EXID hardly need an introduction. They are a girl group boasting enormous talent from the starlight vocalist Solji, to the unique visual Hani. From #1 girl group rapper LE to the Pokemon-like 4D persona of Hyerin. And Junghwa (I kid). EXID's resume has been spectacular before and after Hani's legendary fancam, but took a hit last fall when "Hot Pink" failed to live up to the new standards from "Ah Yeah." Could "L.I.E" turn things around?
Are they really saying "lie" a few times? I thought they were spelling out "l-i-e" which makes more sense to me but the subtitles on live performances show the former so I guess that's the real deal. Anyway, Hani's opening lines are once again showing off her velvet-smooth voice, and probably said the most attractive "go to hell" I'll ever hear in my life. Let's get to the most important part of "L.I.E:" Junghwa not only has some serious singing lines, but they're not in a stupid awkward section of the song! Junghwa fans rejoice because she is finally free of bizarre transitions. While her part in "Hot Pink" showed she had a competent voice, "L.I.E" shows she can hold her own against Hani and if not for the brief inflections I'd have given her the win in the verses.
Solji is another of those voices where the line between regular and strained notes is sometimes difficult to tell apart. She and Hyerin continue to serve as the vocal backbone of EXID and that's likely never gonna change. It would do them some good to mix things up for a future title track, as this is slowly getting stale. Not only are the parts the same but the variety in their parts are a bit lacking. To their credit, "L.I.E" does opt for a slightly different approach with having the 2nd verse double as the bridge but in my mind that makes the song seem shorter, even if the overall length is unaffected. "L.I.E" is a breath of fresh air in terms of Junghwa, but the others have yet to really come out of their comfort zone. Thankfully, this otherwise decent performance is boosted by the superstar rap of one superstar LE.
Man, LE really turned things around from "Hot Pink." From the ashes of mediocrity of that rap comes 2016's best rap. This has easily usurped Chanmi, Hyeran, and Yeeun's efforts for the top spot. There's no contest. LE is nothing short of spectacular, combining her voice with a powerful rap and trademark charisma. On top of that, the rap is responsible for bridging the softer verses and chorus with the electric dance break (instrumental), similar to how we saw FIESTAR try to bring the singing and instrumentals of "Apple Pie" together. Unlike Yezi's case though, this rap comes in the middle of the song and makes more sense as the song's glue this way. I can't speak enough about this rap, it's just that fucking good, even taking into consideration the lackluster English.
We got a taste of what this choreography would be like in the music video teasers, but truth be told since that only covered the dance break, the rest of the dance doesn't really match well. The moves for the verses and chorus are pretty straightforward, including more symbolic movements for the "I know" part which is great. The hip-shaking throughout is good because it matches the beat, going slower for the verses but quite fast when appropriate (like during LE's rap). The dance break itself has some simple waves and Junghwa pulls her hair (I never really understod the appeal of that type of move). For all the glamour of the dance break though, there's nothing particularly memorable about this choreography. "Up & Down" and "Ah Yeah" had moves that became iconic, and even "Hot Pink" had something similar. At the end of the day though, this song probably doesn't need a standout choreography and the dance break is enough.
This music video is what would happen if you properly spliced T-ARA's "So Crazy" and AOA's "Good Luck." The girls of EXID work at Hotel EXID and all have roles. Hani's the receptionist (also doubles as the chef), Hyerin is the maid, LE is the valet, Solji is room service, and Junghwa is security. They're seen throughout the MV doing their jobs for the most part. Still, there's plenty of random things happening, like LE's bubble bath, Junghwa lying on the elevator floor, and Hyerin cosplaying as a goth. Solji was kind of neglected this time, as she really doesn't get to do much and was the unfortunate recipient of that disgusting part at 3:12. I pretend that never happened in the MV. Oh, and please please please let Hyeri and Hani grow out their hair. It's not that they look "bad," but I would choose the term "suboptimal." Otherwise it's an interesting video, with highlights including the dance break, Hani's magical smirk, and Hyerin getting to be herself (singing into a broom, talking via a shoe) and having a good time.
Despite my rumblings about the predictable EXID formula, "L.I.E" feels like a breath of fresh air. Whether this is due to the sassy dance break, LE's magnificent rapping, or Junghwa finally getting justice in her lines, everything comes together quite pleasantly. Wrapped up in a curious yet engaging music video, and "L.I.E" manages to satisfy the vocal and rap cravings that we've wanted since the days of "Ah Yeah." You can tell that this studio album really paid off. Now, how about that Dasoni comeback? After some rest, of course!
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