Reviews
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JUSTB's fifth EP [SNOW ANGEL] was produced by Creative Labs ‘808hertz®’ and Executive Producer O Kwon. Rising global hyperpop and alt-R&B artists like Forgotten Melodies, heyzuko!, Meiiny, and Pank contributed. JUSTB members were also heavily involved: GEONU (production), Bain (visuals), SANGWOO & LIM JIMIN (choreography), and DY (composition). The album presents a new sensory world, clashing K-pop's refined sensibility with hyperpop's digital chaos—balancing distorted synths and metallic drums with crystal-clear melodies. It aims to break K-pop formulas, revealing real emotion amidst noise by reinterpreting hyperpop's aesthetic. [SNOW ANGEL] tells a story of conflicting emotions—warmth/cold, love/loss, human/digital.
Jessi's "Newsflash" is an unapologetic and fiery anthem of independence and self-affirmation. The song frames her return to the public eye ("Guess who's back") as a major media event, positioning her as the center of the "spotlight" and "makin' headlines" simply by living her life. The track operates as a bold declaration of autonomy, especially with lines like "Walkin’ out of the deal / With a new bag," suggesting a triumphant exit from a previous situation. Lyrically, "Newsflash" blends general defiance against public scrutiny ("I don't read what they type") with a pointed, confrontational diss. She dismisses the "hype" and media chatter while directly targeting a "grown man acting like a bitch," warning that "karma won't miss you." Ultimately, the song is a powerful statement of resilience and empowerment. Jessi reclaims her narrative, turning "his story to her-story," reinforcing her status as the "UNNI" and the "real deal," and concluding with a confident shout-out to her fans ("Jebbies").
Lee Juck offers his signature vocals for "Le Solitudinaire," the first OST for JTBC's "The Story of Mr. Kim." The track serves as the main theme, featuring lyrics by Lee Juck and composition by Jung Jae-hyung. It attempts an interesting contrast, pairing somber lyrics about wandering with a bright, waltz-like arrangement intended to feel dreamy. The song builds predictably from acoustic guitar to fuller orchestration. While Lee Juck's performance is as emotive and professional as expected, the overall result feels like a standard, by-the-numbers K-drama ballad. It's pleasant and adequately supports the show, but likely won't be particularly memorable.
The collaboration <HYPERDRIVE> between Poppin Hyun Joon and IN&CHOO unfortunately falls short of expectations. Despite aiming for a masculine, rough K-pop sound, the track feels somewhat generic and doesn't quite capture the intended edginess. The attempt to fuse trendy idol-style music with powerful popping performance feels awkward; the elements seem disconnected rather than synergistic. Neither the electronic vocals nor the popping truly gets a chance to shine, resulting in a track that relies more on the artists' reputations than on compelling musicality. For K-pop fans seeking something impactful, <HYPERDRIVE> might lack the necessary originality and cohesion.
"Picture Book with Songs" is a project blending sweet melodies with storybook-like visuals, presenting each track as a page exploring love, memory, and longing – a 'Music Book Cinema' series. Its second page, "Want to Hate You and Pretend Not to Know You," draws inspiration from 'Beauty and the Beast'. It delicately portrays the complex emotions between love and separation, exploring the irony of deep love causing deeper scars, yet leaving an unforgettable affection. Built on a lyrical piano melody and emotive vocals, the song immerses listeners in a scene of parting, leaving a lonely yet beautiful, lingering resonance.
Koonta's "유행가 (Popular Song)" is a raw, introspective track steeped in cynicism and personal struggle. He critiques societal pressures ("Follow the trend"), online negativity ("Murderers overflow online"), and superficiality, dismissing easy answers about "mentality." The lyrics expose deep inner turmoil, referencing dark memories, identifying with the hidden pain behind Yuma Asami's smile, and finding resonance in Berserk's themes of forgiveness. The repeated, almost desperate questioning of "What's your dream?" highlights disillusionment. The ironic title contrasts sharply with the dark, confessional content, suggesting this raw honesty, despite its bleakness, is Koonta's authentic "popular song."
&TEAM released their first Korean mini-album, 'Back to Life' marking a new leap onto the global stage after three years of growth since their 2022 debut. The album embodies their strengthened bond, challenging spirit based on 'Wolf DNA' and HYBE's 'Global DNA', and showcases an expanded musical range. The six-track album features the title track 'Back to Life', the cheerful 'Lunatic', confession song 'MISMATCH', powerful 'Rush', rock ballad 'Heartbreak Time Machine', and sincere 'Who am I'. World-class producers contributed, including Bang Si-hyuk, Soma Genda, Latin Grammy nominee JULiA LEWiS, Tyler Spry, Scotty Dittrich, Mick Coogan, and Park Moonchi. The title track 'Back to Life' is an intense Rock Hip-hop song expressing the nine members' resolve and positive energy as they aim for a bigger world. Its driving beat and explosive rhythm highlight their challenging spirit. The performance choreography vividly portrays the members' energies uniting and reviving, powerfully moving forward. It dramatically conveys emotions ranging from intense power and passion to the pain and pressure encountered during challenges, allowing viewers to feel the energy, emotional shifts, and narrative.
Lee Ba Da returns with bolder, sophisticated R&B, exploring hazy boundaries between sensuality/destruction, love/obsession. This five-track album blurs sensory limits like a hallucination. Starting with the cinematic "killing me softly," it blends Art-pop, Jazz-pop fusion (title track "Ttakkeum"), trap, and electronic R&B. Lee Ba Da's delicate vocals over sharp beats and intense melodies stir deep desires. Each track, a dream and nightmare, forms a sensual fantasy pulling listeners into deep, unsafe emotional waters.
It is almost 10 years to the day that TWICE made their debut with the mini-album The Story Begins and the hit single Like OOH-AHH. TWICE has gone on to have multiple hits since then. Not many groups go on to celebrate their 10th anniversary, so to commemorate this fantastic milestone, TWICE released their special album titled TEN: THE STORY GOES ON yesterday, alongside the title track ME+YOU. Featured alongside this title track are extended versions of solo tracks from each member previously revealed on their THIS IS FOR world tour. ME+YOU is an all-English R&B pop track for their fans (ONCEs). It is a pleasantly smooth song, with a straightforward instrumental and neat vocals overall. Personally, I find it to be a nice listen. Other than that, there isn’t much else to the song. Because of this, I don’t think ME+YOU is the type of song that I would actively look for on my playlist to play. It is interesting that TWICE chose such a song to celebrate a significant milestone in their career. While the lyrics of the song have a warm and nostalgic feel, which feels fitting for a song that looks over the last 10 years, the music itself doesn’t really convey that celebratory sentiment that we were promised. I wish there were a whole lot more to ME+YOU. While the song won’t garner much interest from me, the music video has. I really like the sitcom vibe that the members have going on as they move into a new apartment. It was amusing to watch the members in the video, especially in relatable scenes like SANA incorrectly plugging the USB into the player, or NAYEON and SANA struggling with the PowerPoint. Seeing the members give us a throwback to the bus scenes in the Like OOH-AAH music video was a really nice nostalgic touch, even though the members found themselves amusing and cringey. The video also features actor Uhm Tae Goo, who plays their awkward neighbour across the hall, who becomes frustrated but ultimately shy with TWICE. His cameo and interaction with TWICE add another layer of comedy to the video.
Yesterday, TWS dropped their 4th mini-album, PLAY HARD, with the single OVERDRIVE serving as the title track to the mini-album. It follows the pre-release of Head, Shoulders, Knees, Toes, which dropped two weeks ago. It also follows TWS’ earlier comeback, Countdown and the mini-album Try With Us (yet to be reviewed), which occurred in April. OVERDRIVE seems to bring together the edgy influences that were heavily present in Head Shoulders Knees Toes and combine them with the ‘boyhood pop’ that the group has consistently put out since their debut. And together, we might have a new direction for TWS that feels refreshing and different. I really enjoy the slight rock influences that come through the instrumentation. The bass guitar riff is super dominant and gives OVERDRIVE a standout characteristic. The humming that accompanies some of these guitar riffs post-chorus was definitely a clever tool to key the riff into our memory banks! The drums are punchy and make the song feel buoyant and energetic, which matches the energy we have seen from TWS through past releases. Even the members’ delivery is full of life and adds excitement to the song, with the chorus being super catchy. My only gripe about OVERDRIVE is the “I’m getting hot in here” spoken lines that felt like a take on a rapping segment. It just doesn’t fit the rest of the song that well, and similarly, the lyrics of the song, which speak to their feelings of being in love and how that is putting them into a state of overdrive. Conceptually, the music video has two sides. The first is where members of the group are infatuated with their crushes. These scenes occur in everyday life, with the members being distracted, looking to spoil their crushes, and being love-struck by them. Think ‘I won’t tell people I am in love, but there will be signs’. The second part is a video-game-esque concept, where if the love puts the members into overdrive, they will respawn in the video game setting. It is quite an interesting and abstract way of looking at love, and I like how it aligns with the boyhood concept TWS has been known for. I do like the light-hearted moments, like DOHOON protecting his hand at all costs (after coming into contact with his crush) and JIHOON leaning on the sign, causing it to fall onto the other members (and how that leads us back into the dance performance). Like always, TWS performances have always been a highlight of the comeback, and this one is no exception. Per usual, I really liked the energy they put into the performance. But I also liked how their expressions brought brightness and additional colour to the routine. The final chorus is my favourite bit, with the exciting jumps and flips.