September is here, which although it means school’s starting unfortunately (for the majority of students)… There have been some amazing comebacks to look forward to this week! From a range of solos to long-awaited comebacks! Check out this week’s releases below!
Lee Gikwang (Highlight) – What You Like
Release: Lee Gikwang who originally debuted as a solo singer named AJ before becoming a member of BEAST (now known as HIGHLIGHT), has returned with a new solo, ‘What You Like’, released on the 4th of September. His first solo was released in 2009, and after 8 years has finally taken the opportunity to release another solo. Gikwang is credited for having written the songs on his 1st mini album ‘One’. The MV showcases a range of colourful aethestics combined with the upbeat, fun choreography.
B.A.P – Honeymoon
Release: B.A.P recently made a comeback with their 7th single album ‘Blue’ featuring their title song ‘Honeymoon’ released on the 5th of September. The track can be described as ethereal hype song, and fits into the category of similar B.A.P songs such as ‘1004 (Angel)’ and ‘Wake Me Up’ . The group usually produces songs within 3 categories, ranging from powerful, masculine concepts like ‘Warrior’ and ‘One Shot’, quirky and fun concepts like ‘Feel So Good’ and ‘That’s My Jam’ or the third category as mentioned above. The instrumental itself seems to have quite a westernised influence, but the song is one which has a specific touch which defines it as a B.A.P song.
EXO – Power
Release: EXO’s latest concept for their 4th repackaged album brings to you the title song ‘Power’. Despite EXO’s recent release for ‘Ko Ko Bop’ the group made a fast return to bring out a repackaged album ‘The War: The Power of Music’ which follows a comic book style. It is a fun concept with the MV having a whole storyline with the members aim to defeat the boss. You can see that SM has put a lot of time and effort into the MV with the animations and narration (which reminds you of their debut with Mama’s narration at the beginning of MV) – It’s definitely a visual appealing music video that’s for sure! You can see a link between their past MVs especially their debut MVs as their MVs focused a lot on their individual powers, whilst this song showcases their powers in a different manner! You can also check out the Chinese ver. here.
DAY6 – I Loved You
Release: DAY6 return with their 9th monthly single, meaning they’ve completed 3/4’s of their monthly single journey. For their latest comeback, the group released their title track ‘I Loved You’ on the 6th of September. Once again, the group releases an emotional ballad, yet it’s pains you to see all the reasons behind why each guy feels the way they do. The narrative of their MV continues on from their previous monthly single ‘좋은걸 뭐 어떡해 (What Can I Do)’. All the different storylines begin to unfold for each of the members and it’s heartbreaking to see the result. The accompanying song conveys the feelings.
MXM – I’m The One
Release: MXM otherwise referred to the Brand New Music Boys, recently debuted with ‘I’m The One’ on the 6th of September. The members who gained popularity alongside Wanna One’s Woojin and Daehwi, have debuted as a sub-unit before a group is reunited alongside the two Brand New Music members in Wanna one. The group members gained recognition after participating in the Mnet TV show ‘Produce 101’ Season 2. Youngmin who is notable for his rapping skills whilst Donghyun for his vocals. Each of the members placed in the top 35: Donghyun (28th), Youngmin (15th) as well as the current Wanna One members (who are due to join the boys after 2018, Woojin (6th) and Daehwi (3rd). Their title song ‘I’m The One’ can be described as a fun, dance anthem. The boys also released their song ‘Good Day‘ for their debut in July!
Pentagon – Like This
Release: Pentagon recently made a comeback with their 4th mini album ‘Demo_01’ with their title track ‘Like This’ on the 6th of September. Their title song ‘Like This’ was personally written by one of the Pentagon members, Hui! Pentagon’s Hui has known to have written many popular hit songs such as ‘Never’ which was produced as one of the songs for Produce 101 Season 2, as well as the hit debut song ‘Energetic’ for Wanna One! ‘Like This’ can be described as an emotional anthem, whilst combining a slick choreography to their performance.
G.Soul – Can’t
Release: G.Soul who originally was signed under JYP Entertainment, has joined H1GHR Music and has now released his 3rd mini album ‘Circles’ alongside his title track ‘Can’t’ on the 7th of September. The slow jam, conveys G.Soul’s vocal abilities in the genre of R&B and soul. The lyrics of this song which describes his struggle to get over his past love, is voiced through a rather emotional and sensual manner. His vocal abilities determine his range, and the song is definitely one which suits his personal style.
Soyou – The Blue Night of Jeju Island
Release: Many of us have struggled after the disbandment of the ‘SISTAR’ but Starship are back to bring us a digital single by the one and only, Soyou. She released her digital single ‘The Blue Night of Jeju Island’ on the 7th of September. She is best known for her magical collaborations, so it’s an interesting opportunity see her release a solo demonstrating her sweet and calming tone. Her song ‘The Blue Night of Jeju Island’ can be described as soothing, and is actually a remake of Choi Sung Woon’s ‘The Blue Night of Jeju Island’ which was released in 1988.
Jay Park x Double K x Boi.B – Reborn
Release: Despite it being September, and feeling that summer’s over, Jay Park is back again with another collaboration to keep us feeling the summer vibes. The new AOMG track ‘Reborn’ with Double K and Boi.B was released on the 7th of September. The following track was produced by Cha Cha Malone, who has been recognised as one of the most popular producers. Many people have mentioned that if you hear his producer tag ‘I need a Cha Cha beat boy’, you know that it’s a good song! Double K who is best known as the winning producer of SMTM S1, and recently has participated in SMTM6. On the other hand, Boi.B is an rapper under Amoeba Culture, who participated in SMTM5.
Yoona (Girls’ Generation) – When The Wind Blows
Release: SM is back again with another station release, this time featuring Yoona from Girls’ Generation. Her new station track ‘When The Wind Blows’ was released on the 8th of September. The track demonstrates Yoona’s delicate and soft tone, with a light acoustic touch accompanying her vocals. The MV highlights cute relationship interactions between Yoona and the male lead, to which fans have felt lonely whilst watching it. The lyrics commemorate the memories she had with her past love, feelings of nostalgia rather than broken-hearted feelings. She also released a Chinese version of her station, which you can check out here.
Jeong Eunji (Apink) – Manito
Release: Apink’s Eunji has returned to release her new solo track ‘Manito’! The MV which seems to convey a serious tone is accompanied by Eunji’s song which in contrast is rather upbeat. The MV describes a relationship between two girls, a friendship which showcases on the girls relying on one another, and always being there for one another. ‘Manito’ is a wordplay of two Korean words: to break it down, ‘mani’ referring to ‘a lot and ‘tto’ referring to ‘more’. The lyrics talk about an innocent girl confessing to her love. The digital single ‘Manito’ was released on the 9th of September.
