Daytodaebak/ November 9, 2020/ ICYMI/ 0 comments

MAMAMOO Brings The Pain In “AYA”

MAMAMOO made their comeback with their 10th mini album “TRAVEL” and the title track “AYA”.

Review: Let’s all just take a moment to appreciate how cool Moonbyul is this comeback. Go ahead, I’ll give you a few minutes. Done? Ok, let’s continue. With the quartet’s “Dingga” pre-release, I was half-expecting a continuation of the happy-go-lucky party girl concept. But instead we got this amazingly fierce concept that blurs the lines between classy, sexy, and girl crush. “AYA”, which translates to ‘ouch’ or ‘pain’ in Korean, is a breakup song that encourages getting rid of any lingering feelings or painful memories like pulling out a bad and painful tooth. But the tears that fall in the chorus refer to the ex, who selfishly missed out on the opportunity to be in the relationship. While I love the concept and seeing the quartet expand their horizons in terms of choreography/performance based stages, the song didn’t really stick as a title track for me. “AYA” has an interesting structure, but it doesn’t really help the song or make it memorable. The dance break at the end feels a bit out of place, and the chorus switches so suddenly into the verse I found that I couldn’t really remember how it went without listening to the song again. The most memorable parts of the song were Wheein’s ”A-yo Ayo” pre-chorus lines and the whistle effect. And I liked Moonbyul’s rap verses, but I wish the song leaned into either the more melodic and hummable pre-chorus feel or the heavy and energetic dance break section. Instead, it sort of felt like 3 different songs instead of one memorable tune. Despite a bit of an underwhelming title track, I really enjoyed the rest of the songs on this album. “Travel” mixes a retro vibe with a refreshing sound and when you close your eyes you can almost feel the cool breeze from the open window as you drive your car on the highway with good friends. “Chuck” would have been my choice for title track as it has a similar intensity and meaning (‘chuck’ comes from the Korean phrase in the chorus which says ‘I want to stop acting kind’) but shows off the group’s vocals more. “Diamond” sounds sultry and mysterious, a positive affirmation that everyone has a diamond inside of them, and Wheein’s voice matched this track especially well. “Good Night” reminds us of MAMAMOO’s superior vocals and beautiful harmonies that made us fall for them in the first place. Overall: I wish the title track would have been as committed as Solar was to her unibrow look, but the rest of the songs on the album make up for it.

New Releases and Top Headlines:

• MONSTA X released the album “Fatal Love” with the title track “Love Killa” which has convinced me that everyone should only wear suits all the time. I honestly think that one reason why I’m so hard on some boy groups (especially rookie ones) that try to pull off a rough and dark concept is that no one can quite do it like Monsta X (and Stray Kids too). The choreography is on point, their stage performances are swoon-worthy, and did I mention the suits?

• AB6IX released their EP “SALUTE” with the title track of the same name. I’m a simple band geek. I see a drumline intro, I click like. Besides that, I really like the background instrumentals in the chorus. And vocalist Daehwi turns out to also be rapper Daehwi? Did not see that coming, but pleasantly surprised.

• BOL4 released the single album “Filmlet” with the tracks “Dancing Cartoon” and “Red Lipstick“. Both songs are as adorable and upbeat as you’d expect from her, but maybe not as adorable as Jae from Day6 reacting to his fellow bandmate’s appearance in the MV.

• Rookie girl group SECRET NUMBER made their first comeback with the single “Got That Boom”. While their first single “Who Dis” was one of my favorite girl group debuts this year, “Got That Boom” fell a little flat for me. It reminds me of girl group songs released in the late 2000s/early 2010s, but not necessarily in a good way. For some reason, I actually really like that nonsense ‘Gimme that dough… tic tac toe’ part in the post-chorus, but the rest of the track isn’t as memorable. Still, I really like the vocals in this group and I’m looking forward to seeing them grow.

• Another rookie group, TREASURE released their third single this year “THE FIRST STEP: CHAPTER THREE” with the title track “MMM”. I don’t know if this is my favorite track by them, but it seems like their most consistent track so far. Instead of a surprise style change for the chorus like all their other songs have, this one allows the group to show off their performance skills throughout. Perhaps even to a fault? YG ended up changing some of the choreography (you can see the members precariously balancing on each others back in the last quarter of the MV) after fans expressed concern for the group’s safety. Meanwhile, YG fans everywhere are wondering “Since when did you listen to us…?”

• The legendary Dynamic Duo released the single “SOON” feat. BEWHY”. Even though it has a relaxing beat and hypnotic synth harp effects, lines like “difference becomes wrong and it hurts” and “on my way to the place where love is at the end” hit hard.

• Stray Kids member Han released his new solo track “I GOT IT”, co-written and arranged by fellow member Bang Chan.

• CL‘s music video for “5 STAR” = 3 minutes and 21 seconds of CL flexing her vocals while she and DPR IAN (Christian Yu) make you feel like a third wheel. And then you smile and play it again.

• League of Legends virtual girl group K/DA released their first EP ” “ALL OUT” with two previously released tracks and 3 new songs including “I’ll Show You” which features the voices of TWICE‘s Jihyo, Nayeon, Sana, and Chaeyoung.

• Hmm, this looks interesting: P NATION founder and everyone’s favorite “Gangnam Style” Oppa Psy is teaming up with Park Jin Young of JYP Entertainment for an upcoming audition show called “Loud”. The SBS show will aim to create the next ‘global boy group’ and instead of being limited to agency trainees, it will be open to teenagers around the world who are interested in singing, dancing, composition, playing instruments, and more. I’m curious to see the advice from two of the industry’s hottest producers, and how the show will display the talents of those gifted in the more behind-the-scenes skills like art and creating lyrics. LOUD‘s boy group is set to debut in late 2021 and applications opened November 2.
• Looks like SM’s PR department finally got tired of all the tea being spilled. SM Entertainment, whose artists have been in the headlines recently for not-so-great reasons, announced that they have “commissioned more than 10 law firms, including the nation’s top law firms and specialized law firms, to take strong civil and criminal legal action” against the “malicious rumors, malicious postings and comments, and defamatory posts” that have been popping up on the internet. Now, it doesn’t say exactly which artists prompted this statement, but with a different group seemingly under attack each week, perhaps they don’t need to. Seeing as how their most recent statement regarding rumors about Chanyeol was ‘we have no statement’, this is a welcome change since many fans complained that the company doesn’t do enough to protect their artists. SM Entertainment: “We don’t always protect our artists against malicious rumors, but when we do there is a lot of money involved.”
• Also SM Entertainment: “We don’t always move into new complexes in LA, but when we do we also get our own street name.”
• In sad news, tributes have been pouring in this week after the passing of comedian Park Ji Sun and her mother on November 2. She was known for her calming presence as an MC and her numerous appearances on variety shows. Park Ji Sun was 35.
• VIXX member N (Cha Hak Yeon) has officially left Jellyfish Entertainment after his contract expired and signed with a new agency 51k. Similar to fellow group mate Ravi, the official statement from the two agencies said that N will continue to remain in the group and promote with them.
• Big Hit Entertainment announced that BTS member Suga (Min Yoongi) recently went through shoulder surgery and will be taking a break from group activities, including promotions for the upcoming album “BE”. Many fans know that Suga has been struggling with chronic shoulder issues since his pre-debut days, and in some performances you can see how he dances without lifting his arm. Although I’m bummed that he won’t be able to perform with BTS, especially knowing how much each member contributed to this album and wanted to share it with their fans, I’m glad that he finally was able to get this surgery and hopefully will be able to focus on his health.
• NCT‘s Jisung will also be sitting out of performances due to an injured knee.

K-Drama Corner:

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• NCT‘s Doyoung will be making his acting debut in the third season of the drama series Midnight Cafe, about the happenings at a strange cafe that appears on an unmapped mountain road. The third season, “Sanbok Sanbok Stalker” centers around a high schooler who can see the future. I guess the acting gene must run in the family… I had no idea that he is actor Gong Myung‘s brother! The second and third seasons of Midnight Cafe will premiere in the first half of next year.
• Netflix’s hit thriller Kingdom announced a bonus episode for Jun Ji Hyun‘s character Ashin, who appeared at the end of season two. The one episode special Kingdom: Ashin of the North will tell the her backstory and fill in some details about other elements in the drama. Ashin of the North will be available on Netflix in 2021. You can watch a trailer here.
• 2PM‘s Nickhun is going to Hollywood! He’s been cast in the upcoming film Hong Kong Love Story, a romantic comedy based on the real-life experiences of actor Byron Mann. Hong Kong Love Story begins production in December. (In the meantime, check out his interview with Eric Nam, where he said his goal was to act in a Hollywood movie).
• Oh Yeon Seo (Love With Flaws; Hwayugi) and Jung Woo (Reply 1994) have been offered roles in the upcoming KakaoTV drama Crazy Person in the Area. If they accept, Oh Yeon Seo will play a woman who experiences delusions and obsessions and Jung Woo will play a police officer who is obsessed with solving crimes. The drama is set to premiere in the first half of 2021.
• Kim Soo Hyun, who recently made his drama comeback with the hit Netflix drama It’s Okay To Not Be Okay, is in talks for Netflix’s suspense drama Finger, about an interior designer who is a sociopath with dissociative identity disorder. Finger starts production next spring.
• KakaoTV’s upcoming multi-season drama series City Couple’s Way of Love released pictures from its first script reading. The first season, My Lovable Camera Thief, stars Ji Chang Wook (Healer; Suspicious Partner) as a man who got his camera- and his heart- stolen by Kim Ji Won (Fight For My Way; Arthdal Chronicles). Also starring Kim Min Seok (Descendants of the Sun; Because This Is My First Life), So Ju Yeon (Dr. Romantic 2), and Ryu Kyung Soo (Confession), the drama will have the same director from It’s Okay To Not Be Okay and the writer from Romance Is A Bonus Book. My Lovable Camera Thief starts in December.

• Okay, this looks hilarious. tvN released a new teaser for the upcoming drama No Touch Princess, about a modern city man who ends up in the body of a Joseon era queen. In the teaser we hear a manly voice over as Shin Hye Sun (Still 17; Angel’s Last Mission:Love) looks down in surprise exclaiming “I’m a woman?!” No Touch Princess airs in December.
• Currently Watching:
  • Private Lives: Desperately trying to catch up in order to avoid spoilers. Also desperately wanting to borrow all of the clothes in the two female lead’s closets.
  • Record of Youth: Desperately trying to find the motivation to finish this series even though I only have like 4 episodes left.
  • Shine (novel by Jessica Jung): Every now and then, you just need a nice, fluffy, YA book to take your mind off of things. The former Girl’s Generation member’s novel reads like a teenage version of a Hallmark movie, with some things feeling a little too coincidental and perfect at times. Still, there’s plenty of shots taken at SM Entertainment the completely fictional agency in the book and I love how it discusses the double standards and other issues in the entertainment industry. Perhaps because I’m older than its target audience, I found some of the issues the protagonist faced had more obvious solutions, and the mean girl cliche had me wanting to pull out someone’s hair talk it out like the mature adult I am. It was interesting reading from an insider’s perspective and getting a glimpse of what it’s like on the other side of the glamour. And the ending makes it almost certain that I will be reading the sequel when it comes out.

“I smile at the camera. If only they could see what our lives are really like.”

-from “Shine” by Jessica Jung

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

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