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nayeonline · 2 months

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Ari's K-Pop Roundup: February 2024 (Twice, Le Sserafim, BabyMonster, JYP Family, BIBI + MORE)

If there's a comeback coming up you want to see talked about in March's roundup, drop me a message/ask and I'll make sure to include it :)

I Got You + One Spark - TWICE (With YOU-th)

GIF credit: @femaleidols

Twice are officially back lets fucking go, the girls are here.

Unfortunately for TWICE, only one girl group can have a good release at a time in JYP apparently, and NMIXX have snatched that privilege from them in this instance (Fe3O4: Break is a 10/10). The concept teasers for this era were super interesting and really beautiful actually, kind of reminiscent of 2018 LOONA and the ASAP - NewJeans music video, but its JYP, so naturally that vibe was completely absent from the music videos whatsoever, but I digress. The pre-release, 'I Got You' is a thrumming, synth fueled track that attempts to be anthemic, but doesn't quite meet the bar. It's pretty catchy, sure, and the lyrics are actually reasonably good, but it feels slightly uninspired and very dated. The y2k trend's days may be numbered, but its still a bit early to be referencing 2015 in our 2024 tracks, in my opinion at least. While I see the appeal, this track really doesn't blow me away, and I don't see myself returning back to it much in the near future.

The title 'One Spark' suffers the same pitfalls as 'I Got You' if not even more so. Maybe it's just me, but I found the hook to be so unbelievably boring, and the rest of the song felt wholly pedestrian in its construction. It's really quite frustrating that a song this dull got past the many rounds of production required to be released, because the producers for it are certified hit makers, and TWICE are far too talented to be releasing insultingly boring music. The music video is all about TWICE being timeless, which they are, but if they keep releasing subpar title tracks like this, that's not how they will be perceived by the average kpop listener. It's a shame, really, but with JYP's track record over the last couple of years, I can't honestly say I'm surprised. It's not unlistenable, but it's hardly up to TWICE's standard.

What's even more frustrating is that the b-sides are actually really fun, 'Rush' is evocative of PinkPantheress and is super cute, 'New New' is such a punch up from 'One Spark' that's far more exciting and catchy, and 'Bloom' is gloriously ethereal and kind of giving Chungha realness - its SUCH A FUCKING HIT. Even 'You Get Me' that I assumed was going to be the apparently obligatory end of album ballad turned out to be a laid-back, easy going finale that is both catchy and well produced. How is it possible that the two least exciting songs on the record are the only ones promoted??? Literally any of the b-sides could have been the title, especially 'Bloom' which I will be treating as the title track in my delusions. Great b-sides, boring promoted tracks, JYP doesn't know what they're doing yet again, what's new.

Easy - LE SSERAFIM (EASY)

A little bit Rosalia, a lot a bit Tyla, with a healthy dose of platinum blonde Chaewon, this is Le Sserafim doing CONCEPT better than pretty much everyone else in the industry right now.

Right off the bat, this is leaps and bounds ahead of 'Unforgiven', which had its moments, but generally failed to make an impact. 'Easy' is an effortlessly cool R&B trap track that's heavily inspired by the afrobeats trends in western pop. It's stylish, exciting, and suits Le Sserafim well - this is how to develop a musical style while not abandoning your roots. The overall metaphor that harkens to a swan on a lake (pure elegance on the surface, intense effort below) is interesting and works for their concept, but the actual lyricism in this song is utterly nonsensical. Maybe I'm just being dumb, but does 'pull up and I rip it up like ballet' actually mean? There's an English version out, which is somehow even more unintelligible, but I digress.

Lyrics aside, I like this track a lot, and the music video is utterly gorgeous. Does it live up to the heights of 'Antifragile'? No, not really, but it's definitely up there with 'Fearless', in my opinion.

The b-sides were okay, not bad, but not especially exciting. 'Smart' was easily the most exciting out of the trio, but I don't see it having the longevity of 'Blue Flame' or 'EPATBW'.

Great title, slightly dull mini album - I am seriously excited for where Le Sserafim goes sonically, they and NewJeans are undoubtedly the trendsetters of the 4th generation, and I can't wait to here more of their stuff.

Like Magic - JYP, Stray Kids, ITZY, NMIXX

GIF credit: @thankyou-taeyeon

If you are ever in doubt that capitalism is destroying music, feel free to give this one a stream. Genuinely awful.

Bam Yang Gang + Sugar Rush - BIBI

requested by @a-moth-to-the-light

Bibi is such an exciting idol. Her music is consistently exciting and innovative, and rarely dull. 'Bam Yang Gang' is such an honest, realistic, and in many ways comforting song that is as simplistic as it is perfect. It's a little nonsensical, and oddly relatable. Not sure what the rat thing in the music video was about, but on the whole, it's a beautiful, hilarious, highly enjoyable song, and I'm so happy it is charting so well in South Korea.

'Sugar Rush' is a little less my speed, but it is successful in what it sets out to achieve. The production is trappy, synthy, and feels a little bit NCT 127? This kind of concept is difficult to pull off, and when some idols do it, it comes off as kind of goofy, but Bibi pulls it off 100%. Not really my thing, but a fun song nonetheless.

(also yena and soyeon make cameos in the mv so that's fun)

Stuck In The Middle - BABYMONSTER

'Batter Up' was a huge grower for me, originally I found it a bit dull and uninspired, but I'm a dancer, and sue me, the dance is fun, so naturally I ended up streaming it a bunch while learning the choreography, and now I think I enjoy it. It was undeniably a controversial release though - the comparisons with blackpink inevitably flooded in, the whole drama with Ahyeon being on hiatus and potentially being fully out of the group was a total shit storm, and there were zero performances on music shows to boot. Not sure why that last one happened, BabyMonster do not have the kind of influence to chart with longevity without domestic promotions but me being confused at YG's creative directors is literally nothing new.

Then we got 'Stuck In The Middle', an slightly bizarre English ballad with decent (if a little vapid) lyricism, and 'Moonlight Sunrise' meets Kwangya esque music video sets. I'm not going to do my monthly rant about how shit the vast majority of kpop ballads are, and how boring this song is, but I will say this. BabyMonster currently has no clear concept that sets them apart from their predecessors and everyone else in the industry, and outside of the YG bubble of ad boosted music video views, this song was unsuccessful. It went utterly undiscussed by the wider kpop fanbase, and has minimal streams on Spotify for a big three group. I don't say this to rub it in the faces of the girls and their fans, if anything, I am hugely upset that young women this talented are under a company so stuck in the past. YG needs to get their act together if they actually want a shot at creating blackpink the sequel, because what they're doing right now is not working.

Since the release, it's been announced that the it girl of the group, Ahyeon, is making a return for the first mini album, 'BABYMONS7ER', thank god for that, and apparently YG is now labelling all songs released thus far as predebut tracks, which is actually hilarious, they have no idea what they are doing.

Good luck babymonster, I think you will need it.

BONUS:

Super Lady - (G)-IDLE: (I know this was a January release I just forgot to talk about it ok) kind of iconic ngl; some of the English lines were questionable but the song is fun so lets move on; not sure why the song is only like 2 minutes literally nobody wants short songs

DNA - YENA: (requested by @a-moth-to-the-light) Yena is such a strong performer, but I think the production team let her down with the mixing of this song. The vocals should have more layers, or at the very least, be louder than the bass line. Overall though the song is super fun, and super Yena. I love the j-rock influences, I love Yena's gorgeous vocal colour; she is a soloist I am always sure to keep up to date with. It is so evident in her performances that she loves the music she is releasing, and for me at least, that's enough.

Holssi + Love Wins All - IU: Love wins all had a beautiful music video although the song itself felt a bit boring, but Holssi was unexpectedly groovy and understated - I can feel that it's going to majorly grow on me.

Diamond - TRI.BE: I was very pleasantly surprised that this song is actually really good? I haven't really tuned into their discography since the whole 'pretty savage' plagiarism stuff, but this is such a fun song that is impressively unique to them considering most groups of smaller companies like them tend to follow what the bigger groups are doing. Maybe I should check them out more - any tri.be stans reading, lmk some good recommendations :)

Young Posse Up - Young Posse: As a british teen, this sent me into fight or flight lmao

That's all for February, feel free let me know your thoughts on the comebacks discussed (or any I didn't mention) in the reblogs or comments, I'll look forward to reading them. Make sure to check back in for next months roundup but yeah thats it so byeeeeeeeeeeee

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