Pentagon - Shine
I love Pentagon. I think they are so underrated, but work really hard and consistently put out music that is enjoyable and unique. In my opinion, “Shine” will help catapult the boys to new heights. By employing their rap line more, and simplifying the chorus, Pentagon has created an instantaneous bop. For their previous title songs, as seen in the case of “Runaway” and “Like This,” the group tended to rely heavily on their vocals and more ambient, trop-house instrumentals. While they do have a very strong vocal line, it was refreshing to hear the rappers shine (heh) in this song. E’Dawn was used more in this song than any of their other titles. The song is made stronger by the stripped down instrumental, anchored by a plunking piano, which helps keep the focus on the singing.
It's also worth it to note that this song was written by four members, E'Dawn, Hui, Yuto and Wooseok, and composed by two members, Hui and E'Dawn, along with producer Flow Blow, a long time collaborator with Pentagon. Flow Blow also did the arrangement. The group, as usual, puts a lot of their own effort into creating their art. I admire that.
(I’m not going to even talk about the dancing in this MV, but it is certainly meme-tastic.)
Check out this great acapella version of “Shine” if you’re interested!
- Kerry
NCT U - Yestoday
Another day, another NCT release. This time, the ever-changing NCT U dropped an MV for the track, “Yestoday,” off their Empathy album. NCT U has an ever-rotating cast, and this version consists of Taeyong, Mark, Doyoung, and Lucas. Both Mark and Taeyong, as is the case with many NCT songs, helped write the lyrics to this track. The MV is a colorful combination of the members overlayed with animated drawings and color splotches. I particularly love the scene with Doyoung as he sings the bridge while standing before a blank wall, with wild colorful drawings flashing across his face.
The rappers carry the song, with each of the three getting their own verse. Doyoung, as the sole vocalist, connects the group, linking up the rappers' verses with his soulful and mournful chorus. I think these smaller units of NCT are working so well because they allow the members to display their talents as individuals. In "Yestoday," the rappers get extensive verses, giving them more time to play with their flow and show off their skills. In particular, the song really shined a spotlight on Doyoung and brought attention to his supreme vocals, which I feel I hadn't noticed before in the other NCT tracks.
NCT keeps impressing me this year. I always look forward to their releases and honestly, can't wait for the next one!
- Kerry
The Boyz - Giddy Up
Rookie group, The Boyz, had their first official comeback this week with the release of their new mini album, The Start. While I can't help but giggle at the name of their title track, it's actually a well-produced and fun listen. "Giddy Up" is a retro pop track that gallops on its catchy dance melody. The song structure isn't groundbreaking, but I appreciate the commitment to a thoroughly energetic pop dance track that isn't weighed down by any cliche trap motifs usually found in recent K-pop rap breaks.
The colorful MV for "Giddy Up" shines with The Boyz' performance and their complex choreography formations. The best thing about rookie groups is that while they may not have the polished look and aura of an established group, they always give their best performance with maximum effort, as if they have something to prove. You can see this energy and synchronicity in their dance practices and even their reality show performances. It makes for a very satisfying watch!
- Julie
A.C.E - 5TAR (Incompletion)
While "5TAR (Incompletion)" was released digitally on March 15th, A.C.E only just dropped a live performance video on April 4th. The video shows four of the five members - Jun, Donghun, WOW, and Jason - sitting on two benches angled towards each other. Chan, the fifth and youngest member, is not present in the video nor does he have any lines in the song due to his contract and promotions with UNB, the winning group from survival show, The Unit. Although Chan is unable to promote with A.C.E, the members conspicuously left an open space between the two benches and close the video on a scene of five empty chairs, with a blurry figure who looks suspiciously like Chan standing behind the middle one.
I’ve talked about A.C.E before in terms of their dance performance. While extraordinarily talented dancers, it’s also important to know that this group can SING. Their two hardstyle tracks, “Cactus” and “Calling,” while catchy and fun, tend to overwhelm their vocals with the intense instrumental. With “5tar (Incompletion),” fans get to hear their voices without any distractions. The song relies mostly on a piano for backing as the members sing about reaching out to someone who is hurting and reminding that person to not give up. I seriously cannot wait for more tracks like this and hope to get an album from this group someday soon!
- Kerry