Monday saw a lot of comebacks. And so, there is a lot to tackle. For this next review, I will be focusing on VERIVERY’s return, which to me was an unexpected comeback. I didn’t see much promotion ahead of the comeback, which was why I was surprised to see their new release on my feed yesterday. Though, me being on leave last week might have caused me to miss the articles. Anyhow, VERIVERY’s newest song is titled Tap Tap and is featured as part of their 3rd single album, Liminality – EP. Love. This is their first comeback since the release of O and Undercover earlier in the year.
I will be honest here. I didn’t have high hopes for the song in the moments before clicking on the music video to check it out yesterday. And this simply is due to the fact that their more recent releases have been underwhelming and less than memorable. But I was genuinely surprised with how much I enjoyed Tap Tap. This more lively side of VERIVERY instantly boosts Tap Tap‘s appeal. If you follow my blog closely, you will know that I have an affinity for these types of songs. The pop choruses were energetic, fun and quite catchy – descriptors that I have not used for a VERIVERY release for quite some time now. I just enjoy the feel-good energy that comes from such choruses and they just want to make me dance. Unfortunately, it isn’t all good news for Tap Tap. While the choruses were the highlight of the song, Tap Tap‘s hip-hop centric verses dragged the song down, thus counteracting some of the appeal the pop choruses had given Tap Tap. There is a strong contrast that is so blaring obvious and unsettling. While I have praised contrasting sounds within the same song in the past, the issue with the contrast in Tap Tap is that there isn’t cohesion between the two parts. The pop rock pre-choruses does help bridge the two sides of the song to a degree, but it doesn’t do enough. I personally could have done without the hip-hop verses, as a result. There isn’t anything wrong with Tap Tap being a full fledged pop song. Vocally and rapping-wise, Tap Tap was a solid effort from the group. It is not the most memorable offering in the industry at the moment and I think there was room for the group to amp themselves up. But I really like the rap-speak that opens up the pre-choruses. Overall, I think Tap Tap would been a great song had it kept to the pop style that was on display during the choruses.
I quite enjoyed the fact the entire music video was lighthearted and showed the members having fun. While parts of it were definitely staged, it didn’t feel unnatural. A complete change to their last music video, where the setting and atmosphere was much weightier and darker toned. I liked the comic elements that the post-production department have added to the video, whilst the home video styled parts made the video feel more natural. I quite liked the Friends inspired start and scenes for the second chorus. I think this is the first time I have seen the 90s show in a KPOP music video. The collages also looked cool. Overall, a well-rounded music video.
I liked how the choreography embodies both the hip-hop and pop sides of the song, and works well within the boundaries that have been set by the song. It makes for a decent performance that encapsulates both the more serious nature of the hip-hop influence during the verses and the more fun nature of the choruses.
Song – 7/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 7.5/10 Overall Rating – 7.4/10
Quick comebacks do not happen often (not counting pre-releases, as we are usually given a heads up to the bigger releases that would follow shortly), but they do occur from time to time. And the most recent group to attempt this feat is VERIVERY. Just a month ago, the group dropped their digital single O, which I described as ‘a solid track from start to end’. No one was aware that the song would ultimately serve as a side track on the album that would drop after a months time. Fast forward to earlier this week, the group returned with their first studio length album, Series ‘O’ Round 3: Whole, and the title track Undercover.
If Undercover and O were compared to side by side, O would emerge as the superior song. My thoughts on the earlier track have already been documented in its own review. In regards to Undercover, it is considerably underwhelming. Personally, I think the start of the song and the first verse was just fine. The preachy sample that kicked off Undercover was intriguing. But the verse was quite plain, and plain is never a great impression to start off with. But I have heard songs recover from such starts. Unfortunately Undercover doesn’t do this and just proceeds to the chorus without any acceleration, ramp up or intense building of any sort. Within the chorus itself, there wasn’t any memorable synths, hooks or melodies that would have made Undercover engaging for me. And then the cycle continues onto the second verse and chorus. It is not until the bridge does Undercover gets interesting thanks to the guitar work. There was some guitar work with potential in the verses/chorus to begin with, but they didn’t really make much of a statement until the bridge. From the bridge onwards, the guitars definitely added an oomph factor (however, subtle though) to the song, which I would emphasis as much needed. The guitar work continues on, and paired with the bass ended up being quite appealing to me. The deep vocals and the rapping that follows closes out Undercover was miles away in terms of strength and memorability to what the song’s centrepiece was. Overall, Undercover was quite lacking for majority of its body and needed something dynamic to spruce up the song. As result, it underwhelmed.
Unlike the O video, I might have a bit of an idea of what is going on in the video (but I am not entirely too confident about my interpretation). The Get Away music video introduced the idea that there were alternative versions of each member. And from the ending of Get Away, the alternate versions take over their identities in the ‘real world’. In TRIGGER, the group we see are the main character are the version of the group that died in the previous video. They are tormented by a different version of themselves, but end up escaping after the circular building collapses (which opens this video). In this video, the members escape and go on the offense, by seeking their alternative selves (that took their lives in Get Away), defeating them and restoring the balance between the two worlds (based on the barrier between the two sides at the end of the video). That is my best guess to what is going on in this universe of different worlds, though I am unsure how O fits into the video. Maybe that can be an investigation for a future Music Video Theory series.
The stage performance helps makes the song feel a lot more dynamic. This is a good definitely a good thing, as without it, the entire comeback would have become lacking. While the routine is good, there just wasn’t much within it that was memorable.
Song – 6.5/10 Music Video – 7/10 Performance – 7/10 Overall Rating – 6.8/10
Today’s comeback is courtesy of VERIVERY, who returns after seven months with a brand new single album, SERIES ‘O’ [ROUND 0 : WHO]. Leading this single album is the title track, O. This comeback comes after the group’s August 2021 release TRIGGER and Series ‘O’ Round 2: Hole. Since then, the group been fairly busy embarking on their U.S. tour at the end of last year. Like other comebacks, VERIVERY’s comeback has also been affected by COVID, with members testing positive in the lead up to today.
O delves into the R&B side of music, subsequently adding a bit of diversity to VERIVERY’s portfolio of title tracks, which have been more electronic/synth base. It is a bit of a shakeup from what I know of VERIVERY (which is mainly their title tracks), but I quite enjoyed O. The main reason is that O is simply a solid track from start to end. The instrumental was straightforward, with no distracting synths or anything overwhelming coming from the background. It is just R&B, with subtle sensual vibes when it came to the chorus. The melodies gives off this swaying effect that just suits the genre and I think the members did a grand job at delivering this effect. Elsewhere, the vocal work was solid, as well. I did wish the vocals were more emotive, given the misery and sadness that is depicted in the lyrics. This would have made the O more captivating and effective. The rapping was form fitting for the R&B genre and I quite liked it. I kind of wished there was a bit more rapping in the song, just to give O a bit more variety. The hook was probably the most subtle element in this song. I kind of get why O did this (i.e. the genre), but it lacks memorability and hence I don’t really remember O for its hooks, but rather the execution of the R&B genre.
Based on the official description of the music video and comeback, O is the prequel of the events of SERIES ‘O’ series. But aside from that, I am not entirely sure how this video is necessary connected to the events of the other music videos (Get Away and TRIGGER). I guess that will require a proper sit-down and a close re-watch of the music videos. Standalone, however, this music video was pretty good. I really liked the cinematography in this one. It made the video extremely captivating to watch. The lighting to the focus on the action (rather than the members) in some shots, everything just looked top-notch. The members’ acting throughout was also another positive aspect. They did a really good job and showcased the emotions that are depicted in the lyrics really well. You could feel their struggles and hurt just by watching the video. Overall, a music video that was worthwhile to watch.
The choreography looks fitting for the R&B song. Unfortunately the shots were extremely brief in the music video, but I did see a few body waves (which is a no brainer when it comes to R&B genre). So I might return to make some more observations/thoughts once we get a comeback stage.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8.3/10
I am now back, and will start to review releases that I have missed (from past and previous weeks) and continue to review new releases as they come out this week. Album reviews will also restart next week with TXT and Brave Girls up first.
VERIVERY made their official comeback on Monday with TRIGGER and their sixth mini-album, Series ‘O’ Round 2: Hole. This comeback follows the release of Get Away and Series ‘O’ Round 1: Hall from earlier this year. It also marks the return of Minchan, who has been absent since the end of October for health reasons. Almost a week later, I am finally getting around to reviewing it.
TRIGGER begins with a clickity-clack synth that is quite intriguing. It isn’t a mind-blowing start if that is what you are expecting, but I would say that the synth and effect itself sets the tone of the entire track from the get-go. Then comes in polished vocals and strong rapping from the members, before they lead into the pre-chorus with a similar vocal and rap sequence. I really enjoyed the concentrated buildup in the pre-chorus, starting off in a calming manner before accelerating to the chorus. The line ‘Pull The Trigger‘ is an excellent launch into the chorus, which is undoubtedly intense and powerful without necessarily going into a ‘dark’ motif, but yet it has that edginess to it that makes it so robust and cool. The repetition of the song’s title in the chorus also makes it a catchy number. What I quite like about the second verse of TRIGGER is that it is very different to the first verse, in terms of structure. This definitely keeps TRIGGER interesting. Powerful rapping returns first, then the instrumental briefly adopts a fast tempo thumping beat, which then slows down to make way for a vocal-dominant pre-chorus that differs from the first pre-chorus thanks to the presence of ad-libs. The bridge opts for vocals as well, with TRIGGER slowing down instrumentally to make way for an atmospheric sequence, which then ramps up to match the vocal climax that the members deliver. The final chorus also contains an additional sequence/extension that brings up the dynamisms to finish the song on a high note (and the high note within the final chorus is also quite remarkable and worth mentioning as well). I also really liked the deep synth thumps we get at the very end of TRIGGER, which signals the official end of the song. It was abrupt and sudden, but I think it works well in this song. Overall, a very interesting and intense song which fits into (what I think is) VERIVERY’s sound.
The ending of Get Away starts off the music video of TRIGGER (i.e. the member with the bag over his head is making his way down the spiral road, the image of a gun and the eyeball that diffuses out), which makes me think the events in TRIGGER is actually the aftermath. Still, not entirely sure what is exactly happening, over then the members are dying one by one. Again, it looks like alter-egos of the members are after them once again. We see one of the members get shot by one of these masked bandits, which are see are them. In a reflection in water, out of five members, we only see one reflection (who is subsequently dragged into a mirror from what I could make out of his demise). Based on later events, it appears like the members are trapped in that circular building after they die, based on that one member who finds multiple screens with the other members trapped in them. He destroys the building, which I assume somehow releases the rest of the members. But I think some of those alter-egos have managed to replaced the real members, based on that suspicious smile we get from that blue-haired member (sorry, I don’t know names – see featured image of this post) just before he runs out with the rest of the members. That is just my interpretation of the video, based on my imagination. Though I would be happy to hear what the official story is or if you have a different interpretation.
I liked the aggressive and intense nature of the performance, particularly the guns they form with their hands when they repeat the song’s title in the chorus. It is recurring feature of the performance, which makes perfect sense.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8.5/10
The next group making their comeback this week is VERIVERY. 2020 was one busy year for the male group, with three comebacks in the one year (Lay Back, Thunder and G.B,T.B.), all forming part of their FACE IT trilogy. The group also participated on Road To Kingdom, where they made it to the final round/episode and released Beautiful-x as part of the competition. Now, with the busy year behind them, VERIVERY turns to a new chapter with yesterday’s release of Get Away. It appears the group has also started a new album series, with their latest single album titled Series ‘O’ Round 1: Hall. The first part of the name suggestion new instalments to a new series once again.
Get Away‘s initial verse was definitely captivating. I really liked the whisper-like/higher pitched vocals and the stripped back nature of the instrumentation. What was definitely dominating during the first verse were the trap beats. Interesting texture and a very mysterious vibe arises as a result. The song builds slowly as it progressed closer to the chorus, with more of the instrumentation coming back and the vocals were becoming more amplified. Rapping was introduced as a last pitch, before an even more mysterious horn sounds. So far so good. The chorus is what drags the song down for me. I wished it wasn’t just an extension of everything I had just mentioned. Further amplification of every element of Get Away thus far. Usually, I would like this. But it felt too predictable and just lacked excitement, especially after that horn really caught my attention. What I do like about it, however, is that the intensity peaked and every element did feel satisfying. The second verse doesn’t necessarily return to that stripped back instrumentation, opting for something that felt in-between the first verse and the chorus. The vocals and rapping in this section did seem to stall, in terms of building trajectory. But like the chorus, satisfying would be the word I use to describe them. The bridge does take a bit of a reverse turn by going back to that stripped back nature of the instrumentation, which really drew my attention to Donghyun’s rapping. But the song reverted back to a buildup to the song’s chorus quite quickly. Overall, I felt the song had some good moments. But when it mattered most, I was left disappointed with the result. I wished Get Away had more curveballs to keep myself on the tips of my toes, as that would have given me more to really talk about.
Since the release on Wednesday, I have watched the music video a number of times. But yet, I don’t understand what is going on. From what I did see, it looks like we are dealing with two version of the group once again. The first version of the group are the ‘campers’, who received a special invitation to leads them to a dark place. This dark place is essentially where they get drugged after eating the spread of food on the table, which I assume resulted in their kidnap. The other version is watching the ‘campers’ through TV screens. While they see their plan is succeeding, they celebrate. But it seems like there is a bit of conflict between the members, with some members potentially being killed within second by Donghyun if it wasn’t for Hoyoung stopping the fight and seemingly remind everyone why they were all there. Once all the ‘campers’ were knocked out, it seems like the ‘other version’ of VERIVERY replaces them in the real world. At the very end, we do see a figure wearing white walk down a spiral building. This person could be Minchan (who is currently on hiatus and is not part of this comeback), who I believed was kidnapped at the start. Why was he kidnapped first? I have no theory for this. We don’t see a Minchan in the ‘other version’ of the group, so maybe the ‘other version’ of Minchan decided to betray the rest of the ‘other version’ to protect the real Minchan, and so the real Minchan could save the rest of his members? It is interesting though, as we see seven chairs and seven beds throughout the video, implying that the Minchans were meant to be with their respective groups. It was also a nice way to include the missing member in the video. Overall, a complicated video. But an interesting story to probably dive into once we get more of it.
I really like the mature side that the members showed through this comeback. There was a masculine and sensual feel to their moves, but in a subtle manner. I particularly liked the final chorus routine, where their moves were timed to be in sync as per the additional beats/percussion in the song during the sequence. As a result, there was some jaggered footwork at one point, which I thought looked really cool and hard to make everyone be synchronised with one another.
Song – 6.5/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 7.6/10
Once again, I have taken two days off from the blog. Back on the review grind!
VERIVERY returns rather unexpectedly with their third installment of their FACE it trilogy, which they started at the very start of the year, with the release of Lay Back (the promotional track) and Face Me (the group’s third mini-album) The group then released Thunder (the promotional track) and Face You (the group’s fourth mini-album) after their participation on Road To Kingdom. Now, the group returns with G.B.T.B (Go Beyond The Barrier) and their fifth mini-album (and third overall this year), Face Us. It is definitely been one busy year for the group.
When I heard the teaser for G.B.T.B, one thought I had was that VERIVERY and their company kept the most epic sounding track for their last installment of this trilogy. And I am glad they stuck with this epic sound, instead of misleading us with the teaser (which has been done before). G.B.T.B‘s main selling point is its powerful and intense sound, as evident when we approach the chorus. Admittedly, it took a few listens to get into it, especially since it initially felt like it went over too quickly. The entire chorus revolves around a two chanting hooks (the initial one being more shouty) and an instrumental that you could call clickity clackity ‘noise’. Maybe that last description isn’t the most appealing way to go about it. But that is what I had in mind whilst listening to the song the first time around (and it kind of stuck with me). I am a little torn when it came to the verses. The first verse should have continued the energy and momentum opening chorus. But it just straight up ignored the preceding chorus that started off the song. For the second verse, it contained one of the most impressive rap sequences I have had heard this year. Hats off to Dongheon and Hoyoung for rapping at that speed. Regardless of whether he was comprehensible or not, going at that speed takes a lot of skill and confidence. For the pre-choruses, the members bring a nice smoothness to the song, acting as the ‘calm before the storm’ (that is the chorus). The vocals return for the bridge and then it is followed up with a EDM styled dance break. I wished the dance break had a little more substance and meat to it, as this felt a little too airy and isn’t as satisfying. Overall, VERIVERY impresses once again with G.B.T.B, though it still had its flaw.
The music video featured a slightly different version of the song. The chorus at the very the start of song appears slightly muffled, as if the members are singing with something blocking the sound waves from getting to us. We get a similar effect just prior to the second chorus of the song, which is then followed up with a member running into and breaking the glass barrier allowing the song to be heard at full volume once again. It is a very intriguing start and definitely hooked me onto the music video. As for the rest of the video, the post-production was cool especially when it came to the floating glass shards. I also like their spaceship-like set. I wished we saw more of it.
Without a doubt, the performance for G.B.T.B is super powerful. It seems like they definitely picked up on some refinement and powerful skills during Road To Kingdom and it is all paying off. They don’t hold back in any part (aside from when the music smoothes out for the vocals). When it comes to the smoother parts, I really liked the movement of the hands right at the end of the vocal parts of the bridge. A small detail, but something that spoke volumes. Just like the powerful chorus did in terms of energy and intensity.
Song – 8.5/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 8.8/10
Crashing in as the first release of the second half of 2020 is VERIVERY’s Thunder. VERIVERY recently just participated in the Road To Kingdom competition and placed 5th overall. Whilst on the show, the group performed and covered Photo, Mansae, On and gogbebe. And as part of the finale episode, VERIVERY released Beautiful-X, which is featured as a sidetrack alongside Thunder, on their fourth mini-album. Prior to all of this, we last saw VERIVERY promote Lay Back at the start of the year. But that was pre-Road To Kingdom. Let’s see what VERIVERY has to offer us post-Road To Kingdom.
Thunder rivals Lay Back as the group’s edgiest and darkest comeback to date. What makes Thunder just a step more edgy and dark than their previous comeback are those eerie background sounds you can hear in the instrumental, along with the deep autotuned whispering at the start of the song (courtesy of Donghyun). The instrumental consist of a strong synth base and 808 bass. And all of this helps deliver a very captivating instrumental in my opinion, as there was a lot of textures to really dig into and enjoy. In addition to the instrumental, I find the vocal work to be quite powerful. This really helps make the song sound even more epic and fitting for the energy that the instrumental really aims for in the chorus. The rapping also adds a dynamic layer to the song and adds further intensity to the song that makes it sound even better. While a dark and edgy sound might not be the most original thing in the industry right now, what VERIVERY has managed to do with it is quite impressive and feels like they are evolving.
If you cast your mind back to their gogobebe stage of Road To Kingdom, VERIVERY had incorporated a missing poster for Kangmin, which is from this music video. And that poster is the basis of Thunder‘s music video. Kangmin is missing and the members go searching for him (Stranger Things vibes). They manage to track him down towards the end. But thunder starts striking Kangmin. And it starts coming out of him, as well. Determined to save their friend, the other members run up and grab him. Our screen goes black, and during the credits, we see all the members huddling in a group. But they aren’t celebrating the success of their mission. Instead, they are very still. I was lowkey expecting a jump scare or some sot of a post-credit scene for us to see what happened to the members. In addition to the ‘what happened to the members’ question, we need to ask whether Kangmin was possessed, as his facial expressions and body language hints towards that. However, it wouldn’t explain why he was running away from the members for most of the video (did he know he was possessed or dangerous?). I also wonder how (or if) this video relates to Lay Back, as they are part of a series. Many questions to be answered. But a really intriguing storyline and close up shots in this video.
What a performance. I really enjoyed how in sync they were with one another. It made the performance really powerful and worth watching. And I really liked how this powerful nature extended for the dance/instrumental break just before the final chorus. The ending of the performance was super eerie, carrying that feeling over from the music video. My favourite part of the performance, however, has to be that segment right after the first chorus where they are yelling ‘Keep Going On‘. Them yelling and dancing at the same time looked pretty cool and showcases a different level of edgy.
Song – 9/10 Music Video 9/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 9/10
Welcome all to my very special review to Road To Kingdom. I may have been very silent about the recent series. But I have been eagerly awaiting each performance to appear on YouTube after broadcasting on Thursdays to see what Golden Child, ONEUS, ONF, Pentagon, The Boyz, TOO and VERIVERY have prepared for us. In this special review series, I will be going through the actual rankings that came about from the first three rounds, short reviews of each performance and how I thought the rankings would go! This post will only cover the finale of the show. Please remember, these are my thoughts only. Feel free to comment your ones below.
Finale
Like the Queendom finale, the remaining groups released new songs a week ahead of the final episode to compete for the secured spot on the upcoming Kingdom series. With these new songs come new stages and concepts never seen before. Like usual, I will be focusing on their new songs, concept and performance to see which group had the superior performance and the title of Road To Kingdom winner.
Come Back Home – ONEUS
Come Back Home starts off with a grungy and angsty rock vibe, before settling on a subtle form of dubstep for the chorus (a bit typical, if I were to be honest). There is also a strong dance beat mixed within the song that reminds me of ONEUS’s other title tracks such as Valkryie and Twilight. The final instrumental break at the end of the song carries the same vibes as the choruses of those mentioned songs. I really liked the rapid drum beats at the end of the choruses, which offsets the paced nature of the chorus (which was a unique drawing point). I also really Leedo’s parts in this song, going from a dark and deep rapping voice to smooth vocals for the bridge. Seoho’s high note is also commendable.
The roles in which ONEUS plays in this performance, concept-wise, are protectors of the young child. The backup dancers played the evil people who rose from the dead to kill the young child. The VCR that starts off the performance adds context to the performance, but it doesn’t add much substance. Likewise, I did think the presence of the child for the performance did very little.
The actual choreography was really good. I really like the Leedo and RAVN dynamic that the performance focused on. At one point, Leedo and RAVN also played each other’s shadow. I also like their visual effects by using the big screen. The group does a few stunts in this performance, but I did wish the stage lighting was a lot better to see this more clearly. I did like the suspenseful ending when all the members disappeared.
New World kicks off with a rapid beat and dramatic flair that really captured my attention from the very first second. It is the one song leading up to the final episode that I continually replayed and enjoyed. Like ONEUS’ track, I felt New World compliments ONF’s discography. It was dynamic and captivating, all common descriptors to ONF’s songs. The chorus was very memorable with that ‘Higher‘ delivery being my favourite part of the song, which also adds a tinge of light into this otherwise intense sound. I also liked the lead into the final chorus from the bridge, as this part was very powerful and makes sure to grab your attention, just in case the earlier sections didn’t work.
The performance started off with a whole cinematic montage from their past music videos. It seems like the performance’s concept is unlocking the doors to the New World, which is shown through the emphasis of keys in the opening montage and also the presence of keys in the performance.
With such a good song, it already has that edge. And the group did an amazing job in extending this edge and making this a very captivating performance. The entire sequence of them using the keys to unlock the silver box was very captivating, though Wyatt slamming the box though made me feel uncomfortable, just based on the way the box landed on the ground. I just wished the performance reflected the change in tempo speeds, which would have made everything feel more natural.
To me, Basquait felt like another version of Dr. Bebe at times. While the other groups have performed songs that complimented their existing discography, Pentagon is the only group on this list ‘replicate’ an existing song, which doesn’t come off well. That thought aside, I did like how the song didn’t rely on EDM or electronic synths to become a dance track, instead opting for rock elements to give that angst and grungy vibe throughout the entire song. I also think the vocal and rapping work from the members are on point. The song does lack a memorable hook or moments, which doesn’t help the song gain an advantage.
I am unsure what their concept is, but Pentagon looks like they have been part of a rebellion with their ripped up outfits. They did have a VCR at the start of the performance, but it doesn’t shed much light on the concept. It does, however, look like they were running from someone but ended up being captured.
And that is where we start off the performance. I really liked how the stage theatrics really helped make their performance a lot more epic and captivating to watch. I liked their use of props and how their dance moves seemed to pack a punch, which goes hand-in-hand with the assumed concept. I do need to say that Hui nailed his high note, which sounded extra epic on stage. That alone adds a tonne of leverage to the performance, helping them boost the song’s appeal by a great amount (which was pretty much needed).
The Boyz’s Checkmate isn’t the strongest song in the bunch. But I liked how the song seems to be fixated on the idea of a fast tempo in terms of both their instrumental and some of their vocal melodies. I also liked the use of the piano in the instrumental, which gives the song a very unique vibe, in comparison to the rest of the other songs. I also enjoyed some of the vocals moments, such as that ‘Royal Royal Catch A Royal‘ and the equivalent in the second verse. I am unconvinced that this is the best track of the bunch (as suggested by the results of the finale – spoiler alert, they won), as it took a fair amount of time for me to get into.
Concept-wise, the start performance revolves around the crown that The Boyz had focused on since the first round. To have the crown feature in all their major performances where possible is quite clever and really intrigues me. But for those who are joining for the first time (where have you been), the group also has a chessboard concept.
Amazing performance. The start was epic, with the passing of the crown and Sunwoo falling from that height into the mattress. I like the one-take camera work for the first verse. Everything that happened during this first verse looked really cool, as a result. The group was also the only group to dance on the audience side of the stage (i.e. where the other groups are sitting the performance). The use of the dancers to doing that tutting like action just before the bridge was really cool and the use of that box on stage somehow blew my mind. Oh, and their dance moves were really fluid. Everything on that stage was just captivating to watch.
I commend VERIVERY for going with the most brightly energetic song out of the bunch, which does help them stand out from the competition. This is a risky move, given that the industry does prefer male groups with a dark concept than these youthful ones. Beautiful-x has a strong beat that had my foot tapping along. There is also a bit of funkiness to the song, which makes it very fun sounding. I liked the vocal melodies, particularly around ‘Nal Wihae‘ (‘For You‘) part of the chorus, but I wished that the rapping was a little dynamic, which I think would have supported the song. It, to me, felt like the most forgettable part of the song.
The group goes with that high school concept, which is pretty unoriginal. The entire montage at the start was boring and failed to excite me to keep watching the performance. The fact that they kept on confessing their love by putting items in the one locker felt cheesy.
As the performance progressed, things got a lot more interesting. It does look like your typical KPOP stage performance, as the moves looked quite typical at best. I really like the basketball routine and also the band scenes (though it did look somewhat cheesy as well). The cheesy note could also apply for the ending as well.
Road To Kingdom crowned The Boyz as the overall winners of the entire show. That was based on digital points of the new singles from its release date; the accumulated points from the first three rounds; view counts from the performances on online platforms and fan votes! Unfortuately I don’t have access to all of that information, so I will be basing my pick for overall winner based on the rankings I have given to them thus far, including the ones above.
With that being said, the group whom I think should have been crowned as the winner to Road To Kingdom is ONF, with The Boyz coming runner up. It is a bit of a reversal, as ONF were the runner up in real life. To see my version of the final rankings, they are in the table below.
Final Ranking Position
Artist
#1
ONF
#2
The Boyz
#3
Pentagon
#4
VERIVERY
#5
ONEUS
#6
TOO
#7
Golden Child
And with that, I have completed my review for Road To Kingdom. A lot of work was put into this, but it was quite fun. Now I just need to return to the usual posting schedule, which I haven’t really adhered to while working on this review series. With The Boyz confirmed for the upcoming Kingdom series, who else do you want to see on the show? For me personally, I want to see Stray Kids, SF9, ATEEZ and NCT as part of the lineup. That will definitely be very exciting! Let me know who iswill be on your version of Kingdom in the comments section below!
Welcome all to my very special review to Road To Kingdom. I may have been very silent about the recent series. But I have been eagerly awaiting each performance to appear on YouTube after broadcasting on Thursdays to see what Golden Child, ONEUS, ONF, Pentagon, The Boyz, TOO and VERIVERY have prepared for us. In this special review series, I will be going through the actual rankings that came about from the first three rounds, short reviews of each performance and how I thought the rankings would go! This post will only cover the second part of the third official round (i.e. Your Song). Please remember, these are my thoughts only. Feel free to comment your ones below.
Your Song
Each remaining group had the ability to choose a song that was performed in this second part of Round 3. The song chosen by one group was allocated to the group they were paired with in the first part in Round 3. The scores from this part of round 3 and the preceding part were combined to determine which group would be leaving the competition next, ahead of the finale. Like in the previous round, I will be focusing on their arrangement, concept and choreography.
Be Mine – ONEUS (Original Artist: Infinite)
What I really liked about ONEUS’ version of Be Mine is that it doesn’t mess around. The melody remains as it is. It is just modernised to be fitting for a 2020 competition. They don’t add anything that would have taken away the nostalgic factor and hence this makes their stage a really good version of the original to just listen. I love that they did use violins in this version. I always thought Infinite’s classical remixes of their songs were the best and this was very appealing to my taste on a personal level. I feel that the rapping was a weak point in this arrangement. They did feel a little foreign to the original song. But as it is ONEUS’ version, they had every right to infuse some of themselves in a way into the song. For the stage, they took on a Romeo and Juliet concept. They opened the performance with a musical sequence from the play that just about everyone knows. On stage, we see the part where Juliet is dead and Romeo discovers her body. It is followed by the actual performance of the song. Keeping true to how they approach their arrangement, the performance doesn’t have anything too crazy in terms of stunts. It was a rather clean performance and they knew when to add some oomph to the performance to make it feel strong. What was cool was how they draped that piece of fabric with the two coat of arms of the houses over the page and RAVN cut it in half with a pair of scissors and walking through it, symbolising that nothing will keep the star crossed lovers apart. The performance ends with Romeo about to drink the poison and Juliet just waking up. The way they ended it gave the performance a cliffhanger, despite us already knowing what was to come afterwards.
It’s Raining – ONF (Original Artist: Rain)
Without a doubt, ONF’s stage was the strongest of the bunch. It is the performance from this round that I continue to come back to ever since it aired. The group chose a very well-known song but managed to make it their own. The original version is very sexy and mature in many ways. ONF’s version turns it into an extremely upbeat track and infuses likeable energy into it that really grabs your attention. I liked how the song retains famous inhale and exhale sounds. I also like how they incorporate the Complete saxophone into the song. It is a fun little nod to themselves in a song that pays homage to Rain. It also helps with the funky element that they have int their song. I found their ‘Rain, Go Rain, Its Raining‘ version to be extremely catchy and it made it fun. I also like that killer line that ends to the performance. ‘It’s raining, I’m crazy‘. That was awesome. For the performance, the group incorporated a Michael Jackson concept. Their outfits do that wonderfully and that dance break mid-way into the performance had all the familiar Michael Jackson moves. I also liked how they started off their performance with a reflection of their Road To Kingdom journey and how that opening piece with Hyojin was revisited partway into the performance so that the opening sequence made sense. For the performance, I enjoyed all the dance moves. I really liked their use of curtains, which added a really cool stage element to the performance and how it hid the members/dancers, allowing to them to enter into the performance in a dynamic fashion, matching the energetic style of the song.
Follow – Pentagon (Original Artist: MONSTA X)
Pentagon intensifies MONSTA X’s Follow, an already intense song. I did not know it was possible and this just intrigues me to continue listening to their version. Interestingly, it isn’t their instrumentation that is intense, but rather their delivery of the song that had that intense charge to it. What I also love about that despite it being amped up, I don’t find the performance to be overwhelming, which is a good thing. Their arrangement started off with an exotic-sounding sequence that sets their Egyptian concept in place and also foreshadows the intensity of the performance (that just keeps on growing as the song progresses). We then tick over into what sounds like a hip-hop based verse, before settling on an EDM pop sound. I was a little confused with this change in sound. I would have liked for them to continue that hip-hop sound as it sounded quite interesting. Nonetheless, the track nails the EDM pop sound, opting for a completely different range of synths to the original song. The dance break sounded awesome. I also really enjoyed the growling sounds the members executed, which added an animal-like side to their cover that just makes it so much more intense. Hui’s growl at the end of his high note, Yuto and Wooseok’s rapping just sounded so much more powerful. I really like the set for their stage, which really help further the concept. My favourite part has to be when the sarcophagus was opened to reveal Shiwon in it. Their entire dance break after Hui’s high note was probably my favourite part of the choreography (including Hui’s part of the dance break). I also liked that ending, with Wooseok walking back to the throne and the ‘glory music’ playing in the background.
Quasi una fantasia (Shangri-La) – The Boyz (Original Artist: VIXX)
After their stages in this show so far, it is very different to hear the group to start off with something so pretty sounding like what they did here. But don’t worry, they bring their signature intensity back for this stage later on. In fact, I really liked the contrast between the start and how far they manage to develop the song once it ended. I also liked how they bridged the two sections. Following the pretty sounding first verse, they went with a classical piece, before proceeding with the chorus which is where their arrangement slowly started to build. I really liked the percussion and EDM in the instrumental that followed, which is what gave their version the intensity that I have acknowledged earlier. In a way, The Boyz managed to make VIXX’s Shangri-La into an even more captivating and dynamic song. The group went with an Oriental concept, focusing on cherry blossoms for a large portion of their performance. I really like the flower they formed with their skirts (not really sure what to call those pieces of fabrics). They definitely added a pretty element but pushed the boundaries by wearing them and using them in this performance (especially since everything is quite masculine and powerful in a ‘strong sense’ in the competition so far). I liked the idea of the screen in which Younghoon walked behind and how it was used to form a tree. I also liked how his branch had nothing on it and as it went down the line, the branch started to flourish. This performance is definitely unlike their previous ones, but it was still captivating to watch.
Hard Carry – TOO (Original Artist: GOT7)
When I heard that Hard Carry was going to be one of the performances covered in this round, I was overjoyed. Hard Carry is my favourite GOT7 track ever. It was a powerful release and it left a strong impression on me. TOO’s version of the song is questionable for me. There were some good moments and I liked how they ‘translated’ the song into a hip-hop based sound. I personally don’t mind their direction for this song and would have been great if they somehow brought the intensity of the original over. Instead, their version came off as toned down and weak, which isn’t a great thing. I would have liked more of that rock sound that followed the first chorus. It had what I was looking for and would have been a great element to continue throughout latter dance breaks in their performance. It isn’t all bad news as I enjoyed their rapping and vocal work. I also enjoyed how they all contributed to the chorus, especially the final chorus, which I believe ties their performance and concept together nicely. For their concept, the group went with a street style. This fits in with their hip-hop sound quite well. I also liked how urban the stage and visual effect on the screen looked. Their outfits are edgy in a way that also fits their youthful image. Unfortunately, there was something that I didn’t really think suited their performance. Take the ‘all smiles rock’ sequence that followed the first chorus. It just looked weird and just didn’t go well with their intense dance portions of the performance. It looked a little playful when they were doing something so edgy. I did like it when they turned the lights down and had the fluorescent colours on their outfits glow. That looked cool. The dancing, for the most part, looked quite cool.
gogobebe – VERIVERY (Original Artist: Mamamoo)
VERIVERY was assigned gogobebe, which is originally by my favourite female group. It is the only song by a female group in this round. I liked how they brought in that foreign musical flair that suits the Aladdin theme they had on stage. They combined it with some modern synths to give it that oophm and energy that made it a fun stage. Take the final moments of the chorus. They added definition by bolstering the beat, and in turn, helped that part become quite dynamic. If I were to compare the two versions, VERIVERY’s version is definitely more enjoyable as it explores more of that fun side of the song, which is obviously required to be done for an appealing stage. They had a huge dance break in the middle and I liked how they kept that musical colour to it. I would have thought they went something extreme and be considered ill-fitting to give the performance that edgy feel and/or allow the group to sneak in some crazy moments into their choreography. As mentioned, the concept was Aladdin. Their outfits were quite nice and the stage props were cool. I was quite disappointed with the rug. I wished it wasn’t just on the floor, because this just cheapens the performance in my point of view. I liked how they had the lamp, but there was no reference to the Genie. It might have been a hard idea to pull off. But since they included Jafar into the performance, I am sure they could have added the Genie in some capacity. As for the dancing, I thought the entire performance looked great. I really liked how Jafar’s cane was floating about just before the dance break. Unfortunately, the cane was also the flaw of the performance, as Hoyoung dropped it at a critical moment. It was something I waited to happen on the show, as all these performances cannot be as perfect as they seem. And they recovered well and pulled off the performance without any other hitches.
And the ranking…
For this round, I agreed with the show on how they ranked their first and last place. ONF came out on top with such a cool performance, while TOO just felt short with their rendition of Hard Carry. It is the rankings in between that I did not agree with. Actually, I ranked the middle rankings in the opposite manner to the show. To see how it turned out, you can view the table below.
Performance
Artist
Actual Ranking
My Ranking
It’s Raining
ONF
#1
#1
Quasi una fantasia
The Boyz
#2
#5
gogobebe
VERIVERY
#3
#4
Be Mine
ONEUS
#4
#2
Follow
Pentagon
#5
#3
Hard Carry
TOO
#6
#6
As mentioned earlier, Round 3 was an elimination round. By combining the scores of the Collaboration and the Your Song rounds, the show ended up eliminating TOO for the competition. And my rankings also conform to that decision. For the rest of the rankings (which are irrespective of the performances in the Song Of King and My Song round), view the table below!
Ranking
Artist
#1
ONF
#2
ONEUS
#3
Pentagon
#4
The Boyz
#5
VERIVERY
#6
TOO
And that wraps all the rounds. We are left with five groups – ONEUS, ONF, Pentagon, The Boyz and VERIVERY. And they are off the finale, where they release and perform a new song just for the Road To Kingdom viewers. Whoever is victorious in the finale will go on to participate in Kingdom, as the first prize is a confirmed spot in the next show! To know my thoughts on the finale, you gotta check back this coming Monday! Until then, here are all the links to the previous posts.
Welcome all to my very special review to Road To Kingdom. I may have been very silent about the recent series. But I have been eagerly awaiting each performance to appear on YouTube after broadcasting on Thursdays to see what Golden Child, ONEUS, ONF, Pentagon, The Boyz, TOO and VERIVERY have prepared for us. In this special review series, I will be going through the actual rankings that came about from the first three rounds, short reviews of each performance and how I thought the rankings would go! This post will only cover the first part of the third official round (i.e. Collaboration). Please remember, these are my thoughts only. Feel free to comment your ones below.
Collaboration
At the end of the last round, Golden Child was eliminated, leaving 6 groups in the competition. In this round, two groups would pair up and would need to cover a song of their choice. Not all members were required for the stage. For this round, Pentagon joined up with ONF, VEIRVERY joined hands with TOO, leaving The Boyz and ONEUS to share the stage. The scores from this part of round 3 and the following part were combined to determine which group would be leaving the competition next, ahead of the finale. Like in the previous round, I will be focusing on their arrangement, concept and choreography.
Kill This Love – ONF & Pentagon (Original Artist: BLACKPINK)
I remember watching this performance for the first time after it had aired and not knowing which song was being covered at the time. I only recognised it was Kill This Love once it reached the chorus. I totally liked the intense and powerful route that this arrangement took, completely straying away from the original version. The guys made it very sensual when it came to the chorus, which I thought was memorable. Their concept took on a horror with a twisted romance and I enjoyed all the little details in the arrangement that gave it that profile and character. While the song was successful thanks to the vocals, I feel that the rappers really had the shining moments in this stage. Wooseok with his neck cutting left a deep impression on not only myself, but the rest of the competition. Wyatt’s deep voice gave the first verse some impact, while J-US’ interpretation of the ‘We must kill this love. It is sad but true‘ left me speechless. These alone were very memorable over the other performances. As for the performance itself, I thought it was fantastic. It was eerie, mysterious and had a suspenseful edge that left me wanting more. We have a female ghost, whom all the members are attracted to. Not in a romantic sense, but rather an addictive sense. The members looked insane, broken or terrifying throughout the performance because of this love. All of this makes perfect sense for the song choice, come to the think of it. The performance ends with Hyojin successfully getting back to the female ghost, but it turns out that it was all in his head (and hence the twisted side of the romantic story). The dance breaks were epic and their performance looked like they all came from one group. My favourite part has to be Hongseok being pulled from under his clothes and Wooseok’s neck cutting motion that I had already mentioned. Captivating performance, overall.
On – TOO & VERIVERY (Original Artist: BTS)
Unlike the cover of both Kill This Love (above) and Heroine (below), it was quite obvious from the get-go that TOO and VERIVERY was covering BTS’ latest track, On. This entire rearrangement of On takes on a militaristic character, which fits in neatly with the original song. You can hear parts of the original song in the background, which was the main give away at the start of the cover. I just wished with the chorus, they put a unique spin on it, instead of amplifying the original. That really would make this performance extremely strong. Take the second verse for example as they did with what I had wanted. I really liked their use of classical instrumentation and how they built on it as it progressed through that verse. It was a different direction to the original and it gave this collaboration some unique points. Without a doubt that the performance took a military based concept, which looked really cool. Some of their outfits looked a little bulky though, which I don’t think would have helped them in a performance sense. But that is only a minor concern. As for the choreography, damn it was good. They used a lot of the original choreography for the choruses, which made sense given that they used the original choruses. But their energy they gave during the choruses made the routine look really good. A military concept will definitely have the term ‘synchronisation’ associated to it. Their synchronization was truly scary during the chorus and once again, they look like one group. And while I am speaking about synchronisation, we need to talk about the dance break that follow the second chorus. They marching/turning that kicked it off and the fluid dance moves that followed made it a powerful routine that wowed me.
Heroine – ONEUS & The Boyz (Original Artist: Sunmi)
The final collaboration performance takes on Sunmi’s Heroine. As mentioned above, you don’t really know what song they are covering until after the rappers finish doing their thing at the start. The new arrangement kicks off with a ballad-like sequence, where the rappers rapped about their dream and how sorry they are to their loved ones for taking this hard path. Heroine‘s melody comes through during the first vocal sequence, but they continue the ballad-like atmosphere. We slowly get a buildup to the second verse, where the arrangement becomes more of that pop track we all know of. As the stage progresses, they infuse a club beat and drop to the performance which really captivates me, that is both powerful and memorable. For the stage’s concept, I found it very unique that they portrayed the life and journey to becoming an idol. We kick off with hopes and dreams that the rappers were rapping about, followed by training and auditioning. More training occurred afterwards until they were ready to debut. The makeup and wardrobe preparations were made and everyone got to dance on stage. This only gets us up to the end of the second verse. For the bridge, we get fans chanting each of the group’s name (including Golden Child, who were eliminated last round). All the other groups were touched by this. We see two members (sorry, I couldn’t catch their names/faces) sitting on the stage during this sequence, but only one of them rejoins the other members, while the other member walks off stage. It is said that the member who walked off stage represented all the idols who came and disappeared, which I thought was very thought evoking. At the end, we see all the team’s logos on the screen and the two groups hugging and smiling, showing us that they are all together in this journey in becoming an idol. The dance sequences were quite good and paired extremely well with the music. Hwanwoong’s solo moment really stole the show for me. But it is the concept that really makes this stage memorable and impactful.
And the ranking…
This collaborative round was really good and showcased awesome stages, some of which are probably the best in the whole competition. And it comes down to the all exciting ranking. Remember that the scores from this section of Round 3 and the next section of Round 3 were combined to eliminate another group. But that is discussion for the next post in this series. As for my ranking, I picked ONF and Pentagon to be the top stage, while TOO and VERIVERY was chosen as the weaker collaboration (but it does not mean their performance was bad!). For the actual rankings and where ONEUS and The Boyz sit on my ranking, you can see it all in the table blow.
Song
Artists
Actual Ranking
My Ranking
Kill This Love
ONF & Pentagon
#1
#1
On
TOO & VERIVERY
#2
#3
Heroine
ONEUS & The Boyz
#3
#2
And that wraps it up for the first part of the 3rd Round. The second part of the 3rd Round is dubbed ‘Your Song’, where the groups got to choose any song to perform. Check back on Thursday for that post!
Welcome all to my very special review to Road To Kingdom. I may have been very silent about the recent series. But I have been eagerly awaiting each performance to appear on YouTube after broadcasting on Thursdays to see what Golden Child, ONEUS, ONF, Pentagon, The Boyz, TOO and VERIVERY have prepared for us. In this special review series, I will be going through the actual rankings that came about from the first three rounds, short reviews of each performance and how I thought the rankings would go! This post will only cover the second official round (i.e. My Song). Please remember, these are my thoughts only. Feel free to comment your ones below.
My Song (2nd Round)
As part of the third and fourth episodes of the competition, the participating groups had to choose of their past songs and rearrange it for this round. The stakes are high in this round, as the rankings and points from the 1st and 2nd round together would determine which group would be eliminated from the competition. I will outline my thoughts on the elimination that occurred and who I thought should have been eliminated the end. Like in the previous round, I will be focusing on their arrangement, concept and choreography.
Wannabe – Golden Child
The original version of Wannabe is already quite sleek. Yet, their rearrangement somehow is more sleeker. They sampled Caprices No. 24 by Paganini, which is a stunning and well-known violin piece (just watch Joochan played it on the violin during the performance). The rearrangement of the song incorporates and emphasises the instrumental melodies with the use of orchestral instruments. And while this is very intense already, they add electric guitar riffs to top it off. With regards to the concept, it seems like their aim to reach for the white violin which is above the group while they perform, though its significance is unknown. Only the start and end of the performance seems to focus on the suspended white violin. I wished they somehow presented the significance of the white violin on this stage to give us some context (I think they tried to, but it wasn’t obvious). The rest of the performance is detached from the violin. The start is very dramatic and I really liked the ‘under and over’ moves they do. It looks complicated and well timed. As they kept the melodies of the original, the original choreography was also included neatly into the performance. I liked how intense and powerful the choreography was that accompanied Joochan’s violin solo. Actually, all the new elements in their performance can be described in the same way. This is definitely a step up from their 1st round performance.
Lit – ONEUS
What I really liked about this version of Lit is that ONEUS didn’t try to reinvent it. Instead, they kept true to the original and emphasised the folk elements of the original version. For the most part, the two version sound quite similar and that could potentially be a downfall to the stage. But instead, they made everything more defined and dynamic, giving an extra surge of energy to the original version to get to this version. And they just continued with the momentum as they progressed in the song, which makes the arrangement very appealing for me (just listen to Seoho’s rap sequence). As for the stage concept, it seems like ONEUS is playing on the ‘Kingdom’ part of the show. The folk elements lends very well to historical Korean times (when there were emperors etc.). A very recent adaption of this era in media is the Netflix Korean zombie show, Kingdom (see the pun? – I also highly recommend Kingdom, if you like zombies and horror). The peak of the performance incorporates zombies, which I thought was a genius and unique idea. And this allows them to intensify their choreography and also execute a wardrobe change, though I had a feeling it was coming based on their robes. I also thought the presence of all those traditional Korean elements on stage made it look cooler and set the overall tone of the performance. The concept alone stands out, the ending was bomb and this stage a strong contender.
The We Must Love (We Must Love & Moscow Moscow) – ONF
Intensifying the song seems to be the route everyone is taking. So far, the intensification is quite unique between performances. ONF’s rearrangement ofWe Must Love incorporates an orchestra and combines it with the electronic components of the original We Must Love. It then flows into a rock sound, before settling on an amplified version of the original. I particularly like Wyatt’s rap sequence, which is followed by MK’s vocals. That section purely thrived on intensity and ended up being the most powerful moment. The performance closes with a bit of Moscow Moscow, which I believe helps bring the story on stage to a close. Regarding the stage’s concept, Yooa (from Oh My Girl) features as the ‘puppet master’ that has kept the group under her control. I think she is has somehow casted a spell over the members (I feel that this is what that section of Moscow Moscow alludes to), as every time she leaves, the other members find themselves going back to her. This is just my take on the story and it might have missed some points, as I have kept it brief for the more important parts of this review. The choreography. While there isn’t any crazy stunts, I find the performance to be very graceful during the more ‘quiet’ moments of the stage. Take that beautifully executed start with Yooa in the middle and the members ‘waking up’. I also liked the solo sections, as there is always something going on aside from the choreography (i.e. conducting, masks, interaction with the backup dancers etc.). Wyatt’s and MK’s section mentioned above was particularly strong, along with the clock formed by the back up dancers and J-US and Yooa’s partner dance in the middle of the performance. Another strong showing from ONF.
Shine & Spring Snow – Pentagon
Pentagon departs from their particularly strong performance from the last round and brings a more fun and lighthearted feeling to this round. And there is a particular reason for this, as it allows the members to incorporate an emotional send off to Jinho, who performed with the group for the last time before enlisting in the military. I don’t understand Korean well, but I have to admit that I have tears in my eyes every time I watch this. It shows you that bond Pentagon has managed to form with one another, something that not many groups have. Essentially, that is the concept of the performance. The Western cowboy theme at the start threw me off, as I didn’t expect it to precede Shine. I liked how they bolstered the instrumental for Shine, which made this a strong performance in its own way. Shine was cut short to allow the members to say goodbye to Jinho via the big screen (and cry on the side), before the group returned with a ballad-y opening and subsequent energetic ending with Spring Snow. It seems that the members performed live (I am unaware of the rules regarding to lipsyncing on this show), but I just want take a moment to applaud Jinho for singing effortlessly while crying in Spring Snow. That is a very good talent to have. As for the choreography, they incorporated the original dance into it (tick), while also reinventing it by mixing it up with luggage (big tick). Their use of the luggage was quite fun and added a nice new element to the performance.
Reveal (Catching Fire) – The Boyz
It seems like the use of classical and rock instruments to amplify a song is the trend in this round. The Boyz choose Revealas their song choice. For me personally, I felt like was a weak song to choose, as they have other more dynamic and strong songs, such as No Air. The good news is, The Boyz proved me wrong. The arrangement starts off with a soft orchestral instrumentation, accented with deep thumps. The first verse ends with the impression of an epic drop, but instead we are treated to a fake drop. I don’t mind this as it just adds to the suspense of the performance. From the start of the second verse, we enter and gradually build to an epic drop that is the second chorus. It truly felt like we entered a war battle with this drop. But I note that this isn’t the intense form. That is withheld for the final chorus and closing segment of the performance, which features a faster pace of those deep thump and rock elements I mentioned at the start. For their performance concept, the crown they stole is stolen by another person. The entire performance seems to be preparation for battle to get the stolen crown back. And it is an epic (recurring word here!) performance. From the start, some of the members are part of a picture frame. Very peaceful but also very ominous. While they moved about when they were in focus, they remained frozen in the background of other shots (like an actual image), which eagle fans noticed. Other standout moments has to be when the two structures crash into one another (i.e. the second chorus) and the entire final chorus/closing sequence.
Magnolia – TOO
TOO is very limited with their song choices, as they just only made their debut recently. Balance is the key for this arrangement. The rappers who had the bulk of the verses added a little intensity and ‘dark energy’ through a mildly hip-hop approach. The vocalists have the cleaner sections of the song, showing off their vocal skills a bit. For the dance break, it seem like there is struggle between these two fractions in the music. J.You’s section (for reasons I will discuss later) appears heavenly sounding and very different to the two fractions. When the two fractions collaborate for the final sections of the performance, there is a much more profound sense of intensity that wasn’t apparent earlier in the performance, which helped bring a cohesive feel to the performance. It appears the concept also relied on balance. The rappers were part of the darker side, while the vocalists were part of the lighter side. J.You played the role of a God or angel, essentially bringing the two fractions together when they kneel down at the very end. J.You also holds a scale and it is balanced throughout the performance, providing further proof of this concept idea. The choreography was quite good. It becomes intense and shows off more of their capabilities after J.You’s solo part. The fighting scene was well choreographed that J.You was able to walk through with the balanced scales and had his eyes closed the entire time. I just wished the final moments of that sequence where he opened his eyes to ‘kill’ the fighters ended with him doing some urgent stomping, as his light walk felt weak for someone who just killed by opening his eyes. But the killer point of this performance is when Chan ‘kills’ Woonggi by twisting his neck. That definitely leaves a strong impression on the viewers!
Photo – VERIVERY
VERIVERY is the only group to choose a side track, rather than a title track. That is a very interesting decision, as Photo wouldn’t be well known. But it is a risk VERIVERY is willing to take. VERIVERY amplifies and intensifies their performance using rock elements, skipping the classical side of the intensification process that other groups had. The whispering moments in this arrangement was really cool and this adds a further level of intensity to the performance. They had an EDM-based dance break towards the end that allowed them to show off their dancing capabilities before returning to the intense whispering and familiar melodies of Photo. Even though they managed to amplify a weak choice, it doesn’t mean they nailed it. A lot of riding on their stage and they knew they had to make it powerful in a unique fashion. It is only this way does a choice of a weaker track is forgotten. Well, VERIVERY did just that with a horror-based concept. We start off the performance with Kangmin whispering the lyrics on a bed and the hands of two other members coming from under the bed, like a ghost reaching out for you while you are sleeping. The performance is injected with a blast of energy thanks to the introduction of those rock sounds and everything on stage looks chaotic for a moment. The performance settles down for a bit, before delivering the most frightening sequence of the entire performance. When four of the members and 7 of the dancers sit/stand on the bed, a female ghost appears in the background. You may not notice from afar (which makes it scary), but the camera zoom rights in on her, effectively scaring you regardless. Another scary part has to be just before the second chorus, where there are members twisting heads and being pulled for the bed. The group synchronises and showcases very sharp movements during the choruses and for the dance break. The ending brings back that chaotic touch, just before Kangmin wakes up from a dream. For a moment that looks like the case, but another member creepily stands behind him, telling us otherwise. I loved this concept.
And the rankings….
This was a very hard round to pick out a ranking from. Each performance was unique and I would gladly listen to these new arrangements of their tracks any day. But I have come up with an order, as promised. VERIVERY nailed their performance with the horror concept and earns the number one rank. The seventh place rank unfortunately is given to TOO. Not because their performance was weak or didn’t hit the brief, it is just I felt everyone else had a stronger performance.
Performance
Artist
Actual Ranking
My Ranking
Reveal
The Boyz
#1
#4
Lit
ONEUS
#2
#5
The We Must Love
ONF
#3
#2
Photo
VERIVERY
#4
#1
Shine + Spring Snow
Pentagon
#5
#3
Magnolia
TOO
#6
#7
Wannabe
Golden Child
#7
#6
At the end of the second round, the group with the least points when combining the first and second round points was to be eliminated. Golden Child came in last under this system and hence was eliminated from the show. This was quite harsh, especially since we were only unmasking their potential. The good news is that an early departure allows them to make a comeback sooner, and that will happen tomorrow! Unfortunately, I also said I would be choosing a group to leave the show. And that doesn’t really bring any good news to any group. While I just mentioned speak of their potential, I have some bad news to share. Based on my rankings, Golden Child would have left my version as well. The ranking after the two rounds is below.
Ranking
Artist
#1
VERIVERY
#2
The Boyz
#3
ONF
#4
Pentagon
#5
TOO
#6
ONEUS
#7
Golden Child
Sorry that I wasn’t able to bring any better news to all the Golden Child stans out there. If I had my way, no group would be eliminated. I am excited for Golden Child’s comeback tomorrow and can’t wait for their new release (the teaser/highlight medley looks and sounds promising)! Also check back tomorrow, as I will be posting the fourth part of the Road To Kingdom review series (i.e. Round 3 Part 1 -‘Collaboration’).
Welcome all to my very special review to Road To Kingdom. I may have been very silent about the recent series. But I have been eagerly awaiting each performance to appear on YouTube after broadcasting on Thursdays to see what Golden Child, ONEUS, ONF, Pentagon, The Boyz, TOO and VERIVERY have prepared for us. In this special review series, I will be going through the actual rankings that came about from the first three rounds, short reviews of each performance and how I thought the rankings would go! This post will only cover the first official round (i.e. Song Of King). Please remember, these are my thoughts only. Feel free to comment your ones below.
Song Of King (1st Round)
We enter the second/third episodes of the show and the 1st official round of the show. This round is where the groups pick a song by a more well known and experienced group to cover. For my comments this time around, I will focus on the music rearrangement (relative to the original songs), concept (use of stage, props and visuals) and choreography. As this round contributes to the group’s ranking, I will be writing a bit more than above so you have more of an idea to how I felt about the stages.
T.O.P – Golden Child (Original Artist: Shinhwa)
When it comes covers in KPOP, most old school KPOP tends to be the default choice. Golden Child’s choice of T.O.P (by Shinhwa) has its benefits and drawbacks. It is a well known song and if covered innovatively, they could ride on the song’s back to the top of the ranks. But since it is well known, many people would be more critical of a poor version of it. Golden Child’s execution seems to be a little lacking. While they seem to have a unique angelic concept going on, I find the performance and arrangement stayed in its slow state for longer than expected. I didn’t mind its slowness at the very start as it fitted with the concept, but I wanted the song and performance to pick up a little sooner. The performance and song starts going in that direction that I desired once we get to TAG and Bomin’s section of the performance. We get a a blast of edginess and energy, through Jangjun’s rap sequence. And the final chorus of the arrangement feature electric guitars that really pump up the energy. And they also incorporate the infamous melody. Choreography wise, I really enjoyed the dance break towards the end of the performance (i.e. with the fans and back up dancers). I also applaud them for their inclusion of the original choreography, as well. I also enjoyed the white and black feathers that dropped from the ceiling, which really helped bind the everything together visually.
Similar comments can be made about ONEUS’ choice of song. The song is quite well known, so it has those same drawbacks and benefits. The arrangement of their version really helps makes the performance quite strong. Right from the start, we are thrown a rap sequence that is very textural and ‘loud’. The cover also takes on a modern hip-hop vibe, which I think goes hand-in-hand with their high school rebellious concept (reminds me of BTS back in the day). I also liked that they made the entire song more dynamic than the original. The stage looked great, setting the scene. We see Hwanwoong being bullied and he (along with the other members of ONUES) exact revenge of the bullies in a fight scene. I wished the desks and props were a little more well used to show off an epic performance. What we saw felt a little too ordinary. The backup dancers executed most of the stunts in the choreography, so I don’t know if these should be counted. But that entire fight scene (along a few others stunts here and there) were performed nicely with the members. The final moments of Hwanwoong falling to his knees was a little terrifying for me. Namely his facial expressions. I don’t want to be rude, but I felt it was a little too exaggerated for this performance.
Everybody – ONF (Original Artist: SHINee)
This is a choreography that everyone should be scared of. To this day, Everybody is one of my favourite performance, namely for the helicopter move that wowed everyone when it was performed in the past. I liked how mysterious they made the song sound at the start with the help of that orchestral hymns opener. The arrangement built up using more of that orchestral touch before transforming into a rock track. The song then settles on dubstep (but also revisits some of those other sounds as it progressed forward) and continues to get even more dramatic. It is a bit of a ride, but it was a very powerful and angst journey. Their vocal work whilst performing this crazy track earns them praise. Can I also just point out how Wyatt brings a completely different and unique vibe compared to everyone else in this competition. The question is how ONF can one up that helicopter move. Well, the most obvious answer to do more than one helicopter. And that is exactly what they do. They left the hardest part of it to the fellow dancers and I am not too sure how I feel about that. We all know how dangerous the move is, but I wanted to see the members go that extra mile for the wow factor.
Very Good – Pentagon (Original Artist: Block B)
Pentagon waste no time when it comes to Block B’s most iconic song, Very Good. More specifically, the rock version of Very Good. Correct me if I am wrong, but Pentagon definitely amped up the rock sound and played towards their strengths performance wise. This version also allows the members to show off their strong stage dynamic in a way that really blows me away. Vocal work and rapping was top notch (and is something that I would love to see more of in their discography in the future). The performance itself takes on a grungy and angsty concept. It kicks off with Hongseok’s abs. I mean Hongseok escaping his handlers, just before the rock kicks in and the performance officially starts. We continue to see glimpse of Hongseok’s abs throughout the performance. I mean, a really rocking choreography. There is something about about Wooseok going mad that just visually looks so right and it fits right into the performance. Hui jumping on top of the angled fence was a really cool moment as well. Dance wise, I feel that Pentagon really stepped it up and showed a lot of character in this performance.
Rising Sun – TOO (Original Artist: TVXQ)
This modernised arrangement of Rising Sun is probably one of the best for this round. It made the famous song crunchy and extremely dynamic to listen to. I really liked the use of electric guitars in this arrangement, giving some definition to their take on the song. Vocally, this song proved that this male group is one to look out for. The rapping did the exact same thing. I just wished they kicked off their careers with a song of a similar fashion like this arrangement. Stage wise, how epic did it look when those drapes dropped from the ceiling. The lighting also looked spectacular. But this is obviously a dance competition as well, and their moves are spot on. The opening sequence looked really cool with that circle of members in the middle doing their tutting like arm movements. They follow up with more circles, with the members pairing up to lay on top of each other’s legs (there is a lot of skill there already!) in a circle and then all members contributing to a circle on the floor. The dance break that featured into the middle of the performance looked amazing, especially when that member stood in front of those drapes held by backup dancers and did a grand reveal of the members dancing in the background. Another circle followed with the members using their arms to look like the sun and a killer high note that wowed me. And the performance closes with a very intense rock sequence that looks very powerful. Big praises from all directions.
Danger – The Boyz (Original Artist: Taemin)
The Boyz put a faster tempo to this iconic song. They kept the melodies that Taemin had in the original, so the song appeared very familiar (as I find it hard to tell if it a Danger cover if it did not have its original elements). And they also made the instrumental sound a lot fuller or filled in. But I am going to stop talking about their arrangement of the song. I can’t hold myself back. I need to talk about the performance. You know I love to see a story line inserted within a music video. And a story line of stealing a crown in this performance keeps true to the song. We are shown the crown at the start of the performance in its glass case. And we are shown a little distraction trick, which I believe signifies the performance as a distraction technique (note: you actually see the crown during the performance in the background, so it appears that the members steal it at the last minute). The performance is a wonderful distraction. I am still in awe with their stunt at the beginning, where one member used the backs of four other members to do an epic climb and jump! The trust between the members alone must be very strong. The use of props was really cool as well. The chairs were used at the start as a distraction itself while one of the members fell from the table and another was pushed onto it. The table was well used at the end as the members ran and slide to the crown. And everything else in between looked really polished and well executed. What more can I say?
Mansae – VERIVERY (Original Artist: Seventeen)
VERIVERY turned a very fun sounding song into an even more dynamic track (something that I thought was not possible). Best part of this entire changed style has to be that ‘Groove It‘ sequence just before the choruses. That was unique and epic all at the same time. I have to be honest, there were a lot of parts that were very similar to the original. But VERIVERY put their own spin on it. Especially when it came to the high note section. There is also enough in the new version to give the members an opportunity to perform. For their stage, they used a sea concept, with the members visiting VERRERDISE. The flags they used at the start was used to form waves and added a fun component to the performance, keeping true to the song. I also wonder if the stage sprayed water onto them. It looked misty and I think water would fit well with the concept. As for the performance, they retained a lot of SEVENTEEN’s dance moves. I felt some of it was unnecessary, such as the basketball ring. The could have related that to the sea concept, which make the performance look more cohesive. They had their own moments to perform some of their stuff as well and those sections looked really cool, such as when everyone lined up and did a domino line of what seems to be a air kick lie down move. Excuse my poor description, but I don’t know how else to describe it.
And The Rankings…
This was a very fun round. All the performances in this round set the bar quite high for what is to come in the later episodes and in the upcoming Kingdom season. As for my ranking, I had to give it to The Boyz. They wowed me and I keep on going back to watch the performance because the arrangement of Danger is so appealing. As for the ‘wooden spoon’, that goes to Golden Child for the reason I explained above. For the rest of the rankings, you can find them in the table below.
Song
Group
Actual Ranking
My Ranking
Danger
The Boyz
#1
#1
Very Good
Pentagon
#2
#3
Everybody
ONF
#3
#4
Rising Sun
TOO
#4
#2
T.O.P
Golden Child
#5
#7
Mansae
VERIVERY
#6
#5
Warrior’s Descendant
ONEUS
#7
#6
That brings the first round to an end. All the groups are safe for now, but the next round features an elimination and I will definitely share my thoughts on as well! Check back on Monday for my thoughts on the second official round (‘My Song’).
Welcome all to my very special review to Road To Kingdom. I may have been very silent about the recent series. But I have been eagerly awaiting each performance to appear on YouTube after broadcasting on Thursdays to see what Golden Child, ONEUS, ONF, Pentagon, The Boyz, TOO and VERIVERY have prepared for us. In this special review series, I will be going through the actual rankings that came about from the first three rounds, short reviews of each performance and how I thought the rankings would go! This post will only cover the first episode (i.e. preliminary performances). Please remember, these are my thoughts only. Feel free to comment your ones below.
Preliminary Performances
In the preliminary performances , the groups were limited to 90 seconds to showcase their skills. The rankings in this set of the performances do not impact their ranking throughout the series, so it could be seen as a trial round. The performances are inserted below and I will briefly talk about my thoughts of each performance before getting to the all important rankings.
Beginning – Golden Child
Using a dramatic opening and Shrillex styled instrumentation, Golden Child wows us with a side that we have never seen before. This performance is very different to the visuals and energy we have seen in their Wannabe and Without You comebacks, which were darker and edgier than any of their previous releases. Much more intense and more powerful. I really liked how they connected with one another in this performance. Their stunts looked cool, but it didn’t have too much of a wow factor. My favourite part is when the two members shot each other and the other members fell onto their backs.
Phantom of ONEUS – ONEUS
ONEUS fuses things off with an eerie performance using masks and the intensity of the well known Phantom of the Opera. They then bring in one of their songs, Twilight. I liked how they kept their original choreography in this performance, fusing it all the other theatrics. ONEUS shows off some impressive stunts and dance moves, including the climb and sudden drop of Hwanwoong, and that smooth turn they do on the dance floor while sitting.
Lights On – ONF
ONF probably had the most intense music overall from the preliminary round. They had samples of We Must Love and Why in this performance, allowing them to incorporate some of those choreographies into the 90 seconds they had on stage. But it seems that ONF went a step further with this idea, incorporating a bunch of their past choreographies (including the ones of the songs they haven’t sampled). That is very impressive. Not only that, but they nailed the intensity and synchronisation elements of their choreography.
Road To The Throne – Pentagon
Pentagon begins with a short sequence of their most popular song to date, Shine. While that is lighthearted and fun, this performance was quite the opposite. In a matter of seconds, Wooseok is driven insane with scary masks. We are then met with strong choreography from the other members. The only negative thing I have to say in this whole section is that I feel Pentagon wasted a great deal of the 90 seconds with the Shine opener. I did like the throwback, but I think they could have found a better use of those few seconds at the start.
Sword of Victory – The Boyz
The Boyz kicks off their Road To Kingdom with an exotic sounding instrumental, which allows the group to play with some elegant moves. That is the one word that kept on revolving around in my head while watching this performance. That being said, there were a few crazy highlights that I can’t get over. That opening sequence where Changmin jumps up to a high height to grab the flying sword and Juyeon doing some tricks with a bouncing sword blew my mind.
dysTOOpia – Too
TOO is the newcomer out of all the groups in this competition. They too also included their only well known song, Magnolia to the performance. But they are the only group who put a really rocking dance break in between the two sections of Magnolia, which was rather unique. The opener really showed everyone that they aren’t to be messed with. Then they followed that up with a new routine, which I thought was impressive undertaking. They did keep the later Magnolia section as per this original choreography, but I personally didn’t mind that given everything that came before it.
Face It – VERIVERY
I get a military type of vibe from the performance thanks to their outfits and stomping vibe in the instrumental. Interestingly, there was very little stomping. The performance is something a lot fiercer and darker than what we are used to when it comes to VERIVERY usually. Despite that stomping vibe, I liked how the instrumental piece provided different textures, which allowed members to show off a variety of moves that fit smooth and rough sound textures. Quite clever, if you ask me.
The Final Ranking…
And now we come to the rankings. Probably he most important part of the show. ONF really wowed me with their performance. I felt they were the most creative and really showed off their performance skills to the other participants. And so I ranked them #1 in this preliminary round. As for the dreaded #7 place? That unfortunately went to Pentagon. Their performance felt pretty weak in comparison to the rest and it seemed like they didn’t put their best foot forward. For the rest of the rankings, they are in the table below!
Performance Title
Artist
Actual Ranking
My Ranking
The Sword of Victory
The Boyz
#1
#2
Road To The Throne
Pentagon
#2
#7
Lights On
ONF
#3
#1
Beginning
Golden Child
#4
#3
Face It
VERIVERY
#5
#5
Phantom of ONEUS
ONEUS
#6
#4
Into the dysTOOpia
TOO
#7
#6
And that is it for the preliminary round. Short performances, but definitely enough to get those exciting vibes going. Check back tomorrow for my thoughts on the first official round (‘Song Of King’).
1st Round – Song Of King Review & Rankings 2nd Round – My Song Review & Rankings 3rd Round Part 1 – Collaboration Review & Rankings 3rd Round Part 2 – Your Song Review & Rankings Final Round – FINAL Review & Rankings
Apologies for my lack of album reviews over the last few weeks. A lot has happened in the past few weeks which prevented me from drafting and publishing these album reviews. But now that everything is stable again, I am able to restart posting reviews and album reviews as previously announced. We kick start the album review segment for the second time this year with VERIVERY’s comeback. They returned last month with Lay Back and their third mini-album, Face Me. Let’s see how the album fared as part of their latest comeback.
Face Me Album Cover
1. Photo – To me, Photo sets the tone for the album. It starts off with a rap-whisper sequence and this slowly builds into a decent rap verse. The vocals start to come through alongside the rapping. All this happens with a minimal background that is laced with heavy bass. That is up until the pre-chorus where the song picks up, leading to a paced but unique chorus. It doesn’t go for a slamming drop, but it is definitely a change in momentum. I really liked this section as it really sets the song apart from the rest of the album. The rest of the song copies the exact same set up. But due to its uniqueness, it doesn’t feel repetitive (maybe many more listens might change this). But Photo really opens the album in a way that yells out that there is a change in their sound, and it is worth checking out this change. (8/10)
3. Paradise – We start with the clock ticking and then are launched into the very familiar tropical house genre. It isn’t a complete launch (like as we do with the chorus), but you can definitely tell the direction of the song within the first few seconds on the track. I thought the song was nice, with the brightness in this track cutting the intensity that was thrown at us. It doesn’t feel heavy and the sound isn’t the ‘in-your-face’ type. My only complaint was the chanting (or shouting) during the chorus really cheapened the song for me. I did like the rougher texture during the opening of the final chorus. But the rest of the choruses felt a little too cliché. (7.5/10)
4. Curtain Call – Curtain Call is a pretty standard pop track. There is a nice beat to the song, which I think is one of the song’s main draw points. The rapping in the song is also another strong aspect and I definitely wanted to hear more of it as the song went along. The vocals did feel like it was the weakest part of the song as it didn’t feel like it was mixed in nicely. One example of this was the chorus. The vocals were used as a launcher into the chorus, but instead it cut the flow of the song and it felt like it was just awkwardly placed on top of the instrumental, rather than incorporated into the song. Overall, it was okay. But it was definitely the weakest of the bunch. (6/10)
5. Moment – We end of the album with a ballad. An expected move when it comes to many albums in the KPOP sphere. Coming off the previous song, I did think the vocal work in this song was a lot better. I do get the same impression that the vocals were laid over the top of the instrumental, but that is the nature of most ballads. The harmonies with the backing vocals, the acoustic guitar focused background and the softer nature of their voices do help out in this aspect, making this track extremely pleasant and calming. (8/10)
As mentioned last year in VERIVERY’s Tag Tag Tag review, both Gugudan and VERIVERY have big shoes to fill due to the inactivity of VIXX (as their members are approaching military enlistment age). However, it seems like Jellyfish Entertainment have under utilized them in 2019, with each of these group promoting only one song in the past year. With their debut and two other comebacks, VERIVERY has taken reign as the most active groups under the company in 2019. Despite that, however, I personally hope that Jellyfish actively pushes their two active groups in 2020 to be a better performing company. And VERIVERY’s comeback yesterday is a step in the right direction for the year ahead.
The comeback title track is titled Lay Back and I feel like this could have potentially be a unique track. It just needs a slight boost out of the ‘typical’ domain to really give it that status. The deep house genre could be a little more epic and this would have given the song what it needed. The energy that they had going in the chorus can be stepped up a notch as well. But apart from that, it was a decent track. I really like the whispering rap that featured in the second half of each verse/pre-chorus. That was quite unique and gave the song a smooth feel, contrasting with the more upbeat funky vibes that VERIVERY is widely know for and featured during the chorus. Their vocals were loud and clear, which I really like. I did not care for the rougher rap sequence during the second verse. It did feel a little cliche and added a slightly ill-fitting hip-hop infused sequence to the song when it didn’t feel necessary.
I personally think the music video has a similar vibe to their creepy hide-and-seek theme that they had going on in Tag Tag Tag. This time around, however, the group meet up with their reflections. That creepy vibe is present and I thought that made the video worth watching. The lyrics seem to be directed towards a second person, but I thought it was really clever that the director/producers made the video so that the lyrics are directed to an alter ego or their inner self. Another plus is that the group isn’t always dancing in front of a mirror, which is what I meant by reflection. Instead, the reflections ended up dancing side by side one another, which I thought was cool.
I thought the choreography was quite good. I really like the slight leg bobbing that they do at the start of the chorus. The energy that the song was channeled well throughout the choreography, making this a really good one from the group.
Song – 7/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 7.8/10
It can definitely be said that VERIVERY has very big shoes to fill. With the impending military enlistment for all of the VIXX members, the senior male group has been focusing on solo activities (and my guess is that they will be all leaving to enlist soon). This leaves VERIVERY and Gugudan to carry the torch that VIXX has lit for their company. Today, VERIVERY returns with a new single, Tag Tag Tag and Veri-Chill (the group’s latest single album). This is the group’s first comeback since From Now, which was released a few months back.
Tag Tag Tag doesn’t strike me as a song that breaks ground. While the members do seem to push themselves with a more energetic and memorable pop song, this ‘heard before’ feeling was my initial thought. But with every listen I have given the song since, I am noticing a lot of new things that the song manages to do well. But that typical feel still hangs over my head. The song manages to show a convergence between a mature sound and the group’s usually energetic dance style. And I like this convergence. I just wished it managed to pick up something that makes me become more amazed. The energy was definitely a major plus. It fits the idea of using a game of tag to get closer to your lover. So the upbeat atmosphere does drive you towards that activeness. I really like how they voiced their vocals. They seemed to push themselves to stand out over the vocals, which I enjoyed. But the rapping was my favourite bit. It provided that extra intensity to the song, which in turns makes this a loaded track. The hooks are fast becoming catchy, giving that memorable element.
When we think of Jellyfish Entertainment, we all think of VIXX and their dark concepts. This music video leads us back into that dark concept with a haunted house, which the members play tag in. But it is done in a more youthful manner that wouldn’t fit VIXX. We don’t get a sense of the creepiness until they play blindfold tag, where we see unrecognisable feet as they are playing and one member (who was it) removes his blindfold to reveal no one there. We get a sense that things are a lot more seriously creepy when their phones start picking up faces that are not there. Or when, the member who just stands there smiling, while something is registered in the background. Or that someone was watching them while they were playing outside. Or that someone took a picture of the guy who was the seeker. The ending was probably the biggest shocker (even though I think we all saw it coming), as it reveals that one of the members was the barefooted entity all along. Very interesting video.
The choreography seems to return VERIVERY to their usual youthful style, which I guess is more fitting than infusing some horror to the stage. After all, the song is all about a game of tag. I like the energy is showcased as part of the performance and the moves that I saw looked pretty nice.
Song – 7.5/10 Music Video – 9.5/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8.2/10
KPOPREVIEWED 