Reviewing this week's k-pop music releases [ENG/ESP]
Hello Hive and Music Community !
We are almost at the end of June, and without a doubt this has been my favorite weeks of the entire year in terms of music releases. Previously I commented on how the summer season was one of my favorite times in kpop because of the songs that come out around these months, when June started I was a little worried that I might not see as many iconic releases as in years past but with this week's releases I'm particularly looking forward to seeing what comes next. Let's get started!
1) Nayeon –POP!
“POP” es el perfecto ejemplo de, bueno, el género pop; es una canción llena de energía desde su comienzo hasta su final sin descanso, la cual Nayeon sabe cómo manejar realmente bien con su carisma, con un ritmo llamativo y emocionante realmente me es inevitable no sentirme contagiada por toda la alegría que transmite, creo que si hay algo que cambiaría en esta canción seria el arreglo de la voz de Nayeon, me gustaría poder escuchar de manera más clara y sobresaliente su voz en las partes focales de la canción. Al final del día, POP le queda como anillo al dedo a la temporada de verano y sin duda es una canción que ya extrañaba escuchar entre todas las propuestas de kpop actuales.
(Si bien Pop es la pista principal del mini álbum debut de Nayeon, siento que la mayor “mina de oro” se encuentra en sus b-sides, sumamente recomendados por si le quieren dar una oportunidad!)
After 7 years of being part of a group and promoting together with its members since her debut, TWICE member Nayeon (aka my favorite gg of all time) is the first member of the group to debut as a solo artist. "POP" is a song that promises to revive the energetic and charismatic sound characteristic of kpop a few years ago, and I'm more than thrilled with such a proposal.
"POP" is the perfect exemplification of, well, the pop genre; it's a song full of energy from its beginning to its end without a break, which Nayeon knows how to handle really well with her charisma, with a flashy and exciting rhythm it really is inevitable for me not to feel infected by all the joy it transmits, I think if there is something I would change in this song would be the arrangement of Nayeon's voice, I would like to be able to hear more clearly and outstandingly her voice in the focal parts of the song. At the end of the day, POP fits the summer season like a glove and it's definitely a song that I've missed to hear among all the current kpop offerings.
(Although Pop is the title track of Nayeon's debut mini album, I feel that the biggest "gold mine" is in her b-sides, highly recommended if you want to give it a chance)!
Calificación / Rating
9.1/10
2) LOONA –Flip That
Este es el primer lanzamiento de verano de LOONA desde su debut si no me equivoco, tras explorar con varios géneros y conceptos más experimentales (Como “Butterfly” y “Why not?”) y fuertes (Como "So What”, y “Paint The Town”) las chicas prepararon un regreso sacado de un cuento de hadas veraniego (si tal cosa existe) y nos presentan una imagen más tierna y encantadora en comparación a sus últimos trabajos con “Flip That”
Ahora este regreso ha llamado la atención y generado diversas opiniones, si bien estoy de acuerdo en que no es el lanzamiento más fuerte de LOONA, siento que lograron una canción de verano llena de encanto y fácil de escuchar aquí, no hay nada nuevo ocurriendo con “Flip That” (Nada de composiciones atrevida o alocadas) y eso hace que se sienta refrescante. Esta canción es ciertamente de lo más relajado que el género house podría ofrecer, comienza con un ritmo animado ya establecido que va aumentando lentamente y finalmente caemos en un coro, que normalmente sería el “golpe” de energia de la canción, pero que en cambio Flip That opta por una melodía, aunque igual de movida, relajada y simple. Al final del día LOONA es un grupo lo suficientemente establecido, tanto en su carrera, sus encantos, y musicalmente como para saber sacar adelante una canción como esta con toda la seguridad del mundo, y eso me realmente me gusto.
This is LOONA's first summer release since their debut if I'm not mistaken, after exploring with various genres and concepts more experimental (Like "Butterfly" and "Why not?") and strong (Like "So What", and "Paint The Town") the girls prepared a comeback straight out of a summer fairy tale (if such a thing exists) and present us with a more tender and charming image compared to their last works with "Flip That"
Now this comeback has drawn attention and generated diverse opinions, while I agree that it's not LOONA's strongest release, I feel they pulled off a summer song full of charm and easy listening here, there's nothing new happening with "Flip That" (No bold or crazy compositions) and that makes it feel refreshing. This song is certainly about as laid back as the house genre could offer, it starts off with an already established upbeat beat that slowly builds up and eventually we drop into a chorus, which would normally be the "punch" of the song's energy, but instead Flip That opts for a melody, albeit just as upbeat, relaxed and simple. At the end of the day LOONA is an established enough group, both in their career, their charms, and musically to know how to pull off a song like this with all the confidence in the world, and I really liked that.
Calificación / Rating
8.8/10
3) Kep1er –Up!
Siguiendo la temática movida y alegre del verano, y lleno del entusiasmó de un grupo “Novato”, Up! Se siente como una explosión de energía y sin duda es una canción ambiciosa al igual que Wadada (con todo lo bueno y malo que puede salir de esto); mientras que me anime bastante con el coro de esta canción, sentí que el resto de la canción no fue tan memorable como su estribillo, no soy muy fan de los segmentos alargados de rap en las canciones (o estas partes que no llegan a ser rap del todo, solo frases medio cantadas) y esta canción está repleto de estos; exceptuando el coro, pienso que intentaran encajar muchos elementos uno tras otros y me hubiera gustado que mantuvieran las cosas un poco más limitadas por que sin duda el potencial está presente, aunque al final del día, creo que Kep1er con Up! supieron manejar la canción con un resultado divertido.
Kep1er returns with their first comeback after a debut full of mixed reviews, with nothing more and nothing less than a summer song. While Wadada seemed a fairly successful attempt to replicate this chaotic and "experimental" formula that has created great successes in the past, Up! does not deviate entirely from that "recipe" but they have certainly managed to present a more consistent song compared to their debut.
In keeping with the joyful and upbeat summer theme, and full of the enthusiasm of a "newbie" group, Up! feels like a burst of energy and is certainly an ambitious song just like Wadada (with all the good and bad that can come out of it); while I was pretty stoked with the chorus of this song, I felt the rest of the song wasn't as memorable as its chorus, I'm not a big fan of elongated rap segments in songs (or these parts that don't quite amount to rapping, just half-sung lines) and this song is chock full of those; except for the chorus, I think they tried to fit a lot of elements one after the other and I would have liked them to keep things a bit more limited because the potential is certainly there, but at the end of the day, I think Kep1er with Up! knew how to handle the song with a fun result.
Calificación / Rating
8.4/10
4) aespa –Life's Too Short
Lo cierto es que no hay mucho que decir sobre “Lifes Too Short” es una canción que fluye de una manera bastante suave y agradable, no hay mucho ocurriendo, es relajada y mantiene una melodía simple y fácil de escuchar (Siento que es el tipo de pista que tienen un mayor impacto en el punto final de un concierto, quizás con una banda en vivo) las voces (hermosas) de las miembros destacan de manera clara en todo momento, y en general, es el tipo de canción que te hacen ladear suavemente la cabeza mientras tarareas la letra de la canción.
Now, following the opposite of the ambition of "Up!", aespa is at it again! This time, weeks away from revealing their new mini album, the girls have released a new "pre-release" with "Lifes Too Short" a song they previously performed on their Coachella stage this year.
Truth is, there's not much to say about "Lifes Too Short" it's a song that flows in a rather smooth and pleasant way, there's not much going on, it's laid back and keeps the melody simple and easy to listen to (I feel it's the kind of track that has the biggest impact on the end point of a concert, maybe with a live band) the (beautiful) vocals of the members clearly stand out throughout the song, and overall, it's the kind of music that makes you gently nod your head while humming along to the lyrics.
Calificación / Rating
8.1/10
I don't know why today I feel the need to emphasize that I'm not an expert in music or music theory or anything like that! (although I think it's obvious hahaha) but I still love listening to kpop and seeing how much this "genre" has evolved over the years and being able to share it with you. June was a very interesting month, but there's still half a year to go and I'm excited to see my favorite groups come back soon (Itzy, aespa, I'm waiting for you!). Thanks so much for reading!
I love your K-Pop stuff :-)
I'm very happy that you like my kpop content :D
thank you so much!
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