daebakwhovian/ March 2, 2021/ ICYMI/ 0 comments

SHINee; The Boyz; CL;
BLACKPINK’s Jennie & BIGBANG’s GD; EXO’s Chanyeol; Stray Kids’ Hyunjin

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Featured Release

SHINee’s Back With “Don’t Call Me”

Shawols, the wait is over! SHINee‘s back with their 7th full studio album “New Phone, Who Dis?” “Don’t Call Me”. Although I didn’t become a major SHINee fan until recently (all those wasted years, sigh), there was major anticipation for this album and as a whole, I think fans agreed that it lived up to the hype.

The title track, “Don’t Call Me” is perhaps the most divisive in fans’ opinions. It sounds very much like a SM Entertainment song, but not necessarily like a SHINee song. This makes sense, since it was actually sitting in the SM basement for a while and almost became a BoA song (who also would have killed it, because come on, she’s BoA) but she passed on it because she thought it would fit a group better. My first impression of the song was that it sounded a bit like a NCT 127 song with some EXO “Obsession” vibes- and I was right. The song was produced by Dem Jointz, the same producer behind NCT tracks like “Punch“, “Kick It“, “Cherry Bomb” and EXO tracks including “Obsession“. And just when I felt the track was getting a bit too repetitive, I was pleasantly surprised by the piano ad-libs in the outro. What really set this song apart was the addictive ear worm of the chorus- complete with that iconic leg-move point choreography. Although they all did well in this song, Minho’s fiery red hair Key’s vocals really stood out. Despite it sounding a bit too much like other tracks (and questionable feathery headwear aside), it’s still a solid song and I appreciate anytime artists are willing to experiment and show a different side of themselves. (Also, on a side note I wish the stylists had just left them in these outfits from the start.)

Speaking of different sides, the rest of the album was a celebration of all the different genres that SHINee can flawlessly pull off. Where “Don’t Call Me” was dark and bass-driven, the promoted B-side “Heart Attack” is a funky dance-pop anthem with impressive choreography. My favorite track on the album, the R&B infused “Marry You“, is a harmony-rich narrative third-part to the group’s debut song “Replay” and its successor “Lovesick“. “I Really Want You” sounds like a straight like a Michael Jackson song transported to 2021 (it especially reminds me of his “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough“). There is also a reggae-influence on the album with the sexy “Body Rhythm” co-written by H1GHR MUSIC’s Woodie GoChild. And after listeners are all danced out, the album ends with the emotional but not overly sappy ballad “Kind (빈칸)” (literally translates to ‘blank’, as the lyrics are about that person being the answer to fill in that blank space they’ve been looking for all this time.)

Final Thoughts: This album made me as breathless as Key pretended to be:

New Releases

  • SUNMI became a literal catwoman for the release of her new single album “TAIL (꼬리)” along with a music video for the title track of the same name. The lyrics, written by Sunmi, are about being seductive and instinctively acting on love, but I can’t get over how hilarious this relay dance video is with Sunmi and her dancers. Also check out the b-side of this album, the bluesy “What The Flower”.
  • Everyone’s favorite baddest female CL showed a more vulnerable side with the release of “Wish You Were Here”, a song dedicated to her mother who recently passed. The mostly in English lyrics and the MV, filled with old footage of CL growing up and pursuing her music career show how her mom has been by her side every step of the way and perfectly match the sentiment she wrote on her Instagram: “I made Wish You Were Here for my mom, my family and anyone else who misses a loved one. If you love someone, tell them now.”
  • H1GHR MUSIC’s Big Naughty (of Show Me the Money fame) released his first EP “Bucket List” and a MV for the track “Joker (feat. JAMIE)”. I don’t know if I’m more overwhelmed by how well his voice matches with Jamie’s feature, how smooth his verses sound over the lo-fi background, or the fact that he’s only 17 years old and doing this. *cries in noona fan*
  • Wonho (formerly of MONSTA X) made his first full comeback as a solo artist with the second part of his debut mini album “Love Synonym #2: Right For Us”. Where last year’s title track “Open Mind” was seductive and groovy, “Lose” changes it up with a heavy vamping bass line. I think the dissonance in the chorus made this track even more memorable, though I do wish the MV focused a little more on the slick and clean choreography. Also, shout out to the stylists who never seem to be able to find the top buttons for any of his shirts.
  • Rookies WEi had their first comeback with the EP “Identity: Challenge” and the title track “All Or Nothing.” The track is a bit too loud and unbalanced for me, although I do like parts of it, like the nod to traditional instrumentation in the background of the second verse. I appreciate that they were trying to do something totally different from their lighthearted and relaxed debut track “Twilight“, but it’s so different that the run the risk of alienating some fans who liked them because of what they did in their debut. Still, it’s just their second album and I think they have enough talent to solidify what kind of style works for them. Also, shout out to stylists who use eye sparkles for makeup in K-pop videos.
  • THE BOYZ released their Japanese studio album “Breaking Dawn” along with a MV for the title track of the same name. Interestingly, the track is sung halfway in Korean and half in Japanese. I also thought it was cool that the MV was pretty minimalist, not in a we-can’t-afford-better-sets kinds of way but in a performance version kind of way. Also, shout out to the stylist who put sparkles in in Kevin’s hair. (Actually, I’m beginning to think I just really like sparkles.)
  • ONF released their first full album “ONF: My Name” with the feel-good self-affirmation track “Beautiful”. And if you want to get to know this underrated group, check out their pre-release track “My Name Is“, which is honestly more effective than most ‘get to know ____’ guides on YouTube.
  • Paul Kim released the digital single “Love Letter”, which in his typical style is low-key yet beautifully moving.
  • Golden Child “Breathe”
  • Ato6
  • Imlay “Utopia”
  • Cheetah
  • Golden Child released a MV for “Breathe“, a b-side off their latest mini album “Yes.” It reminds me of a sports anime, except at random intervals the team will pause and dance away all of their problems.
  • YG Entertainment subsidiary YG Kplus Entertainment debuted their project group Ato6, a 6-member group made up of models, with the fittingly-titled single “Runway“. The track was produced by fellow label-mate, Produce 101 and JBJ member VIINI (Kwon Hyunbin).
  • SM Entertainment DJ and producer IMLAY released his 4th EP “Utopia” with the title track “Too Good” featuring Chenle from NCT.
  • Cheetah released the digital single “Villain” featuring JAMIE.

Top Headlines

  • Stray Kids’ Hyunjin
  • Jennie & GD
  • EXO’s Chanyeol
  • INFINITE’s L (Kim Myung Soo)
  • The last two weeks’ headlines have been dominated by bullying/ school violence allegations. You can see my note on last week’s update as to why I’m not going in depth on many of these stories, but here are several cases that have affected the artist’s future activities:
    • JYP Entertainment announced that Stray Kids‘ Hyunjin would essentially be taking a hiatus from all activities following allegations of bullying. Last week, the agency released an official statement along with a handwritten letter of apology from Hyunjin after meeting with the accuser. (They did not say the claims against Hyunjin were true, simply that he apologized for any who he may have offended with his words or actions.) However, that hasn’t stopped several companies from halting promotions that featured Stray Kids in their advertising.
    • (G)-IDLE‘s Soojin personally addressed allegations against her in a post in the group’s fan community. She admitted that she was not a model student, but firmly denied the bullying claims. My biggest issue with situations like these is third-party internet warriors who take things way too far- in Soojin’s case someone sent a funeral-style wreath to CUBE Entertainment requesting Soojin to withdraw from the group. Whether you believe one side over the other or decide to stay neutral until more facts and clarification come out, bullying and threatening people who were rumored to be bullying and threatening people seems like it would obviously not the right solution?
    • In what is probably one of the best responses I’ve seen so far, Pledis Entertainment announced that SEVENTEEN‘s Mingyu would be pausing group activities and released a lengthy, but well-worded official statement regarding bullying allegations. Some of the allegations were already confirmed to be false, and they admitted that matters were complicated by the original poster’s desire to remain anonymous and the fact that the events in the claims took place several years ago in middle school.
  • Speaking of rumors, Dispatch reported that BIGBANG‘s G-DRAGON and BLACKPINK‘s Jennie have allegedly been dating for a year, claiming that it’s a well-known secret within YG Entertainment. YG Entertainment released an official statement saying “We can not confirm anything about our artists’ personal lives. We ask for your understanding.” So basically, it’s none of your business. And we should all be more disturbed by how Dispatch literally stalked the artists everyday for over a year to release this story…
  • Did your K-pop Spotify playlists get Thanos snapped? Hundreds of K-pop releases were removed this week after Spotify’s agreement with Korean distributor KakaoM expired. Many fans speculated that this was due to Spotify’s recent launch in Korea, coming in direct competition to Kakao’s Melon music streaming service (which is only available in Korea). Both companies released statements saying that the issue with the global licensing agreement was unrelated. Whatever the disagreement, the move essentially cuts off international fans from enjoying some of their favorite artists and especially impacts artists from smaller or independent agencies. You can find a full list of impacted groups here.
  • SM Entertainment announced that EXO‘s Chanyeol will be enlisting in the military on March 29. The announcement came after Chanyeol posted a letter, his first public interaction in several months following a (honestly pretty ridiculous) rumor, in which he thanked fans for their support. We should know by now that EXO members have a knack for fooling us with a “Hello” and quickly saying goodbye.
  • INFINITE‘s L (Kim Myung Soo) enlisted in the Marine Corps on February 22.
  • Anyone else miss BTS on variety shows? tvN’s You Quiz On the Block (aka How Do You Play?) announced that BTS will appear on episode 99, set to premiere March 24. The episode will be a BTS special, with interviews from the show’s hosts Yoo Jae Suk and Jo Se Ho.

K-Drama Corner: News & Reviews

  • Oh! Master poster
  • Lee Sang Yeob
  • Seo Kang Joon
  • Dear M.
  • So Ji Sub
  • Upcoming MBC drama Oh! Master dropped a poster featuring its main leads, Lee Min Ki (Because This Is My First Life; Beauty Inside) and After School‘s Nana (Into The Ring; Kill It). The pair play a popular screenwriter who chooses not to date and an A-list actress who’s perfect in rom-coms but fails in romantic relationships in her own life. Somehow, the pair end up living together and well, K-drama shenanigans ensue. Oh! Master airs March 24. You can watch a teaser here.
  • The production team of KBS 2TV’s upcoming drama Dear M. announced that the premiere date, originally scheduled for February 26, has been delayed following the recent bullying controversy surrounding lead actress Park Hye Soo. The actress’ agency has released official statements and is planning on taking legal action regarding the allegations.
  • MBC’s upcoming drama No One In Their Right Mind confirmed Lee Sang Yeob (While You Were Sleeping; Once Again) will be joining Jung Jae Young (Investigation Couple; Duel) and Moon So Ri (School Nurse Files; Life). The drama will focus on the lives of office workers in a competitive work environment. No One In Their Right Mind will premiere in June.
  • SF9‘s Dawon is making his TV debut with upcoming drama Doom At Your Service. Drama stars Seo In Guk (The Smile Has Left Your Eyes; Reply 1997) and Park Bo Young (Abyss; Strong Woman Do Bong Soon) as a man whose name literally means doom/destruction and a woman who makes a contract with him to avoid fate. Dawon will play Park Bo Young’s younger brother. The drama will air sometime this year.
  • Seo Kang Joon (When The Weather I Fine; Are You Human?) is in talks for upcoming drama Zero. The sci-fi thriller drama will be written by Lee Soo Yeon, who was also behind hit drama Forest Of Secrets (aka Stranger).
  • So Ji Sub (My Secret Terrius; Oh My Venus) has received an offer for upcoming crime dram Model Family. The Netflix production will follow a family who gets involved in an illegal drug ring due to financial troubles, but ends up drawing closer as they face the dangerous situations together. So Ji Sub is in talks to play the second-in-command of the drug ring.
  • Song Kang (Love Alarm; Sweet Home) and Park In Hwan‘s (Brilliant Heritage; Mad Dog) upcoming tvN drama Navillera has released a new poster and teaser. The drama, based on a webtoon, tells the story of a disillusioned young ballerino and a 70-year-old retiree who finally starts to pursue his dream of learning ballet. Navillera premieres March 22.
Navirella posters; slide to see art by original webtoon artist

Currently Watching:

  • L.U.C.A.: The Beginning
    • This week felt so disjointed. We got cute romantic moments, which to no fault of the actors, felt a bit random and rushed; and we also got scenes that were unnecessarily gross and violent. I’m also a bit tired of our leads repeatedly making unwise decisions that lead to them getting caught. Although, I am satisfied that my hunch about the police captain turned out to be correct. I’m glad that this drama is a bit shorter, only 12 episodes instead of the usual 16, because I don’t think it could continue at the pace its going. I’m also thinking that the intro scene in the first episode was a flash-forward to our female lead and her baby instead of a flashback like we all thought.
  • Vincenzo
    • I kinda saw it coming, and I know that my emotions are being manipulated by the writers but I don’t care. I’m so ready to see our leads take down the evil company and get justice. I thought it was odd that they would cast 2PM’s Taecyeon as such a minor character, but now that it’s been revealed that he plays a much more important role it makes sense.
  • Sunbae, Don’t Put On That Lipstick
    • I was really set on not caring about the ex because he is a lying liar who lies, but I do feel a bit bad for him because his family is literally the worst. I’m glad that the show didn’t give him a huge redemption arc, but at the same time Song-Ah got closure and he was able to find the strength to start over. My favorite character has got to be Hyun-Seung’s little niece who is wise beyond her year. Perhaps she can spare a little wisdom to her parents, who seriously need to communicate. I’m a bit afraid that the show didn’t make the reveal early enough to tie up all the loose ends. As long as the show ends with the leads being as adorable as they are right now, I’ll be happy.
  • Sisyphus: The Myth
    • She’s a kick-butt warrior from the future… who has a bedazzled lego gun? I think if you were expecting hard core sci-fi and a tight story line with no plot holes for this one, you would be disappointed. But hey, I’m just here for fun. Bad CGI and laughably incompetent villains aside, I am a bit annoyed that the show seems to totally forgotten about Sun, the delivery guy that helped out the female lead in the first two episodes.

What were your favorite releases or headlines this week? Let us know in the comments or on our social media!

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