Username: Ghost-Quartet

Artist: BLACKPINK: Seems kind of unfair to include BLACKPINK’s entire discography in the rate.

Boombayah: 3 Personally I feel like this song is just kind of… noise? I feel that way about a most of BLACKPINK songs but this one is the biggest offender… and it was also their breakthrough hit? I’m not sure what it was about this song that grabbed people. There are some fun lines (“click-clack, badda bing badda boom”) but it’s not my favorite.

Whistle: 8 Initially I didn’t much care for this song but the more I listen to it the more I come to appreciate the good parts of it. “Make him whistle like a missile… Bomb, Bomb” is ridiculously fun to say.

Playing with Fire: 7.5 I love the drop and chorus in this, they have this sort of cyber-supervillain feel to them that’s really cool. The bridge is a bit of a letdown though. BLACKPINK are also toned down a little bit here, which is when I think they’re at their best. The track is unfortunately a little meandering and rests too heavily on the drop, which holds it back from being really great.

Stay: 6 Acoustic guitar rapping is an interesting idea and it works to show some versatility from BLACKPINK. I like the concept and parts of this song, but on the whole I don’t think it really has the punch it needs. The harmonica is the most memorable part and I don’t think that’s good. I also think it’s a bit weird to hear them randomly use the English word “felony,” it throws me a little bit whenever I hear it.

As If It's Your Last: 7.5 This chorus feels like a weird Europop throwback, really reminds me of being in an Asian mall back in the day. Not as crazy about the rest of the song though.

DDU-DU DDU-DU: 7 Gun violence anthem! Queens of having more money than us and therefore it being okay for them to shoot people, classist icons. I Love Noise.

Artist: EXID: Personally I only really liked one or two of the EXID songs in the rate, but I really appreciate that a group from a smaller company made it big like this. I also already had one of their albums saved to my library for some reason but I never listened to it.

Up & Down: 8.5 My knee-jerk reaction to this song was to give it a bad score but I’m glad I marinated in it for a little bit because after a few listens I started to really love it. I think the chorus and the verses are disconnected but both are good on their own.

Ah Yeah: 7 A good song, but it doesn’t really excite me? Like it’s high energy and fun, reasonably polished as well, but that doesn’t necessarily make it something memorable.

Hot Pink: 4 This really feels like a retread of “Up & Down,” in a bad way. “Up & Down” teetered on the edge of being annoying but won out on being fun, while the elements of this are just grating. I also really hate that full stop in the middle, especially since the song continues without any real changes afterwards. I kept checking to see if the track had just restarted.

L.I.E: 4.5 The chorus of this song feels like it’s from a completely different song, and that’s the song that I want to be listening to. The drop and the rap verse are fine on their own I guess but they’re just distractions from the chorus and the bridge, which are the real highlights here. I wish I could give this song a higher score because the good parts are good but it’s just soooo disjointed.

Night Rather Than Day: 9 Probably the best EXID track in the rate, maybe it’s just my propensity for disco but this song is so slick and nice to listen to. I’ve had a rough relationship with the rappers in this group, I often feel like they’re out of place, but they really fit the groove of this song. It gets a little repetitive towards the end but it maintains a good energy and flow that keeps it interesting all the way through.

DDD: 5.5 That “dr dr dr dr” hook is soooo grating, which is a shame because the rest of the song is pretty great. Idk what’s up with EXID and slipping in one or two elements that spoil the track but it’s been a theme.

Artist: GFRIEND: I’m not sure why I don’t stan GFRIEND, because theoretically I should. They hit on a lot of marks for what I really like in a girl group, elegant, synth heavy, innocent concept, great vocals and harmonies, but for some reason their music just doesn’t do it for me. At least this demonstrates that on some level I really do care about music, not just image. “Time For The Moon Night” is probably my favorite song by them.

Me Gustas Tu: 7.5 Why the Spanish? I mean, I guess you could ask why English, but why Spanish? Anyways this song is a lot of fun.

Rough: 8 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17570419-some-like-it-rough But for real I like this, it’s not super catchy but it’s got great energy, especially towards the end.

Navillera: 4 Who gave them an electric guitar? I admire them for trying something different but this song is a whole mess.

Fingertip: 5 I get halfway through this song before I realize that it’s playing. It’s not bad, listening to it closely it’s pretty nicely, but I dunno it doesn’t do it for me. It really develops a spark towards the end but even then it’s not enough.

Love Whisper: 6.5 Why don’t these GFRIEND songs interest me more?

Artist: LOONA - 1/3, Odd Eye Circle, yyxy, OT12: Read my *[+ +]* review.

Love & Live: 11 My 11! This track is absolutely beautiful. There’s a well-paced methodical feeling to this track, it’s carefully measured and gentle in a way that I think belies trepidation. This a song that moves forwards tenderly, step by step, until that chorus hits where the girls explode with energy as they describe their dreams. I know some people overlook 1/3 but I really think they have the prettiest voices in LOONA and that’s really on display here, they sound so sweet and really elevate the material. The music video is also a personal favorite of mine, it’s wonderfully aesthetic and the storyline really gets to me. Strange as it sounds the story of Vivi the android girl really resonated with me. I’ve always kind of struggled to fit in with other people, I see them doing things, and I want to interact with them, but for some reason I just can’t connect with them. I feel distant and robotic, like even when we do the same things it’s somehow not the same. So it always gets me when the breakdown of the song starts and things get all melancholy and Vivi realizes what’s wrong with her and makes the choice to unplug herself so she can feel tired and human, even if it means she shuts down. When that final chorus ends and HeeJin belts that big note and Vivi sprints off into the distance as the girls sing “you are the only one, you are my miracle” and collapses as those strings slide out… it’s such a euphoric climax. For those who are worried though, the special music video for “You And Me Together” (a cut from the mini-album) reveals that [the girls know that Vivi is a robot and plug her back in when she powers down.](https://youtu.be/2_r4kDUzslg?t=66) Fully expecting this to get chopped early in the rate because people don’t appreciate innocent concepts, but I really love it. Also, read my [+ +] review.

Sonatine: 9 Read my [+ +] review.

Girl Front: 9 Read my [+ +] review.

Sweet Crazy Love: 9 Read my [+ +] review.

love4eva ft. Grimes: 8.5 Read my [+ +] review.

favOriTe: 8 Read my [+ +] review, I talk for a while about this song.

Hi High: 10 Read my [+ +] review I talk for like six paragraphs about this song.

Artist: MAMAMOO

Piano Man: 7.5 I hate that kiss sound at the beginning, the sound of just a person’s lips is never appealing. Outside of that though this song is good I guess.

Um Oh Ah Yeh: 9 Title of the song represents my reaction to hearing it. I had heard that “Piano Man” was their best song so when this started and I heard that funky bassline and those synths starting hitting and I started bopping I was like “UM oh AH YeH.”

You're the Best: 7 A good song but I think it highlights the weaknesses of MAMAMOO’s old school sound, after a while it’s just kind of sound.

New York: 6.5 They sing both “hashtag” and “hands up?” They’re too good for us.

Décalcomanie: 9 Oh wow these upbeat dance tracks really work for them. This does make me feel good!

Yes I Am: 7 I love a good robot voice interjecting into a song but it doesn’t elevate this one above just good.

Starry Night: 4 I’m not really understanding this track. Maybe it’s just my tepidness towards tropical songs in general but I’m not sure what exactly this track is meant to be? It sits at this weird mid-tempo that isn’t really either laid back or energetic, this is far too middle of the road to be anything interesting. It’s more boring than bad though, just too safe of a track.

Artist: MOMOLAND

BBoom BBoom: 10 This song is singlehandedly responsible for making Momoland into an internationally known group and their very inclusion in this rate over more established groups like Lovelyz or Oh My Girl. (I’m not at all bitter.) Does it live up to the hype? Kinda, I guess. It’s definitely fun and I can totally see why it was a hit, and why they’d make the followup single a carbon copy of it. The weird thing about “BAAM” and “BBoom BBoom” is that I’m never quite sure which one I like more, usually it’s just the one that I listened to last. I think it’s because both songs, while a lot of fun to listen to, aren’t super memorable outside of select parts. There are things that I think “BAAM” does better but “BBoom BBoom” set the blueprint, so deserves prop for that. I like the verses of “Boom BBoom” better and it and will always have that part where they go “boom boom” which is what I think really sells it. It also has the better choreography, that “stomp side to side” move is genius and that move where they sway side to side with their ands in place and then send it up to their ear and then twist it around and push their arms out on “touch” is straight up one of the best moves ever put into a Kpop choreography. It’s instantly memorable and super fun to do. Also Jooe’s “GREAT” is iconic. All in all, good job.

BAAM: 9 Look all I’m saying is that if Katy Perry released this music video, we would yell at her. Not a great use of your “BBoom BBoom” money. Also the song is slightly annoying to listen to because it’s so similar to “BBoom BBoom” that I keep mentally expecting the song to go like “BBoom BBoom” but then it proceeds with just enough minor differences to drive me up the wall. I think I like the chorus and beat of “BAAM” better and it has a better rap verse, but don’t quote me on either of those because I’ll probably change my mind. I’ll be gagged if this this places higher than “BBoom BBoom” though. [Also please play this during the rate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFviEOIlae4&frags=pl%2Cwn)

Artist: Red Velvet

Happiness: 5.5 Can you believe that there are people who hate Yeri for “ruining” the OT4 when they were putting out songs like this? What am I listening to? Is this what world music is? This is absolutely bizarre. I can’t say that it’s bad, it has some nice moments(the chorus is annoyingly catchy) but for the most part it’s just noise. What a weird debut song. Also, I’m not one of those “all Asian people look the same” types because I think that’s super offensive but I literally can’t tell the girls apart in this video.

Ice Cream Cake: 8.5 I think that this song is where Red Velvet found their concept and showed that they had the potential to be a next level group. Red Velvet are one of my favorite girl groups because their songs are fun, but a little creepy and threatening. The girls have bright, sunny voices and sing cheerfully but those creepy descending “lahs,” discordant harmonies, and eerie chimes undercut things and give it a twist that makes it more than just the basic bubblegum song. I’m in love with their delivery of the line about the flavors!

Dumb Dumb: 5 Accurate title.

One of These Nights: 6.5 This song is fine but I think “Automatic” is better.

Russian Roulette: 10 Arguably the best “Red Velvet” title track? I think the coolest thing about Red Velvet is their unconventional subject matter and the way they blend innocence and femininity with undercurrents of danger and violence, and this song is the epitome of that. An icy, ‘80s inspired pop song with a lilting melody, it’s a ton of fun, but then the subject matter and music video give it such a different vibe. It frames love as something dangerous and not to be taken lightly, yet the detached ease with which they approach it gives them this tremendous sense of power.

Rookie: 8.7 This song really annoyed me at first but the more I listen to it the more I just surrendered to it and found myself having a ton of fun. Objectively it’s dumb but it succeeds in being overcoming that by being so energetic it transitions right into madcap, which is a great place to be. Also a very underrated music video by them, it’s perhaps the most crackerjacks that they’ve ever gone and it really intrigued me. [There’s a song on this mini-album, “Body Talk,” that is basically the best Red Velvet song.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37GkANTikEw&frags=pl%2Cwn)

Red Flavor: 4 I don’t really like it when Red Velvet go for a “refreshing” concept. There just isn’t really anything interesting here. The melody isn’t quite catchy and the rap verse feels like something they felt they were required to do rather than something that enhances the song. The score would be lower but the bridge is actually really nice, the more melancholic vibe with heavier vocals make the song far more listenable.

Peek-a-Boo: 10 The song that got me into Red Velvet, and probably one of the best showcases of the strength of their concept. The creepy intro, the muffled bass and twitchy synths that permeate this track, plus there are so many fantastic details interspersed throughout this song! It creates this amazingly unsettling mood that drags the girls’ vocals down into a place that they might not otherwise go with a love song. The swirling sounds of the pre-chorus and bridge create this wonderful forward drive that makes it feel like we’re spiraling closer and closer to some sort of sinister climax. It starts to I would watch a full length movie of the music video.

Bad Boy: 10 This song is so easy to listen to, it ended up being one of my top listened tracks of the year just because it’s so easy for me to put it on repeat. There are a lot of good things about this track but I guess I’ll single out the whistle sound, it’s a great little hook that shoots some energy into the song. I especially love the English version of this track, I think they did a great job translating the lyrics. However I will say… does anyone else hear those weird sounds during the start of the chorus? They sound like shoes or something walking.

Artist: TWICE

Like OOH-AHH: 3 I think the video for this song is absolutely genius (let’s solve the zombie apocalypse by being cute!) but the song itself just kind of leaves me flat. Usually with a Kpop song you kind of understand the part of it that you’re supposed to focus on but nothing about this really grabs me. No part of it is especially distinctive, even after listening to it a few times I can’t remember what the chorus sounds like, the bridge is uninteresting, and the outro is uninspired. Also, I’m not gonna say that TWICE can’t sing because they clearly can, but this track is not a cute look for them. The flute is cute fantastic.

Cheer Up: 5 I love TWICE’s whole “let’s give every girl in the video a completely different concept” thing, it makes their videos super fun to watch. Like, I love how they just kind of imply that one of the girls is randomly murdered. It’s crackers. In a similar vein I think the most interesting part about this song is the way the girls trade lines back and forth on the verses, I don’t know why but I think it’s super cool. The chorus itself is grating and the bridge… any mention of the phrase “real man” makes me roll my eyes.

TT: 5 It’s not a Halloween song. Just because it has a Halloween themed video doesn’t mean it’s a Halloween song. This is a pretty important song for TWICE’s rise to stardom but I actually think it’s one of their weaker title tracks, the chorus and hook aren’t quite the ear worms they want to be and the verses kind of get lost, which is a shame because I think they’re the best part. I think it’s because those synths overwhelm everything, it makes it hard for me to really latch onto any other element of the song because they just feel soupy. It has some neat ideas that later TWICE songs would do better, “Likey” in particular really feels like a more refined version of this.

Knock Knock: 10 God this song makes me want someone to break down my door and murder me. The thrumming beat of this song is absolutely thrilling and the girls sing with such bright voices over it it’s absolutely wonderful. TWICE are the queens of bubblegum rap, the rap parts of this song are so sweet. I don’t know who their rappers are but they’re often the highlight of the songs for me.

Signal: 8 I remember hearing this for the first time and being like “wtf am I listening to” and hating it, but after listening to it a few times I actually really like it. It’s not an example of me forcing myself to like a song, it was the first TWICE song I ever heard so I didn’t have any kind of special attachment to it, I just think after the initial shock wears off it’s not actually *that* weird. The elements are almost intentionally grating, but in a freaky kind of way that’s actually really fun to bop along to and the antenna hands choreography is super fun. Uncharacteristically for TWICE though the raps aren’t that great.

Likey: 9 A common thread with TWICE songs for me is that I generally find them grating and insufferable on the first listen but then get over that and just have a fun time. This song can also put an end to all of those “What are some songs that sound happy but are actually sad?” threads. Despite the bright melody and annoyingly catchy refrain of “ME LIKEY LIKEY LIKEY,” the instrumental is always a little bit heavier and darker in a way that is just out of step enough to be a little unsettling, and the girls give surprisingly nuanced performances.

Heart Shaker: 2 I generally either really love a TWICE song or find it insufferable. This is my chief example of the latter. This song is just annoying. It’s overly cutesy even for TWICE. They usually have some kind of twist to their songs to make them more interesting, or sell the song through sheer charm and earnestness, but the weird ‘50s throwback sound doesn’t suit them at all so there’s not much they can do with it. It’s just kind of… a bad song, and the video/dance aren’t even that good to compensate. I’d like to point out that there’s a separate group called HIGHTEEN who released a song called [“Love Is Timing”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG8TAF211jI&frags=pl%2Cwn) (one of the lyrics from this song) earlier this year and it’s way better on every level with 1/100th the budget.

What Is Love?: 10 A monster bop, it’s both the best Twice song and video. Also let’s throw choreography in there too, drawing a question mark in the air? Brilliant. The chorus neatly plays to their strengths and the “call and response” structure of it makes it super easy and fun to sing along to. It lets us get an easy catharsis, neatly conveying the emotion of the song in one wonderful shout and then riding those emotions out for all they’re worth. This also might be the tightest rap verse I’ve ever heard in a song. Also, LGBT+ queens! I sometimes roll my eyes at music videos that are just movie references because they don’t adequately tie the story of the film into the message of the song, and this is the best execution of it I’ve seen.

BONUS TRACKS

HeeJin - ViViD: 9 I was kind of tepid on this solo for a while but as time has gone on I’ve warmed to its charms. HeeJin’s lilting performance really sells the piece and the background vocals are also super fun.

HyunJin - Around You: 8.5 I really like this one, I see a lot of people shafting it because it’s slower but I’ve always thought it was still a very solid song. That guitar twang that happens about a minute and a half in after the first chorus scalps me every single time.

HaSeul - Let Me In: 10 HaSeul is my bias and she deserves more lines. I’m a theatre boy so this song really does it for me, I love the melodramatic epic ness of it.

YeoJin - Kiss Later: 10 Although not necessarily LOONA’s most daring song, I honestly rank it as one of the best of the solos. It just delivers the fun, youthful energy that it needs to, I don’t think any of the girls displayed as much personality on their track as YeoJin did.

ViVi - Everyday I Love You ft. HaSeul: 10 I talked about this one a lot in my [+ +] review (WHICH YOU SHOULD ALL READ) but I’ll go into a bit more here. This song is just sweet and cute and pure, it dukes it out with “Let Me In” for my favorite LOONA solo. I know from experience that I’m a silly, syrupy mess when I have a crush, and this song really speaks to that experience. And this sweet ‘90s style is the perfect vehicle for conveying it, it sounds earnest and pure without going too overboard. Also HaSeul’s rap verse? Fire.

Kim Lip - Eclipse: 8.5 A slick and sexy r&b jam that kind of leaves me tepid? Like, LOONA tepid, so I’m still super hype, but I just don’t find this one as interesting as some of the other LOONA solos. It’s a little too straightforward, it just doesn’t have as many tricks up its sleeve.

JinSoul - Singing in the Rain: 6.5 My least favorite of the LOONA solos. Despite fantastic verses, the song just feels a little underwritten. The chorus just being the title and then some future bass wobbles is a copout. If you watch the full choreography on dry land it actually looks really silly too because she’s just kind of hopping around on the ground but wowza, the video is fantastic.

Choerry - Love Cherry Motion: 8.8 When I see people complain about the drop, I hit the gas. Seriously, this song is kind of genius partially because of how well it blends genres but also because of what a good statement it’s making about LOONA as a group. Choerry’s role in LOONA lore is to act as a bridge between the different subunits, the music video even shows her getting dragged from the world of 1/3 to the world of Odd Eye Circle. So her song starts off with the bubblegum stylings of 1/3, which then blends into the harsh electronic sounds of OEC. It’s a perfect representation of the musical evolution of LOONA, and also a full bop.

Yves - New: 7.5 Objectively this is a very good song but it never quite did much for me. It just feels… thin? The choreography is iconic though.

Chuu - Heart Attack: 10 Is there any word for this other than iconic? I feel so sorry for Chuu because she’s never gonna be able to sing this live because it’s like, humanly impossible to do in one take, but she delivers fireworks in the studio. I know that there’s some debate over whether this song is truly a gay anthem and I’m here to tell you that it is, BBC just can’t confirm it because of homophobes but Chuu confirms it in interviews because she’s a lesbian icon. [Love will win bitches!](https://twitter.com/loonabeingays/status/979533315190542337?lang=en)

Go Won - One & Only: 9 The video for this is kind of the highlight here but outside of that this is just a slick song. I read that a lot of people kind of ranked it lower when it came out and were like “oh no LOONA finally released a generic song” but I personally find this song super interesting. It’s a bit thinner than some of the other tracks but it makes up for it in mood.

Olivia Hye - Egoist ft. JinSoul: 8 Another song that’s good but doesn’t do as much for me. I love the dark, aggressive of it though, it’s something you don’t hear a lot of from girl groups. [There is a special version of this song where JinSoul raps in English](https://youtu.be/2JZM167HEyk?t=116) but be warned, it’s pretty bad. It just goes to show that just translating a song doesn’t instantly make it work, the cadence of the rap works best in Korean.

END