Hello everyone! Welcome to my second edition of Summer Showdown!
Like what I previously said, summer is one of the times where many
big names make a comeback. I talked about EXO
and 2PM newest single before and compared
SISTAR and Girl’s Day summer comeback last year.
This time, it will be about the girl groups, AOA, SISTAR, Girl’s Day, Girls’
Generation, and A Pink.
Actually, there are many other girl groups that make a comeback. But, I only
choose these five groups since they are leading in terms of popularity.
Interestingly, four of these groups also made into my list of K-Pop girl groups next generation.
So, here is my review. Are you ready for summer?
AOA – Heart
Attack
AOA is the first group to make a comeback. On their newest single,
Heart Attack, they continue their
collaboration with Brave Brothers, who is in charge of their previous hits
The first thing that I notice about this song is it’s so noisy
with all those electronic sound and loud beat. There is also clapping and
audiences’ cheering sound to relate it more with their whole sport’s concept.
The girls can manage their voices during the verses and bridge. I love these
parts because it’s easy to remember and it flows nicely. It sets a good build
up for the chorus too. Unfortunately, the chorus falls flat. The girls voice
cannot stands out among the loud music sound.
At least, the music video is entertaining to watch with its
colorful visual and cute storyline. It is related with the song lyrics about
how the girl’s heart trembles whenever she sees the guy. It’s a simple, yet
innocent lyrics and I still get confused on how it matched with AOA sexy
appearance. The way AOA sings it is like storytelling and it can be seen in the
music video.
AOA is lacrosse players who always lose from the boys’ team.
Things got worse for Choa because at
the same time, she failed to get the handsome lacrosse player attention. Things
started to change when Seolhyun came.
She changed the team appearance, lifted up their motivation, and helped Choa
get her crush attention. Finally, they won the game and the handsome lacrosse
player noticed Choa.
Heart Attack is the classic K-Pop release with its strong beat and addictive hook
along with colorful music video. I still feel that AOA still haven’t found
their signature sound yet, but I like the diversity of their sound from track
to track.
Rating: 3/5
SISTAR –
Shake It
If we talk about summer, SISTAR name will always comes to our
mind. Their previous singles always become a summer hit. With Shake It, their fourth collaboration
with Duble Sidekick, they try to
recreate their success.
Shake It is a mid-tempo funk R&B song. It has strong beat and each
song part able to stand on their own. However, the combination is quite messy;
making the sound keeps on going without ending. Despite of that, Shake It gets better the more you listen
to it (and watch their energetic performance). It’s my current summer jam since
it’s really fun to dance to. Once again, it proves that most of SISTAR songs
are grower; the more you listen to it, the more you like it.
Like Heart Attack, Shake It is also about how the girls’ heart
is shaking because she likes a guy. They become happy and ask everyone to dance
along with them. The fun aspect of the song captured well in the music video
with the usage of bright colors and comic theme. SISTAR also danced around with
many people in various place like class, sport field, bar, even construction
site; adding the fun theme of the song.
Shake It is not SISTAR strongest summer track. But, it is always great to
see them bring back the fun element every summer.
Rating: 3.75/5
Girl’s Day –
Ring My Bell
Another girl group comeback with Duble Sidekick track is Girl’s
Day. After Darling last year, they spark
up summer again with Ring My Bell.
Ring My Bell is leaning more into funk swith trumpet and synthesizer sound. Instead
of mixing it with the usual R&B sound, they combined the funk sound with
electronic and rock sound. It is actually a unique and strong combination.
Interestingly, it also represents the urgency in the song lyrics about how the
guy makes the girls’ heart beat faster and they just want to get together and
run away with him. Moreover, this song also has a memorable “Ring My Bell”
phrase that is easy to sing.
Unfortunately, they failed to manage it well. The sound seems too
much and it makes the song transition sound too fast. Beside that, it covered
up the girls’ vocal too. As the strongest vocalist in the group, only Minah can balance her vocal with the loud
music.
About the music video, the usage of various setting to represent
the song lyrics is actually interesting. For example, Hyeri rode a bike when she sings about how other girls should move
away from the guy while Minah sang her “Moonlight” line on the cloud. The
arcade game setting is quite unique too. However, the fast transition between
each scene and the flashy neon lights make it harder to enjoy the music video.
Truthfully, Ring My Bell
is quite disappointment. The song has a potential, but they failed to arrange
it well. The music video could not save the song either. It’s a pity because
Girl’s Day has good track records and appealing music videos.
Rating: 2.5/5
Girls’
Generation – Party
Girls’ Generation begin their newest album promotion this summer.
This is their first comeback after Jessica
departure last year. Ahead of their full album comeback, they released a single
called Party.
Party will remind you with Girls’ Generation early releases such as Gee or Oh. It begins with Tiffany introduction in English then followed by
the girls exchanged their verses. At the chorus, they sang out English catchphrase
repeatedly. All wrapped in a bubblegum pop music. Party is very easy on our ears. We will remember this song quickly
and sing to it automatically.
It’s a fun song, but
it’s just there. There is nothing ground breaking in this song where you can
see the girls’ progress over time. Also, I feel this song is more suitable if
they release it on the early days of their career (minus the alcohol part).
Thankfully, the music video provides a major treat for us. It
explored the beautiful scenery of Koh Samui, Thailand with its blue ocean,
white sand, and great palms. The girls styling are on point too. Their
hairstyle, make up, and wardrobes are gorgeous. Beside, they seem to have fun
and full of energy, which represented the lyrics theme well.
Party is a lovely appetizer from Girls’ Generation before we enjoy their
main comeback. It’s lively and it brings back our nostalgic feels. Still, I
expect more from them and hopefully I can get it from their main comeback.
Rating:
3.5/5
A Pink –
Remember
A Pink is back with another Shinsadong
Tiger’s track, Remember. They
keep their signature 90s pop music style with funky synthesizer and strong beat.
They have good consistency in music. But sadly, it’s getting repetitive in this
song. They do not offer something new in Remember.
Actually, they make an attempt by putting a twist on the chorus and bridge.
However, the sudden transition quite disrupts the song’s flow.
Still, A Pink offers something fresh. Most of other girl group’s
lyrics talked about liking a guy or having fun. But, Remember focused more on how we need to have fun and cherish every moment.
There is a sense of longing in this song, with the usage of music box sound in
the beginning and bridge. This also accompanied by Hayoung’s soft vocal.
Speaking of Hayoung, she shines the most in this comeback. She nails every
line; we can see her vocal improvement.
The music video also related with the song theme. In the beginning
of the music video, it showed the girls throw a party, dance around on a yacht,
and walk in a farm. It’s all about having fun. Meanwhile towards the end, it
showed they chat, laugh, and light up fireworks to remember every moment they
passed together.
Remember does not give us something new from A Pink. It’s good that they
have found their signature style and stick to it. But, they need to explore
more of their genre. Still, the whole atmosphere of Remember fitted perfectly to close our summer.
Rating: 3/5
It was a fun comeback from all the girl groups. Each of them can
capture the bright and cheerful vibe of summer season through their songs and
music video. However, the song choice itself is actually quite dull. There is
no song that really stands out. The groups decide to play it safe by repeating
the similar formula of their previous hits. It’s actually not always a bad
thing, but this time round, it started to get boring.
If I have to choose, I choose Shake
It as my favorite. It gets me pumped up and lasted a long time on me. I
also think that SISTAR has the best live performances in this comeback among
other girl groups. Their performance makes me want to sing and dance along.
That’s all for me and what’s your favorite summer comeback?
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