Well, summer this year has certainly ended up being... busier than I anticipated. But thankfully, being away for a week in Mallorca (which was mostly very nice, actually) has given me a good amount of time to catch up with the HUGE amount of summer comebacks we've had. It's a normal thing in K-Pop; every summer, each company rushes to give their artists a comeback or two to generate hype and make some money. It's something to be expected at this point. But I'll admit, this year's summer comebacks have actually played to my tastes quite well. I haven't really been left in the dust like I normally am - there are actually a lot of groups or artists I'm interested in who've made some sort of comeback this summer!
So many groups and artists, actually, that I'm making this post into two parts! I'll be talking about 8 songs in total; 4 songs in the first post, and 4 more in the second. (The only summer comeback that I WON'T be talking about here is KARD's; that'll get its own post sometime soon. They are a bias group of mine, after all. 😁)
[This is a two-part review - part 2 can be found here!]
ASHLEY (애슐리) [LADIES' CODE (레이디스 코드)] - HERE WE ARE
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.
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. 😉
KYUNGRI (경리) [9MUSES (나인뮤지스)] - BLUE MOON (어젯밤)
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.
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.
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)
*takes breath*
THIS IS THE APINK COMEBACK I'VE WANTED FOR LITERAL FUCKING YEARS.
HOLY HELL, THIS COMEBACK IS PHENOMENAL. "I'm So Sick" has a fantastic retro vibe going for it from start to finish, and while the overly cutesy-verses and strange vocal samples can prove slightly jarring at points, none of it takes away from what is honestly one of my favourite choruses in K-Pop this year. Like. YES. IT'S SO POWERFUL AND FUNKY AND MORE MATURE FOR APINK. I LOVE IT ALL.
The video's got a very... lush look to it? For lack of a better word, that is. It's very chic and mature, which is something I've felt Apink have deserved for aaaages. They don't deserve to be painted as cutesy, stereotypically adorable girls when they've got this hiding up their collective sleeves.
(Also, Hayoung is definitely my bias now. That girl's voice fits in so damn well with this song, it's amazing.)
(Also, Hayoung is definitely my bias now. That girl's voice fits in so damn well with this song, it's amazing.)
Being completely honest, the lyrics aren't too much to write home about; it's just your typical girl going through a breakup who's trying to be defiant and move on, but she knows she's lying to herself because she still loves the person she was with. But the dance? Screw writing home about it, you may as well yell it from the fucking rooftops. 'Cause APINK DID NOT COME TO FUCK AROUND.
This right here? This is an incredibly graceful and elegant choreography that also has many layers of complexity and precision. These girls make it look easy. Rest assured, it is not. Not many dance practices manage to leave me just... staring at the screen in awe. But goddamn, this one did it. From start to finish, each and every single goddamn member floats through this routine. Yet they're all so sharp and exact at the same time. It's BEYOND impressive.
(Also, I mean this as a legit compliment, but... Namjoo may have messed up her nose with that plastic surgery, but goddAMN SHE DID NOT MESS UP HER DANCING SKILLS. HOLY SHIT, WOMAN.)
I don't think there's too much else to say on this. It's an all-round fantastic comeback, and such a wonderful breath of fresh air. I for one hope Apink have a repackage or another comeback with this vibe instead of going right back to the cute stuff, because this is absolute gold.
RED VELVET (레드벨벳) - POWER UP
Y'know what I love? Video games. Y'know what else I love? Video game music. And, of course, I love K-Pop. So Red Velvet had to just go and combine all of that into one, big summery K-Pop song. Normally I don't like cutesy concepts like this one, but... Red Velvet have always been the exception to that rule for me. Their cute concepts don't really conform to the stereotypical standards; there's always something unique and charming about them that just makes them stand out. And "Power Up" is no different!
The chiptune elements are obviously my favourite part of the song, but there's so much to listen to here. The chorus vocals are beautifully multilayered, giving it a major sense of momentum. And the distorted vocals at the end of said choruses? They might only be a small feature, but I honestly love how they sound. It's so... unique. And very Red Velvet, for that matter!
Also, I swear to fuck, I've had that intro section in my head for a solid week. Everywhere I go, everything I do, the inside of my head is just continuously going "BA NA NA NA BA BA NA NA NA NA NA". But I'm okay with it. Because this song is awesome. Sure, the lyrics aren't too amazing or anything, but it's a summer song. They're not really supposed to be. Although I do like that little bit of empowerment and inspiration that they carry; it's the sort of stuff you'd want to sing with your friends while you're on the beach.
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
•••••
That's it for the first part! Part two will be coming relatively soon, so keep an eye out for it. 😉
Ashley (애슐리) - Here We Are
Kyungri (경리) - Blue Moon (어젯밤)
Apink (에이핑크) - I'm So Sick (1도 없어)
Red Velvet (레드벨벳) - Power Up
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