Tag: ONF

ONF makes their comeback today with their latest single Bye My Monster and their 8th mini-album, Beautiful Shadow. This is ONF’s first comeback since their Love Effect comeback in October of last year.

From the very first listen, I was already blown away with Bye My Monster. For me, it was the crafting of the two sound profiles, at first sounds distinct, but comes together so well in the end to create a stunner. The first verse gave me Moscow Moscow vibes (an infamous song from ONF’s arsenal), thanks to the presence of the Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No.2 sample. And that same vibe re-emerges each time the classical sounds reappear in the song. The chorus introduces a hint of rock to the mix, which helps makes the choruses feel explosive and gripping. All throughout these two distinct sound profiles, the group showcases their vocals so well. The timing of their vocal delivery was really complementary to the style of music in that moment and helped heighten the associated feelings you get from the two styles. Bye My Monster very quickly peaks when the two sound profiles of classical and band/rock join forces in the bridge. This combination isn’t anything new, but Bye My Monster found the sweet spot between the two to give us that intensity. Hyojin and E-Tion’s high note was incredible. Following the rush of intensity, the group pans between each other to give us a softer side, with falsettos and the re-emergence of the classical touch. The only other thing I have yet to mention is the rapping. That step-up in the second verse was rather interesting. To me, it feels a little mismatch for this song, but I don’t hate it. Maybe a few more listens to Bye My Monster will help warm me up to it. But overall, another top-notch piece.

Just like the song, the music video for Bye My Monster is a stunner, as well. The visuals and post-production in this video is at its A-game. The scene that made me go wow was the explosion clouds o on the tall building in the background during the choreography shots for the second chorus of the song. The song itself warns that love, in this instance, had created a monster within the members. We see the members realize what has become of them. Wyatt’s eyes and the acting by some of the other members portrayed this well. Hyojin’s character is surrounded by a dark cloud that I presume signifies the transition to a monster. Through the other scenes involving the other members (and the choreography shots), we see the members observes their angelic forms (white suits). But they know deep down that their monster form (black suits) is the end result. While the ending was a little cryptic and could be open ended, I think Hyojin hold hands with his angelic form in the dark clouds, which backs my theory they knew they were always going to be monsters – that they were always one. That’s my theory – I would like hear what yours is.

The performance for this comeback (FYI – the group has already performed the track at their recent concert, so I watched a few fancams for this section) finds a balance between the gracefulness of the classical music and the more hard-hitting moments of the song. And this balance makes for a great performance. The verses were the more interesting moments in the choreography. In the music video, they looked quite cool, so I can’t wait to see them better through the weekly music shows.

Song – 9.5/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10

Time to make a start on the new releases of the week. And first up is ONF’s grand return with Love Effect, the title of both of the lead single and their 7th mini-album. This is the group’s first comeback since their Goosebumps release in 2021 and their military enlistment. The group (sans U, who is Japanese) all enlisted around the same time and was discharged from the military around the same time this year, eager to return to the stage as a whole group for their fans to release new music. ONF had also released a special mini-album last year with Your Song and Storage of ONF.

The more I listen to Love Effect, the more I find myself falling for the track. I will admit that I wasn’t completely won over when I first heard Love Effect yesterday upon its release, simply because the track didn’t feel concentrated enough when you compare it to their previous dance tracks they promoted with. But Love Effect was clever, drawing upon elements of their previous title tracks (Complete and Beautiful Beautiful springs to mind instantly during my first listen) to form this new song. And this very much got me coming back for more. In addition to the nostalgia above, Love Effect adds in more of a funky undertone throughout the rest of the track and a jazzy backing to Wyatt’s rapping. I also enjoyed the piano flourishes that appears in the background. Other than that, the upbeat instrumentation exudes a bright and poppy energy that makes me instantly smile. Their vocals and rapping does the exact same, with the melodies and hooks all fun and lighthearted. The best part of the song, for me, has to be in the bridge and at the end of Love Effect, when the members sing together in a simple yet anthemic manner. It is lowkey and straightforward, charming in an easygoing manner. Overall, Love Effect is super positive in terms of energy and output, and a great return for the group!

Matching the brightness of the song is the music video, which was quite vibrant and colourful. I found the editing and cinematography of the video to be a super cool aspect of the video, along with the inclusion of the special effects (which takes you back to their virtual world era). Even the start had flashes of scenery from their Beautiful Beautiful and Ugly Dance videos! And the members look like they are all glad to be back, which makes the smiles and energy from the music video even more convincing.

In addition to being a fun and playful routine, I like how the choreography felt quite substantial and isn’t too lighthearted or wispy. While nothing stands out like (compared to their past performances), I would still say the whole routine is still quite robust and the energy the members put into the dance made it one to still watch.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

Following a very successful 2021, ONF decided to enlist into the military as a group to reduce the impact on their promotions as a group (i.e. the eligible members enlisted at the same time, as opposed to what commonly happens with other groups who enlist one member at a time causing long hiatus as a result). Commonly, military enlistment periods involve idols taking a break from the stage and other media (i.e. film, tv shows, social media). As a result, ONF’s comeback today is best described as unexpected. But I (and fans alike) are not complaining. ONF released the title track Your Song and the album Storage of ONF today, their first release since Goosebumps in December 2021.

Your Song starts off as an unsuspecting pop ballad. There was a peacefulness, calmness and ambience to the first verse which had already won me over. The synths used in the background of the first verse felt very appropriate for both ideas of Summer and the idea of a pop ballad. The vocals were got were stunning and Wyatt’s rapping was suitable for the pop aspect. One would expect the song to follow through with this pop ballad direction. But Your Song changes up the momentum, developing into a full fledge pop track with potential for choreography. They bring in guitars and a very refreshing pop vibe to the song, losing the balladry roots that started off the song. From there, the song continues with the changed momentum, giving Your Song a liveliness and brightness that just charms you. Also continuing to charm me are the vocals, which the group sound stunning. Wyatt’s vocals in the second verse impresses me (he needs to sing more) and I really liked the push the main and lead vocalists gives themselves during the chorus. There are no further dramatic changes in momentum occurs in Your Song, which I am glad is the case. The bridge brings a smile to my face with their harmonies and the simple ‘Na Na Na‘ sequences. They do touch on the balladry aspect again very briefly soon after, but Your Song reverts back to that pop vibe that the song grew to in the final chorus. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this release even if it isn’t what ONF puts out typically.

Even as a special release, ONF still manages to bring in that futuristic concept that has been part of ONF’s recent repertoire of videos (i.e. Beautiful Beautiful, Ugly Dance, Popping, Goosebumps). But there is no action or plot in this video. A completely different dynamic prevails in the futuristic world as a result of this. The song conveys the message that if there is a connection through music, we can meet by even transcending time and space (taken from SOOMPI). This felt fitting for the group’s current circumstances, as they are not together at the moment. But through music, they were able to reconnect – even if it was just virtually. I thought this was very clever and showcases a more thoughtful and heartwarming message. It makes me wonder what the group and their company have instore for us next, given that this comeback had to be thought of way in advance and it appears this concept is something long term).

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

ONF is nominated for a range of categories in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, including Best Male Group, Best Music Video, Rising Star, Best Pop Song and Best Male Choreography (Group). Vote for ONF in these categories, and support your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here.

Rounding out the past week was ONF, who returned with Goosebumps on Friday, the title of both the title track and their sixth mini-album. This release also rounds out a big year for the group, who has been actively promoting with releases such as Beautiful Beautiful, Ugly Dance and Popping. This will also be the group’s last release for a while, following the announcement that all the members (aside from U) will be enlisting into the military at the same time later this month. This is a big deal, as this showcase their group’s bond and will shorten their hiatus to the minimum (a first for a group facing military enlistment), allowing the group to hopefully relaunch back into promotions in about two years time. But until then, here is my thoughts on ONF’s Goosebumps (the title track).

Goosebumps is one interesting song. The best way I can describe to you is that is quite erratic. There is just so much going on in Goosebumps, with the song taking unexpected turns throughout. But yet, the song somehow is shaped together to become cohesive and whole. I find that to be remarkable and impressive. As a whole, Goosebumps, described as an alternative funk-based dance track with a powerful bass riff, was thrilling and fun, yet intriguing and fascinating all at the same time. The song kicks off with polished vocals from MK, and a funky instrumentation filled with bass and squealing synths. Wyatt and U’s rap-sing sequence follows over the same instrumentation, and was definitely memorable. We then are thrown into smooth territory with Hyojin’s soaring vocals, before launching into crunchy synths that make up the backing of the chorus. Personally, I felt like this was the weakest part of the song. I loved the monotonous ‘Goosebumps‘ repetition that kicks off each line of the chorus, but I felt the vocals that follow after were hidden away by the background, making it a bit hard to understand. I admit there is charm, but it isn’t as strong as the rest of the song. Wyatt returns with some cool vocals (which utilizes his deep tone well), before we are thrown back into an extended version of that smooth pre-chorus from the with MK, U and E-tion. The chorus returns, with the exact same instrumentation, but that deep and monotonous ‘Goosebumps‘ repetition at the start of each line is omitted. Instead, it is replaced by Hyojin and MK’s vocals, which was clearer and more audible over the instrumentation. I liked this version of the chorus. The members all come together for the bridge of the song, singing together a colourful and playful sounding sequence that is ultimately lead to the high-pitch autotuned repetitive ‘Lights On‘ peak. Personally, I found this to be a bit much, but it is getting better each time I replay Goosebumps. The best part comes after the peak, with everyone returning once again for a fun and funky chanty style rap sequence. I freaking enjoyed that part, and is pick for my highlight of the Goosebumps, before launching back into the second version of the chorus to close out the song, amped up by the instrumentation to be quite intense. Overall, Goosebumps is a fun song that seems all over the place at first, but it is actually pulled together nicely once you give it a go.

Per usual, I have no clue on what is happening in this music video. It seems like the members are in a different virtual world escaping those robots from Beautiful Beautiful and Ugly Dance, as they were closing in on the members. But it appears this secondary world is glitchy, based on the members appearing and disappearing, and the background keeps on changing. But this world is also dangerous, with computerised dragons, tentacles, action-packed scenes, a whole lot of guns and bullets. Like the song, it is pretty erratic. But I am sure there is a storyline somewhere that ties the three music videos together. As for the quality of the video, he people who made it has wowed me again, with amazing and detailed graphics. No wonder why ONF’s music videos have been a standout this year.

The choreography for Goosebumps is top notch! I wasn’t sure what direction they were going to go in with this performance, but it embraced the funkiness of the song, felt like it was fun and also quite intense. That whole ‘Lights On‘ sequence left me shocked, while the rap sequence that follows was definitely energy packed! Probably one of the best routines this year!

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.1/10

Also making their comeback today is ONF, with the release of a new single and special mini-album, both sharing the same name, Popping. This is their third comeback of the year, following Beautiful Beautiful in March and Ugly Dance in May. I am super pumped for this comeback, especially since it follows what I consider to be some of ONF’s best work since their debut in 2017. So without further ado, I am going to get stuck into the new release and see if Popping lives up to the standards set by the group!

Spoiler alert – they do! Popping brings forth a very familiar atmosphere. I find it reminiscent of most of their comebacks. The instrumental reminds me of the really addictive Beautiful Beautiful, while the vocals brings me back to ONF’s earlier works, such as ON/OFF and Complete. It is quite an interesting feeling, as it has been a while since I have heard a song bring me down memory lane like this one. To further add to that already very appealing factor is a catchy melody and hook that just makes me reach for my mouse and take my cursor to the replay button every time the song finishes. I really like how chirpy and strong the vocals in this song are. They bring a very cheerful tone to the video, one that cannot make me stop smiling. I also really like the moments they chant along with each other in the chorus, bolding and defining the vocals already there to make them even more impactful. I do wish the song had a more substantial rap sequence, as I feel like this would have given the song a bit more dynamism. But what we got was still amazing nonetheless. Back to the instrumentals, instead of the brass we heard in Beautiful Beautiful, the producers of Popping changes up the song with flutes of some kind. I quite like this. It keeps the song in the realm of one of their most successful releases this far, but also maintains individuality. Overall, Popping is an awesome song that I think rivals the likes of ONF’s boldest and my personal favourite hits from the group.

But wait. Despite the song being so cheerful, the music video leads us on a different direction. The message I got from the song was that no matter what bad things happen, you can return to the happy memories. In this video, the bad event is everyone dies. The start where they are watching past videos felt like they were preparing for this mission. I am not too sure what the mission is, but there are a lot of elements throughout the video that are from their past videos. But I would need to go back through the videos to link them back to this one (no time for that). Instead I will focus on what happened in this video. The members venture off into space with MK and J-Us being astronauts, and the rest of the members staying behind at command centre. The misson goes array, though J-Us was the sole survivor but is alone on the cold winter planet. One of the spaceships they were on (there two ships) was infiltrated by the robots from the Beautiful Beautiful video. U sacrfices himself to distract the robots, while E-Tion was the one to ensure that no robots could get through the doors (i.e. he had to seal it with U out in the open). Despite that, bombs were hurled at the spaceships and blew up the spaceships, killing everyone on board (MK included). At the end of the video, we see Hyojin come in dressed in black and reaches out to end the video. I believe he killed his alterego, who somehow survived the explosion and was reaching out to Wyatt. I guess this means evil Hyojin (from Sukhumvit Swimming) was behind this attack and was the antagonist of this story. Also regarding J-Us at the end, I am not sure what he discovered. Aside from the plotline, the grand scale of this video (budget, quality, sets, production) is just another reason to watch this video.

To top off the already amazing nature of this comeback is the performance. It is energetic and super fun, reflective of the song’s tone and colour. I also really liked the swing of the various moves and the wholesome feel that comes from the performance. It make this aspect more appealing to watch and enjoy.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.5/10

After Tuesday and yesterday’s intermission from the week, I return to the usual broadcast of reviews for new releases. Today’s review revolves around ONF’s latest release, Ugly Dance. The group returned with a repackaged version of their first studio album, My Name: ONF, and the title track Beautiful Beautiful back in February of this year. It was a very successful comeback for the group with Beautiful Beautiful reach the number one spot on SBS MTV’s The Show, the first time the group has ever reach the number one position on a weekly music show. A month ago, it was announced the group would be return with a repackaged version, which has been retitled as City of ONF, and is headlined with the title track Ugly Dance.

The most intimidating task in the KPOP industry is finding a song that exceeds the standard set by the artist’s best performing and sounding song (to date). For ONF, they successfully one-upped New World with the release of Beautiful Beautiful this year. And now, all eyes are on Ugly Dance to see if it can do the same. It might be the entire reason to why Ugly Dance starts off with a throwback to their previous title track with the song’s main hook. However, Ugly Dance gives it to us in a remixed form, making it to be more orchestral sounding. This is an amazing twist to the really catchy hook from their previous song and it also fits in perfectly with the orchestral approach that parts of the instrumental of Ugly Dance opts for. But that is only the based on the instrumentation that is used to create part of the the background of their new song. The other part takes on a funky hip-hop style, which seems to align with the colourful energy we got from their previous song. Together, Ugly Dance is a very powerful and epic sounding song. In regards to the vocals, ONF really shows off their vocal chops in this song from what I can hear. The instrumentation in this comeback is quite loud, so they really had to ensure they stand out on top of the loud background, And ONF does just that. Everything felt solid and very straightforward on that front, as well. The high notes at the end were probably the most obvious examples of that. For Wyatt’s rapping, his deep spoken tone was very surprising. It felt dynamic despite it coming off as spoken. His deep tone was also very stylish and cool. What I enjoyed the most about the song are the hooks. The ‘1 and 2 and 3 and 4‘ was probably my favourite one as it added a lighthearted and playful vibe to the song. The vocal melodies for the chorus were also quite memorable. The most important question is, however, did Ugly Dance surpass Beautiful Beautiful? My gut (at the present) unfortuately says no. I feel that Beautiful Beautiful had it all, but it edged in front thanks to the colourfulness it brought to the table. But if it is any constaltion, Ugly Dance is defintiely there as one of ONF’s best!

Also lacking colour is the music video for Ugly Dance. The music video isn’t shot in black and white. Rather, it feels quite muted, thanks to the sterile, hospital room-like aesthetic and plainness of the white box ONF got as a set for this music video. They tried to insert some colour in the video (i.e. the alternating black and white outfits; the green borders up top and for the doors; the members’ hair colours), but none of this was really a splash of colour that the video needed to not be as dull as it ended coming off as. It is a bit disappointing, given that the video is the first in KPOP (as far as I can remember) to be shot in 8K. I also didn’t like how the outfits would sudden change between the black and white. It seemed like a bit much for me. But I did like how the music video sits within the same world as the Beautiful Beautiful music video, based on the start. I also liked how the music video captured ONF’s more lighthearted side, with their smiles and interactions playing a part in making this video more appealing to watch.

The choreography for this comeback was a blast! I enjoyed the whole package and the performances so far have been replayed multiple times! Their smiles really give off a playful vibe in the choreography, making the extremely powerful routine a little more lighthearted. And hence, I found the routine to be fitting for the song as a result. I also liked how they inserted elements of Beautiful Beautiful into the routine.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

Due to some last minute changes, I will posted the promised ONF album review a day late.

As promised for this long weekend, I will be tapping into some of the releases that I have yet to review yet but have flagged on my Coming Soon page that I will be reviewing. For this particular post, I have selected My Name Is by ONF, in preparation for their upcoming album review for their first studio album, titled ONF: My Name, which I will be posting soon. The music video for My Name Is was an unexpected drop two days prior to the release of the album and Beautiful Beautiful (the album’s title track) as far as I could remember, as we didn’t get any news of a pre-release for this album.

But My Name Is was a welcome surprise, especially with how fun the song ended up being. You might need to have watch the music video for My Name Is to really grasp what the lyrics of the song are about. Essentially, the members took turns in their own sections to introduce themselves. It was quirky, but definitely enjoyable. And it is also interesting to hear such a carefree and light tone to the group, since their past title tracks have predominately been intense EDM based songs. I enjoyed the lighthearted nature of the instrumental mix. Nothing from the strumming and plucking of acoustic guitars to the horns that gave the chorus a substantial backing to the pop instrumental underlay felt like a huge commitment (this is a compliment!!). Everything worked together to give us that lighthearted tone. What I also enjoyed about the song are the vocals. For the most part, each members vocalised their part. Even Wyatt, the resident deep voice rapper, did his share. It brought a nice playful colour to the song, as I expected for more rap or sing-spoken delivery in the song. Overall, My Name Is was enjoyable, fun and a unique personalised song that reintroduces you to the group. There is something for everyone in this song, regardless if you are a long time fan or just hearing of them for the first time.

The music video was very inviting and casual. Fitting for the song, the video was shot in the same sets as the Beautiful Beautiful music video. Just everything in this video feels fun and lighthearted like the tone of the song. Their smiles and interaction (i.e. Wyatt and MK’s awkward hug) throughout the video really emphasised this. I also really enjoyed the handdrawn visual effects that were added to the song. They added a bit more to the casual side of the video, which made the video even more enjoyable.

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