I end the week of long of reviews focusing on solo comebacks and debuts with a focus on OnlyOneOf and the solo works that the group has been pumping out monthly since June of this year. For those who were not aware, OnlyOneOf embarked on a undergrOund idOl project, where each member releases a single each month. First up was YooJung with the single begin, followed by KB’s be free and JunJi’s be mine. The focus of this review is Rie’s because, which actually dropped a few days ago. Mill and Nine’s releases will come out in November and December, and I will be reviewing those once they come out. Aside from solo work, we last saw OnlyOneOf through their skinz promotions earlier in the year and more recently their second Japanese single Zurui Onna.
because is a soft pop rock song, which is without a doubt, on trend for 2022. And with my preference towards pop rock, it has fast become one of my favourite tracks from the project thus far (with the other favourite being KB’s be free). Whilst I must admit that the pop rock instrumentation was pretty standard, I like how perfectly it pairs with the rest of the elements of because. The melodies, when paired with the instrumentation, feels drifty and light. It makes for a soothing and atmospheric effect to come about, which is a wonderful effect to have come from a song like this. And naturally, the vocals that brings the melodies to life, fits in wonderfully. Rie doesn’t necessarily show off anything powerful in because, but he does a great job of showcasing his strengths by making because so inviting and warm to listen to. I quite like it especially when Rie’s vocals soar towards the end, which gives because a bit more oomph towards the end. This also doubles as a clever tactic to prevent because from feel overly consistent or flat. Altogether, you have a captivating piece that shows off Rie. Now, the song isn’t exactly perfect. I feel like because could have used more grit, maybe via an electric guitar solo in the background (rather than in the foreground of the instrumental), would have been ideal. Obviously, because doesn’t call for anything too crazy or intense, but something to accent in the background would have been nice. That would have potentially been a ‘cherry on top’ moment to take the song to a whole new level. But as it is, because is already an amazing track.
We start off the music video for because where we left off in the be mine music video, where the two characters (played by Rie and JunJi) lean in for a kiss at the café. However, due to a misunderstanding between the two, the pair fights. My guess is that this misunderstanding is present in that initial pool scene, which kind of represents the experience of a relationship (based on the lyrics). JunJi emerges from the pool and invites Rie to join him, suggesting that he is he is experienced in this department. But Rie is a lot more reserved and hesitates. And this causes the misunderstanding and fight to play out. That leaves Rie in tears, during which he reflects on the happy memories that the two have built together (i.e. the events of the be mine video, plus that extra set of scenes where Rie takes a photo of JunJi which results in an impromptu modelling session and lands the pair in bed together again). In the end, Rie joins JunJi in the pool and they make up. Interestingly, this video is probably the sexiest out of the four we have gotten so far and Rie/JunJi’s chemistry is really amazing to watch. It is the only video out of the four so far to actually feature a proper kiss scene between the characters
Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9/10
KPOPREVIEWED 