Lee Hi - No One (feat. B.I)
Praise everything that is holy, Lee Hi is releasing new music again. Of course this is only because YG is fucking sinking faster than the Titanic but whatever, I'll take it. Whatever is going on in the backing audio, I'll have that and then some. It's almost janky but reminds me of like funky reggae, which I dig. B.I shows up with a classic iKON rap and if you only heard his rap you wouldn't be judged if you thought it was a new iKON song. Her "I don't care about shit" is so soft-spoken it's like she's afraid to curse. That bridge is absolutely powerful and Kpop could learn from it. No comment on Lee Hi with cat ears or any of the other feline imagery...
Park Bom - 4:44 (feat. Wheein)
Gonna double down on the praising because Bom is back with another featured artist to boot. "4:44" is the more electronic-based version of "Spring," complete with a supporting band cast and all. This is probably better than "Spring" because she's not straining for as many notes here. After all "4:44" is more laid-back in nature so that change makes sense. I've raved about Wheein enough over the years. This was a sweet join effort between two talented artists.
Lovelyz - Beautiful Days
While I don't particularly like this song, it's yet another example of how Lovelyz has really mastered their craft of bubblegum pop. Also Mijoo continues to be very, very attractive. This song is basically the younger sister of "Lost N Found" with a more youthful sound (imagine that) and (honestly?) prettier vocals. Everyone sounds beautiful and you can see the lesser vocalists stepping up. They have assembled enough firepower to contest the likes of Apink and GFriend for the most dominant cute pop girl group. That reminds me, a Lovelyz Power Ranking should definitely on the project list.
Pristin Disbands
This didn't need an individual post because I was never invested with Pristin, but holy fuck talk about depressing news. Pristin did fuck all during their time as a group and now they're defunct. Pledis has zero excuses: they ruined After School and now Pristin. Except this instance was in record time. Two title tracks - which includes their debut - since March 2017 is fucking embarrassing. I'm not willing to link either of their two music videos and I've talked about Pristin V's "Get It" before so enjoy a sad video about their despair. Girl group trainees under the Pledis flag better be trying to get the hell out of town.
Dean - Howlin' 404
Not a lot of attention for male singers this time around but hey at least Dean is able to make an appearance. He brings to the table another English release in "Howlin' 404." It's nowhere near as good as "I'm Not Sorry" from 2015 but I suppose it's hard to top (almost) perfection. There's a little too much going on in that instrumental for my liking - plus considering Dean's softer voice gets hit harder, but all in all still creates an exciting listen.
Giant Pink - Tuesday Is Better Than Monday (feat. Yeri)
May was the month of masterful collaborations. Giant Pink made headlines when she appeared on Unpretty Rapstar and her insanely powerful voice and rapping style speak for themselves. Meanwhile, little Yeri has slowly and surely worked her way since her debut with "Ice Cream Cake" and she has reaped the fruits of her labor this past month. In my groups I like uniformity in sound but in smaller projects like this I can enjoy when the voices contrast each other. Giant Pink raps throughout the verses with authority while Yeri's chorus is soft and sweet. These two exemplify the highs and lows of the working life. However, I'd argue that Tuesday is not better than Monday. At least for me at my work, but what do I know I'm an idiot.
Super Junior Completes Military Service
How many of you were around when Kangin first fucked up and entered military service? Their long journey of mandatory military service has come to an end with Kyuhyun completing his in early May. Also of course the maknae is the last one to go through the army haha. I've been around in Kpop a long time, and this chart really makes me feel old. Surely other fans can agree with that sentiment. Despite Heechul's injury woes, I'm hoping they will be able to release some new music
Hyorin - youknowbetter
Formatting aside, this song by Hyorin is incredible. This MV shows nothing but her looking beautiful, singing moving lyrics, with nothing but the instrumental and her voice working their magic. Since her start with Sistar, Hyorin has done pretty much everything under the sun both with and without the group, but this "back to basics" approach with "youknowbetter" is glorious. Listening to this song gave me chills for the first time because of her voice, and then I got chills a second time looking at the lyrics. These solo artists have been living life as of late, I love it.
Somi Debut
There are long journeys in the world of Kpop, and then there is Jeon Somi's story. Black Label has been milking the shit out of her solo debut but in just two more weeks we'll finally have Somi's solo debut. She will join Chungha as post-Produce superstars since the other members who ended up in groups...well you've already seen my blurb about Pristin up above. Also mentioned above was how solos are enjoying success so there are certainly expectations. It'll be hard to stand up to the likes of Sunmi, Ailee, and even Juniel with just a debut, but Somi has the potential to do it. I'm excited for what she'll show us.
CLC - Me
Last and definitely not least, CLC dropped "Me" a few days ago. The immediate connection was to 4minute's "Hate" but I think "Me" is more refined in nearly every category. While I'm not a fan of some things, they ultimately don't detract from the final product too much. The choreography is sexier and that makes sense considering the Chinese character they used is literally the word for "beauty." Yeeun puts in another memorable performance, as does Seungyeon, proving once again they are the pillars of this group. That bridge and subsequent final minute is amazing and is textbook powerful girl group music. God Bless Cube for doing CLC right with "Me."
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