talksthattalk

[talksthattalk]

sheesh - babymonster

i was ready for the worst of the worst. everyone harps on about how a yg group is doomed to fail and tank each time bc of their predictable concept, production and lyrics. but honestly this song isn't bad. and the members seem rather talented.

the chorus is definitely the worst part of the song but if it were played in a stadium or festival setting i wouldn't be complaining because some songs are simply suited for the big stage instead of a quiet listen from your headphones. the prechorus is amazing and builds up such momentum that you can't help but feel cheated later on as you're hit with 10x sheesh! in a row

my only issue lies with the material and whos being asked to perform it. the song sometimes reads as a cobbled together blackpink-fest and IF blackpink had released it, it would have been better received because it makes sense for blackpink to be singing these lyrics. they have money, power, fame, experience to be telling you that they're better than everyone else. no one wants to hear a 14 year old tell you the same things.

rating: 6/10

[talksthattalk]

heya - ive

said to be ive's barbie compared to seventeen's oppenheimer (since they were set to release on the same date) and there was plenty of high expectation. ive have had a raging fiery streak that has yet to dim since debut, with each song remaining timeless and quintessentially kpop with every comeback

heya kind of lowers that expectation ever so slightly as the chorus begins to sound too repetitive after a while and a bit uninspired. but hey i'm not picky because we got some gorgeous vocals from liz and wonyoung plus some killer verses from leeseo and rei. yunjin always stands out as a performer and i just can't remember any memorable gaeul parts but that falls more on starship for never giving her many killing parts

the bridge is heavenly to listen to (once again thank you liz!) and the mv is stunning i will give them that. i saw some news apparently about how there was a bit of a inappropriate claiming of cultural designs (chinese vs korean? i'm not from either country so i won't weigh in) but the styling is gorgeous

rating: 8.5/10

[talksthattalk]

supernova - aespa

aespa really thrived with songs like next level and savage and i'm glad to see they've returned to a similar-sounding song. it's definitely not a vocal song by any means but we know aespa can sing so it's not like i have any doubt there unlike with some kpop groups nowadays.

the whole song reminds me of a 2000s teen girl show set in space and the production is classic sm, tried and true and successful for a reason! if the rest of the album follows this vein i know it will be a hit

rating: 7/10