Sunmi - Noir
Leave it to Sunmi for the quick rebound. "Siren" was a tad weaker than other selections in her glorious run but she's right back into the swing of things with "Noir." Her trademark sound is omnipresent and while it's slower than her usual tracks, the audio is still exciting and impressive. Equally as exciting is the artistic video, in which Sunmi does Sunmi things while looking flawless. The MV itself is full of imagery and mockery on the entertainment industry. That current top Youtube comment says it all: "I don't need subtitltes to understand that Sunmi just roasted the whole Internet and society."
Everglow - Bon Bon Chocolat
New girl group alert! Everglow got the attention with some of their dance covers and for being under YueHua Entertainment (who also sort of house Cosmic Girls). This awkwardly titled song is full of energy and dance moves which we got to see in those said dance covers. I know yesterday I attacked Black Pink's "Kill This Love" for the dull chorus and the same could be said here, but at least Everglow has an exhilarating instrumental and the fast-paced "nanana" can be catchy. The dance itself during that chorus could have been more eventful but the rest of the song makes up for it.
Park Bom - Spring (feat. Dara)
Park Bom is back after her disfortunate departure from 2NE1 and YG. The timing of this was not unnoticed, with the Seungri bullshit in full swing, her "Spring" release marks her return and revival. Bom rocks the slow pace of this song, hearkening back to her solo releases like "You And I." Dara's feature is beyond fantastic and she got to flex her rapping abilities, reminding everyone that she can still do it all at 34 years old. Getting to hear half of 2NE1 singing together is awesome. I read on r/kpop that some variety show (maybe Knowing Brothers?) is trying to make a 2NE1 reunion happen. Please give us fans that gift. At least, I'd hope such a moment would be a gift.
Stray Kids - Miroh
What is it with JYP and SM taking until this generation of boy groups to have found their rappers? NCT and Stray Kids are the best rappers in their label and it's not even close. And they're probably the best dancers from a complete group level, too. The prechorus is quite numbing with repetition but the lightning raps attempt to offset that. Like Everglow and Black Pink, Stray Kids bring another instrumental-focused chorus here in "Miroh." Unlike Everglow and Black Pink, the choreography during said chorus is at the very least interesting. Certainly not better than "I Am You" by any stretch, but worth mentioning from the month of March.
Hong Jinyoung - Love Tonight
Nobody carries their genre harder than Hong Jinyoung carries trot. She singlehandedly got me into trot (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) and outside of music is a variety superstar. As they say, Hong Jinyoung noona is best noona, or something like that. "Love Tonight" is fun and lively represented in both the MV and vocals, and oh yeah she's being a fucking cat in this video. What else is there more to say? Trot is fun, and Hong Jinyoung makes trot double the fun.
Key - I Wanna Be (feat. Soyeon)
Kpop in 2019 has been full of these silent choruses huh? Key at least makes it work and brought in a rising star helper with Soyeon. He is talented enough to make this work on his own, but Soyeon's inclusion is a beautiful touch. Given her disappointing rap in "Senorita," I was pleased to hear her in full force in "I Wanna Be." This song has quickly become one of my premier dance track selections in 2019. Key's voice glides through yet another solo release and I'm especially a fan of those short but sweet harmonies at the end.
No comments:
Post a Comment