[This is a two part review - part 1 can be found here!]

I'm going to try and give my thoughts on this one WITHOUT bringing up all of the ridiculous "controversy" surrounding Hyuna and E'Dawn. Apparently, being a human being is controversial these days...

I'll readily admit that while I wasn't the biggest fan of "365 Fresh" when I first heard it - mainly because it's a blatant rip-off of Bruno Mars' "24K Magic" - the song did grow on me over time. And that meant I was excited for a Triple H comeback, to see what they would change and what they'd improve upon. And "Retro Future" is... well, it's a comeback, alright. Just like "365 Fresh", it's an incredibly funky, catchy song (that samples the fucking "Cha Cha Slide", no less). The members suit this concept incredibly well, too! Hui's voice meshes beautifully with the song, E'Dawn comes across as super confident, and Hyuna is... being Hyuna. A.K.A she's being ridiculously sexy and looking effortless while doing so.
...E'Dawn, you lucky motherfucker.

It's zany, sexual and a little bit explicit in both the lyrics and presentation as a whole; something K-Pop DESPERATELY needs, if you ask me.

But... the song has problems. Major problems. "Retro Future" doesn't feel like it ever develops, or goes anywhere, for that matter. It's just the same, repetitive lines looped over and over again. I honestly feel like you could splice the song up and rearrange it, and it wouldn't make a difference. Repetitive songs like this are fundamental in pop, but every now and again it does rub me the wrong way. What really rubs me the wrong way, though, is that outtro. Whoever did the mixing for that outro did a GOD-AWFUL JOB. Which vocal line am I supposed to be listening to? The "get it on, get it on, get it on, get it on" lines or the "let's get funky, funky" ones?! Because I honestly can't tell. It's very slapdash and messy, and sticks out like a sore thumb when the rest of the song is so slick and polished (if a bit unoriginal).

The dance though? HOO BOI IT'S GOOD.

I don't know what it is with K-Pop dances this year, but so many of them have been taking me by surprise with how complex they actually are. I'm delighted to say this is another one of those dances! I do feel bad for Hui being the third wheel and all, but y'know what? That doesn't take away from the dance at all! All three members pull off this routine SUPER well, and considering "Retro Future" seems like it'd be a hard enough song to choreograph for, I'm ridiculously impressed by this choreo as a whole. It does help me forget about the song's weaknesses a little bit, and while it doesn't negate them completely, Triple H did a pretty good job for this comeback. Let's hope netizens actually let them stay together as a group instead of shitting all over their personal lives and demanding they "stay loyal". Ugh. 😣

But, on the topic of things that blew my expectations out of the water...

GUGUDAN SEMINA (구구단 세미나) - SEMINA (샘이나)

Alright, who the fuck decided to give a Gugudan subunit a song as funky as this?! 

...because I want them to be my new best friend. No joke.

For the record, I did like Gugudan OGUOGU's "Ice Chu" last year, even if it was ridiculously cutesy; Mina and Hyeyeon are both only 18, and that's still young enough to do a cutesy concept, I guess. It's pushing it, but it's alright if you ask me. They're still young. It's not like they're in their 20s and are still being forced to come across as teenagers (LOOKING AT YOU, J.Y. PARK. LET TWICE DO SOMETHING NEW FOR ONCE, DAMMIT). But something like this is... so much more unique, and exciting to boot.

As soon as this song started up, I got early MAMAMOO vibes. Then I knew it was gonna be good. And it is! It's fucking great!! Plus, Jellyfish have fixed their mistake of giving Sejeong far too many lines (like they did with "The Boots"); yes, this is only a subunit song, but even Sejeong herself has said before she doesn't want to overshadow the other members with her popularity. I'm glad to report that that doesn't happen here at all - in fact, Nayoung gets the most lines! Her vocals are stable as all get out, and with Sejeong's absolute beast of a voice and Mina's charismatic rapping, the girls suit the concept and vibe perfectly. It's a well-rounded, extremely capable subunit with a fantastic song - plus, the lyrics are confident and sassy without being overly petty. Just like Sejeong on that float.

What a fucking queen.

Then we've got the dance - it's not drastically complex or anything, but it's incredibly charming if you ask me!

For only a 3-person subunit, the girls themselves have a great deal of stage presence. The addition of the microphones actually helps that, too - it's one of the many charming aspects to this choreo. The routine itself is surprisingly sharp and energetic, too, and it's just one of those dances that just has me beaming from ear to ear when I watch it. It's charismatic and bubbly in all the right ways, and definitely gives these girls an edge.

Not gonna lie, SEMINA are one of the better subunits I've seen from a group, and if this is their benchmark, I can't wait to see what they get to do next!

Recently, there have been a few solo artists who have impressed me quite a bit; there aren't that many of them, but when they're good, they stand out from the crowd quite a bit. Chungha has been one of those since her debut, let's be honest. She already showed off her potential whilst she was in I.O.I., but as a soloist? She really does shine. So that always gives me small, yet eager hopes when she announces she's making a comeback. And I'll admit, tropical house is a biiiiiit predictable for her at this point, but "Love U" is still a pretty good song.

Aside from her surprisingly great range (seriously, she has to be at least a mezzo-soprano or something, right? Cause she has a GREAT upper register, at least to me), Chungha's vocals have always been very refreshing and soothing to listen to. She suits summery songs like this perfectly. And even if "Love U" is pretty by-the-numbers, it's certainly passable for a summer song. It's not quite on the same level as "Why Don't You Know" for me, and "Roller Coaster" still outshines it in terms of its lyrics, but it's alright.

Luckily, the dance is superb as always. It's Chungha! She wouldn't have the nickname of "Dancing Queen" if she couldn't pull off shit like this! Her chemistry with the backup dancers is surprisingly strong, and I find that Chungha's routines have a very good sense of visual appeal. They're majorly satisfying to watch, mainly because Chungha herself is such an excellent, skilled dancer.

Even if this comeback as a whole was slightly disappointing for me, I do feel like Chungha is starting to come into her own as an artist. Not every comeback can be perfect, for sure, but Chungha is going to be one of those people who just keeps getting better and better no matter what she releases.

(G)I-DLE ((여자)아이들)- HANN (한) (一) [ALONE]

Goddamn, do we need any more brackets in that title?

I think everyone realised earlier this year the staggering amount of potential (G)I-DLE have as a group. Yes, their name is shit, but these girls have the opportunity to be huge. And guess what? They're taking that opportunity, because "Hann" is FUCKING PHENOMENAL.

I'm always a fan of the darker concepts in K-Pop, but I did like "Latata" quite a lot. It was confident, yet unique, and a fantastically solid debut. But "Hann" takes literally everything (G)I-DLE did with "Latata" and improves on it tenfold. If you ask me, this vibe and concept suits them FAR more. The song itself has a great sense of progression; no two sections feel the same, yet they don't feel so distant from each other that the song itself doesn't work. It does. It's one of those songs that creeps up on you, becomes a major earworm, and doesn't leave your head for weeks. But you know what else is fantastic about this song? THE L Y R I C S.

I've swallowed the water, it's like I've cooled off
I want you to be ruined, don't hold on, it's the end

God fucking damn. CUBE, please let Soyeon write more songs. Because she's clearly amazing at it. Yes, this is very much a break up song, but it's so much more savage than that. These girls don't give a shit any more. They're done with whatever relationship they were in. They may as well be saying "bye, fuck you, nice knowing ya, I want to see you burn in hell". The entirety of the lyrics fit the instrumental's darker tone perfectly, and they impressed me way more than they probably should have. I love them.

Choreography-wise, it's not nearly as complex as "Latata", but we still have an extremely graceful routine here. The choruses are probably my favourite parts if I'm being honest; I'm a sucker for moves that directly follow the beat or rhythm of a song or its lyrics, so that was incredibly pleasing to watch. Although not gonna lie, Soojin's part in the second verse surprised me as well - the formations look suuuuuuper nice there. And on top of all of this, Shuhua gets a little solo section. They're finally getting her to do things! Yay! :D

After this comeback, I'm even more optimistic for what (G)I-DLE are going to get up to in the future. They're the new monster rookies in K-Pop, let's be real. They seem even more comfortable now than when they debuted with "Latata", and if they keep getting better and better like this, then we might have a new supergroup on our hands.

So that's all the songs I wanted to cover, but guess what? BONUS SONG TIME!

TIFANNY YOUNG - OVER MY SKIN [BONUS]

[This is a two-part review - part 2 can be found here!]

The way Ladies' Code have managed to pick themselves back up after what happened around 4 years ago is honestly phenomenal. They've always been an incredibly talented group, but now they're really coming into their own as artists, if you ask me. Their solo debuts and comebacks are just another lovely part of this, and Ashley's is no exception - for a debut I had little to no expectations for, "Here We Are" is a really damn solid song!

Ashley definitely gets to show off why she's LC's main vocal here; she knows when to change her tone and delivery to match the ebbing and flowing of the song, her vocals are super distinctive and nice to listen to, and she's got a whole bunch of personality to boot. (Seriously, go subscribe to her YouTube - Ashley B Choi - if you haven't already. She's awesome.) Ashley really gets her chance to shine here - and that's without mentioning the song itself. That EDM-inspired chorus? Good shit. That's some good shit right there.

The video isn't really anything to freak out over - apart from some of the outfit choices, cause holy FUCK her stylist deserves a raise for that black and white outfit - but the dance was... actually great!

It's strangely graceful, yet sharp and precise at the same time; that's majorly helped by how in-sync Ashley and the backup dancers actually are. The formations are tight, too, with the only real low point of this choreography for me being the choruses. They do feel a little repetitive towards the end of the song, but I'll admit that sometimes songs like this can be hard to choreograph for. (EDM drops can be are more awkward than you'd think.) It doesn't take away that much from the choreo as a whole, which is surprisingly elegant all-round.

It's just the cherry on top of a comeback that honestly took me by surprise, and blew a lot of my expectations out of the water! This... legitimately might be one of my favourite songs of the year. That year-end list is gonna be interesting. 😉

Do you ever hear that a member from a group that you're pretty interested in is making a solo debut? And you get kinda excited, because you know that they'll do great so long as the song and concept suits them? That was pretty much my reaction to the news of Kyungri's - or, rather, Gyeong Ree's - solo. (Jesus christ, that romanization is awful.) She's always been my bias in 9MUSES (well, since Eunji left), and I knew for a fact she could do well as a solo artist. So how do I feel about Blue Moon? I'm pretty sure I can sum it up in one sentence:

THIS IS HOW YOU DO A SOLO DEBUT, PEOPLE.

A K-Pop song hasn't caused me to react like this since I heard Taemin's "Move" last year. When I heard how goddamn funky that song's chorus was, my jaw straight-up dropped. And the same thing happened here! 'CAUSE GODDAMN THAT CHORUS HAS ONE OF THE BEST BASSLINES I'VE HEARD IN A WHILE. The way the music just cuts out, and solely focuses on Kyungri's voice with the bassline? That shit blew my goddamn mind. Plus, the ENTIRE song is so damn chic and sensual, yet slightly promiscuous - and that is essentially Kyungri's perfect concept! And, not gonna lie, some people might not like it, but I absolutely love that auto-tuned pre-chorus. There's just something about it that just adds to the huge sense of funk this song has behind it.

And oOF. DEM LYRICS.

Last night
Wanna hear my story?
You probably can't handle it

GOOD LAWD KYUNGRI. WHAT DID YOU GET UP TO BEHIND YOUR S/O'S BACK.

The video, as a whole, honestly matches the concept super well. There's even a bit of symbolism - when Kyungri is in the wheelchair, it's symbolising how she's felt in the relationship described in the lyrics. She's felt like she's been metaphorically "disabled", and that she couldn't do what she wanted because of the restrictions placed on her. But when she puts the red heels on and walks off, she's becoming more independent and allowing herself to make her own decisions as a single, more confident and free woman, rather than one who's trapped in a relationship that didn't work out.


If there was any MV that I'd expect to have symbolism, it... wasn't this one. But it was a nice surprise! There's even more there that I don't quite understand, but I'm sure someone else has broken it down somewhere on the internet.

So all of this has been pretty great so far, and that got my hopes up for the dance. But unfortunately, it... doesn't quite live up to my hopes.

Don't get me wrong, I do like the super detailed sections involving a whole bunch of hand movements. Those are visually awesome. And those male dancers straight-up RUN AWAY with the damn routine. They're fucking phenomenal. But... there was so much potential here that simply wasn't realised. That dance break should have been way better than what it is, and what it is is just Kyungri kinda waling about looking pretty. I'm all for artists having relatively simple routines so they can keep their stamina while performing, but Kyungri's always been a strong dancer. It's a shame she didn't really get to show that here.

But it doesn't put too much of a damper on what, is overall, a fucking fantastic solo! Looks like Ashley's got some healthy competition.

APINK (에이핑크) - I'M SO SICK (1도 없어) 

THIS IS THE APINK COMEBACK I'VE WANTED FOR LITERAL FUCKING YEARS.

RED VELVET (레드벨벳) - POWER UP

That’s our genius power
Being spontaneous and instinctual, that's what we need

The super bright and summery music video only serves to add onto all of this, but in a very stylish way! I love the imagery of fruit being cut and changing into a CD, a vinyl being cut and turning into a watermelon, and so on. They're super quirky, and match the overall vibe of the song perfectly. (It actually reminded me a lot of "Red Flavour", and that was probably very intentional.) Plus, you can't have a Red Velvet music video without great outfit choices and some CG animation. Because that's how they roll now.

Dance-wise, this song mostly delivers! I mean, it was going to anyway, because Kyle Hanagami did the choreography, and he's fucking phenomenal. Although I do feel like this choreography isn't necessarily the best he can do. It's... relatively simple in the choruses, although maybe that was intentional to give the girls room to breathe. Don't worry, though,  the rest of the choreography is awesome. The verses are super detailed and multi-layered, with the girls themselves being in perfect sync and in perfect formation to match. It's just a shame that they overpower the choruses so much, since it's normally the other way around for K-Pop songs.

(I also find it very very funny that Wendy is having the goddamn time of her life on that stage, while Irene just... couldn't give two shits. Never change, girls.)

Red Velvet certainly know how to deliver on their comebacks, and "Power Up" is no exception! I really should go ahead and stan them at this point, because every comeback I say that I will. And I think I honestly will this time around; they're one of the most consistently good groups in K-Pop right now. Of course, this doesn't even put a dent in how fantastic "Bad Boy" was earlier this year, but it's still a fantastic comeback for the girls.

Speaking of Bad Boy...

SM ACTUALLY RELEASED THE FULL ENGLISH VERSION HOLY FUCK CXGLKWEHGIOEWAHGKLSDKGSW

ALL SOURCES FOR THE ENGLISH LYRICS I USED IN THIS REVIEW:
Ashley (애슐리) - Here We Are
Kyungri (경리) - Blue Moon (어젯밤)
Apink (에이핑크) - I'm So Sick (1도 없어)
Red Velvet (레드벨벳) - Power Up

COVER IMAGE BACKGROUND: Designed by Freepik
FONT: Bontella