2019 already seems to be the year of underrated artists finally hitting it big in some shape or form. It started with Chungha, and the trend has (thankfully) continued with CLC. These girls have been on the go for 4 years, and after the addition of two new members and a drastic concept change, they've FINALLY got their first music show win alongside some mainstream success. And it's about damn time, if you ask me! CLC have been a group I've kept an eye on since the start; I vividly remember listening to "Pepe" when it came out, and falling in love with Yeeun's rapping pretty much instantly.
But that was then - what about now? Does "No. 1" live up to the calibre of their past albums in terms of quality? Let's take a look and see!
1. NO [TITLE]
This song is so good I couldn't wait to cover it - and I didn't! I've already talked about it in my winter comeback review. But every single point I made in that review still stands; "NO" is a fantastic dance-inspired track that shows just how far these girls have come. Every single member of CLC is at her most confident here, and it shows. It also helps that Soyeon's composition and lyric writing skills are excellent, and she managed to help create a super successful song for CLC. Good on her! Good on CLC too - I feel like they've finally reached their full potential with this concept, and I can't wait to see where it takes them in the future.
Since I've already talked about this song, though, I figured I'd draw some attention to a REALLY good dance cover I came across on YouTube recently! (Cause why not?)
I've never heard of RISIN', and I'm not sure how popular they are, but if this is the standard they have in the rest of their covers, I may have a new favourite cover crew. And I'm someone that likes accuracy in cover dances - hell, it's why I like East2West so much. These girls are talented as hell, and I'll definitely be checking their other stuff out!
2. SHOW
Back to CLC, though. Now we're getting into what is (normally) unfamiliar territory for me. CLC have always been a group whose title tracks I've loved, but I never normally listen to their side tracks. That's a habit I normally reserve for my bias groups only. But hey, starting this blog has helped me broaden my horizons a bit; I listen to a lot of full mini albums and EPs now, including this one! So what do I think of "Show" as a song itself?
...okay, since when were CLC's sidetracks THIS good, 'cause if I'd had known sooner, I would've listened to them ages ago.
Like jeez. I wasn't expecting much from "Show", but after liking the short preview in the highlight medley, I got excited to hear the full thing. And aside from the bubbly/wub wub sound effect during the verses that I really don't like (seriously, who let 2012 Skrillex into CLC's recording studio), it's certainly an impressive song! It's got some real momentum to it, and it was the sort of song I heard potential in the minute it started up.
The melody is catchy, the choruses pack a huge punch, and all of the members sound fantastic. Especially Yeeun, and that's not just because she's my bias - I feel like she REALLY stands out here. Her raps have momentum in and of themselves, and when you pair them with a great song like this, everything comes together to make a damn good track. Eunbin's spoken adlib towards the end and Seunghee and Sorn trading high notes are probably my other favourite parts here - there's a lot of great elements to "Show".
The lyrics are... surprisingly sexy, actually. But what makes them interesting to me is that there's this strange sense of vulnerability in them as well - yes, this girl is confident, but there's a layer of delicacy underneath that most people don't see because they can't get close to her. They're very refreshing!
Before falling in my sharp gaze
I want you to hold onto me for a little [longer]
[...]
Now in this feeling, [we can] be more honest with each other
What surprised me most about "Show", though, was that we actually have a choreography to look at as well! But is it as good as the song itself?
I'd say it is, actually. It immediately reminded me of Melody Day's routine to "Kiss on the Lips" - graceful and elegant, yet with a great deal of complexity hiding underneath. The formation changes are silky smooth, and it's honestly a really well put together routine! Every move flows into one another and nothing feels disjointed, which can be hard to achieve when you've got so many position changes. It's very impressive, especially for a side track - they didn't have to go all out on a routine, but they did and it makes me insanely happy.
Overall, "Show" really managed to surpass my expectations. Like I said, if I had known CLC's side tracks were as good as this, I would've checked them out ages ago! After listening to it for the first time, "Show" got me thinking - "if the rest of the songs on "No.1" are as good as this, I'm in for a treat!"
3. BREAKDOWN
Yeah. Looks like I WAS in for a treat, after all. Let me just say that slow songs/ballads are not generally my thing; I'm much more of a fan of the upbeat, energy-fuelled title tracks. It's why I'm always so trepidatious when listening to an artist's side tracks. The ballads always tend to feel like letdowns to me. But I'm glad to report that that's not with the case with "Breakdown". Not at all, actually!
To sum up my thoughts, "Breakdown" is a GORGEOUS song. It's a smooth R&B track, which I wasn't sure if CLC would be able to pull off. But yet again, my expectations were met and surpassed almost immediately. This, to me, is what "Where Are You?" should've been - and I don't mean any offense with that! I like "Where Are You?" for what it is, but I really prefer this style of ballad overall.
"Breakdown" has a little bit of a sexy vibe to it, and it ends up working in its favour if you ask me. The shattering glass was a great choice as well, since it conveys how broken the relationship the girls are singing about has actually become. They're tired, and very much ready to move on - the song's slow pace conveys that excellently. On top of all this, the brief key change doesn't feel out of place or jarring in the slightest, and THAT'S a major mark of quality to me.
The lyrics are, as you'd expect, focused pretty heavily on a breakup. And yet... they're very impactful. You immediately get the sense that this girl has tried to change herself and her appearance to meet her partner's expectations. She thought that was the problem; what she didn't realise what was the relationship itself was flawed, not her or her appearance. Now that the entire thing is over and done with, she's finally able to rest easy. They're a class above what a song like this would normally have in terms of lyrics, and they're a really welcome surprise. A change of pace is always good!
I just thought I was tired of [my] long hair
[I] just [cut] it off and [changed] the atmosphere
Knowing that I'm different because of you, [...] I have nothing to say
"Breakdown" really sets the standard for what I look for in ballads. It's not just a nice slow song to serve as a change in mood for the album; it's got some real depth and interesting features to it. If these are the kind of ballads CLC are going to have, I'll listen to every single one of them if they're as good as this!
4. LIKE IT
It's rare for me to like a side track more than the title track. When it does happen, I'm grateful for it nonetheless, but it's incredibly rare.
Guess what? IT JUST HAPPENED.
"Like It" is not only title track material for CLC, it's... honestly just as good as "NO". I like it even more than "NO", personally! "Like It" has got a huge sense of presence, and that's mostly thanks to the commanding bass and brass elements that are scattered throughout the instrumental. That little whistle melody is also incredibly addictive, and it just adds a cherry on top to what is one of my new favourite CLC songs. This is one of those songs that had my jaw on the fucking floor from start to finish, honestly. It never once falls into the trap of feeling overcrowded or messy, either - the choruses feel just right, and all of the instruments and elements of the instrumental work together perfectly. It's a real knockout for me.
The lyrics are nothing to gloss over here either! They're again very confident and kinda sexy, yet full of this sense of curiosity at the same time? They're very commanding, which is only fitting considering how powerful the song itself is. I like them a lot! (No pun intended.)
My greed is ample, [I'm curious about] this emotion
You're one and the same - tell me, be honest
[...]
If you want me, don't stop
But as if THAT wasn't good enough as it is... we have choreography to look at here, too. WE'VE BEEN BLESSED, Y'ALL.
Blessed, indeed. This is fucking great! Those choruses go way harder than they have any right to, let's be honest. Every move matches the song's energy and momentum beat for beat, and I really don't think I could ask for much more here. A fantastic song, some good lyrics, and a great dance? I'm very much happy with that.
I hope CLC come back with a song like "Like It" in the future, 'cause if they do, I'm there day one. This is one of the best side tracks I've heard in a while! 👏👏👏
5. I NEED U
To close out the album, we have "I Need U" - an uptempo dance track that's completely in English! That surprised me, honestly. Of all the groups to do an all-English track, I didn't expect it to be CLC; I mean, yeah, Sorn speaks English pretty damn well, but I wasn't sure if the other members would be comfortable with it. Yet here we are!
And hey, the song's not half bad either. It's full of some bouncy synths and guitar melodies that sound pretty good when combined together. I do feel like the choruses are missing a slight bit of punch, but that gets fixed within the song's closing moments thanks to some additional brass elements and adlibs. It's quite funky, which I like! There's a great sense of energy and catchiness throughout, and the song itself is a lot of fun.
The lyrics are pretty standard love song faire, albeit with some nice details thrown in here and there. They're pretty repetitive honestly, but that works in the song's favour. It's not meant to be overly complex or deep - it's just a good time. And I'm alright with that!
I got lost in your eyes from the first look
It's a universe full of explosions
Feel excited, we're rising, the earth shook
I feel like "I Need U" was honestly a great way to wrap up the album! It's a nice closer, for sure. And hey, when the album is as good as this, I was almost disappointed to see it end. "No.1" really managed to surprise me in more ways than one, and it has me excited to see what CLC will do from here on out. It can only be up from here, surely. My fingers are crossed for them - they were successful this time around, and I hope it continues! So long as we keep getting some good mini albums (or even a full album) like this, I can't wait to see where their success takes them.
•••••
ALL SOURCES FOR THE ENGLISH LYRICS I USED IN THIS REVIEW:
Show
Breakdown
Like It
I Need U
COVER IMAGE SOURCES:
CLC PNGs: PufffyCake on deviantArt
Background: mycutegraphics.com
No.1 and CLC 8TH MINI ALBUM logo PNGs: MissCatieVIPBekah on deviantArt
