[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]