VIXX - Scentist
Honestly, you can’t talk about a VIXX title track without taking into account their whole album. Commonly known as concept kings, VIXX came back with album, Eau de Vixx, titled by track “Scentist” on April 17th. The title, a combination of ‘scent’ and ‘artist,’ is a deep melancholy tune, obsessive in its lyrics. “Scentist” is a dark electro-pop song, highlighting the members’ unique voices. With stunning choreography, by dancer Rie Hata, the MV depicts the six members composing various perfumes in a sparse lab, highlighted in red. I could write a whole analysis of this MV (what’s with the kids?) but that’s for another day.
Overall the album has a seductive feel, as if composed from the perspective of a person who has become unapologetically interested in another person and desires to know all about them, right down to their scent. With tracks like “My Valentine,” and “Trigger” the album seems to touch on a love that’s slightly out of control and overwhelming in passion, both one-sided and reciprocated. Kinda creepy? Yes, but definitely true to the ever changing conceptual nature of VIXX.
- Kerry
HYO - Sober
SNSD’s Hyoyeon has been dabbling with DJing as a hobby for the past few years, showing her enthusiasm for studying different genres of music and producing her own songs. Making her solo comeback as DJ HYO, or just HYO, she released three versions of her new track titled “Sober” - Korean and English versions featuring Dutch DJ Ummet Ozcan and a pop version with a stripped down backing track. I really love HYO’s vocal color, which I think works well with the EDM genre of music. Even with a banging instrumental backing track, Hyo’s voice still stands out without getting drowned out by the beats.
Co-produced and arranged by HYO herself, the two EDM versions stand with different meanings. While the Korean version is a breakup song (“So, for now, it’s over...For now, cause I’m sober”), the English version takes on a completely different meaning with lyrics depicting an independent woman who comes and goes, and who loves and leaves, as she wants to. The two versions share a MV, showcasing HYO’s captivating choreography, and depicting messages of self-love and empowerment through a diverse group of women.
- Julie
The Rose - Baby
The Rose debuted less than a year ago on August 4th, 2017 with the song, ‘Sorry.’ The band has comeback only 8 months later with title track, “Baby.” As a rock group, they hold their own in a genre that isn’t well populated. Because of this, the group can truly dive in and develop their own unique sound. While bands like Day6 can be firmly categorized as pop-rock, yet others, like Hyukoh, dive full force into the indie/alt scene, The Rose seems to be striking a balance between the dramatics of conceptual K-pop and the K-rock world.
“Baby” is an electro-rock fusion that soars in its chorus and is grounding in its verses. The MV stars Woosung with a female lead, endlessly traveling through tunnels, bridges and roads, popping in and out of existence. The lyrics express the difficult feeling of knowing a relationship should end and the difficulty of saying goodbye. In these moments, much like in the MV, a person can feel like they cease to exist, disappearing from existence because they no longer have anything to live for.
I don't mean to be dramatic, but it appears The Rose brings that out in me.
- Kerry
HA:TFELT - 위로가 돼요 (Pluhmm)
The former Wonder Girls member Park Ye-eun released her new single album Deine along with a seductive MV for the title track ‘Pluhmm’. The album contains two tracks, ‘Pluhmm’ and ‘Cigar’, and is a follow up to her first single album, Meine.
‘Pluhmm’ is a nice blend of ambient, jazz, and electronic layered with Ye-eun’s soft vocals. Ye-eun uses her voice in a number of ways, not always following the music and having some really nice remixing touches throughout the song. The lyrics are a sweet depiction of the excitement you feel when you’re first getting to know someone you like. This, paired with Ye-eun’s flirty performance and unpredictable vocals, makes the song a really lovely listen!
- Julie