kpop-music-reviews-blog

[kpop-music-reviews-blog]

EXID’s I Love You

Can I just say I’m so pumped for OT5? As amazing and strong EXID has been the past two years without Solji, I’ve missed her voice so much. Since they’ve really been experimenting musically, I was really interested to see what this release would be like.

The song opens (0:06-0:25) with some lady’s voice going “I love you like la la la.” I don’t know why they didn’t choose to use one of the members’ voices, but whatever. I do like this part of the song, but I feel like it goes on way too long. Almost 20 seconds of the same line being repeated over and over? I think 10 seconds would have been plenty.

As soon as I heard Hani’s part (0:25-0:32), I felt really excited. It’s a punchy, enticing part that really grabs my attention. I could’ve done without the random “I love you likes”. It feels like they were trying to fill every blank space with words, when the instrumental is enough to fill that space. If not, I would’ve rather they used another member doing an adlib or echo since the “I love you like” is reused a million times throughout the song. Even 30 seconds in, I’m a little bored of it. 

Unrelated to the music but, Jeonghwa looks absolutely gorgeous with her short hair. Her part (0:33- 0:42) confuses me a bit. I like the first part. It’s the same melody as Hani’s part just before, but then they go into this weird semi rap-singing auto tuned part (0:38-0:42). It feels so out of place in the song? First of all, I don’t know why they auto tuned it. Second, it’s such an abrupt change from the melody we had just heard earlier, and it’s too short to be its own section. It feels like a weird tail at the end of the intro melody, and I don’t know why it’s there.

LE’s rap (0:42-0:59) is straight fire as per usual. She really incorporates the vibe of the song so well into the rhythm of her rap. I feel like that’s something that’s hard to do since the instrumental doesn’t change, and rap doesn’t have a melody. I have the same complaint as before with reeling back on “I love you likes”. It really messes with the great rhythm and flow LE has and disrupts the feel of the song. However, LE still manages to give the song some good momentum, and it transitions into Hyerin’s part perfectly. 

Hyerin’s part (0:58-1:06) is one of my favorite’s in the song. It’s got such an EXID vibe, but it doesn’t really sound like any of their other songs. Her voice is strong and powerful, and her part really works well with the instrumental (which has thankfully changed from constant “I love you likes”). 

Then, we have the moment we’ve all been waiting for: Solji (1:06-1:24). Her part continues seamlessly from where Hyerin’s left off. Her part shows off the strong vocals we’ve missed so much of and marks a powerful return of one of Kpop’s great vocalists. 

Then we have so much of the “I love you likes” (1:32-1:50). I think it makes sense to bring it back here as we transition out of the chorus and into the second half of the song, but 20 seconds of this is just too much. I know I said it before, but I feel like it needs to be said again. 

Hani’s next part is cool and sexy (1:50-1:58). The instrumental changes to a groovy, dance tune, and her vocals mesh perfectly with it. My problem is that it sounds like nothing what we’ve heard in the rest of the song. This part is great on its own, but in the context of the song it doesn’t make much sense? Maybe if they had a transition that sounded more like the beginning with Hani and Jeonghwa’s vocals, but straight out of the “I love you likes” felt like sharp turn in a different direction.

LE’s rap (1:59-2:08) works well coming right after Hani’s part. She keeps the dancey, rhythmic vibe that Hani’s part encapsulated. 

Jeonghwa’s and Hani’s part (2:08-2:23) makes absolutely no sense to me. Jeonghwa’s part transitions back to the instrumental from the beginning, but coming after LE’s rap feels backwards. Her run at 2:14 sounds messy, unnecessary, and it just doesn’t suit her voice. Hani’s part after this literally sounds like a placeholder (2:16-2:23). I get it Hani’s super hot, but like what is this? She’s just rap-talking in a sexy voice? Why did they leave this in? It’s such a bad transition into the chorus, and it feels incredibly messy.

The rest of the song is the chorus, which sounds great like it did before. And the I love you likes. I really didn’t think they could make the I love you likes worse, but this time it’s 30 seconds long. Literally 1/3 of this song is I love you likes. I’m so mad. 

Overall, I’m kind of disappointed by this song. I like it, and there are some really great parts (Hani’s beginning part, the chorus, LE’s raps). But the song just has absolutely no direction or idea of what it’s supposed to be. The second part of the song (1:50-2:08) with Hani and LE is great, but it just doesn’t make sense with the rest of the song. SO much of this song feels like a placeholder and EXID deserve better than that. I would’ve loved to hear some adlibs from Solji and Hyerin who I feel like I barely heard from since their parts were the exact same both times we heard them. What this song needed was less I love you likes and just more EXID. No nonsense autotune and sexy talking placeholders. EXID is plenty talented on their own, and their songs should reflect that.

Rating: 6/10

[kpop-music-reviews-blog]

EXO’s Tempo

Let me start off by saying that I’m a pretty big EXO-L. They were the group that got me into kpop, so this review might be a bit biased. (Obviously, I’m still gonna try and be as objective as possible.)

The intro (0:00- 0:17) is absolutely amazing. It really reminds me of what Exo does best. Chen’s voice really starts the song off with a bang, and Baekhyun’s adlibs adds for a great complement. The synths in the instrumental provide a really powerful opening and gives a great taste for what the song is going to be about. It really doesn’t sound like any kpop song I’ve heard, but it still sounds so Exo to me.

The transition into the chorus (0:17-0:35) is a bit rough for my taste. I remember listening it to the first time and feeling like it didn’t fit with the flow of the song. It’s not that the chorus is bad. It’s that I feel like it came too early in the song and didn’t lend itself to a clean transition. My other problem is the squeaky creaks in the background. I really don’t know why they added that in there. It just feels like unnecessary noise. There’s plenty going on between the vocals and the instrumental that it feel like it distracts more than anything else. 

Xiumin’s (0:35-0:43) and Baekhyun’s (1:33-1:41) part with voice effects is in my opinion the worst part of the song. I really don’t understand why they did it, since it’s not like they needed to hide their beautiful voices. I would understand if it were a group with weaker vocalists that just needed a line or two, but like for Exo?? 

Sehun’s rap (0:43-0:51) literally made my jaw drop. Much as I love Sehun, I really underestimated how much he had improved rapping wise. He seemed so comfortable, and it’s really a huge step up from Exo’s last releases. I also love the vocal layering of Chen and Sehun (0:51-0:56). It really went with the song’s rhythmic, layered vibe. It added a nice complexity rather than have either one of them do it by themselves. 

SUHO’S PART (1:00- 1:10) WAS SO GOOD! That “baby girl” just felt so smooth! I’m also so used to Suho’s voice sounding light and airy, that the heavier, lower voice here threw me off (in a good way). Like Sehun, it just looked and sounded so natural. 

Chanyeol’s (1:10-1:16) transition into the chorus is what I would’ve like the first transition to be more like. It felt a lot more fluid and clearly felt like it was pushing towards something rather than have the chorus feel like it came out of no where. Side comment, Chanyeol literally looks so happy here, like I can’t stop smiling seeing how happy he looks. 

Chanyeol’s rap (1:41-1:58) has such a nice flow in the song. I really feel like Exo’s rappers are solidifying their own style and vibe, and it really makes the song come out so much nicer. They don’t feel like raps thrown in just because. They have a real place in the song, and Chanyeol’s rap was one of my favorite parts of the song. 

DO KYUNGSOO!! (1:58-2:08) I’m shook that this is the first part he sings? Like halfway through the song without his beautiful voice? Kyungsoo’s voice highkey goes with everything and I have no complaints here. Plus Suho’s angelic adlibs in the background makes this part sound different than the first time we heard it, which is always nice for a little change. 

Chen’s (2:08-2:11) transition into the chorus is fine, but I would’ve liked it to be bit punchier. It’s similar to Chanyeol’s part from before, but since Chanyeol is a rapper that part has a clear distinct rhythmic vibe because Chanyeol is rap-singing, whereas Chen is singing-singing. It’s nitpicky but whatever. 

Kai and Chanyeol singing the bridge (2:17-2:32)? Like I never thought this day would come? It’s got such a sweet, calm vibe that lends itself into the a cappella part so nicely. Mix that with Baekhyun’s adlibs and it’s just so good.

The little in-between part (2:33-2:50) with Chen, Sehun, Baekhyun, and Kyungsoo is nice, but I’m not sure how necessary it is to the song. It continues to show off their amazing voices, and Sehun voice provides good grounding. It just feels like it goes on too long. Again, it’s nitpicky, but the space between where Chanyeol ends and Chen/Sehun starts is just blank (2:30-2:33)? Like nothing’s happening, and I don’t know why they left it that way. It sounds messy and unfinished, like they were going to do something, but then they forgot. I think they could’ve kept either Kai/Chanyeol or this in-between part or shortened some parts, but having both in their entireties seems like a lot. 

Do I even need to talk about the a cappella part (2:51-3:25)? I think we all know it’s actually one of the best things I’ve heard in kpop like ever? I’ve always wanted kpop groups to take advantage of the fact they have multiple voices and really layer and harmonize but to go a cappella? I never would’ve thought. The piano part into the a cappella part creates the tiniest bit of suspense, and then it starts. And it’s great. Suho’s savior line, the only part of the song we get to actually hear Xiumin’s voice, the cascading “I can’t believes”. It’s all so gorgeous, and it’s something that I hope other kpop groups incorporate into their releases. 

Then, we have the final chorus. It’s a simple wrap-up with ad libs from the vocal line. A good closure to a great song. 

Overall, I think this song has a really original concept and feel. The vocal line really shines and the rap line gets a great part too. There are a couple parts that feel a little rough and less polished then the rest of the song, but I feel like it only stands out because the rest of the song is so good. It’s just really balanced, and it really reminds kpop what a 6-year old powerhouse group is capable of. 

Rating: 8.5/10

P.S. For anyone who’s interested, I’m open to suggestions for future reviews. I don’t know if they’ll all be in this much detail. I’m still working out how I want to do this :)