So that had me shook. To put it lightly.
But nevertheless, I tried not to get my hopes too high for the comeback itself. Even after such an amazing teaser. And now that the full mini album is out, I'm... mostly extremely impressed!
Before launching into talking about the mini album itself, though, I figured I'd lay out the general structure of these comeback reviews. I'll break it down bit by bit - I'll go through the album (if there is one) track by track, and talk about what I like and what I don't. I don't plan on giving any scores or anything like that; I just want to express my opinion. And for the main title track(s), I'll talk about the MV, choreo and styling too if I can!
(Any links to the English translated lyrics I used can be found at the bottom of the post!)
1 - MIDNIGHT SUMMER DREAM (여름밤의 꿈)
Straight away, the bright tones and slight lilt this song has stand out to me. It's strangely bouncy, and it's continuing the trend of airy melodies MAMAMOO have been experimenting with recently. This actually kinda reminds me of "Rude Boy" from Yellow Flower, but that's not a bad thing at all! That was actually one of my favourite songs off of Yellow Flower. Plus, the members really get to show off their vocals skills here, which is another treat considering the talent the members have!
It's one thing to listen to this song, but if you look up the English lyrics to any song on this album, LET IT BE THIS ONE. If you listen closely enough, you might find that things sound a little... creepy. The music box, the echoing, the whispering... it's got somewhat of an eerie vibe, for sure. But the song sounds so bright that the lyrics can't possibly be anything too weird, right?
I was alone when I fell asleep
But someone is standing in the room
NOPE. THEY'RE CREEPY AS HELL. AND I LOVE IT.
Why do I keep looking behind me? For some reason
It feels like someone is watching me
Moonbyul has actually said that the experience detailed in this song is something that happened to her! And I'll admit, anything to do with nightmares, sleep paralysis, or whatever it may be is something I've always been immensely interested in - it's one of the reasons I like Dreamcatcher so much.
But at that moment
I hear the sound of unfamiliar laughter
I want to wake up
That catchiness and bright melody mixed with the contradictory, creepy lyrics really make this a super unique. Not something I would've expected from MAMAMOO, but goddamn, I am impressed none the less. 👏👏👏
2 - EGOTISTIC (너나 해) [TITLE TRACK!]
...welp, it sure as hell looks like I was right to be getting hyped at the teasers. 'Cause WOW. This is my favourite MAMAMOO title track since "Décalcomanie". It's catchy, the slight Spanish accents with the acoustic guitar work beautifully, the girls' vocal delivery is powerful and as on point as ever... it's just an all-round, solid title track. ESPECIALLY with Moonbyul's rap part - that reggae-inspired section is fantastic. And thankfully, the lyrics are less generic than the norm for this sort of breakup song - they're more than just "I'm sick and tired of your bullshit, so I'm leaving you". It's so much more spiteful than that.
You only think of yourself
If that's how you'll be, then you just do you
Why are you so surprised? These are the facts
Getting angry will only exhaust me
From what I've seen from their comeback showcase, the choreography doesn't look to be anything overly complex or mind-blowing. It's more of the sleek choreo we got earlier this year for "Starry Night", only with a bit more sexiness added to it to match the more sultry title track itself. And it does the job! Not every choreography has to be insanely hard and complex; so long as it matches the song, I'm happy. And this one certainly does.
The music video itself is honestly fantastic. MAMAMOO have always had music videos, if you ask me, and this one is so colourful and beautiful that I enjoyed it just as much as the song itself. It's pretty much an explosion of colour throughout, which is pretty damn perfect for a comeback like this in the middle of the summer. Well done, MAMAMOO. 👑👑👑
3 - RAINY SEASON (장마)
The rest of this mini album is made up of songs that have been previously released or heard somehow, and I don't mind that at all - anything to put less work on the girls! K-Pop idols are overworked as it is, we don't need to make that worse. 😡 "Rainy Season" is one of those slow, jazzy ballads that fits into the middle of the album quite well. I'll admit - I'm the last person to normally like ballads and slow songs. But this is surprisingly relaxing and mellow, while still being quite enjoyable! This is one of those songs that, as the title suggests, you really need to listen to while the rain is pouring down outside for it to fully click. It's a great way to listen to it, I'd recommend. 👌
This stripped-back sort of sound is a nice change of pace for MAMAMOO, especially considering how bright and bombastic they have the tendency to be (we'll get to that later). Not gonna lie, this song would probably fit in perfectly with the rest of "Yellow Flower" - but the difference between this song and that mini album as a whole is that "Rainy Day" has a little more complexity in its backing track and layered vocals, instead of being just pure laid-back spring goodness. It's more sorrowful and complex than that, just like the emotions the girls are feeling - and the lyrics in "Rainy Day" are goddamn gorgeous to boot.
I need an umbrella
Half-hearted consolation won't make me feel better
I can't see the light in front of my eyes
The days where I devoted my everything willingly
Disappear without meaning
4 - SKY! SKY! (하늘하늘 [청순])
*sighs*
...where do I start with this song?
This is the first time I've ever flat-out HATED a MAMAMOO song.
Y'know who this reminds me of? GFRIEND. And you know why that makes me so angry and upset? Because all of GFRIEND's songs sound the same to me. They're overly cutesy schoolgirl anthems which I have absolutely no interest in.
SO WHY THE FUCK ARE MAMAMOO SINGING ONE??????????
I don't care if this is for some mobile game; MAMAMOO have done CFs before and they've gone excellently! Look at "Woo Hoo", look at freaking "Girl Crush"!! Both fantastic songs that were for CFs!!! This is just... grating. And annoying. And I deleted it from my phone as soon as I listened to it. Yeah. I hate it that much. The only part of the song I actually like is Moonbyul's rap, since it sounds like a completely different song altogether... but it does sound awfully disjointed.
As for the lyrics... they're... alright, I suppose? They're wistful, and reflecting on a past relationship.
I tried to erase you
Who I missed so much that it hurt
But... girl... guy... whoever is singing this... if things didn't work out, just move on and try not to reflect on the past too much. Use the experience to make you a better person, yes, but don't dwell on it. It's easier said than done, but it's better than writing an overly upbeat grating pop song about it, right?! ...oh, wait. 😶
If "Red Moon" didn't have "Sky! Sky!" in it, it would've been a fantastic album. One of my favourites of the year, hands down. Nearly flawless. But NOOOOO, this had to come along and ruin it for me. Not only that, but they placed it after "Rainy Season"? Really?! YOU PUT A SONG LIKE THIS AFTER A HEARTFELT BREAKUP BALLAD?!? It sticks out like the worst sore thumb I've ever seen - think Spongebob's thumb from that one episode where he gets the splinter. YEAH. IT'S THAT BAD IN MY EYES.
If you like it, then great, more power to you. For me, this is just... bottom-of-the-barrel stuff. Sorry. 😩
If you like it, then great, more power to you. For me, this is just... bottom-of-the-barrel stuff. Sorry. 😩
5 - SLEEP IN THE CAR (자미라도 차지)
If MAMAMOO wanted this album to stay on my good side after "Sky! Sky"...then they certainly did it with this. I'm not kidding, as soon as I started listening to this and heard Solar's overly-enthusiastic rapping - no joke - I literally screamed "IT'S ANOTHER JOKE SONG, THANK FUCK!!"
I love "1cm (Taller Than You)" AND "Aze Gag", but... this takes the cake. Holy shit. MAMAMOO's comedy knows no bounds. But the best part is, like "1cm (Taller Than You)", the beat behind the silly lyrics is actually pretty damn good. AND THIS SONG'S BEAT GOES HARD AS FUCK. Like. SERIOUSLY. It's way more epic than it has any right to be, especially in the intro.
And those silly lyrics? Oh, yeah. They're silly alright.
What's your complaint, huh?
Whatever you say - I'm still the one who has to wake up an hour before you all
Hold on, please don't zoom in with the camera
Don't just talk all the time and actually give my skin time to recover...
I learned every single word of "1cm (Taller Than You)", I learned every single word of "Aze Gag"... you bet your ass I'm going to learn every word of this, too. Because it is my duty as a MOOMOO. ✌
6 - SELFISH (FT. SEULGI (슬기) OF RED VELVET) [MOONBYUL (문별) SOLO]
Unfortunately, when this song came out, I didn't have time to listen to it since I was right in the middle of exams. But now that it's on "Red Moon", I can give it a listen - and I like it quite a bit! I particularly love how the beginning sounds like something you'd hear in an Animal Crossing grocery store, if you know what I mean. 😉
One of the first things that stood out to me, though, was the use of autotune on Moonbyul's voice. That was... a little disappointing. She probably doesn't need it, let's be real. But to be fair, it does contribute to the overall vibe of the song pretty well! It just felt a little bit out of place, but you do get used to it after a few listens. I also feel like Seulgi is putting on a little bit of a cutesy voice, but again, that's something that you get used to after a bit.
The lyrics themselves are actually pretty damn cool! They're very "IDGAF", and inspiring to boot.
I used to worry over the pressure to choose the same menu item
But let me choose this time
On top of that, you've got the adorable examples of Engrish like Seulgi's "I wanna be Selfiiiiiii-sh" and "Sometime being selfish", as well as Moonbyul's amazing "FISHIE FISHIE YA" in the second verse. That just makes this song happier, if you ask me - they definitely didn't intend it like that, but it's kinda adorable and adds to the upbeat mood!
I don't wanna adjust to the standards of the world
I'm better off doing it my way
•••••
And that's that! That's the entirety of the mini album. Overall - a pretty damn solid release from MAMAMOO, yet again! (Apart from "Sky! Sky!", of course. But let's not talk about that song. It doesn't exist anymore. Shh.)
This is definitely something I'll be listening to for a bit, and that I'll revisit in the future; I'm going on holiday next week, and this is the perfect summery album to accompany that. 😁
Midsummer Night Dream (여름밤의 꿈)
Egotistic (너나 해)
Rainy Season (장마)
Sky! Sky! (하늘하늘 [청순])
Sleep in the Car (잠이라도 차지)
COVER IMAGE BACKGROUND: Designed by Kjpargeter / Freepik
MAMAMOO "RED MOON" TRANSPARENT LOGO: Made by TsukinoFleur on Deviantart
MAMAMOO PNG IMAGES: Made by OneAndOnlyYuu on Deviantart
MAMAMOO "RED MOON" TRANSPARENT LOGO: Made by TsukinoFleur on Deviantart
MAMAMOO PNG IMAGES: Made by OneAndOnlyYuu on Deviantart
