With so many releases happening each week, we have split our weekly review into two articles to make things more convenient. Our Weekly K-music Review posts are here to give you a helping hand and a quick look back at the notable releases from Korean artists in a weekly format. This article looks at releases and comebacks from 11-13  June 2018.

Kassy – At Beginning Of Love
Released: June 11

The drama Wok Of Love featuring 2PM’s Junho is an emotional rollercoaster with moments that make you swoon in love with the characters, to laughing until you cry. With the drama becoming one of the big ones not to miss in 2018, a certain style of soundtrack was desired – and that’s where Kassy fits in. With a bright backing track with a slight jazzy undertone, Kassy’s vocals are whimsical and sweet, perfect for those scenes filled with love, and perfect for expressing the drama series story. The music video features scenes from the first five episodes of the series.

Low K – Voice Of The Underground
Released: June 11

Taking the K-hip-hop scene by storm and bringing a retro style into the modern day rap scene, Low K shows emotion and control in the way he spits the lyrics. The song’s title Voice Of The Underground certainly relates back to the core of the backing track and the rawness of the song on a whole. There is not a lot of post-production done on the track, so a grainy uncontrolled white noise is heard throughout, adding to the character of the song. By having this as an audio release and not with a music video, we feel that you connect a lot easier with the lyrics and the story behind them. Definitely a song for those who liked the old school underground scene.

SHINee – I Want You
Released: June 11

Continuing their storytelling journey in the most brightly coloured and artistic music video, SHINee come back into the charts with their new song I Want You. The expressive music video is something that K-pop fans have come to expect from the boys, along with the catchy dance/EDM backing track, the whole package feels like a fashion catwalk show and we aren’t angry about that! Showing strength as a group of four, and continuing to create fans around the world, SHINee are proving they are here to stay and rightly so.

WalWari – Everyday My Oppa
Released: June 11

One of the rare co-ed groups in Korea who doesn’t seem to take themselves too seriously, WalWari are everything you need for those retro 90’s styled summer songs. Everyday My Oppa reminds us of those classic songs such as Aqua’s Barbie Girl or Vengaboys Boom Boom Boom. Fun, summery and certainly unique compared to the hip-hop filled charts, we definitely class this as one of the summer songs of 2018. It literally has everything you need for a great dance song, not to mention Mr Boombox’s impromptu beatboxing halfway through the song.

Seo Ikyung – 2:00am
Released: June 11

When you think of anime soundtracks, they all have a certain sound about them; 2:00am seems to have that same sound. It’s a crossover of a dance track with synthesizers and soft love song vocals. The music video is simple and non-intrusive, showing some beautiful nighttime scenes of Seoul. Vocally Seo Ikyung’s voice is soft, powerful but certainly controlled. He sings as if he is using no effort yet still hitting that perfect pitch. The song’s tempo is slow but has a sense of speed due to the synthesizer elements. It’s a truly beautiful song, but we wish the ending was a little different.

Very Very Good Life – Serenade Of Dream
Released: June 11

At the beginning you feel you’re in for a very slow love song, a simple keyboard and acoustic guitar duo with the backing of an orchestra. But as the song progresses and the lyrics begin to tell their story, it becomes an adventure and seems to grow. Vocally the singer is not the most powerful or the most trained, there is a roughness and rawness about her vocals, but when you add that to the music, there is perfect harmony. Once again the music video is low budget but done extremely well, telling a small story as the lyrics explain the feelings of the child actress.

Hui (Pentagon) – Maybe
Released: June 12

Being part of the boy group Pentagon, Hui’s skills a performer sometimes gets overlooked, so seeing his vocal strengths getting recognised in his solo release for the soundtrack of the K-drama About Time is hugely welcomed by his fans. Hui has an astonishing voice and in honest thoughts, we feel he could very easily become a great solo artist. The song is your typical K-drama love song, soft piano background, bass guitar, snapping fingers and the soft yet strong vocals where the pitch gets higher as the song progresses.

Lyn, Hanhae – Love
Released: June 12

Yet another drama soundtrack song, this time for the K-drama Are You Human Too? Legendary solo vocalist Lyn is accompanied by rapper and singer Hanhae who was the former member of the boy group Phantom, to create a contrasting light vs dark style song. The beautiful and feminine vocals of Lyn work extremely well with the monotoned and gruff rapping of Hanhae, which also seems to reflect the characters in the drama. Once again it’s your typical love song, but it does have a certain vibe about it that makes it a great standalone release.

Novel – Senorita (FEAT. B.a.m.sem)
Released: June 13

With a lo-fi, hip-hop backing track whilst being accompanied by a soulful vocal, this song is one of those where you need your headphones for the full impact. It’s certainly unique when compared to what’s popular in the charts right now, and it is a welcome change. Upbeat and fun with an undertone of those chill out songs we love so much, Senorita has a lot to offer for any kind of mood. It seems that when you are an indie artist, the freedom to create whatever sounds you like has a direct impact on the style and sound of music. Novel chose to go a completely different route to what’s popular and it truly works.

Hye Sung – Never Not (Remix)
Released: June 13

This track is one of our favourites from this week. Although it is a remix, you definitely need to hear this track. Mixing the original song with what sounds like Johann Pachelbel’s Cannon In D, there is a unification between many different sound styles: lo-fi, classical, dance, love song and soul. Vocally Hye Sung speaks his lyrics with adjustments to the tone of his voice and elongating some words. It creates a beautiful and stunning sound that goes so well with this upbeat yet chilled song. This is not a song to be missed, and we would love to see a lot more from Hye Sung in the future.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the first article for this week’s K-music Review and be sure to join us in the future for more K-music Week in reviews.

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