It's only been 2 months since "Mirror," so in surprising and unexpected news, FIESTAR would be returning to the girl group landscape with "Apple Pie." With a title like that, I imagine we aren't going to be seeing much of the style of "You're Pitiful" and "Mirror," which is a shame. They owned the darker concept, especially considering not many other groups chose to be straight-up sexy in 2015. Still, a change of pace is a nice breath of fresh air, and as long as they release good music I've got nothing to complain about.
Looks like FIESTAR were going for the cuter route after all. The girls definitely sound sweet with their proclamations and this is a pretty safe type of song to be releasing. The key ingredient in "Apple Pie" is that Linzy (finally) gets to shine. She participates in all aspects of the song from the verses to chorus to bridge, similar to how Choa just took over "Good Luck" on her own. Even if the singing here doesn't showcase her potential to the fullest, this alleviates the pain from watching Linzy's talent get so underused in past songs.
The ultimate problem with "Apple Pie" is that the instrumental and singing don't match. Like, at all. This is yet another balling instrumental from FIESTAR, but it betrays the concept of "Apple Pie," which tries to be cute and sweet. If you had listened to just the instrumental you wouldn't really think of a pop concept like this. Cute songs get cute instrumentals (GFriend), while non-cute songs get non-cute instrumentals (Mamamoo). You can think of this two ways: either the instrumental doesn't support the vocals, or the song doesn't live up to this sick instrumental. It's not perfect, though. That "hahahaha" break is really awkward to listen to, something I doubt will change even after multiple listens, even if accompanied by some fierce Yezi dancing.
The other problem with such a mismatch is that it leaves the rap and rapper in a precarious situation. Yezi's forte is her power and attitude, most of which are significantly diminished in a cute pop song. She has done this before, and to her credit she makes this rap as good a rap as possible in terms of trying to match the vocals. But this illustrates the issue of the disparity between instrumental and song. The rap seems to match the instrumental better than the singing, but on the flipside you could also argue that the rap is more out-of-place given the nature of the vocals. This difference does help mask the problems and lets the rap act as the glue between the both aspects, but I'm still torn on how to feel about it.
The general choreography isn't anything exciting, as it lacks the intricacies of the previous more mature songs. Admittedly, there's only been a single live performance on Youtube so far, and the quality and camerawork isn't the greatest so I could see myself changing my mind after more lives. "Apple Pie" is another song that incorporates symbolic moves, which seem to be the trend in 2016. The main examples are the parts at the chorus, where they imitate eating apple pie (0:45) and Hyemi's "heart" touch (0:58). Otherwise, it seems like a pretty simple choreography moves-wise. The aforementioned "hahahaha" break between choruses is made more awkward when you realize that Yezi dances solo with some backup dancers. That's fine, and I'm all for more Yezi screentime but the other members just stand behind her smiling which is plain weird. There's got to be a better way to incorporate a dance break than that.
I'll waste no time here in stating that this MV obviously reminds me of AOA's "Short Hair." Between the bright and lively colors, to the skill profession outfits, and a large man on a plane, it's very similar. The only real difference is that AOA kept talking about cutting their hair whereas FIESTAR kept talking about apple pies. The similarities continue when you realize that the girls of are pretty bad at their jobs! Jei's baking attempts all appear to end in disaster, Hyemi is doing who knows what as a maid, and Linzy isn't the best at retrieving that lost freefalling snack. Yezi seems to be the only one successful at her career (and even then, she disappears after completing her potion or whatever?), and she is definitely the hottest scientist I've seen in a Kpop video. This group's visuals are no joke, and "Apple Pie" shows they're still at the top even when they aren't being (blatantly) sexy. Jei's blonde is majestic, Linzy continues to rock the black hair, and Hyemi is a sleeper pick that's growing on me (except that maid outfit is a no-no). Cao Lu, after being shafted in the lines department, gets to be the star of the show (at least in my opinion). Her Snow White impression is adorable and I got a kick out of 2:00 where she furiously bites the apple. I can also appreciate the Seho cameo (as he and Cao Lu are a couple on We Got Married) and the fun antics help add another dimension to an otherwise bland video.
I've always enjoyed the more serious (read: less pop-like) songs in general, so I can't say I like "Apple Pie" all that much. The discord between the vocals and instrumental is a really big deal, and the choreography seems rather forgettable (along with a subpar dance break and chant-like bridge). But while Cao Lu received practically no lines, Linzy got to carry, and Yezi continues to be a star. It's definitely not FIESTAR's best work, but hey, if this is the type of music that will get them more fans then I'm all for it. People need to meet the talent that is Linzy and Yezi, all the while appreciating the visual attractions of the whole group. I don't think style of music does the trick, but maybe other people do.
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