On today's installment of "Things I'm Extremely Late To Becuase Of College, Depression And Mental Breakdowns", it's the winter comeback reviews! And there's a loooooot to talk about here - winter was real busy this year.
I do want to mention something going forward though - there are going to be some songs from January 2019 in here as well. As far as I'm concerned, January is still winter, and it wouldn't make sense to leave those songs out. Because GODDAMN, 2019 has delivered so far. So I just decided to lump them in here!
Let's get to the actual comebacks though, and see what winter had in store for us this year. 😊
[This is a two-part review - part one can be found here!]
EXID (이엑스아이디) - I LOVE YOU (알러뷰)
HEO SOLJI, HOW I MISSED YOU.
EXID are one of those groups that I just love listening to. Their concept is fun, their songs are addictive and the members have some of the best chemistry in the industry. Hell, I remember listening to "Up & Down" when it came out, and being so disappointed that these girls weren't more popular... only for Hani's video to go viral and for EXID to gain monumental success a few months later.
Their overnight success isn't something to be disregarded, though - EXID have very much kept their momentum going through some fantastic title tracks, mainly produced by Shinsadong Tiger and LE herself. That's no different here, since that's exactly who's behind their most recent comeback "I Love You". And yet again, that teamup proves to be incredibly potent!
The little vocal sample at the beginning of the song serves as its foundation, but yet it still leaves room for quite a bit of experimentationm in the instrumental. There's even an 80s dance breakdown in the middle that, when combined with Hani's vocals and LE's brief rap, left me pretty damn impressed!
The rest of the song is just as memorable though, with some gorgeous glittery synths in the chorus to mirror the melody (which gives it a nice lift, if you ask me). The girls themselves are stunning as well, and if you ask me, this is one of the best vocal performances they've given! LE's as powerful as ever, Junghwa's vocals have matured beautifully, Hyerin and Solji's vocals are jaw-dropping, and Hani is straight up making me forget how to breathe. That's normal for her to do that, don't worry.
Lyrically the song isn't anything special - it's just the sort of "I'm head-over-heels in love with you" kinda song. But hey, in my opinion, that's not where this song shines, so I'm perfectly okay with them! The video more than makes up for it, though. I was fucking crying from laughter when watching it for the first time. Seriously, if you haven't seen it, GO WATCH IT RIGHT NOW. You're missing out on these girls' amazing personalities.
You've made my eyes open
You're my last love
You're my thief who's cut out and stolen my heart
Even though their songs are normally fantastic, one big thing that normally disappoints me with EXID's comebacks is their choreographies. Normally they're not too complex, and are very simple and slow (which often lets the girls put emphasis on being inhumanely sexy). But I'm delighted to say that "I Love You"'s choreography is a HUGE step up for them!
The point dance is sassy and memorable, the formations are pretty complex, and there's a lot of fast moves that look like they're hard to pull off. Yeah, there are one or two long walks back into formation that seem a little awkward, but this choreo honestly had my interest from start to finish. I had low expectations going into it, not going to lie, but this routine managed to pleasantly surprise me! I really hope the girls continue doing more complex routines like this in the future, since not only do they pull them off excellently, but they all look fantastic while doing it. Their next comeback may be even better in this regard!
...well, with all the disbandment rumours that are going around, let's hope we GET another comeback. These girls are such an asset to K-Pop, especially with songs as good as this one... I hope that doesn't go to waste. 😟
HYO (효), 3LAU - PUNK RIGHT NOW [ENGLISH VER.]
(Yes, I'm talking about the English version. I can't STAND the Korean version. Like... at all.)
Queen Hyoyeon is back to show us simple bitches how to handle EDM in K-Pop, and I couldn't be more delighted. "Sober" was one of the best songs of 2018 period, so my excitement for this was through the roof. And while "Punk Right Now" definitely goes in a different direction, it's one that I can wholeheartedly get behind!
This is more of a house song than "Sober", which leaned heavily into the pop side of EDM as a whole. But THIS is straight-up bouncy house. And I love it for that. It's always been one of my favourite genres for a very specific reason (that I'll get to in a bit), and to hear Hyo pull it off so excellently really made me smile! "Punk Right Now" may not be a serious song in any regard, but that's what works so well in its favour - it knows what it wants to do, and has a shitton of fun with it. This is the sort of song you can just enjoy and bop your head to, and it honestly sounds like Hyoyeon had just as much fun recording it - her English just keeps getting better and better!
You wanna know how badass Hyoyeon is though? She eats GLUTEN. WHEN SHE SHOULDN'T BE EATING IT.
Yeah, this song's lyrics are adorably goofy in places. And I love them for it!
I got my sunnies on on the subway
I don't need no headphones for my jam
You wanna, you wanna be me
Don't you understand that I slay?
Y'know what's not goofy though? THE CHOREOGRAPHY.
THIS RIGHT HERE IS WHY I LOVE HOUSE MUSIC.
When I used to attend hip-hop classes every week, I always got so damn excited when we learned a house routine - they're bouncy, they're high-energy, and you honestly feel sorta weightless whilst doing them. So to see this kinda thing in K-Pop makes me happy in a way I can't quite describe.
Yeah, this doesn't look hard. But it's deceptive in every damn way. Hyoyeon's such a phenomenal dancer that she makes it look like she can do this in her sleep - but trust me, this shit is a WORKOUT. And she's having fun with it! I wonder if she had any part in the choreographing herself, because it honestly wouldn't surprise me. This is one of those routines I desperately want to learn sometime, because dances in this style are such a rare gem in K-Pop.
Never change, Hyoyeon. Keep giving us absolute bops like this and I'll love whatever you make. 👏👏👏
CHUNGHA (청하) - GOTTA GO (벌써 12시)
Yep, that just about sums up my reaction to this song.
Like... seriously. Holy shit indeed.
KIM CHUNGHA. WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL THIS TIME?! I was SO worried about this girl's solo efforts after "Love U". I didn't think she'd be able to come back from it - the song was good, yes, but it didn't do nearly as well as her other songs (from what I know), and it wasn't very memorable if I'm being brutally honest.
AND THEN THIS BITCH GOES AND RELEASES ONE OF THE BEST SOLO K-POP SONGS I'VE EVER HEARD.
Dark concept? Embraced.
Song? Beautiful.
My wig? Snatched.
Hotel? Trivago.
Okay, memes aside, this... this still continues to blow me away. "Gotta Go" is one of those rare, beautiful songs that just does everything I wanted it to do. The last time this happened for me was Dreamcatcher's "What" last year, and while this isn't quite on its level just yet.. I didn't think it'd be happening again so soon!!
The instrumental is fucking breathtaking - there's layered synths, full of depth and mystery. The lyrics give off an almost Cinderella-like vibe, and yet they're full of romance, longing and almost a sense of desperation. And Chungha gives, by far, her best vocal delivery in any of her songs to date. Like. WOW. That final high note had me legit tearing up. She's gentle and airy in some places, and monolithically powerful in others. This entire song works so well together that it's a one-way road to goosebumps for me.
Baby [I] don't wanna be alone
If it gets any later, I might lose it all
I'm really trying to make you see
That's just the song though... don't even get me started on the dance.
I don't even know if I have words at this point. The song and dance have just kinda rendered me speechless. Everyone is inhumanely in sync, the choruses are SO damn sexy and powerful, the verses are full of intricacy and sharp, yet fluid movements... this is god-tier stuff. I really don't know what else I can say. Thank FUCK she got her first win with this song. She absolutely, 110% deserves it.
Another great thing about this song though - Mnet decided to acknowledge some of the amazing cover dance channels out there and made a "Dance The X" video for "Gotta Go"! There's some phenomenal channels featured in the video itself (Ellen and Brian are particular HUGE favourite of mine), and to think they got to dance with Chungha herself makes me insanely happy. 😄
So... um. Yeah. I can often get quite ahead of myself with things like this, and for all I know this could be no exception, but... I have a funny, funny feeling this is going to be in my best songs of the year list. And we're in February. FEBRUARY.
WHAT.
TWICE (트와이스) - YES OR YES
After the run TWICE had last year, having a third comeback probably seemed like overkill to some people. But to me, I was cautiously excited. I didn't like "What is Love" that much, and HATED "Dance the Night Away", so I was interested to see if their third song could impress me in any way. And let me just say, I'm SO glad "YES or YES" exists.
In a year where TWICE seemed more likely than ever to stick to their "oppa I love you UwU" image, they completely changed it up for this comeback. "YES or YES" was the kind of song that had me grinning from ear to hear when I first heard it.
Take notes, JYP - THIS is how TWICE should be doing bubblegum pop. This is by all means upbeat, bright and very girly, but it doesn't come across as pandering like it normally would. That's what I normally detest about cutesy songs, and this is such a refreshing change of pace! These girls know what they want from you - a love confession. And they're getting it. And if they don't get it? Well, that's not an option as far as they're concerned. It's confident and empowering in all the right ways, especially in the lyrics, and I'm so glad these girls finally get to stand up for themselves a little!
Do you mean it? (Do not guess)
Is it true? (Do not ask)
No tilting [your head] left or right ambiguously
Just a clear up or down
So that's good news - we have a nice, confident TWICE song. But what about the dance?
Well, if you've read my year-end lists... yeah, you knew this was coming. It's fucking fantastic.
Like I just said, I've already talked in-depth about this dance on my list of favourite dances from last year, so I won't go into a whole lot of detail here. But this is honestly brilliant! The positions are dynamic, the girls are full of energy and the entire routine comes together to create something incredibly special.
Overall, TWICE knocked it out of the park here! Let's hope their 2019 comebacks are as good as this...
MAMAMOO (마마무) - WIND FLOWER
This is another song I've actually already talked about on here! If you want to hear my full thoughts on it, I actually reviewed MAMAMOO's Blue;S back when it came out, so go check that out if you're interested. But all of the points I made in that review still stand - Wind Flower is the perfect sort of refreshing song we need more of in K-Pop, if you ask me. It makes for quite an easy (and very enjoyable) listen!
APINK (에이핑크) - %% (EUNG EUNG) (응응)
Apink look as though they're going to stick with this new concept they've found! And while I may not love this song as much as I loved "I'm So Sick", this is still a FANTASTIC step in the right direction for these girls. They've developed a very mature, sleek image, and I'm delighted for them!
I've got to mention though - that title? With the two percentage marks (%%) being the exact same as 'eung eung' (응응) when written in Hangul? With 응응 being a casual 'yes', which is what the girls are looking for a lover to say to them? FUCKING GENIUS. Seriously, give the person who thought of that in Plan A Entertainment a raise pronto.
Wordplay aside though, "%%" is almost synthwave-like in places; it's very airy and light, and for lack of a better word, chic. This song is glamorous to its core, which coincidentally matches Apink's new concept perfectly. And yet... there's an undertone to this song that screams sadness to me? I don't know if it's the minor keys, or the chord progressions, or what, but... it sounds so sad in places! Especially with Bomi's delivery of "나타나 줘 눈 깜짝할 사이" in the second half of the choruses. And funnily enough... that fits somewhat with the lyrics. Yeah, this girl may seem confident and commanding on the outside, but on the inside? She's lonely. Badly so. She just doesn't like to show it, so she masks it with her confidence. There's a really interesting layer of vulnerability here!
I tried several times, but it was so hard
They're all the same, I said I'd never do this again
But I get lonely, I want to lean on someone again
But they don't know I'm like this
Moving on from this, I had pretty high expectations for "%%"'s dance - especially after what we got with "I'm So Sick". So does live up to that standard?
I'd absolutely say it does! From the opening alone, you know this is going to be promising. The great thing about this dance to me is, while there are cutesy moves scattered throughout, they're never overpowering? They never feel forced or out-of-place, and they work really well. But just as the song is pretty chic and glamorous in its theming, I feel like that comes across in a lot of the dance moves as well - especially in the choruses! All of the positions are very smooth and controlled, and it's a wonder to me how the girls can pull them off without bumping into one another.
All in all, it's a solid routine for what is another great Apink song! Hopefully they can go three for three this year - my fingers are certainly crossed! They may have a new Pink Panda on their hands if they can keep this up.
MINZY (민지) - ALL OF YOU SAY
For the last song in this part, we're dealing with Minzy's most recent solo effort, "All Of You Say". I was pretty curious as to what she'd try after "NINANO", since even though that song kinda got forgotten over time, I think it showed how much potential she had as a solo artist! She carried her image very well. So what about "All Of You Say"? Does it live up to that potential?
...um. I hate to say it, but no. It doesn't.
Don't get me wrong, Minzy's one hell of a performer - she's got an unhealthy amount of charisma and stage presence. And yeah, there are some glimmers of a really good song here; particularly when she's in her lower range. But even that doesn't hold up for too long - by the second verse, the autotune is thick and you can tell a lot of post-processing went into her vocals. Then there's the tropical house style of the song itself. Now, I'm pretty partial to tropical house. It's why I like KARD so much - they always manage to put some sort of unique or charismatic spin on it that makes it unique and entertaining. But this just... sounds like something you'd hear on the radio. And I don't mean that in a good way. It's ultimately very forgettable, even feeling messy in some places when it comes to the production.
There's also the matter of the lyrics, which showcase what both Minzy and the label were attempting to do with this song - break into the USA. The lyrics are, at best, cringey. They're full of modern day slang, and yeah, if there's anyone who can pull it off, it's Minzy, but... hearing her sing about how she's going to "slay the floor", and and about how her face means "when [she] finna strike"? It's just... incredibly jarring. When Lisa briefly did it in "As If It's Your Last", it was barely noticable. Here? It's one of the song's main features. And it really, REALLY doesn't work. It comes across like one big dad joke.
I'm the boss, I'm so posh
Step back 'cause I'm in charge
Honest to God, I'm so raw
You thought I'm finished with y'all, nah
But hey, it's Minzy! The dance for this song's going to be great, right?
...oh, how I wish it was.
The first time I watched this, I just kinda sat there at the end going "that's it? That's the dance?" And yeah, I still had that reaction when I rewatched it for this review. Minzy is an insanely good dancer - surely they could've given her something better than this? Hell, she probably could've choreographed a better routine herself! There are one or two good moves, sure, like the beginning of the rap part, but... the rest of it just feels very repetitive and pointless. A lot of the moves are uninteresting, and they're just there for the sake of being there. I got bored incredibly quickly here, and considering the person at the front of this routine? That's an utter shame.
Also, I know it's not related to the dance, but good lord, who thought it was a good idea to put Minzy in black, green and neon yellow when all of the backup dancers are wearing black and red? WHO THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA???
Yeesh. This was not a good comeback for Minzy. I really hope she comes back strong, though - she CAN prove to be a great solo artist! Just... this was not it. Sorry.
•••••
That's it for part 1! Fingers crossed I'll get part two up soon, if my college work lets me. 😐
SOURCES FOR THE ENGLISH LYRICS I USED IN THIS REVIEW:
