daebakwhovian/ September 27, 2020/ ICYMI/ 0 comments

SuperM Becomes One In First Full Length Album

SM Entertainment’s ‘Avengers of K-pop’ (they are really pushing the superhero concept) SuperM released their first full-length studio album “Super One” with the title track “One (Monster & Infinity)”.

Review: This is the most SM sounding album I think I’ve ever heard. It’s almost like someone took all of the different songs that SM released this year and put them together in a mashup album. That could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how much you like SM’s style. The title track really sounded like a blend of recent NCT 127 and EXO tracks (maybe “Kick It” with “Obsession”?). Which makes sense, since this group is supposed to bring the strengths of all of their different groups. Taemin himself even pointed out the similarity of mixing two B-side tracks into one title track with SHINee’s “Sherlock (Clue + Note)”. Despite sounding like you maybe heard it before, it’s still a decent song. The choreography is slick and synchronized, and Baekhyun and Ten’s shared high note at the bridge was absolutely necessary. I also think this song utilized all of the members better than previous tracks, where only a few members stood out. Since all of their pre-release singles lean more toward the aggressive and intense side, the more laid-back and R&B inspired tracks like “So Long” and “Wish You Were Here” were a nice change of pace. I’m glad we got previously performed tracks like “Dangerous Woman” and “With You” that fans were already looking forward to, though I’m still waiting on songs that were performed during their concert tour (Lucas’ solo “Bass Go Boom”, I’m looking at you). I can already tell that the feel-good English track “Better Days” will be one that I will also have on repeat. Content-wise, this is a solid album but I wonder if some potential fans won’t listen because it seems that in promoting SuperM, the agency has neglected other artists (*cough* EXO-SC *cough* Taemin) Overall: A solo release with something for hardcore SM fans and casual listeners alike.

EVERGLOW Goes Retro In “LA DI DA”

Everglow released their second mini album “-77.82x-78.29” with the title track “LA DI DA”.

Review: I only recently started getting into Everglow, and I apparently picked a good time because I love everything about this comeback. Even with an album name that would be difficult to mention in everyday conversation (fans speculate that the title points to coordinate points in Antarctica, which seems to be a recurring theme), both the main tracks and B-sides are impressive. For the title track, they fully committed to the retro synth-pop vibe, and completely pulled it off. The glam! The leather! The sequins! The music video feels like a sparkly 80s femme fatale- themed movie. It may have been a bit of a gamble for the group to do something so different from their previous releases, but I think it payed off. Not only did fans get to see a different concept from them, the part distribution was a lot more balanced this time around (the main detractor for many fans in February’s “Dun Dun” was that at some points it seemed like a song for Mia feat. Everglow instead of featuring each member). And the choreography was bound to be amazing when working with dancers connected to the famous 1MILLION Dace Studio. The second track “Untouchable” could have easily been the title track. “Gxxd Boy” probably is the closest to their previous styles and it’s EDM/trap vibe would make it easy to dance to. This is relatively short even for a mini album, but the sentimental vocal centered “No Good Reason” makes up for that while still leaving you excited for more. Overall: 🎶“EVERGLOW Forever Let’s Go”🎶

Other Headlines:

• If “Super One” songs are the most SM-sounding SM tracks this year, then The Boyz “The Stealer” is the most SM-sounding non-SM release this year. I don’t mean that in a bad way either. I think the group showed a distinct style, but the song structure and R&B influences definitely reminded me of an EXO song. The choreography really utilizes their relatively large group size to their advantage. After winning Road To Kingdom and following it up with this mini album, it seems that the group is really hitting their stride. I’m excited to see what comes next. (And in the meantime, check out members Eric and Kevin hilarious interviews with Eric Nam.)

https://youtu.be/NR90x3JUIpA

• Yes for more mixed member groups! Five-member co-ed group CHECKMATE from Grace Company Entertainment made their debut this week with the single “DRUM”. This is pretty good for a debut; it easily sounds like it could have been a summer comeback from an older group. The moombahton vibe makes me think of the other current big name co-ed group, KARD, but who says you have to pick just one co-ed group to stan? You can probably tell that the music video was done with a much smaller budget than the ones you see from bigger companies, but it’s still not bad. Check out a live performance here and follow them on Twitter and Instagram.

• Maroo Entertainment’s new nine-member boy group GHOST9 made their debut with the mini album “Pre Episode 1: Door”. Some members are already familiar to fans from Maroo promoting them through competition shows like Produce, MIXNINE, and the project group TEEN TEEN. I’m not always a big fan of boy rookie groups going straight into a heavy dark concept right from debut (I think most groups would be better off growing into it) but they pulled it off pretty well. It’s probably just a personal preference, but I found myself enjoying some of the more energetic and less aggressive track on the EP like “It’s gonna be hot”.

• Three-member group BDC (Boys Da Capo) made their first comeback since their debut about a year ago with the EP “The Intersection: Belief” and the title track “Shoot The Moon”. The choreography for this is oddly aesthetically pleasing for some reason, and the beat drop in the chorus is relatively subtle but done well. (Now I realize why the choreo is soo good- it’s also done by choreographers from 1MILLION dance studios!)

• eaJ (Jae from Day6 solo project alter-ego) collaborated with newly debuted R&B singer Seori for the track “It just is”. All of his solo projects are amazing, but I wasn’t expecting the way Jae changed his vocal color to match the tone of the song. It makes me wonder what other tricks he has up his sleeve. This is my first introduction to Seori, and I instantly fell in love with her voice (would a collab with Lee Hi in the future be too much to ask?). You can read an interview with her here and check out her covers that went viral last year on her YouTube channel.

• CHUNG HA released the bluesy duet “Bad Boy” with fellow Warner Music labelmate Danish singer Christopher.
• UP10TION released their 9th mini album “Light UP” with the title track “Light”.
• Rookie girl group cignature released their first EP album “Listen and Speak” and a music video for the new song “ARISONG”.
• We knew it was coming, but it still hurts! KARD’s oldest member J.Seph announced in a handwritten letter on Instagram that he will enlist on October 5. Now excuse me while I cry listening to “Hold On” for the next 2 years.
• In other military news, SHINee’s Key will be discharged from the military on October 7 in compliance with COVID-19 protocol.
• NCT revealed plans for their second album with the full group plus two new members, who turned out to be Mark Lee with different hairstyles Shotaro and Sungchan. “NCT 2020: Resonance Pt. 1” will feature all 23 members from the units with the lead singles “Make A Wish” and “From Home”. ‘Part 1’ will be released October 12 and pre-orders are available now. The group is also going to be launching their own reality show on Mnet called NCT WORLD 2.0, with details to be announced later.
• The Mnet Asian Music Awards, aka MAMA, announced that the ceremony would take place without face-to-face contact this year for the first time. There are a lot of netizens who dislike these awards because they feel they are often times unfair to certain artists (and Mnet’s recent voting manipulation scandals haven’t help either) and some companies’ groups don’t even attend anymore. At this point, I don’t really care about who wins year-end award shows, I just want to watch the performances. The MAMAs will be held December 6.
• This is ridiculous: ENHYPEN, the pre-debut group formed by recently completed reality show I-LAND, were mobbed by ‘fans’ on their first airport trip. Apparently, their schedule details (and maybe even flight/seat details) were discovered leading to a large crowd which swarmed and pushed the members. The videos from news outlets are especially troubling when you realize that the youngest member is only 14! The event led to their agency BELIFT (a joint venture between Big Hit and CJ E&M) to release a list of ‘fan etiquette rules’, including prohibiting buying or selling personal information or attending private locations. I hate that this isn’t common sense, and these people really have no right to call themselves ‘fans’. *turns on protective noona fan mode*
• Upcoming girl group alert! Cube Entertainment’s co-founder Hong Seung Sung’s newly established agency announced his plans to debut a new girl group in the first half of 2021. Hong left Cube earlier this year after expressing his disappointment in the change of majority shareholders/upper management and started his own agency S2 Entertainment.
• In other debut news, Produce X 101 and Under 19 contestants Kwon Tae Eun and Choi Yong Hoon will be a part of upcoming seven-member rookie group WOW. The other members will be models Joo Won Dae and Yoon Da Ro, idol Yoosung, and actors Jeon Se Jin and Lee Pan Do. Seeing how the group name stands for ‘Wizard of the World’, I’m glad they went with the acronym. WOW will debut at the end of October.
• *holds back proud ATINY tear* ATEEZ will be celebrating their second debut anniversary with an online concert called “Port of Call” on October 24 at 3 p.m. KST. Tickets and streaming will be available on My Music Taste.
• FNC Entertainment announced that its upcoming boy group P1Harmony will be joining the Weverse platform. Weverse, a fan community run by Big Hit Entertainment’s subsidiary beNX, currently includes communities for Big Hit artists BTS, TXT, and ENHYPEN and after it became the largest shareholder, Pledis Entertainment groups. P1H will be the first group not under the Big Hit umbrella to join the platform on October 5. It’s clear that Big Hit is trying to expand in to other ventures (acquiring virtual concert sites, gaming platforms, etc.), which may seem odd at first, but media agencies like SM Entertainment and CJ E&M already do this too.
  • EDIT: The Baddest Female herself, CL of 2NE1 also joined the Weverse platform on September 28. If this means more content after the drought fans got while she was under YG, then I am all for it!
• In other Big Hit news, this has been a busy time for BTS!
  • The members gave a touching speech at the 75th United Nations General Assembly. This is the second time they’ve spoken at the UN and the group has worked with UNICEF for their “Love Myself” campaign.
  • After a year of dropping progress vlogs and updates, we finally got an album name and release date. Decribed as ‘the most BTS-sequel music yet’ due to the direct involvement of the members at each stage, “BE” will be released November 20. Pre-orders for the deluxe edition are available now.
  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon announced ‘BTS Week’ starting September 28 which will feature group in comedy bits and interviews with performances each night.
  • In the meantime, check out BTS on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series, which features artists performing intimate, stripped-back versions of their tracks.
• Speaking of big moves, YG Entertainment finally began moving into their brand new headquarters, which they have been working on for the last eight years. The new complex is next to the old HQ in a nine-story building with five underground floors. The entire second floor will be a food court. Oh, and it will also have practice rooms, fitness/recreational rooms, and recording studios, but isn’t the food court more important? There are also plans to build a new building for visiting fans which would include rest areas and an exhibition space. *adds to Korea trip bucket-list*

K-Drama Corner:

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• Healer Ji Chang Wook is back! Ji Chang Wook (Healer; Suspicious Partner, Empress Ki), actress Kim Ji Won (Arthdal Chronicles; Fight For My Way; Descendants of the Sun), and Kim Min Seok (Descendants of the Sun; Because This Is My First Life) in his first post-military drama will star in KakaoTV’s upcoming short-form drama City Couple’s Way of Love. Each episode will be 30 minutes and is being produced for a multiple season format. The first season, ‘My Lovable Camera Thief’ focuses on a freelancer who falls in love with a passionate architect on a trip, but is pretending to have a completely different personality than her real self. Meanwhile, Ji Chang Wook’s character still can’t forget the woman who stole his heart and disappeared, because this is a K-drama. Although I love him as an actor, Ji Chang Wook’s past two dramas have been disappointing to say the least. But with the director from hit drama It’s Okay to Not Be Okay and the writer from Romance Is A Bonus Book, I have high hopes for this one. City Couple’s Way of Love is planned to premiere later this year. (Source)
• COVID strikes again:
  • Lee Seung Gi and Cha Tae Hyun’s new tvN variety show Hometown Flex announced that it would be halting production due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. The show followed the pair as they traveled around the country and visited the hometowns of famous guests. A second season is being discussed for when the situation improves.
  • A staff member on JTBC’s upcoming drama Run On tested positive for COVID-19, leading to an immediate pause in production. The actors, including Im Siwan and Shin Se Kyung, have all tested negative and the drama is waiting for results from the rest of the staff members to discuss resuming filming.
  • In some good news, actors Heo Dong Won and everyone’s favorite ahjusshi Kim Won Hae have both recovered from COVID-19 and are now back to their daily routines.
• Netflix announced its cast for the upcoming drama I Wish the World Would End Tomorrow (English title: So Not Worth It). Park Se Wan (School 2017; Never Twice), Shin Hyun Seung, GOT7’s Youngjae, (G)-IDLE’s Minnie, and model Han Hyun Min will star as a group of multinational students and a teaching assistant who live together in a university dorm.
• Upcoming JTBC drama Fly High, Butterfly announced its main lineup. Kim Hyang Gi (Moment At Eighteen; Revenge Note) Daniel Choi (Jugglers; School 2013), Park Jung Woo (Team Bulldog: Off-Duty Investigation); Moon Tae Yoo (Hospital Playlist), Oh Yoon Ah (Once Again; A Pledge To God),Kim Ga Hee (Moment at Eighteen), and Shim Eun Woo (The World of the Married; Arthdal Chronicles) will star in the drama that centers on aspiring hair designers working in a salon.
• SF9’s Hwiyoung and (G)I-DLE’s Miyeon will be starring in the upcoming web drama Replay. The drama promises to be ‘a relatable romance story’ about the clumsy love and dreams of 18-year-olds. It will also star Kim Min Chul as the main male lead, Choi Ji Soo, and Kwon Hyuk Soo in a special appearance. Reply is set to air later this year.
• Drama! Secrets! Babies? tvN’s upcoming drama Birthcare Center released a new teaser and poster featuring Uhm Ji Won, Park Ha Sun, Jang Hye Jin, and Choi Ri. The noir themed drama revolves around a luxurious postpartum care center and a young executive wife who struggles to adapt to the strange environment. Birthcare Center premieres in November.
• Netflix original drama Undercover confirmed its main cast: Han So Hee (The World of the Married; Abyss), Park Hee Soon (Beautiful World; The Missing), Ahn Bo Hyun (Itaewon Class; Her Private Life), Kim Sang Ho (Alice; Kingdom), and more. The drama centers on a woman who infiltrates the police as a mole for an organized crime ring in order to find out more about her father’s death and has the same director as another Netflix drama, Extracurricular.
• Currently Watching:
  • Do You Like Brahms?: Our leads continue to be absolutely adorable and relatable. I only wish we got to see them getting to know each other more instead of just being told they are. For example, instead of seeing a montage of them talking and laughing, I want to hear what’s making them laugh together. And instead of Song Ah’s voiceover of what Joon Young told her after her confession, I want to hear it in his own words. To me, Song Ah is one of the strongest characters and I love how she’s written. She may be shy and filled with some self-doubt at times, but she doesn’t turn back when she makes up her mind. She also communicates clearly with Joon Young about here feelings and expectations, prompting him to do the same (eventually). I like that she didn’t let potential awkwardness make her miss out on a chance to learn more from a master class with Jung Kyung, and it seems that she’s starting to realize how lacking her sneaky professor is. The master class scene really made it impossible for me to totally hate Jung Kyung at this point; but she is still unbearably self-centered. In fact, most of our leads’ friend groups are. And yet, everyone is still overly concerned about what other people may think or say about them and let others influence their decision. I know we’re half-way through the drama so it’s going to get angsty soon, but I’m hoping for some serious character growth and confidence by the end.
  • Record of Youth: I’m still enjoying this drama, but it doesn’t have the addictive ‘spark’ that I was hoping for. The cast is awesome, and they are all doing their best with what’s written. I like our lead’s banter and chemistry. But instead of fangirling over their dates and kiss scene, I was left wondering why exactly they like each other? It almost seems like we skipped over a few scenes that would have added more depth to their characters and relationship. At this point, I find the manager the most relatable character, because I feel like we understand her motivations the most. Still, I’m interested to see how our bromance will be affected now that Hye Joon is getting some success (professionally and personally). It may be easy to be the ‘nice guy’ friend when the other is in a losing position, but what about being supportive when you’re the one missing out? The ominous foretelling voiceovers are also not helping my apprehension. (Don’t you dare do an awkwardly-placed time-jump on me Show! Just don’t do it!)

What was your favorite headline this week? Let us know in the comments!