[Review] Mamamoo - Hip

Damn, November is half over already. What's been happening? Kpop has not been my priority as of late with work (both current and trying to find new), new games (Legend Of Bumbo and Pokemon) and adopting a cat (I'm in love). But this does not mean the end is nigh. In fact, if I don't publish anything else this year it would still be 3rd place in terms of number of posts, and I definitely have more in the tank for the blog in 2019. With that business out of the way, how did Mamamoo fare after giving me a glimmer of hope during the teaser?

"Hip" is traditional Mamamoo in nearly every sense of the word. From the quirky presentation, eclectic visuals, catchy chorus, impact rap and svelte vocals, this is the Mamamoo many have grown to love. Wheein is smooth as always while Hwasa rocks her lower register. These two good friends bring us balance in the vocals department. Moonbyul is serenading our ears with rap not once, not twice, but thrice! Okay well the third time was more like a chant bridging into the final chorus...and Hwasa took the second half, but that still counts. With every inaction that LE takes, Moonbyul makes her case as the #1 female rapper in all of Kpop (tier list soon maybe???). Solar continues doing Solar things: she has always been extremely consistent and versatile. If not for the existence of Taeyeon and Hyorin, you'd probably have Solar as the most desired vocalist.

Personally I (still) don't like the heavy dosage of English from start to finish, but in an almost tragic turn of events their pronunciations are so weird they almost don't sound like English? I mean if I'm being honest it's probably the same amount of English like in their previous single but the personality of "Hip" helps cover their tracks, sort of. Part of it is Mamamoo's charm and another part is being able to focus on the other qualities of the song. That chorus is so damn good! The piano is addicting and their second best piano accompaniment since the obvious "Piano Man" track. Plus it pairs nicely with the most exciting moments in the choreography. While I was watching "Hip" for the first time, I thought this may actually be their best dance to date. They've had more goofy dances before, and arguably more difficult ones, but this choreography looks well-made, looks clean, and looks fun. There's a lot going on here, between the formations and sharp locking moves to the moments of power and simplicity ("head, shoulders, hip" etc.). In terms of stage presence, this is easily one of their top three masterpieces.

The whole multiverse thing is a great concept doubling as an excuse to make the MV excessive fanservice and unlimited number of costume changes. Seriously, this has to be a record. Each member had three multiverse personas, then throw in a handful more each for the various takes in the choreography. Someone should do the math and science on that. Anyway as always, I won't comment too much on these except that Hwasa mom is best mom and Solar can beat me up whenever she likes. Not a fan of Wheein and Solar's "split" colors (painter Wheein's eyebrows and band / rocker Solar's hair) at all. That has never looked very good at anyone, same goes for Mamamoo.

Is "Hip" one of Mamamoo's best songs ever? Ehh it's too early to tell but for now I'll play it safe and say no. While the production and design is very impressive - as are the individual showings by each member - the overuse of English and lack of anything revolutionary means it pales in comparison to other greats (from their own library and other girl groups'). Still, it's got a quirky personality, the choreography is commendable and Mamamoo have already established themselves as brilliant on the microphone. "Hip" will in fact be hip, just not a gamebreaker, and sometimes that's fine.