Hello everyone and welcome back to The Hallyu Refraction. Today we will reviewing Cherry Bullet's latest release the digital single Hands Up. Hands Up is unique in that it signals a significant change in the style of music we have typically heard from Cherry Bullet. For Hands up the group has gone for a concept that is being called "Bullet Mode" which is part of the groups overarching concept and lore. If you're not familiar with Cherry Bullet the group employs a video game concept in which the group encompases multiple identities through which they can perform "upgrades" to change their style and image. Basically, it's just a fun way to say that the group isn't limited to any one concept or sound and to expect the group to experiment with different genres of music and style in the future. Right off the bat I can already tell you that Hands Up is my favourite comeback from Cherry Bullet. To explain why we will first take a look at the music video.
This review will be in the same format I have used in previous articles where I score the title track out of 5 main categories (Music video, Song, Concept, Style, and Dance) out of a total of 10 points. An overall score will then be tallied and given at the end with my final thoughts. To start of this review we'll take a look a the music video for Hands Up.
For Hands Up it's clear that Cherry Bullet has shed their previous cute and poppy image while still holding true to the groups video game concept. As discussed in yesterday's review I would consider this comeback to employ the currently very trendy Bright Crush concept. A Bright Crush concept is one that I consider to staddle multiple concepts to create its own identity, in particular girl crush and your typical bright and colourful pop look. The music video for Hands Up really takes the Bright Crush concept and runs with it without making any apologies. While the group has definitely held onto their colourful and bright concept from their first and second releases Hands Up is definitely a side of the girls we have yet to see. I think the choice for the girls to employ this kind of concept was a very smart one by FNC, the company behind Cherry Bullet, as it's becoming increasingly popular in the world of Kpop. Popular groups like BlackPink, Mamamoo, and Red Velvet has popularised this concept style and I think it's it's smart of smaller, lesser known groups to jump on the bandwagon of trying out Bright Crush while still holding true to their visual identity and overall style. In regards to the music video for Hands Up I am pleased to say that the overall direction and production quality is high which is pleasant to see as many have questioned FNC's goals with Cherry Bullet in recent months. It's nice to see Cherry Bullet getting the attention they deserve in regards to the production quality of their new material.
The music video itself uses multiple sets to convey the message and concept of the song. The set that really stood out for me was one that looked like a computer lab; fitting given their video game concept. The girls however don't spend much of the music video in this set as the story behind this music video see's the girls enter a VR universe where they take on the more aggressive and chic vibe typically found in girl crush concepts. I enjoyed the transition from a more muted and clinical setting and style to one that's very punchy in colour and reflects the garage elements of the song. I love the contrast in this music video in regards to the sets and the girls overall style/outfits. Each girl looks very comfortable in both concepts with no member feeling like they're unable to fully encompass the vibe needed to portray the concept shift early on music video. The members that really stood out for me this comeback were members Jiwon, Yuju, and Chaerin. I felt like these members really took the concept shift way from Cherry Bullet's previous style the best. Each member looks fierce and powerful without alienating the cute and bright image they've maintained in previous releases. I must however bring slight criticism to the outfits used in video. While all three outfit changes look good none of them really stood out in the video or served to highlight the glam and powerful nature of the concept. In particular I felt like the tan and black outfits lacked variety and interest but was happy to see that the outfits in Orange and black had a greater impact and reflected the concept better as a whole. I do however think there is something lacking about these outfits as well, perhaps it's because the members look too similar which works against them by making it harder for new fans to distinguish the individual members. Overall though I am pleased with the music video for Hands Up with the members looking pretty and comfortable with the new songs concept and the production quality being high enough as to not detract from the song itself. I do however think that the music video plays second fiddle to the song with the video not really capturing just how fantastic and fresh the song sounds by itself.
On first listen of Cherry Bullet's new title track Hands Up I knew that we had a total BOP on our hands. It's hard to know where to begin when talking about Hands Up because it really deserves so much credit in multiple areas from production, to vocals, the instrumental and even the arrangement. Intrinsically this song falls within the Trap genre employing characteristics of an 808 drum in conjunction with a truly fantastic and unique sample of Beethoven's Für Elise. It is honestly a fantastic combination that matches perfectly with the overall vibe and concept used in this comeback. There is so much contrast in this comeback not only from the styles and sets explored in the music video but also in the song itself. An example of this is found early on in the song when we hear members Bora and May singing in a breathy and airy tone which is then contrasted with the deeper tone from Chaerin during her smaller rap sections in the first verse. This duality is present all throughout the song and it really compliments the style they've chosen for this comeback. The soft and high sections really do serve to elevate the more energetic and beat heavy parts of the song particularly in the chorus where the Trap and 808 elements of the song really come alive. Particular praise has to be given to the team that worked on the production of this track because the inclusion of a sample of Beethoven's Für Elise was a spark of pure genius. The sample used is like nothing I've really heard in Kpop girl groups songs in previous years. My readers might laugh but my first impression of the song was that I thought they sampled a 90's NOKIA ringtone that I use to use many moons ago. For me though this song carries a wonderful nostalgic feel which only aids in my love for the song, I think many fans can relate to this as I've seen this song compared to various things including the intro so Disney's Wizard of Waverly Place. The ability to produce an emotional response in listeners from such an energetic and powerful song is very unique and takes a lot of skill as we normally only see this kind of response from ballads and mid-tempo tracks. I must also praise the use of the whistle sample, I think it works brilliantly with the garage sound used in Hands Up.
The lyrics of the song are also praise worthy with AOA's Jimin having a hand in writing this track for Cherry Bullet's latest comeback. While Hands Up isn't very philosophical or challenging in regards to it's lyrics they are used effectively for the type of song Hands Up falls into. I don't think anyone was going into this song expecting to have their minds blown. Hands Up is definitely a track made and produced for the sake of entertainment but that's not to say there isn't a strong message behind the song. Hands Up presents itself as not only a fun track but one that tells the listener to not worry about the expectations and pressures other put on you and to just simply enjoy the feeling of being in the present. With lyrics like "YOLO YOLO YOLO YOLO, There is no tomorrow" and "Slow songs are boring. Raise the tempo" it's clear that this song was designed to get you off your feet to dance and sing along with Cherry Bullet. I love it when songs are unapologetically made to entertain and get a crowd pumped up as they tend to fall into my favourite genres and styles of music. Lastly I must praise the vocals in this track with members Bora, Jiwon and Chaerin being the standout performers. While I felt that all the members were able to capture the vibe of the concept well members Jiwon and Chaerin really took it to the next level. They not only felt comfortable in this concept but showed just how versatile Cherry Bullet can be. I very much enjoyed the attitude on offer from Jiwon during the chorus and Chaerin's raps and one liners. It saddens me to say however that while I really love Hands Up as a song the line distribution is bordering on woeful. Members Remi and May are unfortunately left in the dust for this particular comeback and it's hard to tell why. Remi's performance in this song is very similar to LOONA's member Vivi in their most recent comeback. Her vocals are used in a very limited fashion without having any full lines to sing. This kind of treatment needs to change if Cherry Bullet want to continue gaining popularity, I do not appreciate it when certain members are given preferential treatment over others due to factors like popularity or the fact they might not be Korean.
As for the dance of Hands Up I will be looking at a combination of both the live showcase performance and the dancing utilised in the music video. First let's take a look at the dancing in the music video. It's clear from the get go that the dance is one of the most important elements of this song. It was purposely choreographed to reflect the vibe of the concept and the fun and unapologetic lyrics. While not overly complicated I think the dance for Hands Up is pretty effective in using the Trap and 808 beat to help tie the choreo and song together. With Hands Up falling on the slower side of EDM music I wasn't expecting a tonne of formation changes and overly energetic choreo and I was right to assume that the group would be more focused on fitting the concept of the song rather than creating an overly complex choreography. This is more apparent when we look at the dance in the live performance given during their showcase event. For this showcase the members even utilised the outfits we saw in the music video; the ones in orange and black. Immediately this gives the impression that the group is set on embracing this concept transformation from their previous releases and are intent on putting on a good performance unique from their last comeback. Member Chaerin really stood out for me during the live performance and music video in regards to her dancing and overall compatibility with the concept. While the live showcase does support my argument that the choreography for Hands Up is not overly complex I do not think the overall performance suffered greatly from having a dance that was less energetic and focused on unique formation changes and hooks. Overall I think the choreography is entirely compatible and effective for Hands Up but I would have liked to see the girls improve on their use of expressions and their level of perceivable enthusiasm. I think because Cherry Bullet have only really explored bright and pop-oriented concepts previously, some of the members look a tiny bit uncomfortable performing their new song on stage. Happily however, I think that this nervousness will likely dissipate as they get more comfortable doing live performances of their new title track and I can't wait to see the members get more into the overall more aggressive and edgy concept used in Hands Up.
My rating.
Music Video: 8
Song: 9.5
Concept: 8.5
Style: 7.5
Dance: 7.5
Overall Rating: 41/50
In conclusion I think that Cherry Bullet's latest comeback is their best song yet. Hands Up is a refreshing take not only on their video game concept but the groups concept as a whole. It is nice to see the girls try a shift in their image as we have always known they were capable of doing more than just the cute and bright image the group used during their debut. The only real criticisms I have for this particular release is that the members style, while mostly reflective of their new concept, it would have been nice to see them taken up a notch. This however might improve as the live stages progress over the next few weeks so I wasn't overly harsh judging this category. The choreography for the song is also an area that I think that while effective, it could have used some slightly tweaking to make it something a bit more special. Not every member looked comfortable in this concept during their live stage when compared to the polished and curated music video. Again, this is likely to change as they promote the song more so I can't wait to see how their energy and charisma evolve on stage as they get more comfortable with the concept of Hands Up. On a final note the only reason I couldn't score the song with perfect marks was the frankly very disappointing line distribution. It's a real shame because it would have been my first 10 given out on my blog but alas I cannot say a song is perfect if not all the members of a group are given adequate line distribution.
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my review and I hope you enjoyed it. If you did please don't forget like and share it with your friends on twitter, check out my other reviews, and follow me @TheHallyu. Have a wonderful day everyone and see you tomorrow for a review of TWICE's Feel Special.
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