With numerous comebacks and releases being delayed due to the world kinda being in complete chaos right now, May was the first sign of the floodgates really opening in terms of new releases. Comebacks that were delayed finally got release dates, promotions and music shows continued behind closed doors, and the K-Pop industry as a whole seemed to retain some sense of normality. Obviously, if we've got a huge amount of comebacks, I have a lot of songs to talk about - and yeah, that's pretty true here! I've actually ended up loving some recent comebacks so much that I've decided to review the albums they come from, so if you don't see idols like April or DAY6 in this review, that's why.
Introduction aside, we have a lot to get through here, so continue to look at what 2020 is offering us in terms of K-Pop (as well as a wild card or two here and there). 😊
ONEUS (원어스) - A SONG WRITTEN EASILY (쉽게 쓰여진 노래)
I'm going to completely honest here: I'm going to find it hard for ONEUS to top "Lit (가자)". I still maintain it was one of the best releases of 2019, and it really should have been on my year-end list somewhere (which is one of the main reasons I'm trying to be more diligent with listening to new music). So, when ONEUS announced a comeback with what seemed to be a stylistic pivot, I immediately told myself I wasn't going to like this as much as "Lit (가자)" - and that's completely okay. Not every song can be the exact same, and I was still interested to see where ONEUS would go with what seemed like a very breezy, summery concept.
And breezy it is - "A Song Written Easily (쉽게 쓰여진 노래)" is definitely a summer anthem. It's got a driving, moody moombahton beat that works as a great base by the instrumental; however, what's most interesting to me is the subtle fusion of styles that's actually going on here. By the time you hit the choruses, there's a very clear EDM influence, since you're being drowned in massive, spacy synths that fill up every corner of this gorgeous instrumental. The melody is firmly rooted in the best kind of pop, and the touches of acoustic guitar here help to tie everything together with a neat little bow. It's a song that reminds me of both (G)I-DLE's "Latata" and ATEEZ's "Promise" at once - especially "Promise". And trust me, when I get to compare a song to "Promise"? I'm very fucking happy about it. 😅
The members knock it out of the park, here, as well - Leedo and Ravn's rap verses are very melodic, which I feel works excellently to boost the entire summery vibe. On top of that, the vocal line sound near-angelic at times, with Keonhee and Seoho being particular standouts for me. Every member sounds like they're full into this song, which continues to prove just how versatile ONEUS are as performers - I really hope they gain some extra attention on Road to Kingdom for that!
If I was able to walk on a beach right now, this is the first song I'd go to. It's light, it's breezy, it's incredibly easy to listen to, but "A Song Written Easily (쉽게 쓰여진 노래)" is anything but boring or forgettable. Its choruses are soaring, and they really leave a lasting impression. So, sure, I'm not going to scream about this from the rooftops like I wanted to do with "Lit (가자)", but this is still a damn fine comeback that deserves more love!
OH MY GIRL (오마이걸) - NONSTOP (살짝 설렜어)
Jeez, if these idols keep dropping summer anthems, we won't have anything left by the time summer actually comes around...
Let me be the first person to say that I haven't been a fan of Oh My Girl in a long, LONG time. I adored their debut, "Cupid", and "Closer" is one of the most stunningly ethereal songs I've ever heard. But their typical airy fairy girly concept is just... not something I'm into. Like, at all. The last OMG song I really remember enjoying was "Colouring Book", because it was unapologetically colourful in just about every damn way. So, when I saw the teasers for "Nonstop (살짝 설렜어)" with the whole board game concept, I was curious. It certainly didn't look like their standard fairytale concept... maybe this would be something brighter?
It was bright, alright. It's a fucking ball of concentrated energy. And I'm in love with it.
My pet peeve with super-innocent, fairytale-esque concepts in K-Pop is that they all seem to follow a very similar format - use the same three string instruments, have a melody that sweeps and changes keys for dramatic effect, and have each member sing in an overly airy, cutesy voice. Now, I understand that that's a massive generalization, but when you see enough of the same song and concept over and over, the individuality I adore so much in K-Pop just... begins to fade. It's like that for any concept that's popular at any given time. But it's songs like "Nonstop (살짝 설렜어)" that are a much welcome wake up call - take notes, companies, because this is how you do cute. From start to finish, this instrumental is jam packed with bubbling synths, a ringtone-worthy melodic line that permeates throughout, tropical beats that are some of the most infectious this year so far, and energetic performances that will undoubtedly have you screaming the lyrics along with them. The instrumental is lush, full and full of so, SO much colour, and it's incredibly well structured to boot!
The members themselves do anything but slack off here, as well - but let's get the obvious one out of the way first. This is undoubtedly, unequivocally Mimi's era. She has three - yes, THREE - individual rap sections in this song, and every single one of them is incredible. Sure, they're also filled with a lot of Engrish, but when she's spitting this much fire, who cares?! She bodied this era. Period. I have to say though, the other girls are sounding remarkably refreshed and chirpy here, with Seunghee sounding like she just dropped down from heaven to bless us real quick with her vocals in the pre-choruses. (Seriously, the chills I got from her lines were unreal). Every member is firmly in their comfort zone, but the song and melody are so damn infectious that I imagine they had a lot of fun recording it - hell, if I was given a song this good, I would, too.
I have to say, after how well they did on Queendom, I had hoped Oh My Girl would breathe new life into their concept and really see some success with their comeback - and that's exactly what they did. "Nonstop (살짝 설렜어)" is an outrageously fun song from start to finish, and it's one of the most energetic and uplifting things to come out of K-Pop this year so far. If you've been struggling with all that's going on in the world right now, please give this a listen if you haven't done so already - I can promise you this will put a huge, cheesy grin on your face. I know it did for me!
APINK (에이핑크) - DUMHDURUM (덤더럼)
Apink are a group I have a... strange relationship with. As you can probably tell from the Oh My Girl review, I'm not a fan of cute concepts, so they never appealed to me when I first heard of them. I listened to "No No No", instantly disliked it, and moved on. But when they had that concept shift with "I'm so sick (1도 없어)"... it was like a whole new group had just debuted. It's by far my favourite song they've released to date, so I was excited to see the follow up... only for "Eung Eung (%%)" to ultimately disappoint me. Sure, I like the song, but everyone around me who listens to K-Pop seems to think it's the second coming of Christ. It's good, it's perfectly fine, but... really? Is there something I'm missing?
Anyway, this isn't a review of "Eung Eung (%%)", this is a review of "Dumhdurum (덤더럼)", so... what did I think of it?
Well, I certainly like it more than "Eung Eung (%%)", but not as much as "I'm so sick (1도 없어)", if that helps at all.
For beginners, it can't be denied just how earwormy the chorus here really is - between the synth line and Bomi/Namjoo's vocals, good luck getting that out of your head for the next week. Trust me, the first time I heard this, I didn't think it was anything consequential, but HOO BOI WAS I WRONG. This WILL get stuck in your head, easy. And thankfully, that addictive chorus has some great things surrounding it - each element in the instrumental is given adequate breathing room, and while that synth sounded a little garish to me at first, it did grow on me once I got a feel of what the song was going for. The added adlibs in each chorus help give "Dumhdurum (덤더럼)" a great sense of pace and progression, as well - and that bridge is by far the most impressive thing here. Between Bomi's hushed, quiet falsetto and Eunji's quick modulation, it's a beautiful climax to the song that leads perfectly into the dance break and ending.
Performance-wise, you've got Eunji harmonising with her own vocals, so I think that tells you all you need to know. It's remarkably solid as always, but the one thing does bother me quite a bit is the sing-song style rapping at the end of each chorus - it could've very easily been replaced with another line in the melody, but instead, the producers chose to have Eunji and Namjoo sing in this... very childish style? It reminds me of the overly cutesy vocal delivery in the verses of "I'm so sick (1도 없여)", and it's definitely my least favourite aspect here.
Outside of that, "Dumhdurum (덤더럼)" is pretty solid. It's incredibly catchy, and will definitely get stuck in your head, but it'll be interesting to see how long that lasts for me - I've already started to drift from it, and I'm just not sure if it has true staying power in my playlist right now. Regardless, if you like Apink's previous work, this is bound to be a home run for you - I guess I'm just not fully there yet.
TXT (투모로우바이투게더) - 9 AND THREE QUARTERS (RUN AWAY) (9와 4분의 3 승강장에서 너를 기다려)
Remember how I said at the beginning of this post that there would be a wild card or two here? Yeah, this is one of them. With their comeback right around the corner at the time of writing this, I realised I never wrote a full review for "9 and Three Quarters (Run Away)" (I'm not typing the Korean title for this song because holy fucking shit).
Yeah, that needed to change. And fast.
Let's be honest, you've probably heard this song by now. TXT are huge, which, sure, they had coming - they're under BigHit, it was inevitable. But they had to convince me that they could be something different, something new and interesting - I was waiting on the comeback that would show me that they're not just being spoonfed their popularity thanks to their gargantuan labelmate.
"9 and Three Quarters (Run Away)" is the song that will turn any TXT skeptic into a guaranteed listener. It's certainly done that with me.
I mean, where else have we heard this sort of an instrumental in K-Pop? Reminiscent of some of the best pop rock of the 90s and 2000s, you've got this rollicking guitar line that's permeated by thick, heavy drums and bass throughout every inch of this instrumental. The electric guitar is used liberally here as well, and to great effect. I have no idea where TXT and BigHit pulled this song out of, but wherever it came from, I want more. This is a goddamn whimsical song that grips you and refuses to let go for the duration of its runtime - the musical, wavering, almost dizzying music box touches in the pre-chorus that lead into one hell of anthemic chorus are just the cherry on top.
And yet, never do you lose TXT's sense of innocence here. The boys are young, you can tell as soon as you hear their voices - they've got this innate sense of naivety to them that's immediately apparent. However, "9 and Three Quarters (Run Away)" gives them a great chance to explore a more mature side of their image, which is thanks to that fantastic instrumental I just talked about. And they nail it! Their vocals have a great sense of power and finality where needed, and in other parts, they're soft and appropriately enchanting. Never did I feel like a member was out of place here.
Long story short, if you were skeptic of TXT like I was after "Crown", and you haven't heard this yet, fix that immediately. I can only hope that whatever they have to offer us with their comeback is as good as "9 and Three Quarters (Run Away)" - hell, if it's even half as unique, I'll be happy! This is a legitimately magical song, no hyperbole intended, and it has me incredibly optimistic and excited to see where TXT go from here.
CHUNGHA (청하) - STAY TONIGHT
I love it when an artist becomes so three-dimensional and masterful at what they do that I consider them a benchmark in terms of quality. For me, the benchmarks of quality in K-Pop are my ult groups - MAMAMOO for girl groups, and ATEEZ for boy groups. Both of these groups set the standard for the kind of K-Pop I love, and I know anything they release will be of an insanely high quality.
However, it's very rare that an artist outside of my ultimates becomes such a seal of quality, as it were - for someone to do that, they've really got to be groundbreaking, they've got to be captivating, and they have to be a trailblazer for their neck of the woods who excels at just about everything that's thrown at them.
That could be a general description of what I'm trying to say... Or I could have just described Chungha.
Because to me, she IS a mark of quality. Ever since "Gotta Go" absolutely stormed its way into K-Pop in the early days of 2019, she has been... quite literally on a roll. "Gotta Go" is one of the most iconic female sololist songs of all time, and "Snapping" was a pretty fucking great follow-up. So, for her to announce an entire comeback, with multiple pre-release singles, I was... undoubtedly curious. If she had multiple pre-release singles up her sleeve, does that mean they'll be lower quality songs with simple music videos? There's no way she's going to match the quality of a title track with this, right?
Guess what? It's Chungha, your expectations are irrelevant, BECAUSE SHE WENT AND DID IT ANYWAY.
If you showed me the music video for "Stay Tonight" without telling me it was a pre-release, I'd ask to hear the rest of the album. This is NOT a pre-release track for any other group - this is a fully-promoted, fully-decked out comeback. But apparently, not for Chungha! No, this woman stops at nothing, and is destined to completely and utterly blow my face off with the levels of quality in her music.
I mean... where do I start? The minute I heard that 90s dance influenced synth in the opening moments, I knew this would be special. Synths don't normally give me chills like that. But that was just the tip of the iceberg - the bass in the choruses is deep, growling and downright disgusting; the instrumental is deep, atmospheric and so incredibly riveting; the choppy vocal samples are some of the most tastefully used and eloquent I've heard in a song of this style; every single element here is pure and utter dancepop perfection. I've heard some people say this song tops "Gotta Go" for them, and while it doesn't quite get there for me, I can completely see why it would for some people!
And, of course, you have Chungha herself. I don't need to explain to you how she's so good at what she does - she just... is. She's such an enigmatic presence both on and off the stage, and that absolutely includes behind the microphone. "Stay Tonight" has her hitting some of her highest notes to date, and let me tell you, they are INCREDIBLE. Her vocal range continues to go underappreciated, in my opinion, and the pure sense of climax and energy her vocals give off here is unparalleled. It's goosebump-inducing, ESPECIALLY IN THAT BRIDGE. Holy shit.
Never did I imagine that Chungha would make a song that's as good as this, sure, but if you had told me it would be influenced by the voguing scene and glam pop in general... I think I may have just keeled over. And yet, that's exactly what "Stay Tonight" is! This is a song for the gays, and I really do mean that unironically. If you're not going full Kylie Minogue to this when nobody else is around, what the fuck are you even doing?! You're missing out.
"Stay Tonight" showcases its own brilliance when you listen to it, honestly - I didn't even feel like I needed to write this review. But at the same time, I wanted to write it just to gush about it, because it really is that damn good. Chungha, I'm terrified of you. If THIS is what you have up your sleeve as a pre-release single... I am quaking in my boots for what's to come. Hopefully it lives up to the quality of "Stay Tonight", because... wow. I don't really have any other words. Just wow.
SOLAR (솔라) - SPIT IT OUT (뱉어)
At the beginning of this year, I sat down and decided to write some K-Pop predictions in my bullet journal. One of those was that, after Hwasa and Wheein's solo debuts, we would get solos for either Moonbyul or Solar this year. Turns out, we got both, and I should've really made those predictions into a post because my MooMoo heart is incredibly happy about it.
However, going off of the reaction to Solar's solo, I don't think "Spit it out (뱉어)" was quite what people were expecting...
But that's the point.
This song doesn't fuck around, so I'm not going to either. This song is Solar in music form - if you had to describe her to someone without using words, I would play this song for them. Her personality and charm is in every inch of this song - her vocal performance makes this immediately evident. She's got such incredible skill and control over her voice, and while she chooses to take a much more hushed (and admittedly very sexy) approach to the main melody here, she does still get her chance to really belt and blow you away. Her vocals are varied, skilled and incredibly refreshing to listen to. She's the life and soul of this song, which is exactly how a solo debut would be, in my opinion. She gets to show off a side of her most casual listeners wouldn't get to see in "Spit it out (뱉어)", and I think the song is better off for it. (Also, Solar singing in Spanish has, indeed, been the death of me.)
That personality thankfully carries over to the instrumental here as well, as minimalistic as it is at points. The main talking point here is the beautiful flamenco-influenced guitar, which gives the entire song a real sense of... spiciness, for lack of a better word. It's matched beautifully by the almost exotic, thumping drums, and the commanding snare flourishes that signal the start of the commanding choruses. The bridge is more in line with what I think people thought Solar would do for a solo debut, where her vocals get to shine, and the instrumental fades out to some subtle piano keys and a more dramatic percussion line. However, it all comes together in the end to create a song that's so... lively.
"Spit it out (뱉어)" is definitely not the solo debut people were expecting from Solar, but I actually love it more because of that! It was such a wonderful subversion of expectations - on the surface, anyway. If you know Yeba, and you're familiar with what she likes conceptually, it's no real shock she'd release something like this. But I think Solar purposefully chose this concept to challenge what the listener is expecting from her - she doesn't just do ballads or powerful drama OSTs. This release was meant to challenge how you see Solar, and to expand (and showcase) her abilities as an artist. If you've heard some middling or even negative buzz around "Spit it out (뱉어)", give it a listen anyway and see what you think - to me, it's an incredibly strong solo debut that deserved a lot more praise than what it got.
IU (아이유), SUGA (슈가) (BTS (방탄소년단)) - EIGHT (에잇)
A quick heads up/trigger warning: In this review, I do discuss some tragic events that have taken place in K-Pop, mainly the deaths of some prominent idols. If you're a bit sensitive to that sort of thing, I suggest you skip this review.
Do you ever have an artist you just can't seem to get into? Apink is already an example of that trope for me in this review, but IU has been another idol who I've never quite seen the hype around. She's long been considered Korea's little sister, and everything she releases, from drama OST to full-fledged comeback, is essentially guaranteed acclaim and mountains of success on the charts. I remember listening to "You & I" upon first getting into K-Pop, and it just... wasn't something that struck me.
However, that did change slightly when "BBIBBI (삐삐)" released - it was the only song of hers I'd heard to date that I enjoyed all the way through, and it became a bit of a staple in my playlist. So, when it was announced she'd be releasing a song both produced by and featuring Suga from BTS, I was curious. Sure, it would be an absolute monster in terms of popularity and success - IU could already do that on her own, and that effect would only increase exponentially with Yoongi by her side.
But upon listening to "Eight (에잇)", I can safely say this is another IU song I'll be coming back to. It's got a vibe very similar to Jin's solo from Map of the Soul: 7, "Moon" - it reminds me of a slice of life anime opening feel, one that's airy, breezy and incredibly easygoing. The acoustic guitar is a fundamental, and the choruses have a natural swell to them that feels organic and incredibly sweet. It's relaxing, and very heartwarming, even if I do feel like the song is a bit too short.
And yet, it's emotional. Undoubtedly so.
The main interpretation of the lyrics here is that they're about youth - we can't stay young forever, and we will always have people and experiences that move on from us. It's not something we can control. However, those experiences and people will often stay firm in our memories, so that we can reflect on the experiences that we've had.
But to me... I couldn't help but relate it to real-world events in K-Pop as of late. If you keep up to date with K-Pop news, you probably immediately know what I'm referring to here.
2019 was... not a good year for K-Pop, not in the latter half anyway. We lost two incredibly talented individuals - Sulli from f(x) and Hara from KARA. Both of them were very close friends of IU's, and I've seen a lot of people incredibly worried about how she's coping with all of it. Hell, I've been worried, and I'm not even that big of a fan of hers - this is just exacerbated by how she was also close friends with SHINee's Jonghyun. When you take all of this admittedly heavy stuff into account, "Eight (에잇)" isn't a simple, breezy tune that you can listen to to cheer you up - it becomes a song about mourning, processing life's events, and moving on.
Now, that's not to say that's what this song is about - IU may not have intended her listeners to take the lyrics this way, but... it's also very hard not to, especially if you're still grieving Sulli, Hara's, or Jonghyun's passing. The translation is incredibly hard to read, and I imagine even harder to listen to if you fully understand Korean. They pack an emotional punch not few songs can - given the circumstances, however, I think they're beautifully appropriate. We're all going to have people in our lives who pass on, whether it be expected or unexpected. Mourning and reflecting is never easy, but it's an essential part of life.
IU just so happens to be good at songwriting and performing, so assuming that "Eight (에잇)" is about these recent events... it seems that that's how she chose to express her grief and provide some sense of closure - and in doing so, she created a song that will inevitably hit far too close to home for some. Hell, as a MeU and someone who unexpectedly lost a family member earlier this year, I'm one of those people. But stuff like this helps, even if it's just a little. It may be a small step, but it's progress. And that's what matters most.
•••••
COVER IMAGE CREDITS:
