Tag: Korean

시그니처 (cignature) | cignature 1st EP ALBUM ‘Listen and Speak’

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Are you familiar with C9 GIRLZ? If you aren’t, that’s okay! Consisting of former members of GOOD DAY, as well as containing members who were previously on the reality competition show The Unit, C9 GIRLZ became a hot topic. Eventually, they would go on to debut under the improperly-spelt cignature with fun track ‘Nun Nu Nan Na’.

They return with their very first mini-album titled ‘Listen and Speak’, tackling a sound that may be confusing upon first listen. This begs the question: is this ‘ARISONG’ a bad song because of its ‘arisonghae’ cig-nature or does it make it unique and fun? Read on!

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EVERGLOW (에버글로우) | -77.82X-78.29

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EVERGLOW has returned!

Popular with international fans, EVERGLOW comes back with their second mini-album and their second release of 2020. The girls return to the girl-crush concept, but here, it looks like they’re taking on a very futuristic, very ‘drive-in-the-night’ concept. They’re slaying the hardcore game with the darker visuals and the wicked latex outfits. That being said, is this release’s coordinates going to send us into the future with edge or are we going to be transported to boredom? Let’s visit their new mini!

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IZ*ONE (아이즈원) | BLOOM*IZ

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Remember sometime last year when I was worried that IZ*ONE was never going to release again when there was the Produce scandal? Remember when we thought this full album was never going to see the light of day? Then somehow, closer to my birthday, I find out that the album was indeed going to proceed and promotions would continue and IZ*ONE would still be a group until the end of their contract. Guess when the album released? I’ll leave you in suspense (P.S. it’s my birthday!).

BLOOM*IZ came and made its impact, fighting against all odds (and eventually selling A LOT, and I mean A LOT, of copies). Was the album worth all the wait? Was it the serene blooming of a group that fought through all the lies and betrayal? Or is this a wilting flower that should have disbanded the group? Carry on…

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ITZY (있지) | Not Shy

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August and September seems to be the month of comebacks, as ITZY, JYP Entertainment’s girl-crush and individuality concept girl group, is back! In this latest effort from the five-member group, ITZY takes the concept of not being shy and merges it with a western feel, which they’ve previously incorporated into their music before, but never image-wise.

With this comeback comes six new songs to showcase ITZY’s growth as a girl group since their stellar debut last year. But is the release just the right combination of elements for a perfect comeback or is it just shy of getting there? Let’s take a look!

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유아 (오마이걸) | Bon Voyage

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Guess who’s back? YooA! Well, this is actually her debut as a soloist, rather than as a comeback with OH MY GIRL. An interesting venture, YooA possesses a distinct vocal out of her OMG members, and when I came across the opening trailer for the release, excitement was the word that best described how I felt prior to its arrival. YooA also happens to be my OMG bias, so this was a treat.

In this release, YooA goes on a journey, hence the name ‘Bon Voyage’. With its name, we can only hope that we’re taken on a great journey through all the songs on this mini-album, but this poses a few questions: can YooA succeed as a soloist, and will this mini-album and its title track be a journey worth traveling? Let’s dive into it, below!

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에이프릴 (APRIL) | 에이프릴 (APRIL) 7th Mini Album ‘Da Capo’

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What a time April 2020 was. Despite it being one of the few months of 2020 where all hell seems to have broken loose, and we all know why, April has brought upon a lovely array of K-pop comebacks to tide ourselves over while we are all in quarantine. One such group is APRIL, with a name that’s as appropriate as the timing they set their comeback, who are now delivering a concept that incorporates a slightly different style than their usual fluttery sound with a new feel to their choreography.

Coming in the form of their 7th mini album, shortened to ‘Da Capo’, APRIL attempt to reach into a darker side with new title track ‘LALALILALA’, but is this darker side going to have listeners sing along to their tune or is this a lala-lackluster release?

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미쓰에이 | Touch

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Let’s take it back to 2012, 8 years ago, when people thought the world was gonna end, and miss A was ready to ‘touch’ all our hearts… in a way that you might not think. The formerly-JYP Entertainment four-member group gave us a slamming debut in 2010, then proceeded to keep up the momentum into the next two years.

With their first mini-album, “Touch”, miss A turned around their concepts, leaving their ‘bad girl’ and ‘good-bye baby’ concepts behind for a darker, slightly tragic, and gothic image. However, was this image worth a touch or did it burn them upon contact?

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Red Velvet (레드벨벳) | ‘The ReVe Festival’ Day 1

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Remember last year? It ended so soon! It was a tough year for K-pop, but apart from everything’s that happened, the music that was pumping out in 2019 did not let up, with many artists going in different directions for their sound.

One in particular was popular SM Entertainment girl group Red Velvet, who decided to take things in strange fashion, going for offbeat and disjointed in the initial part of their ‘ReVe Festival’ mini-album series. It certainly divided their (and K-pop’s) fanbase, as it was a totally off-kilter sound. Now, you’re probably wondering if it holds up at all after last year, and if the mini’s songs have any of the same sound… then step right up and see!

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모모랜드 (MOMOLAND) | Thumbs Up

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If we’re on the topic of nostalgia, then we shouldn’t be forgetting all the new stuff that’s coming out! One such new release is MOMOLAND’s recent single, their first for 2020 and their first since ‘I’m So Hot’ in 2019 (which was released, well, nine months ago). If you’ve been following MOMOLAND for a while, you’ll know they faced a lot of hardships through the year, with two members (Yeonwoo and Taeha) leaving the group and Daisy STILL on hiatus… but that didn’t stop the girls.

With their new release, the girls come back to give their fans a big ‘thumbs up’ for the love and support, but is it really a thumbs up, or is it not even worth a thumb down?

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