STAYC returned a few weeks ago with their 6th single album S, and the new single BEBE. Today, I am getting around to writing a review for it. This is STAYC’s first release since GPT in October of last year.
BEBE is a strong track from STAYC. It is probably their most serious and mature-sounding title track yet. Their delivery of BEBE has so much attitude and sassiness, which is a whole new side to the group (for me, at least). I like the sing/rap-talk style the members use throughout the track. It helped make BEBE feel jam-packed and loaded, driving the song forward. This is further heightened by BEBE‘s instrumental, which carries a bold and prolific club vibe with so much oomph and style. I also like how the instrumentation doesn’t hold back or get in the way of the members. The hooks made BEBE catchy, and so I have been constantly revisiting BEBE since its release. Everything in BEBE melded together really well, creating a very cohesive track. I am a bit uncertain about the end, which to me felt abrupt. But at the same time, I am unsure if they could have ended it another way to maintain the bold nature of BEBE.
You will notice a consistent theme of me liking everything in the music video. I like how a part of the video shows the members strutting the stage in their outfits. It just fits the vibes of the song so well. I also enjoyed how the footage revolves around fashion, and the members looked fantastic. The sets were simplistic, allowing the focus to be on the members. I liked the framing over ISA and YOON’s lines in the first choruses and the whole magazine-like filter applied to J’s opening line at the start of the second verse (probably my favourite bit of the entire video). Everything was very cool.
I liked the stomping move they do at the start of the choruses. Something about that move and the flirty arm on the neck move got me. I thought better synchronisation between the members would have enhanced the overall performance. But what we got looks excellent!
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8.8/10
I am fully aware that STAYC made their comeback more recently, and a song review for BEBE is coming your way in the not-so-far-distant future. But until then, here is my review of their 1st studio album, Metamorphic. Released in July 2024, Metamorphic features 14 songs (slightly longer than the average studio-length album), including the title track, Cheeky Icy Thang. Metamorphic is a decent album with a mix of strong and fair songs. Keep reading to find out my thoughts on the individual songs that make up Metamorphic.
Metamorphic Album Cover
1. Twenty – STAYC kicks off the album with a formidable alternative R&B number. I liked the drumming in this one and the crisp vocals that give Twenty that power. Whenever I say I want oomph in a song, the direction the vocals went in this song is exactly what I am looking for. There are 2 downsides to Twenty – that it is very noticeably short, and I wished the instrumental was a bit more robust to prevent it from feeling as stagnant as it did. (8/10)
3. 1 Thing – 1 Thing is a very familiar sound for STAYC. It has the signature fun and brightness from its electronic pop instrumentation and STAYC’s delivery. Its chorus attracts my attention, thanks to its sassy delivery and how straight-shooting the members sounded. The bridge brings delicateness to the song before a dynamic and fun electronic instrumental break comes into play. (8/10)
4. Give It 2 Me – Give It 2 Me is a decent pop R&B track. But I feel like the autotune is heavy, and their vocals are rather piercing (in a not-so-good way). The highlight is definitely SIEUN’s rapping, it gives us some reprieve to the autotune and piercing vocals. But besides that, Give It 2 Me doesn’t speak to me as much as the other tracks on the album. (7/10)
5. Find – Next on the album is Find, a unit song by SIEUN, SEEUN and J. Find features neat and delicate vocals from the trio. The rapping brought some nice contrast, which I liked. The acoustic vibe of the instrumental is also lovely and different, especially as it is mixed with trap beats throughout the song. Some stronger melodies and catchiness would have helped lift Find to a new level. (7.5/10)
6. Let Me Know – STAYC revisits the pop genre in a pure manner in Let Me Know. It is quite a pleasant song. I liked the tempo of the instrumentation and the members’ singing in this one. I feel like that short ending sequence of the choruses, where the instrumental turns slightly atmospheric, and J ends with her “Let Me Know … Let Me Know” lin, has the potential for something more. I wished the song explored that potential. (8/10)
7. Nada – Nada brings a bit of hip-hop to the album. This differs from what I have heard so far, so it interested me. The pre-chorus is just something that gets me each time I listen to the song, while the instrumental was unexpectedly playful with the percussion. It makes Nada feel a little nursery rhyme-esque, contrasting with the song’s message about feeling nothing after meeting the person of their dreams. (8/10)
8. Fakin’ – Starting off the second half of the album is SUMIN and YOON, through their unit track Fakin’. The song is another pop track, with stunning vocals from the pair to make it an engaging number. I liked the simplicity of this combination and how easy it was to get into. Stronger hooks to make it more memorable would have sealed the deal for me. (9/10)
9. Roses – ISA is the only member to go solo on the album. Roses is a R&B number with a very intriguing instrumentation. The background has all sorts of effects, but it never feels overdone. ISA sounds quite good throughout the song, but stronger hooks and melodies could have improved the song further. (7/10)
10. Beauty Bomb – Beauty Bomb is one of the stronger songs on the album. The bubbly R&B (perfectly described by The KMeal) is quite fun, which is one reason why I find it so catchy. That ‘Doo Doo Doo’ in the chorus is hooky, as well as the ‘Blow my mind…’ lines that follow later on in the choruses. What I also like about Beauty Bomb is that it showcases STAYC well. Pleasant vocals and nicely contrasting rapping helped make Beauty Bomb engaging for me. (9/10)
11. Gummy Bear – The start of the verses for Gummy Bear, made up of trap beats and the swirly electronic synth, was interesting, to say the least. The rapping that pairs with this backing was fine, but the background is wacky. As the song progresses, I enjoy the rest of Gummy Bear. It develops into a feel-good pop song that feels pure and straightforward. I like how the vocals come off in this segment. The pre-choruses are another strong example of STAYC’s vocals. So, it begs the question of why we needed that start to even begin with, especially since the rest of the song is quite good. (8.5/10)
12. Stay WITH Me – STAYC visits the pop-rock genre through Stay WITH Me. The song is for their fans, and the lyrics are written by STAYC themselves! While it sounds good, and I liked how the rapping pairs up with the instrumentation, I wished I could say the same about their vocals. The vocalists could have been louder to match up with the energy of the pop-rock instrumentation. Stronger melodies, as well, would have helped them embrace the pop-rock better. (8/10)
13. Flexing on My Ex – The pop rock is definitely punchier and the members sound superb (and can be heard over the instrumentation)in Flexing on My Ex. We do lose some momentum as we get closer to the chorus, but this does help the centrepiece feel more impactful and prolific. (8/10)
14. Trouble Maker – The final song of this long album (not complaining here!) is Trouble Maker. It was such a fun and energetic song to end with. It literally makes me want to get up and dance (or cringingly dance along in my chair if you want a real-time update as I write this review). I love the song’s encore energy and the brass elements in the background. The expressiveness and bright vocals also make it a winning song. Pity is a short one. (10/10)
STAYC returned last week with the single album …I and the lead single GPT. This follows their previous comeback in July with their first studio album, Metamorphic, and its lead single Cheeky Icy Thang.
The first thing I noticed about GPT is how it strikes a balance between different STAYC eras. The melodic side of GPT reminds me of their BEAUTIFUL MONSTER era, yet the instrumental has the upbeat energy and tone that reminds me of their early days. GPT melds these two styles together to create a cute and positively pleasant track. I liked this combination and enjoyed how well STAYC executes it. The melodies and vocals were pretty, and they glided along quite nicely. The instrumental felt glittery and funky. I liked the whistling behind GPT’s leading hook. The “Baby I Love You, Da da da da” hook, whilst initially plain, has grown on me thanks to its earwormy potential. However, if I had a magic wand to improve GPT, a stronger chorus and an additional hook would have been sought after. While the chorus and main hook present in GPT are fine, the song would benefit from a more robust centrepiece and perhaps another memorable hook. This would have made GPT catchier and stand out more. There is plenty of room for it. But as is, GPT has the potential to grow on me further, and this is definitely a good sign for the new song.
I am unsure if this is the right interpretation of the video, but this is my guess. Essentially, the members find this futuristic machine that, if they interact with it, puts them into dreamland, where they experience unrequited love. This hypnotises the affected members, making them appear in what felt like a cult at one point. However, one member was hesitant to interact with the machine and used a key, which they all mysteriously had, to destroy it. This frees the other members, who all run away and enjoy the fresh air and outdoors. I liked the dreamy aesthetic they were aiming for, but a few more clues would have helped with the interpretation.
I liked how the choreography embraced the upbeatness by featuring several bouncy moves throughout the performance. I also liked the cutesy touch that the routine carried, which made it feel fitting for the performance. But there are two standout elements – the smooth arms over-the-head wave they do at the song’s leading hook and the slo-mo part of the bridge. The latter was quite remarkable!
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 8.2/10
It has been almost a year since I posted an International Song Review post, a segment where I do mini-reviews for non-Korean songs released by some of our favourite KPOP artists. While I have covered some non-Korean songs this year, I have practically neglected this area of the blog, unfortunately, due to time pressures. Over the coming weeks, I will be looking to revive this segment to cover some great releases I have yet to cover on the blog and have chosen not to write in a separate standalone song review format.
Today, I will review non-Korean songs released in the last year by IVE, Kep1er, STAYC, YENA, and ITZY.
All Night – IVE ft. (SAWEETIE)
Language: English Release Date: 19 January 2024 Release Type: All Night (1st English Single)
IVE’s All Night is a remake of Icona Pop’s song of the same name and is marketed as their debut English single. The dance-pop instrumentation was fine, and Saweetie’s rap part was my favourite sequence in All Night. But I question what value IVE add to All Night. Yeah, their parts ring in my mind for a bit. But the members had no separate lines, and they all sang together for the entirety of the song. The promotional material could have easily said it was just one singer singing in the track, and I wouldn’t have known the difference. Furthermore, their vocals were oddly plain and lacked any characteristic that allows us to call it an IVE track. They were literally stripped of any identity in the song. There were some ad-libs towards the end, but they were very in the background, and I didn’t notice them until today.
As for the music video, most of it was IVE and Saweetie stuck in a small windowless office. If the video ventured anywhere else, it was either to the office lobby, the hallway or the elevator. Surely, the music video could have been a little more exciting and featured some choreography. I don’t think I am asking for much here. As for the performance, it was okay. Again, it was plain. But the members were all smiles, making the routine feel and look much better.
Overall Rating – 5.9/`10
Grand Prix – Kep1er
Language: Japanese Release Date: 22 November 2023 Release Type: FLY-HIGH (3rd Japanese Single)
Ending Kep1er’s busy 2023 was the release of Grand Prix. While most of Grand Prix was simply fine, the chorus was a big miss for me. I appreciate that it tries to be different, but it was just too much of a disruption from the flow and energy the verses were building up. The weightiness and heaviness didn’t match the brighter vibe the verses were going for. The dragged-out refrain just ended up feeling sluggish and felt awkward. To revisit an earlier point, ‘simply fine’ doesn’t mean that Grand Prix‘s other parts are okay. The verses didn’t have much to grab onto and were largely forgettable. But considering the entirety of Grand Prix, the verses were not the weakest parts of the song. Sorry that I don’t like this song, but I would recommend their more recent Shooting Star comeback in Korea.
As for the music video, it is obvious and logical to go with a racing concept. While it did, I expected more of the video to focus on the members in a car or the race track potentially, rather than in a store selling toy race cars. Also, their outfits could have better aligned with the concept. For the choreography, I thought it was a good form of edgy when it comes to the chorus. I may not like the song, but I can see past that to appreciate the performance.
Overall Rating – 5.9/10
LIT – STAYC
Language: Japanese Release Date: 6 December 2023 Release Type: LIT (3rd Japanese Single)
To be honest, I also don’t remember too much of LIT after nine months. Relistening for the purposes of this review, I recognise LIT‘s potential, thanks to its catchy chorus. However, the final product played it fairly safe. The instrumental keeps to plain synths and a cutesy sound, thanks to those twinkling sounds in the background of the choruses. Most Japanese tracks by KPOP artists follow this formula. Rarely does it work. More often than not, like in LIT, it feels constricting and forced. The members appear to contribute to this cutesy demeanour with their playfully toned delivery, though I am not as upset with this as it is their hallmark in KPOP. The ad-libs and the follow-up to the first and second choruses were definitely the best parts of the song, which is where the relevant members break away from the consistency of the track and do their own thing. I think the instrumental could have been reframed to be slightly edgier, which could have given LIT a breath of new life.
The music video shows the members enjoying their lives, reminding us it can be lit wherever you are. The choreography was okay, and there was nothing groundbreaking or new from the group here.
Overall Rating – 7/10
DNA – YENA
Language: Japanese Release Date: 7 February 2024 Release Type: DNA (2nd Japanese Single)
YENA’s DNA is her first original Japanese single. Based on her solo releases in Korea, DNA‘s venture into the pop-rock genre isn’t much of a surprise to me. What surprised me is how muted the song comes across despite the presence of a rock band alongside YENA in DNA. I am unsure what caused it, but I keep feeling an imaginary barrier prevents DNA from realizing its full potential. The fact that DNA doesn’t sound electrifying weakens the song’s appeal for me. Her vocals were solid and consistent throughout DNA, but the thought of it coming off plainly and too sweet also lingers. This dampens the appeal of the song further but doesn’t do as much compared to the instrumentation.
The music video shows YENA rocking it out with the band in the background. Her attire fits the JPOP landscape well, ticking the cutesy and edgy boxes. The post-production was an intelligent move from the production team, as the various sketches and effects give the video a little more than just the industrial-esque backgrounds.
Overall Rating – 7.4/10
Algorhythm – ITZY
Language: Japanese Release Date: 15 May 2024 Release Type: Algorhthym (3rd Japanese Single)
Personally, I enjoyed Algorhythm. The upbeat deep house instrumental was quite remarkable, and their delivery was fun and classy. Had they stopped after the second run of the chorus, I think I would have been fine with the track—though I can’t promise that I wouldn’t comment about its length if that were the case. The change-up that we get right after the second chorus was really unnecessary. It was obnoxiously abrasive and loud (relatively speaking, which says a lot if that comment is coming from me), which did not complement the rest of the song. And that is a pity, as I liked everything except the change-up instrumental break. It does make for a good performance piece, however.
For the music video, the first half features the members as robots. The glitches during this section made the footage look rather cool. Halfway through the video, it is revealed that the members were simply shooting a fun video within the music video, after which they attempted to go on a holiday (I presume). But when you think the video ends, the members disrupt that thought and have a dance break at the airport. Interesting concept. As for the performance, it is the best out of the five releases that form this post. The routine started off doll-like, and then the moves became much more human-like. But the peak of the routine is undoubtedly the powerful dance break, which is aligned with the disliked instrumental break.
After a string of successful title tracks on mini and single albums since their debut in 2020 (such as last year’s Teddy Bear, RUN2U and ASAP), STAYC has returned with their first studio album Metamorphic. Leading the charge on this album is the title track Cheeky Icy Thang.
Cheeky Icy Thang receives mixed feelings from me. I liked some parts of Cheeky Icy Thang, but other parts felt questionable (at best). Let’s start off with the positives of Cheeky Icy Thang. The electronic strutting instrumental had good drive and forward momentum. There was also this attitude to it, which I wished the song explored a bit more. This could have made Cheeky Icy Thang into something else. I also enjoyed the detailing in the background. This added a layer of the playful STAYC colour that we all know and enjoy, and also kept the backing as a compelling listen. Very brief parts of Cheeky Icy Thang, such as the second half of the verses, had this vibrancy from the members’ vocals, which adds more STAYC colour to the song. I am not exactly sure if it fits in, but considering the other weaker points Cheeky Icy Thang which I am about to speak to, I am labelling this vibrancy as a positive. I also find the concept of the some of the delivery to be quite good, such as the autotune that bridges the verses and choruses. Now onto the weaker parts of the song. The lyrics were definitely questionable and felt more like gibberish. “Whisky ring a ring ding dong” just doesn’t do it for me. While I did like some of the vocals and concept of some of the delivery (as mentioned above), the silliness of the lyrics made the delivery and execution awkward. The use of rap-singing felt overused in the song, as well. Lastly, the abrupt ending (and lack of a bridge and final chorus) meant Cheeky Icy Thang didn’t close in a satisfying way. Cheeky Icy Thang has its charms and it could be a matter of further listens to really have the song grab me. But for now, mixed feelings is the best way to describe my thoughts on the song.
While that the above is how I think about the song, the music video fairs a bit better. I liked watching the accompanying video to Cheeky Icy Thang. That strutting vibe that I mentioned above is reflected in the music video, when the members cause chaos behind the scenes at a modelling shoot. I think this is supposed to demonstrate a “cool” side of the group. Elsewhere, the chaos continues on outside on the streets. What I saw reflects the summery season with the bright sunlight, cheerful smiles from the members and a casual vibe. The music video was designed to be light-hearted and fit in with the dynamism of the song, which I personally think worked.
Choreography wise, it looked okay. I am not sure what would be a better way to show Cheeky Icy Thang in some dance moves, but I am not sure what we saw in the routine was that. I did like the part of the routine for the instrumental break, however. The ending pose is growing on me, but looked a little awkward at first.
Song – 7/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 7/10 Overall Rating – 7.3/10
STAYC’s POPPY is nominated for Best Non-Korean Song by a Korean Artist (Japanese). Support POPPY and your other favourite acts by clicking here to vote today.
Over the last month, STAYC’s Bubble has really grown on me. So much so, if I had a crystal ball to tell me of this growth, I would have nominated it for Best Pop Song in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Anyhow, this growth has led me to review the album in which Bubble is included on, TEENFRESH. It is also my first time reviewing a STAYC album. The mini-album features a total of 6 songs, including 3 versions of Bubble and 3 additional side tracks. Let’s see how the rest of the mini-album stacks up to the title track.
2. Not Like You – For Not Like You, I enjoyed the moodier tone (relative to Bubble) we get from the instrumentation. But while I did enjoy it, I wished there was more development in the song as it progresses. Not Like You suffers from a consistency issue for keeping to close to the moodier energy as the song went along, and I wished that had more to offer. The chorus, whilst fine now, dulls down each time I listen to the song. Even the end of the song sounds a bit too alike to the verses. On the flip-side, I think we get a great showing of vocals from YOON and ISA in the pre-choruses. (7/10)
3. I Wanna Do – We go down a contemporary R&B direction with I Wanna Do. Upon reflection, there isn’t anything innovative in I Wanna Do if you were to compare it to songs of a similar soundscape. But the vocals, melodies and nostalgia of the instrumentation is on point. And all of that makes it hard for me to turn away from I Wanna Do. (8.5/10)
4. Be Mine – Probably the most interesting track on this mini-album is Be Mine, which has a familiar retro pop vibe to it. The bounciness of the instrumental was quite a cool aspect of the song. The bright vocals do have a slight R&B tinge to it, whilst the hazy rapping in the second verse was very intriguing. All of this cohesive comes together to create a good side track on this mini-album. (8/10)
5. Bubble (English Version) – Refer to my full review on Bubble above.
6. Bubble (English & Sped Up Version) – Refer to my full review on Bubble above.
Welcome back to the Weekly KPOP Charts for the 4th Week of August 2023. I am a bit behind on my day today, so it is going to be quick intro. So here is the Weekly KPOP Chart post for the 4th Week of August 2023.
Recap of the past week
This past week, I posted:
song reviews for new releases, such as RIIZE’s pre-release single Memories and NCT 2023’s Golden Age,
song reviews for slightly older releases, such as PARK JI HOON’s Blank Effect and BOYNEXTDOOR’s But I Like You,
Joining all those new releasesthis week are the following songs:
Love Lee – AKMU
PERFORMER – VANNER
RUSH – MUST B
Picture – HYO (SNSD)
Red Diamond – XIA
Ima -Even if the world ends tomorrow- – SEVENTEEN
Time to Shine – H1-KEY
T.T.M – iKON
PANORAMA – iKON
Unbeatable – TIOT
Bambambam – Yerin
Remember – January
STARLIGHT – SECRET NUMBER
Time – Jaechan (DKZ)
The 6th Summer – PLAVE
You’re Beautiful – THE ROSE
let it be summer – Young K (DAY6)
Homeboy – xikers
Throwback Song of the Week
This week’s throwback song is JYJ’s Get Out. That was released back in 2011 and just brought back so many memories for me.
Non-Korean Song of the Week
Each week, I feature the highest ranking non-Korean song by a Korean artist in this part of the Weekly KPOP Charts. For the 4th Week of August 2023, that song is aespa’s Better Things.
The Charts
STAYC’s Bubble is the top song and artist for this week’s Weekly KPOP Charts. For more of the charts, keep on scrolling down below.
