Hello hive music community! Gosh, it's been so long since my last post, between college and personal problems these last few months have been really busy, although there have also been many releases in between, I hadn't felt much enthusiasm to thoroughly review the most recent kpop releases until this month, which has been full of more than striking comebacks that have caught my attention a lot, so without further ado let's get started!
5) Kep1er –Giddy
Giddy es el mejor de los casos una canción linda, simple con algunos ganchos pegadizos aquí allá que pueden colarse en tu mente en los momentos más random del día, y en el peor de los casos, simplemente aburrida, casi como si estuviera en un limbo, no es necesariamente mala, pero tampoco es muy atractiva para mi gusto. Creo que me hubiese gustado se apegaran más a un estilo en específico en lugar de su característica mezcla de conceptos. Sin duda la mejor parte de la canción es al final, llegando al puente, la atmósfera, el sutil cambio del ritmo, ese pequeño beat-drop, es donde se puede ver más el encanto de Giddy.
Kep1er is, without a doubt, a very, very... curious group. With controversial musical proposals and a concept that doesn't end up going anywhere, their most recent comeback "Giddy" seems like an attempt to show a new facet of the group without losing that "charm" shown in previous comebacks and I think they succeeded quite well, to a certain extent.
Giddy is at best a cute, simple song with some catchy hooks here and there that can sneak into your mind at the most random moments of the day, and at worst, just plain boring, almost like it's in limbo, not necessarily bad, but not very appealing for my taste either. I think I would have liked them to stick more to a specific style instead of their characteristic mix of concepts. Without a doubt the best part of the song is at the end, coming to the bridge, the atmosphere, the subtle change of the beat, that little beat-drop, is where you can see more of Giddy's charm.
4) Alice –Show Down
Show Down no es una propuesta innovadora, quizás algo genérica pero aun así agradable de escuchar. La canción está bien construida y es fácil dejarse llevar por ella, mi mayor “Pero” con Show Down es que los versos y el pre-coro crean cierta expectativa que el coro no termina de complacer y no llega a ser tan memorable como “Dance On”
I really have mixed emotions about this song. Alice's last release prior to Show Down, "Dance On", was a fun and upbeat song, with an upbeat melody with retro touches and a fresh and catchy chorus that no doubt caught the attention of many casual listeners and set the bar high, and with Show Down you can definitely see the attempt to maintain a similar style but it doesn't quite match their previous comeback although the intention is there.
Show Down is not an innovative proposal, perhaps somewhat generic but still pleasant to listen to. The song is well constructed and it's easy to get carried away by it, my biggest "But" with Show Down is that the verses and pre-chorus create a certain expectation that the chorus doesn't end up pleasing and it doesn't get to be as memorable as "Dance On."
3) xikers –ROCKSTAR
Rockstar, como dice su nombre, está llena de un gran energía digna de una estrella de rock. La manera en que comienza “Rockstar” es realmente atractiva, y solo se vuelve más ambicioso a partir de allí, esta canción no es fácil de digerir, sobre todo cuando llega a su coro, es como un golpe directo a la cara, casi aturdidor. Si bien no soy fan de las canciones que, literal, me gritan a la cara (las canci2)ones de Stray Kids probablemente sean la única excepción) me encontré disfrutando gratamente de este lanzamiento y creo que fue una buena manera de demostrar el potencial del grupo
I wasn't originally planning on talking about this band, but this release popped up on my youtube homepage and caught my attention, and after listening to it I was left in a state of not exactly unpleasant shock.
Rockstar, as the name says, is full of high energy worthy of a rock star. The way it starts "Rockstar" is really appealing, and it only gets more ambitious from there, this song is not easy to digest, especially when it gets to its chorus, it's like a direct hit to the face, almost stupefying. While I'm not a fan of songs that literally scream in my face (Stray Kids songs are probably the only exception) I found myself pleasantly enjoying this release and I think it was a good way to showcase the band's potential.
2) LEE CHAE YEON –KNOCK
Knock es una canción de baile movida, con una melodía y coro pegadizo y con una coreografía que destaca la atmosfera general de la pista. Esta canción me atrapo desde el primer segundo, de comienzo a final cada elemento de “KNOCK” es simplemente adictivo; mientras que su debut “Hush Rush” se sentía como una canción más plana y que poco destacaba el talento principal de Chaeyeon, el baile, su primer regreso demostró que en realidad esta solista y su discografía está llena de potencial, con un vocal más claro, rap, e incluso una pequeña nota alta en el puente de la canción que impulsa mucho la atmosfera animada y colorida, “KNOCK” se siente como el camino correcto a seguir para Lee Chaeyeon.
I have already had the opportunity to talk about Chaeyeon in a past post, on that occasion with her debut "Hush Rush" a soft and fun song but that did not quite highlight the charm that this soloist has to offer, and that with her first comeback "KNOCK", she had the opportunity to prove that she has a lot to offer.
Knock is an upbeat dance song, with a catchy melody and chorus and choreography that highlights the overall atmosphere of the track. This song grabbed me from the first second, from start to finish every element of "KNOCK" is simply addictive; while her debut "Hush Rush" felt like a flatter song that did little to highlight Chaeyeon's main talent, dancing, her first comeback proved that indeed this solo artist and her discography is full of potential, with a clearer vocal, rap, and even a little high note in the bridge of the song that really pushes the lively and colorful atmosphere, "KNOCK" feels like the right way to go for Lee Chaeyeon.
1) IVE –I AM
“I AM” es una interesante mezcla de estilos de lo que IVE ha mostrado en el pasado, con el concepto hipnótico y femenino de “Love Dive”, y los elementos más retro y nostálgicos de “After Like”, este regreso se siente sacado de un repertorio de clásicos del pop, que a pesar de crear un sentimiento de familiaridad desde la primera vez que la escuchas, al mismo tiempo se siente como algo fresco, encantador, y hasta cierto punto (entre la competencia) único. Realmente disfrute de este regreso, la manera en que la canción va escalando más y más en todos los sentidos hasta el final, los pequeños detalles clásicos como el ritmo de caja musical del pre-coro, o uno de los versos después del coro que se siente sacado directamente de los lanzamiento más exitosos de la segunda generación del kpop, sin duda “I AM” me conquisto por completo y otra gran acierto por parte de las 6 chicas de IVE
Debuting with a hit single, coming back with an even more successful song and continuing that streak for subsequent releases is actually more difficult than it seems, when expectations are so high with each comeback is when groups are most in danger of losing the attention of the general public in kpop, not for nothing in today's music industry, this "Genre" is one of the most ambitious and competitive. Luckily for IVE, their company is very determined to deliver hit after hit and have a consistent discography, and their latest comeback "I AM" is proof of that.
"I AM" is an interesting mix of styles from what IVE has shown in the past, with the hypnotic and feminine concept of "Love Dive", and the more retro and nostalgic elements of "After Like", this comeback feels pulled from a repertoire of pop classics, which despite creating a feeling of familiarity from the first listen, at the same time feels fresh, charming, and to some extent (among the competition) unique. I really enjoyed this comeback, the way the song climbs higher and higher in every way until the end, the little classic details like the pre-chorus music box rhythm, or one of the verses after the chorus that feels straight out of the most successful releases of the second generation of kpop, without a doubt "I AM" completely won me over and another great hit by the six IVE girls.
Este mes ha estado repleto de muchos regresos y un solo post no me da la oportunidad de hablar de todos ellos, pero aun así espero que le echen un ojo a estas canciones de las que hable hoy!. ¡Muchas gracias por leer! cualquier consejo es más que bienvenido.
This month has been full of many comebacks and a single post doesn't give me the opportunity to talk about all of them, but I still hope you'll take a look at these songs I'm talking about today! Thank you so much for reading! any advice is more than welcome.
