[Review] Hello Venus - Mysterious

This is Hello Venus' debut on my blog. One of my goals this year (for my blog specifically) is to expand my comfort zones in terms of who I review. The first step would be to review more boy groups and soloists. The next step is the review the girl groups who don't get enough exposure. While it's still important for me to get the Sistars and Apink's of the world since that keeps me updated for future Power Ranking pieces, but it's high time I expand my tastes. Hello Venus' 2016 comebacks were rather quiet, but "Mysterious" proved to be a return to more exciting times.

Full disclosure: I haven't been fully acquainted with every member aside from Lime and Alice, but it's a work in progress. But for starters, nobody in Hello Venus will really "wow" you with their vocals. Yeah their individual voices aren't anything special but also their style of music rarely puts emphasis on it. Anyway, Alice is probably their best vocalist and she's pretty much average in every respect. Despite having said all that, Hello Venus are right at home in this kind of song. "Mysterious" is essentially a softer version of "Sticky Sticky," accompanied by a fun instrumental and the whistling hook that feels like it's everywhere.

For the first time in a long while, my favorite part of a song (this song?) is the prechorus. It's exciting and builds momentum going into the chorus. And this chorus, while repetitive, is at least free of English problems (looking at you, AOA). This was a good usage of English throughout the chorus: rhyming "mysterious" and "curious," not having any awkward syllables, etc. It's sure to make this chorus memorable and that's more or less a trademark of Hello Venus. Songs like "Wiggle Wiggle" and "Sticky Sticky" have choruses that get stuck in your head for a while. Meanwhile, the verses are almost sound like nursery rhymes, which even if unintentional is a nice touch. You have three distinct sections of the song that still flow very well into each other. Throw in the whistling and you have all the basic elements of a catchy pop song.

And then there's the rap - the weakest part of the song by far. I've been waiting for a solid rap since "Wiggle Wiggle." Since I'm not too into this group, I rely on Lime's rapping to pull me in. Fortunately, she got some rapping after having none during their 2016 songs. Unfortunately, it was one measly line. Then Yooyoung swooped in and took the rest (and by "the rest" I mean two lines). Yooyoung is nowhere near Lime's level but that hardly matters when the entire rap section is so short. Thankfully, Lime continues to be used in both the singing and rapping departments so not all hope is lost for Lime fans out there. But c'mon, a good Lime rap could have added a potent punch to an otherwise already solid song.
I don't pay enough attention to tell whether or not girl groups are more likely to use male backup dancers than female (or any at all). However, it's always a nice refreshing change of pace to see girl groups with male backup dancers (maybe that's what K.A.R.D hit it big instantly). The last time I remember seeing this was FIESTAR and "You're Pitiful." This choreography is like AOA's in "Excuse Me" in that the moves are playfully sexy. But unlike AOA, Hello Venus remain consistent from start to finish. Also unlike AOA, this main point move during the chorus with the body waves and "Genie"-esque leg display is much more appealing on a basic level (I'm still confused by the "Excuse Me" move). It's certainly not a difficult choreography, nor is it even very flashy (other Hello Venus songs do that better) but hey it gets the job doe and sometimes that's all you need. Whereas songs like "I'm Ill" and "Wiggle Wiggle" relied on the dance to bolster a subpar audio, "Mysterious" doesn't need that because it's already a good song.

Coincidentally, this MV has a similar story to that of AOA's "Excuse Me." The last few comparisons I'll make between the two groups will be about the MV. For one I'll say that Hello Venus did a better job grabbing more well-known actor cameos. Granted, I don't know of Cha Eunwoo but Seo Kangjoon is pretty much a household name and easily recognizable. The Hello Venus girls are on a mission on a train: stalk the shit out of Seo Kangjoon. This includes staring at him indiscreetly, creeping into his room, and stealing(?) his possessions. Cha Eunwoo is relegated to bystander mode as the train's ticket boy (ticket collector?) and sort of watches all the events unfold. Maybe he's just a Hello Venus fanboy, or maybe it's his responsibility to ensure there's order on this train (which is devoid of other passengers might I add).

I've raved about Lime's eyes and gaze in the past but Alice is giving her a run for her money. I believe Nara is the member most raved about for her looks but I'm just not seeing it. Lime cutting her hair is a shame because I was really digging her long locks. But hey the short cut accentuates her stare so can't argue with that. The entire MV is extremely colorful and all these details were not thrown in carelessly. Yeah there are some awkward moments (the ending is particularly confusing but whatever) but all in all the video is pleasant on the eyes. Those individual color jackets are snazzy and like the rest of the MV give the visuals of Hello Venus a vibrant touch. Certainly not the most exciting music video ever seen, but anything is better than mere box and close-ups.

Talk about awkward lighting for a teaser image. Ruins what would otherwise be fierce gazes. Anyways, Hello Venus have a good start to 2017. Last year their songs didn't generate much noise so I'm glad they went back to their "roots" with "Mysterious." It's a high energy dance track that has polished individual sections that flow together nicely. The MV isn't boring and has eye candy for both genders to attract more views. "Myserious" isn't breakout material, but it is reminder of the style of music Hello Venus excels in. Plus, given we're only in mid-January, this is probably the best girl group song thus far (gotta find the positives any way you can). In the future, I'm hoping to see more music like this from them, and please please please give Lime another fantastic rap break. It would be her chance to move herself and her group up the ladder.