease into the rock influences paying off. And I liked that once we got to that point in the song where the rock was the prevalent style of music, they didn’t hold back. Vocally, the ONEWE members do another really good job. But the group’s main vocalist, Younghoon, definitely shined the most with his husky tone and that stunning long note at the end of the song.

The music video for Parting definitely complimented the song. The darkness that surrounded them definitely gave off moody vibes. The image in the background of their band performance scenes were quite aesthetic and cool looking. I particularly enjoyed the projection during the instrumental break, where different rectangles and squares in the projection came flying out.

For A Book In Memories, the music video also felt fitting and quite clever. They used the same set, outfits and set up between the ‘halves’ of the video to showcase the two different styles of the song. It sounds odd at first, but the only difference was the colour and lighting of the set. And this difference had a strong impact that separates the two halves neatly. The more balladry sections of the song had this Fall vibe to it, while the song’s more intense moments courtesy of the rock had this dark blue tinge to it. I also liked how they weren’t afraid to mix the two ‘halves’ up and this really helped bind the video together, rather than having it look like two different videos. I just wished their close ups were a little more interesting.

Parting
Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

A Book In Memories
Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10

Since their re-debut last year, ONEWE have been returning with a quarter of their first studio length album. Their debut single, Reminisce About All, was featured on their 1st single album, 1/4. Their next comeback, Regulus, featured on their 2nd single album, 2/4. Earlier this year, ONEWE collaborated with label-mate Hwasa (from Mamamoo) with Q, which was the only track on their 3rd single album, 3/4. And now, the band is now back with their first studio album, appropriately named as One. The lead single from the album is titled End Of Spring and the focus of today’s review.

One thing that ONEWE has definitely established with their released singles is that they are capable of different sounds. And End Of Spring just adds to their variety. This is their most energetic sound yet and I would describe it as an exciting combination between the band sound with a club beat. There is such an even balance of both in this song that makes the song very pleasant. They could have gone heavy handed with the club beat or dominated with a rock sound, effectively snuffing out the other sound. But you can really hear both strongly in End Of Spring. Usually, I would say the guitars would be the highlight of the instrumental, especially when riffs are used. But in End Of Spring, I think the drums are the real winner as that adds to the song’s excitement and definitely gets things rolling along. Their vocal work is fairly good aspect of the song. I feel like they could have gone above and beyond with the vocal component of the song, but what we got was still quite good. The melodies which carry their voices is pleasant. The pre-chorus was probably the strongest part of the song, with Yonghoon’s vocalisation leading right into that energetic chorus. Dong Myeong also sounds nice during the verses and his harmonisation moment with Cya, who managed to insert a rap sequence into the song, which was probably a decent way to channel some energy in this song. Overall, it is a very good song and I would definitely go back for more.

What the music video for End Of Spring does right is that they mimicked the ideal club feel by bring a lot of people in. I have seen music videos for similar songs feature just the members performing and this doesn’t look as fun as it could have been. Here, you can tell that the atmosphere is exciting like the song and feels lively, which is what you definitely want alongside a song like this. I do wonder what the desert scenes are for, as the first half of the video was quite heavy on this. I assume this is connected to the lyrics somehow. Eagle eye fans may have noticed some familiar faces in the crowd. ONEUS (their labelmate and brother group) and AleXa (a soloist from a company that works very closely with RBW, the entertainment company that ONEWE is signed to). Great to see this closeness between members and artists even on screen. I think the video could have stepped up with something a little more exciting that coloured gas. Maybe fireworks that could have given some explosiveness to the atmosphere of the video. But the video does go well with the song and it definitely has me coming back for more (just like the song!).

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

Making their return to the stage for the first time ever is ONEWE. For those who do not know, ONEWE is a band from RBW Entertainment (ONEUS, VROMANCE and MAMAMOO also come from the same company) and was formerly known as MAS. They made their re-debuted as ONEWE in May of this year with Reminisce About All. Since their release, the band made their Japanese debut with the Japanese version of the same title track. And now, the group has returned with Regulus and the single album, 2/4.

I have described a number of songs in the past as being in ‘neutral gear’. But I think Regulus finds its place on top of that category. For the majority of the nostalgic rock song, it was very slow-moving. The chorus only added a little momentum but it wasn’t enough for my tastes. We did get that much-needed climax through the ‘guitar dominant’ bridge section, but I wished they had built up to it in a more explicit fashion. They might have intended another Reminisce About All climax but I think they left it a little too late this time around. Minus the instrumentation, I think the song does make up for its flaw.  The track manages to showcase more of the members, while Reminisce About All was skewed towards one member (from memory). Everyone sounded quite nice. We also got some rapping in this song. While I am not a fan of that crunchy autotune placed on the vocals just before the rapping, it does give the song some much-needed texture. Overall, Regulus was a fair song to add to ONEWE’s discography.

 There is no doubt that this is a moody track. Regulus, for those who don’t know, is one of the brightest stars in the night sky. Hence, in that case, for us to see Regulus, it has been dark. And essentially, the members are singing about being able to see light (their lover) while in the dark. Therefore, it made total sense for the music video to be shot with a grey filter, with the day sky transforming to the night sky. I think the video would have been a little more effective if they shot it during the Winter months or when it was naturally darker. Apart from that, their presence really made the video feel more compelling. And while it was just scenes of them playing their instruments, I have to admit that it was worth watching.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

To continue and end the focus on the band theme I started yesterday is an album review. Initially, I was going to review one of ONEWE’s b-side singles but I realized that there were music videos accompanying each. So instead of picking just one, I opted for an album review where I could focus on the songs and transfer the music videos to an upcoming ‘Missed Music Video’ post. 1/4 is the band’s debut single album and I am guessing there will be a few more quarters heading our way. The single features 3 songs in total and a remix of the first song (which I have, again, decided not to include in the final review score).

1..Ring On My Ears (귀걸이가 나를 때리게) – Ring On My Ears starts off as a slow rock ballad that opens up the debut single album in a very fashionable sense. They could have had an opening track that showed off their band work by using an energetic rock vibe. But they kept it in line with the title track. The energy in this track is subdued and doesn’t pick up until it gets to the chorus, which is where the song ends up going for a classic rock vibe. The pre-chorus build-up is quite nice and is my pick for the best moments of the track because it felt like a very strong section. The vocals were good. However, I found it interesting they opted for autotuned vocals, which adds a rough texture to the song. A remix of the song is present as Track 4 of the album, giving the song an electronic touch. The chorus ends up being more explosive, which I think was a smart changeup. Based solely on the original version of the track, I thought it was a well-produced opener to the group and album. (9/10)

2. Reminisce About All (다 추억) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Reminisce About All. (9.5/10)

3. 0 & 4 (공과 사) – 0 & 4 is a laidback track that has a little fun mixed within its production, showcasing that the band isn’t all serious as their previous tracks have demonstrated. I find this track to be very nice after a long day, especially when you need to do some wrapping up of the day’s activities. It is light and pleasant, making it perfect for such activities. The vocals were nice and light as well. The rapping was a much-appreciated inclusion, as it felt like a missing element on this album (I know there was a rapping sequence in the first song but it felt like it could be passed off as a vocal sequence instead). As for the meaning of the track, it seems 0 & 4 is a play on ‘private and business life’ due to its similar pronunciation in the Korean language, based on a translation that I found. Overall, I thought it was a nice track to end with. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.8/10

It is a new week and we have a new group kicking off the many releases of this week. ONEWE, formerly known as MAS, is a brand new band under RBW Entertainment, which is also the company of Mamamoo, VROMANCE and ONEUS (who also made their earlier debut this year). ONEWE is a five-member band consisting of Yonghoon, Harin, Kanghyun, Dongmyeong and Cya. Previously, the group was part of The Unit: Idol Reboot Program, with Dongmyeong being the highest representative of the group, ranking in 16th place. Today, they released their first single-album, 1/4, and the title track, Reminisce About All.

I think if you want to be part of RBW, you need a lineup that boasts great vocals as this is evident by the band’s labelmates. ONEWE seems to be the perfect addition. I was drawn to the song within the opening seconds of the track. The vocals were captivating and I enjoyed how it built along with the song. The harmonies between the two singers in the group were probably one of my favourite parts of the song. But that is the vocal side of the song. Now, let’s move onto the instrumental. Not often do I think a ballad has the capability of being dynamic in nature. But dynamic is probably Reminisce About All most accurate descriptive term. The song starts off as a ballad. A simple piano and violins. Paired with the vocals, I think this was a breathtaking section of the song. Slowly, they added more instruments. The guitar crept up on me and I didn’t notice the moment it was added to the song. The drums were the most prominent addition, coming in during the peak of the track. This order of instrumentation is different from other bands and I think this is a pretty unique way to start. Overall, I found the song to be very aesthetically pleasing and appealing to my affinity of ballads.

The golden brown colour in this video is extremely suitable for the tone of the track. Since it is a song about reminiscing, a reflective atmosphere was desired. But using the golden colour tone, stillness in the video and slow camera movements, this reflective set up ended up being very aesthetically pleasing as well. There isn’t much to the video besides the fact the members are positioned in a circle and they are simply performing. But altogether, it was a well thought out video.

Song – 9.5/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.7/10