Next up on the blog and as part of the focus on solo debuts and comebacks this week is YERIN, who we all may know as a former member of GFriend. Following the disbandment of GFriend in 2021 and her subsequent departure from Source Music, YERIN signed on with Sublime Entertainment. She made her solo debut back in May of this year with the single ARIA and mini-album of the same name.
YERIN’s solo debut track, put frankly, is a song that is too consistent throughout. From start to end, ARIA felt all the same. And I find this to be quite disappointing, as I feel that ARIA had the potential to really go far. The bubbly synth choice was vibrant and bright, just in time for Summer (at the time of release). The bass gives the song oomph. YERIN’s high-pitched saccharine-like vocals suited the stylistic approach that the instrumental had opted for. Joining them together, you get a punchy number. But unfortunately, there is not much else to ARIA. Each time I finish listening to ARIA, those were the only aspects of the song that I could take away. With repeated listens, the bubbly synth choice, the heftiness of the bass and the high pitched vocals just ended up being generic and dry. I wanted more out of ARIA, but I just couldn’t find that something more. The melodies and hooks, which are usual elements I look to, just weren’t enough, and so ARIA became less memorable with each listen and soon dropped off my list (and is hence why it has taken so long for me to review the song). Even giving some time for ARIA to brew hasn’t helped much. Returning the song after five months, it is just all the same for me. Maybe that is why the song ended up being so short (spanning only two and a half minutes), saving us from three minutes plus of the same. ARIA needed to go up and down, and have interesting flair to have been able to stand out.
The music video definitely had a lot more going on. I counted a total of 6 different sets (not including changed lighting or background), double of the elements that I noted to be from the song. I really liked the brightness and pop of colours that the video featured, and YERIN looks very cute and beautiful throughout the video. I did like how the editing kept up with the music, which helped created a more dynamic atmosphere and accompaniment to the song.
The choreography was okay for this comeback. I felt some of the moves were a bit ordinary and plain, but it did the job well at matching with the energy and bright atmosphere that the song had. I wasn’t really expecting a mind-blowing or captivating performance piece, but I felt the choreographer could have just made the performance a bit more dynamic given the synth choice that ARIA had..
Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 6.5/10
Overall Rating – 6.7/10
KPOPREVIEWED 