First off, a very warm welcome to my new blog. I really hope you guys grow to love this site in the future and that we can grow a community of awesome GG fans.
The first song I'd like to review out the gate is a hot new release from EVERGLOW. A group that debuted in 2019, with Bon Bon Chocolat, has made their 3rd comeback in the early days of February 2020 with their mini album Reminiscence with the title track DUN DUN. Having been a fan of some of the members pre-debut, primarily Sihyeon, EVERGLOW has managed to solidify themselves very early on in their careers as a standout GG that's constantly on my comeback radar. Their most previous comeback with Adios, released on August 19 in 2019, was no doubt a smash success with the group gaining a lot more traction after their already solid debut. But, given the intense success and power of Adios, how will EVERGLOW position themselves with the release of DUN DUN? Let's find out shall we.
After giving it a few listens both last night and this morning I have finally reached a conclusion on DUN DUN. My very first impression of the song was a visual one rather than one based on the song; perhaps a precursor to things to come. Visually this music video is definitely in line with the groups aesthetic. I see their aesthetic as both dark and powerful with hints of glam. This particular music video really doubled down on their girl crush image following the success of Adios. The members all looked fantastic, the stylists definitely know how to dress their girls for the concept of the song and music video. While I appreciate the styling a lot, I do however have an issue with the overall direction of the music video when I compare this with their previous release. Adios was quite grand in scale and was shot beautifully using some very interesting camera techniques and clever editing. DUN DUN does have elements of the previous music video within but it doesn't quite go to the same lengths as Adios. This sentiment is also brought over to the song itself.
As a self confessed lover of girl groups songs that attempt to rip your face off with a fierce baseline and catchy hook, DUN DUN didn't quite hit the mark for me. If Bon Bon Chocolat was a kitten and Adios a tiger DUN DUN would most definitely be your household cat with a bad temper. Do not get me wrong, this is a good release from EVERGLOW and the girls ate this concept, but the song is lacking in that guttural power we have felt from them previously and I'm left a little underwhelmed.
If we break down the song a little further we can explore why I feel this way. The initial few seconds of the song are very promising indeed. Visually we get served right out the gate by Chinese member Yiren, whom is totally at home with EVERGLOW don't you think..while we are treated aurally to a slew of interesting high pitched rifts before the baseline enters the scene. A nice mix so far then. As we get deeper into the song we can see that EVERGLOW has chosen a pretty similar concept to Adios but also somehow a little softer. Everything is going pretty swell up until this point even Yirens chanting of Dun dun dun is hypnotic and sets up the chorus nicely. Sadly, this is where the song also begins to show its core issue (for me atleast). As we enter the chorus we are greeted with a instrumental section that frankly, and even on first listen, I felt lacked impact. The drop between the chorus vocals and the smaller dance break proceeding Yiren's chanting sadly lacks the oomph I was expecting after enjoying how hard Adios went in during its own chorus. Luckily, the verses following the chorus to bring back a small ounce of the bad girl image EVERGLOW are clearly going for with member Aisha finally getting the screen time and lines she deserves. Her deeper vocals compliment her rap very well and I definitely enjoyed her contribution to this song. Unfortunately however, this is where my enjoyment of the song plateaued and the rest of the track become a repeat of the earlier sections of the song including that slightly lacking chorus + instrumental. Interestingly enough I also found the bridge truly lacking in that certain something special that would have elevated this song. I feel like the floating and dreamy feel they were going for didn't quite eventuate in the bridge and could really have benefitted from some unique vocal editing to make it sound more airy and dreamy given the music video's imagery during the bridge. Having said this I am happy to report that overall their vocals sounded clear and free from the arguably aggressive, but stylistically effective, autotune featured in their debut song.
I know it might sound like I am being harsh on DUN DUN but it is because Adios was such a impactful and interesting release from EVERGLOW that my opinion has been shaped this way. I must state though that DUN DUN is not a bad release from the group and it will find its own success within the saturated month of GG comebacks we will experience in Feb 2020. Moving forward however, I would like to see EVERGLOW continue to push and elevate their concept to the next level if they truly want to separate themselves in the growing Kpop market.
My ratings
Music Video: 8/10
Song: 7.5/10
Concept: 7.5/10
Style: 9/10
Dance: 8/10
Overall: 40/50.
If you liked this review please let me know your thoughts! - THR
Let me know if you'd like a livestage/showcase review also.
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