Like. Wow. This sounds like a song that a pre-established artist would release mid-way through their career, only to be received with critical acclaim and everyone calling it "their best song". BUT IT'S JUST THEIR DEBUT SONG. WHAT. There are very few debuts that leave me speechless - (G)I-DLE impressed me, yes, but they didn't drop my jaw or anything. Everglow DID. If you've been seeing a lot of hype around this song, then trust me when I say it's for a fucking good reason. 

"Bon Bon Chocolat" is one of the most intense and powerful girl group songs I've heard in the past year or so. I had no clue what to expect going in, admittedly, but man this was a fantastic surprise. The instrumental, for starters, is fucking nuts. It's got this phenomenal 808 bass line that permeates the entire song, along with some really interesting bass drum beats and some gorgeous, vibrant synths to help boost the melody. It's a tour de force of momentum that just does not fucking stop, and I for one am in for the ride. The vocal samples are another standout, as well; the minute you hear those fast-paced adlibs at the beginning, that's when you know that this is going to be something special.

Speaking of vocals, that's probably my only gripe with this song. Each of the members' performances are layered with quite a bit of autotune, which I'm not the biggest fan of. But the more I listen to it, the more I feel like it works in the song's favor. Sure, it does make their voices less distinct and makes it harder for you to get a feel for the members' charms (which is important for a debut, in my opinion), but the song is so damn good that it actually ends up working. In a weird way. The fact that the girls are able to pull of this sound and concept without sounding like they're trying to be the next BLACKPINK is... amazing in my eyes. It's a trap so many rookie groups can fall into, trying to sound like a hugely popular and successful artist. But Everglow have their own charm, and it shines from start to finish.

Lyrically, this song is certainly invocative of a debut. It's got that sort of "you can do anything if you believe in yourself" message to it, but it's a very confident and fresh take. The charm and personality of the lyrics actually works, and is boosted by, the girls' performances and that amazing instrumental. They honestly elevate what would normally be some pretty standard lyrics into something more interesting and worth your time.

Oh, and guess what? The choreo is phenomenal as well. WHO WOULD'VE GUESSED, HUH.


Overall, this was fucking fantastic. I absolutely cannot wait to see where these girls go next, because if it's anywhere near as good as "Bon Bon Chocolat", these girls are going to go far.

STAN TALENT, STAN EVERGLOW.

DAEHYUN (대현) - YOU'RE MY (너는 내게)

Alright, I'll admit that this is a very indulgent pick for me. But shhhhh let me have my moment okay.

For those of you who haven't been keeping up with the latest bullshit going on over at TS Entertainment, you might not know that B.A.P ended up basically disbanding a few months ago. All of the members gradually left the label - thank FUCK - and now they've all gone their own separate ways to follow new paths. Although, as a BABY since debut, I really do think they'll come back at some point. The boys are all incredibly close, and I don't feel like they'd just want to stop being B.A.P just because they're not under TS anymore.

But the first thing a lot of the members have been doing is pursuing solo projects, a lot of which actually dropped in springtime. Yongguk released "Hikikomori (히키코모리)", Youngjae released "Another Night", and Daehyun released "You're My (너는 내게)". And while all three songs are fantastic - you should seriously go check them out if you get the chance, they're hidden gems that more people should know about - I decided to review Daehyun's for this comeback review. I'd love to do all three, but I've got enough songs to review as it is.

And that's mainly because... well, Daehyun's my ultimate bias. (Well, at least my ultimate male bias; Hyosung from Secret is my ultimate female bias). He was my first ever proper bias in K-Pop, and he's been my favourite in B.A.P since day one. So it was inevitable that I was going to be interested in whatever he releases. And it turns out that he really decided to play to his strengths here, because "You're My (너는 내게)" is a mid-tempo ballad that really gives his amazing vocals room to breathe. Now, whilst ballads are not generally something I seek out, I'll make certain exceptions if I really like the artists. And yeah, I was always going to make an exception for Daehyun.

This actually reminds me a lot of one of Kyuhyun's solo songs, "At Gwanghwamun (광화문에서)", and considering that that's another ballad I really like, that's a great thing! Both songs are relatively chill, relaxed and pleasant to listen to, with their own instrumental swells where it's deemed necessarily. But I do honestly prefer "You're My (너는 내게)" a little more in the end - mainly since I feel like it has a bit more impact. The instrumental really suits Daehyun here, and the strings and piano lines are perfect for his vocal tone. They're very warm and welcoming, which is one of my favourite qualities about his voice. Whereas Kyuhyun always goes for a slightly breathier tone, Daehyun is very well able to lean into full-on belts every now and again, and... yeah. I do prefer this overall. Daehyun's voice is just killer for me.

And yeah, as is to be expected from a ballad like this, the lyrics are quite sweet and emotional. They're even a little bit pensive in places. But with Daehyun, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that some of these lyrics are aimed at BABYs as a whole. He's always been very clear about how much he loves and supports the fandom as a whole; seriously, go look at his Twitter and you'll see what I mean. He's a very grateful, very kind person, and that's reflected in a lot of these lyrics. Yes, they can be about romance, too, but considering this is his first time really venturing out on his own outside of B.A.P... it makes a lot of sense. It's very heartwarming. 😊




While "You're My (너는 내게)" is probably going to feel like just another ballad to some people, to me - and probably a lot of other BABYs as well - it'll stand out as a big moment for Dae. Wherever he decides to take his solo career from here, you can bet it'll be good. He's a genuinely great guy with some real talent, and I hope both he and the other members of B.A.P do well in their solo careers. They honestly deserve it. 😊

ITZY (있지) - DALLA DALLA (달라달라)

...where... the fuck... do I start with this.

Okay, so JYP. One of the big three. Of course, going into the next gen of K-Pop, they'll have TWICE and GOT7. But they're mainly 3rd generation groups. Stray Kids are going to need a sister group of sorts to go with them into the next generation, right? So they debuted Itzy! And adorable name aside, these girls had a lot, and I mean a LOT of hype around them coming up to debut. Need I remind you that Shin Ryujin won MIXNINE? Yeah, that's just the start of it.

But... as we all know, this was originally supposed to be a six-member group. Of course, Somi was originally going to be a part of Itzy. But she left, and recently started her own solo career (which will be in the summer comeback review). So that leaves the remaining five members of Itzy to push forward as a beacon of what K-Pop can be, of how different and unique and memorable it can be, right? They might end up being the face of the next generation!

...with a song like this? God, I... kinda hope not...

Yeah, this is going to sound harsh. But JYP, this is NOT how you debut a promising girl group. I'm sorry, but it needs to be said - if you like the song, good for you, I'm glad you can find things you find enjoyable here. But I cannot listen to "Dalla Dalla (달라달라)" and think of it as anything else other than a raging dumpster fire. The only way this song is even listenable for me is if it's rearranged. Which, yes, that's the version I've been listening to since the day it came out. The original version is just... awful. AND THAT'S SUCH A GODDAMN SHAME.

Say what you will about me hating on Itzy for doing something different, but I really do love the image and concept that they're going for here. They're not trying to blend in; they're their own thing, and they make that clear from moment one. But... jeez, "Dalla Dalla (달라달라)" rams that message into your face so hard that it already feels stale. What the fuck happened, JYP? You have five of the most talented trainees out there in K-Pop right now, and you give them this as their debut song?! Don't get me wrong, it has its merits - the verses and choruses are nice. They're fun, upbeat and are great examples of bouncy bubblegum pop. They sound lovely! And the "don't care what people say" bridge is gorgeous as well.

But... the rest of this song... it doesn't even sound like music. It sounds dissonant. It sounds messy. It sounds downright atonal. It's like a rollercoaster that's going way too fast because of a fault in its engineering. It's got this awful mess of synths and blaring samples that just... doesn't mesh. At all. and it ruins the song's ending ENTIRELY. It's so bad. Seriously. I can't imagine a world where I listen to it and find it entertaining. Who let Skrillex lose in JYP's studio?

And the lyrics... yeah, they're fine, I guess. For a concept that was trying to be so different and distinctive, you could've had your songwriters come up with some more interesting lyrics, JYP. They're nothing we haven't heard before. They're spunky, yes, and they suit the girls' age, but... are they really all that different?




Thankfully, there are two good things about this song in the end: number one is the girls themselves. The hype around the members was certainly justified if you ask me. Every single one of them has their own charm and personality, and they seem like they're going to develop into amazing performers; if they're this good now, then I can't wait to see where they are in five years' time. But the second good thing about "Dalla Dalla (달라달라)" is THAT. MOTHERFUCKING. DANCE.

TAEMIN (태민) - WANT

You're a twit, a man who knows only me
Like delicate Simcheong*
Look around once in a while
You don't realise how hurt you are

* = this is the folklore story I was talking about; DKDKTV did a great explanation of it here.

Following on from that, if there's anyone who knows how to have fun in a dance, it's Hwasa. And damn, does she have fun with the routine for "Twit (멍청이)".

ATEEZ (에이티즈) - SAY MY NAME

Man, we were speaking of B.A.P earlier, right? And I've seen an awful lot of hype going around for ATEEZ; apparently they've just really caught on and people see a lot of potential in them.

WELL IF SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME THEY WERE A MODERN B.A.P I WOULD'VE JUMPED ONTO THE HYPE TRAIN WAY FUCKING SOONER.

Seriously, I've been discussing this with a friend of mine, and this sounds pretty much exactly like something B.A.P would've released back in late 2012, during the "No Mercy" era. I can literally imagine what member would sing what part. But don't think that that's a bad thing - "No Mercy" is still a fucking phenomenal song, and "Say My Name" is just as good. Dare I say, a little bit better in some ways?

Like I said, I hadn't listened to ATEEZ before this - but damn, the hype is real. The potential these guys have is astounding. The instrumental here is big, it's bombastic, it's what you'd expect from a boy group. The trap snares and blaring trumpet synths are nothing new. But it's the little touches here that make it truly special, like the whistle melody, or the natural acoustic guitar line. On top of that, ATEEZ are some of the strongest rookie performers I've heard in a looooooong time. They impressed me about as much as Everglow did, and that's saying something. A killer vocal line plus a really fucking great rap line is just the perfect recipe for a boy group in my head, and ATEEZ are the definition of it. They have so much effortless charisma that a lot of boy groups will strive to achieve, but will never quite get. These guys just have it ingrained in them from the word go, and that's hard to find.

I picked this song to review over "HALA HALA" in the end, mainly because I did find "HALA HALA" a liiiiiiittle cringey. That's mainly because of the lyrics - the whole Suicide Squad thing kinda pulled me out of the song. (Jongho's vocals didn't though, good LORD.) But as for "Say My Name", the lyrics are actually VERY different than what I was expecting! I was expecting some sort of uplifting message about how we're going to overthrow society's self-inflicted patriarchy (although Stray Kids did deliver on that front with the MV for "Miroh"). But it's more about how they gain strength from their fans and their success, and how it encourages them to keep pushing and moving forward. They're surprisingly sweet, actually! There are some nice little details here and there that make them really heartwarming.




Another thing I'd heard a lot about ATEEZ is that their choreographies are top-class; these guys are apparently fantastic dancers.

And, uh... do... do they even have a main dancer? Or is that just something that's applied to the group universally? I'm... pretty convinced they don't have one at this point...

I've already seen this before, I feel so high
Everything goes blurry, 1, 2, 3
Now I'm blind, I don't know why
I know what it is even if I don't see it, a bad ending

So while there technically isn't a dance for this song (I mean, there will be soon, since EAST2WEST won the #NoirChallenge & that's going to become the official routine - which they deserve, they're amazing!), there's still a hell of a lot to look at here. And overall, this is a serious contender for one of my favourite songs of the year as a whole. Sunmi knocked it out of the goddamn park with "Noir", and I would LOVE to see her try a concept like this again some time. It really shows how much of a professional she can be, and "Noir" is straight-up my favourite thing she's done. I love it. 👏👏👏

MOMOLAND (모모랜드) - I'M SO HOT

I find it very ironic that we're going from a song that's pretty serious to one that's... not serious at all. Not even in the slightest.

I won't hide the fact that I liked "Bboom Bboom" quite a bit last year, and I found "BAAM" to be even better. (No, I don't think they sound the same.) So going into MOMOLAND's comeback, I was curious to see if all the hate they had been getting would affect their sound; would they change it up from what they'd found success with to appease the haters, or would they stick with something more light-hearted and fun?

They ended up doing the latter, and I'm very much happy with what we got! Honestly, "I'm So Hot" might be tied with "BAAM" for my favourite MOMOLAND song yet. It's incredibly reminiscent of some of what T-ARA released back in their prime; a simple yet fun song with some interesting elements to make it memorable. The trumpet sample in particular is something I really like; I've seen some people say it's fairly grating, but I can't help but love it. The ragtime pianos and old-school vibes here and there really sell it for me, too! It's just an upbeat, fun pop song that you can really just enjoy yourself with.

But what I DON'T get is why people hate on this song simply because they find it "boring" or "nothing new", or even just because it's MOMOLAND. (Yes, rant incoming.) 

Since when have songs like this lost their place in K-Pop? To bring back T-ARA as an example, everyone adored "Roly Poly", "Bo Peep Bo Peep" and "Lovey Dovey" when they came out because of how fun they were. Those songs didn't try to take themselves seriously; MBK just wanted to give T-ARA fun, bouncy songs that would stick in everyone's minds. And they did. So why are MOMOLAND getting hate for doing the same thing? These sorts of songs deserve to be here just as much as anything else does. People need to get over their goddamn hate boner for MOMOLAND and just move on. If you don't like the song, that's completely fine! If you hate on the girls for "copying themselves", "never doing anything original", and saying that "they're just trying to repeat the success of Bboom Bboom", fuck you. You're part of the problem. K-Pop isn't a contest, in contrast to what some Twitter stans might believe. Grow up, stop wasting your energy sending needless hate to artists, and move on. Rant over.

In terms of "I'm So Hot" though, it's nothing too insane lyrically - which is what you'd expect going in. Or at least you should. The title alone tells you that this is going to be pretty face-level and superficial. But hey, you need something to turn your brain off to every once in a while, and when the song's as fun as this, I can't really complain!

There's not a lot to go through here in terms of the dance, either - but again, I don't really mind it that much.

IZ*ONE (아이즈원) - VIOLETA (비올레타)

Can we even call this a music video? I feel like this may as well be a short film, cause godDAMN this is one gorgeous MV.

It's like if somebody decided to condense Kill Bill into a three-and-a-half minute rollercoaster - only in this case we're talking about the actual film Kill Bill... not the Wild West-esque concept Brown Eyed Girls did a few years back. (Although to be quite honest that song was, and still is, a HUGE bop. Miryo's rap is fucking phenomenal.) Being honest, this MV is the Russian spy movie Jennifer Lawrence wished she had been in with Red Sparrow. I'm serious. That film sucked in comparison to this.

To get back onto the main point, this concept couldn't have been a nicer change of pace for Taeyeon. She wasn't kidding when she said this would be different. The song is jazzy as all hell, and even though she isn't promoting it on music shows, the MV more than makes up for that! We get to see a sassier side of Taeyeon (that poor guy in the elevator had no clue what was coming), and there's even some messaging and symbolism about the music industry if you dig deep enough. It's surprisingly multi-layered and of a very high quality, and it really was a damn nice surprise. SM may be a piece of shit, but at least they give their artists great comebacks. 👏

I have four words to describe my reaction to this MV:

BLACKPINK FUCKED ME UP.

And here I thought Taeyeon's MV was heavy on the symbolism! Not only is this video colourful as all fuck and positively gorgeous to look at (which is certainly helped by the girls themselves cause they're all stUNNING), there's so much here to analyse!! The tumblr theorist in me literally had a fucking heart attack when I saw Jisoo's section with the paparazzi in the second verse. THAT SHIT IS BEGGING TO BE ANALYSED AND GIVEN MEANING.

I'm not even going to begin describing all of the images BLACKPINK present us with in this video - there's a loooooot. Maybe I'll make a post breaking it down sometime. (That'd be fun, actually.) But this was the video that reeeeally got me thinking:

MOMOLAND (모모랜드) - BBOOM BBOOM (뿜뿜)/BAAM

...yeah, I really couldn't pick between these two, so I just decided to lump them together.

Let's take "Bboom Bboom" first. This MV is honestly so refreshingly unique, especially for a girl group who normally has a cutesy concept. Everyone and their mother has talked about the song and video, so I'll keep this brief: I don't know who decided to centre this MV around informercials, but it was a style choice I'm certainly happy with. On top of that, the colours just straight up pop out at you, far more than they do in other MVs if you ask me. I'll admit, there are certain scenes - especially at the start - that look kinda like a drug trip, but that's beyond the point when the rest of the video is so smooth, and especially when it flows together so well.

AND. Yes, there's an 'and' here. MOMOLAND (*cough* YEONWOO *cough*) even manage to mix in some darker, more sexy sections - while they're not broadcasting themselves as fitness instructors or trying to convince you to buy some fictional product (that we would all totally buy if it was real, let's be honest). While this sort of thing... probably wouldn't work if it were any other group, MOMOLAND are quirky enough to pull it off! And they manage to do so WITHOUT seeming like total idiots. That shit's hard to do. 👏

So we go from BLACKPINK with their bright colours and symbolism, and MOMOLAND with their drug trips in video form, to... this. Which is starkly simplistic in contrast. But that's exactly why it's so damn good.

This video got released on my birthday and I couldn't have asked for a better fucking present. Not only is the song surprisingly sexy and classy, the accompanying video perfectly matches that same vibe! Not only that, the whole idea of walking around a really busy city at nighttime is a huge guilty pleasure of mine (maybe because I've grown up in the countryside), so that immediately got this video on my good side. But then we also had Amber and Luna bREAKING IT THE FUCK DOWN.

This is one of those videos - similarly to Seohyun and Yuri's secret - where I desperately wish we had gotten a choreography video to accompany it, cause I want to learn that dance please. To be fair, the original video itself IS mostly pretty good in terms of showing the choreography (due to its simplicity), but hopefully the upcoming SM Station concert will give us a nice, clear, full-length fancam? I can hope. 😢 But overall, this is definitely a case of minimalism done right, and the classy style suited Amber and Luna as a duo surprisingly well. I'm impressed. 👏👏👏

Y'know what I love? Throwbacks. AND THIS IS HOW YOU DO A THROWBACK.

Goddamn it, EXID have got to be one of the most stylish K-Pop groups out there for me. Every single comeback, their sense of style, concept and even fashion is just... top notch! With no faults! Even when they release a song that I maybe didn't like as much, like "Night Rather Than Day", the styling is still so goddamn pleasing to look at. And for "Lady"? They reeeeally went all in with the 90s concept. 

I mentioned before that I love it when groups are so fully absorbed in their concept, with my example being Dreamcatcher. This is another fantastic example of that. The song is boppy as all hell, the dance is fun as fuck yet exhausting (and reminiscent of the 90s, for sure), the outfits are cheesy yet the girls still manage to look fly as fuck wearing 'em, and the video is just the cherry on top of that Backstreet Boys-inspired sundae. I feel like this video doesn't even need a VHS filter over it to create that nostalgic effect; it'd still look just as authentic and legit without it. 

Sure, this isn't another "DDD", and that's always going to disappoint me in some way other another (That was legitimately one of my favourite songs of last year, talk about fucking nailing a comeback...) But y'know what? EXID decided to just have fun with this, and I'm all for it - especially when the MV looks the way it does. 😁

And that's that! That's all I had planned for the midyear lists - although I do have a lot of other post ideas coming soon, so watch this space. 😉 Plus we've got a great string of comebacks coming up, so... July is looking good!

Red Velvet are, for me, one of those groups I am CONSTANTLY close to stanning. Every time they come back, and with every new song they release, they keep getting better and better in my eyes. And to be honest, I feel like they called this repackage 'The Perfect Red Velvet' for a reason, because this is honestly my favourite song and concept of theirs to date. Yes, I loved "Peek-A-Boo", and I loved "Russian Roulette" as well, funnily enough. But "Bad Boy" is just on a level of its own.

-

I've always been more of a fan of girl crush concepts in K-Pop rather than cutesy ones, so I was immediately into this as soon as I heard it! I did see a few people saying that the members couldn't really pull it off, but I couldn't disagree more. They all seemed so confident in the live stages, and with a song like this, I don't blame 'em. I would be too. And that English version they revealed at KCON NY?! FUCKIN PERFECTION.

Also, she may be my bias, so I'm a little biased. (Duh.) But Seulgi was born for this concept. That is all.

CLC have always been a group I see undeniable potential in. Every single member has so much goddamn talent and charm, and they certainly did find their niche after a while... I just wasn't a fan of the bubblegum pop (even though I did like "Pepe" quite a lot). Then "Hobgoblin" happened. AND I LOVED IT. They were basically a mini 4minute! Which does make sense, since Hyuna had a big part in the production and styling. Unfortunately though, not everyone else seemed to agree, or... necessarily like it. So CLC went back to a more "au-naturale", ballad style, with "Where Are You?" sounding like something that'd be played at a school dance while all the couples make out in the middle of the dance floor. So yeah. I found it a bit disappointing.

But THEN, "Black Dress" happened. And hoooooolyyyyyyyy shit. I am back on board with being a Cheshire again. I was really nervous for CLC when I heard they were going back to a more badass concept, because I wanted it to be good. But it wasn't good. It was fucking great. So now we're here! And I really do hope CLC continues this with type of concept for a while; it really does suit them to a T. I am more than okay with Yeeun and Sorn continuing to slay me with their existences. Let's make that a thing please.

So it may be the only boy group song on my list, but HOLY MOTHER OF FUCK THIS SONG IS AMAZING.

Ever since Hit the Stage (which we dESPERATELY NEED A SECOND SEASON OF), Ten's been my bias in NCT. And I've always been a fan of Taeyong's voice when it comes to his rapping (let alone his singing!! which he sounds so good doing!!!). So this was already going to be a good enough song. But then someone in SM decided to make it (strangely enough) really sexual, but also really catchy. AND IT WORKS. 

I've seen/heard a loooot of people, including some of my friends, comparing this song with NCT's "Whiplash" in terms of the lyrics (heh, I wonder why). But this just... outclasses it in every damn way. I don't think I can remember another time I fell in love with a K-Pop song this fast. This is Bond film-level classy. Yes, the lyrics are pretty raunchy, but that doesn't take away from the crazy addictive song itself, as well as the pure and utter charisma Ten and Taeyong have as a subunit. Like. bOIS. YOU TWO NEED TO CHILL OUT BEFORE YOU KILL US ALL WITH YOUR GODDAMN WHISPERING. THANKS.

HYO (효) [HYOYEON (효연)] FT. UMMET OZCAN - SOBER (ENGLISH VER.)

The English and Korean versions of this song give off completely different vibes. I don't know how, but they do. The Korean version, based on what I've heard, is much more wistful and solemn; it's more like G-Dragon's "Crooked" - it's an upbeat song with some fairly sad lyrics. The English version? It's full of confidence and recklessness, with Hyoyeon fully admitting that she only loves the person she's with when she's sober; when she's drunk, she couldn't give a shit. All she wants to do is party. And when I compare the two... the English is just so much better. That sort of carefree tone isn't something seen very often in party songs like this, and it's a really refreshing thing! Confidence is always nice. Plus, I feel like the vocals in the English version are mixed way better, especially coming up to the end? They just sound a lot clearer and less distorted than the Korean version.

I'm also INCREDIBLY impressed by Hyoyeon's vocals and pronunciation. The fact that she's struggled with English pronunciation for so long, and yet here she is doing a full English version of one of her songs?! That's beyond admirable, and deserving of an awful lot of respect. And it helps that the song is great too! Outside of K-Pop, I've always been a huge EDM fan, so this is right up my alley. It certainly didn't blow me away as much as, say, Amber and Luna's "Wave" two years ago, but nothing's ever blown me away like that since. So this is pretty damn good. Well done, Hyoyeon. Or, Hyo. Whatever your new stage name is now. You're still awesome.

Be warned: we're getting into bias group territory. 

*inhales*

Seriously. If you aren't listening to Dreamcatcher by now, what the actual fuck are you doing?! Every single song they've come out with sounds like a badass anime opening, the styling and concept they go with is heavily horror-inspired, their choreographies are complex yet beautiful, their music videos all have an overarching story... I could go on and on. But between the two songs Dreamcatcher have released this year so far - "Full Moon" (the song for their 1st anniversary) and this? "You and I" won out. Purely for the adrenaline.

I mean yeah, "Full Moon" was pretty awesome. (Of course it is, it's Dreamcatcher.) But it didn't have the same sort of cinematic feel and bombast that "You and I" has. It's a pity they're wrapping up the little story they've had going on in their videos, but I think this was a pretty damn good way to end the arc. Even if the video did leave me a little confused. But that's the fun of it all, I guess. 😃 Long story short, they haven't disappointed me yet. I was worried they wouldn't be able to keep up the rock/horror concept when they debuted, but over a year later, I'm not worried at all anymore. I'm just in love with it all.

Also, Dami is a certified magician.

LOOK AT THIS SHIT MAN. THAT'S JUST PLAIN AWESOME. SHE AIN'T EVEN MY BIAS. 

(I made the gif, by the way. Just in case anyone thinks I stole it. I didn't. I'd feel horrible if I did.)

Hoo boi, we're back into bias group territory and oHHHHHH SWEET JESUS THIS MIGHT BE MY SONG OF THE YEAR.

BLACKPINK. IT'S ABOUT FUCKING TIME. These girls went and released a song - and a mini album, actually - that shows off the potential I've seen in them since the day they debuted. The comparisons between BLACKPINK and 2NE1 really are valid, and this song shows off why - BLACKPINK mean business. They're not just some wannabe girl group that are going to disappear overnight - they really are going to shake things up. And hell, if this song's placing on the Billboard Hot 100 doesn't show that, what will? Not only is this my favourite concept for BLACKPINK so far, it's by FAR my favourite song of theirs. Until now, I've liked their stuff an awful lot - enough for me to stan them fully. But I've never quite loved it like I have with "DDU DU DDU DU". I'd say "PLAYING WITH FIRE" is the closest they got.

The minute this song started up, I actually shed a tear. No joke. I started crying. I was so fucking proud of how far these girls have come, and now they're really starting to find their groove in K-Pop. (If Papa YG would actually let them release shit now and again to keep the momentum going, that would be nice.) The improvement is insane - ESPECIALLY with Jisoo, cause holy fuck she's improved in the dance department - and even then, they were already impressive as hell when they did debut! "DDU DU DDU DU" is extremely catchy and addictive (from my experience, anyway), the dance is pretty sharp and clean, the lyrics are slightly generic but interesting enough to keep my attention, and the viDEO. OHMYGODTHEVIDEO. I'll talk about this in another post I have planned, but... I've been addicted to it. For many reasons. Not just to fangirl over how beautiful they are & be the pansexual nerd I am. That's not why at alllllll.

TAEYEON (태연) - SOMETHING NEW

This... was not what I expected from Taeyeon. But I love it. I feel like this is the sort of concept only someone with her experience could pull off as effortlessly as this. For the record, I've loved most of her solo efforts so far. Girls' Generation were the reason I got into K-Pop in the first place, and Taeyeon has never been one to disappoint when she does go solo - "I" was great, "Why" was (and still is) a summer bop, and "Fine" and ESPECIALLY "I Got Love" were so damn impressive. There's still a part of me that desperately wishes Taeyeon would release a full solo version of "Devil's Cry", but I know that's never going to happen. But so long as we get something like this every now and again? I'm alright with that, actually.

This song is kinda similar to "Baby Don't Stop" in terms of its Bond film-esque vibe, but it's just so goddamn funky. I'm 110% certain this song has the best bassline in K-Pop in 2018. Fight me. And yet there's so many other elements to this that make it amazing - the intro with the multitracked vocals gave me chills the first time I heard it, not gonna lie. Even the fact that Taeyeon isn't trying to do anything overly impressive vocal-wise is a nice change. She's one of K-Pop's top power vocalists, for sure, but it's nice to just put the brakes on that every now and again - to try "Something New", if you will. 😉 All of these different little elements and quirks come together to give us this, and considering how samey the rest of the K-Pop industry can often feel, it's... extremely refreshing to say the least.

MOMOLAND (모모랜드) - BAAM

Yeah, I'm picking BAAM over Bboom Bboom. I'm a rebel, I know.

But yeah, even though this song has just come out, it's already a standout for me. IT'S THE SECOND COMING OF 2012 T-ARA AND I LOVE IT. It's just as funky and upbeat! Not to mention, the dance is addictive as fuck with all the shuffling. Now I know a lot of people are going to whine about MOMOLAND not really changing things up too much from Bboom Bboom, but if you had a song that was as successful as BB was, I bet you wouldn't change much either! If it's not broke, don't fix it. Plain and simple. It's another EXID scenario, and I think MOMOLAND are doing pretty damn well for themselves.

There's something about this song that's so much more addictive for me than with BB. Maybe it's the synth line, maybe it's the reduced amount of repetition in the choruses, maybe it's because Nancy's green hair is blinding me and obscuring my judgement. Who knows. It's probably the saxophone line, let's be real - that shit is fuuuuuunky. If MOMOLAND are good at upbeat, catchy dance songs with a catchy hook and a good sax line, then I say we keep them on that path! It's clearly working out well for them, and I really do hope they just continue to flourish from here on out. They've got the success, they've got the catchiness and charm - and they've got some damn solid music to boot.

They've also got memes. Lots of them. To the person who decided to have the dance to Dame Tu Cosita as part of this choreoraphy: YOU ARE MY HERO.




Welp, I guess that's that! At least now it can be known that I'm girl group trash. :,)