Category: Music Reviews

Dear, guys – welcome back to Letters From Liz!

As a multi-fandom Kpop stan, I was well fed in the month of June, like, so well fed, i’m practically good for another couple of months in music. I don’t know what made every entertainment agency decide that their groups would make a comeback in June, but ya girl is not complaining. Anyway, every week one of the groups I listen to made a comeback and thought it would be fitting to speak on them all in one post! So without further ado, let’s talk about some Kpop comebacks, shall we?

TWICE’s “MORE & MORE“

On June 1st, Twice dropped their 9th Mini Album, “MORE & MORE” after a 9-month hiatus; their last mini-album, “Feel Special“, was released in September 2019. A lot of anticipation was riding on this comeback, and many fans were excited to start off the summer with new music from Twice; I know I was! When the teaser photos were released, I was… not really impressed to be honest, like the whole “hippie” earth concept just felt poorly put together. The nature concept though is beautiful, and it’s the version of the album I personally purchased for myself. In regards to the actual title track, I was actually kinda disappointed. It’s catchy and it’s definitely a different sound (which Twice has been consistent in doing) but from the teasers and all of that, the song just seemed like it was supposed to be… better?

The true star of the show is the b-sides. If anything, this album has some of the strongest b-sides Twice has put out. “Make Me Go” has that feel that I believe would be the perfect song for Twice if they were to ever officially make their U.S debut, “Sweet Summer Day” is such a perfect song to go out and enjoy the summer day with friends at the beach or at a block party, and “Oxygen“; she’s lovely. Twice is known for having some of the best b-sides on an album, so I’m glad that aspect of their albums hasn’t changed.

Rating: 7/10 – Would recommend, but first stream the b-sides of the album.

Victon’s “Mayday“

I apologize in advance if I come off way too bias with this, but Victon are my boys. So even though these boys have been preparing this comeback since their “Howling” promotions back in March, it wasn’t announced until May 20th, two weeks before they were scheduled to come back. When I tell you I was in the middle of catching up with my Victon photocard collection and screamed that more money is now being spent on this group… but I was very excited! It was strange that I would want to come back just three months after releasing their 6th Mini Album, “Continuous“, I was glad that these boys are busy making new music for comebacks!

So about the actual song: Mayday is their 2nd Single Album that came out on June 2nd. After seeing the teaser photos and music video teasers, I didn’t understand what the concept was. The colorful, “Venez” version is shot on a beautiful Spring scenery in colorful suits, while the dark, “m’aider” version was black and white and… dark. But! the music video doesn’t showcase any of that; in fact, they are in somewhat combat attire, which I actually wish was featured in their physical albums, let’s be real. To not make this a novel-length review, “Mayday” is an attempt (a pretty successful one statistic-wise) at a more dark, aggressive, hip-hop influence sound for the group. With Victon testing out the waters in previous albums, (“New World” and “Nightmare“) it was about time that they would use that sound for a title track and oof, she’s a banger. Sure, the song feels very experimental and some of it feels missing, but for what it is, it’s a strong title track. The music video is honestly so fucking pretty, like the millions of views on their channel for this M/V? They’re from me, y’all.

Is she my favorite title track? No. Again, there’s a lot of room for improvement for these boys when it comes to experimenting with this genre, but it’s really good for a starter song. Hanse and Seungwoo slay this song because they are both the rappers in the group and this is a rap-heavy song, but the line distribution could’ve been way better… if the song had a real chorus. I mean, “Fire off a mayday, but I can’t wait” is catchy and she’s been living in my head for the past month, but the chorus could’ve been used for members getting some lines.

Rating: 9.5/10 – If you’re a fan of the more aggressive & dark concepts of K-pop boy groups and want to discover a new group, this is the song to start off with. Also, “I’m losing all my sleep on you” as the opening line sung by Seungsik? You’re welcome.

IZ*ONE’s “Secret Story of the Swan“

Y’all, IZ*ONE is coming back to back with the albums to let the K-Pop industry know that the scandal of the Produce series will not hold them back! They officially came back from their 10-month hiatus with their first full-length album, BLOOM*IZ, back in February and now they are back four months later with their 3rd Mini Album, Oneiric Diary. Their title song, “Secret Story of the Swan” is definitely a different title track than the others and I’m glad because their title track for their last comeback was way too similar to their iconic song, “Violeta“. This song somehow felt like it came out of nowhere, but these girls really slayed this comeback song! It’s definitely a song (and album) you have to listen a couple of times before you get the feel of it, but IZ*ONE doesn’t disappoint when it comes to these different concepts they got going on! It’s not my favorite title track, but it’s definitely an improvement from their last comeback for me!

Rating: 8/10 – Again, it’s one of those songs you have to listen to a couple of times before you get into it, but the chorus is so unique and catchy! Also, all of the songs on the mini album are so different from one another. One of my favorite b-sides from the album is “Merry-Go-Round” – she’s a couple little bop!

CRAVITY’s “Cloud 9“

This song and music video are the cutest thing ever! So, Cravity made their comeback in the middle of June with a song from their debut album, “HIDEOUT – Remember Who We Are – S1“. It was definitely a different type of comeback for K-Pop; most comebacks are accompanies by a digital album or a whole new mini album, but Cravity decided to comeback with a song from their debut album that came out 2 months ago. If anything, it’s something that westernized music artists do; artists release a couple of singles from their album every couple of months before they release anything new. In Kpop, most comebacks are months a part with typically a new title track accompanying their new mini album or new single album. Anyway, this song is the perfect b-side that showcases their refreshing side. These boys are the cutest ever, and this song an concept fits them flawlessly which is crazy because their debut single, “Break All The Rules” was the complete opposite yet they fit that concept so good as well. Yes for duality.

Rating: 6/10 – It’s not my favorite track of theirs and I probably won’t binge listen to it, but the concept and music video are too cute to pass.

Weki Meki’s “OOPSY“

Let’s all give a round of applause for Fantagio for giving these girls another mini album after two single albums because these girls deserve so much better. Anyway, in the month of loud comebacks from huge groups, Weki Meki came back with their 3rd Mini Album, “Hide and Seek” – and I’m pretty impressed with it as a whole. For the title track, it was… okay? I mean, Weki Meki had better title tracks in my opinion & the b-sides on this album are so pretty and different than what they’ve done in the past whereas “Oopsy” just sounds like a repackage of their previous comebacks. Don’t get me wrong, she slaps, just not as hard as their previous title tracks. I’m just glad that these girls are getting more opportunities to put out more songs at a time!

Rating: 6/10 – probably won’t listen to the title track that much, but I might give the album as a whole a few listens here and there. Weki Meki fighting!

Blackpink’s “How You Like That“

After making their comeback in April 2019 with “Kill This Love“, Blackpink finally made a comeback with their pre-release single, “How You Like That“. They are expected to make two more comebacks, one being for the release of their long-awaited full-length album. When the news of them finally making a comeback was announced, everyone was literally on the floor anticipating this release, as was I! Blackpink was the second ever Kpop girl group I listened to, and I wished YG treated these girls like a normal group that comes back once every couple of months, but here we are! So let’s talk about this comeback!

So, “How You Like That” is a classic Blackpink song. It’s a very hip-hop/dance influenced song with some strong ass rap lines, some great vocals from Rose & Jisoo, some adlibs from Jennie and Lisa throughout the song, and then a dance break. It’s what we heard in their last two comebacks, but if it works for them, it works for them! I’m a kpop listener that likes when groups try things differently though, so although this song slaps and my favorite part is Lisa’s raps and the talk-sung chorus, I wasn’t…blown away? Like, what made me like the song more was definitely the music video; the styling and visuals are honestly everything, but I just wish the format of the song was a little different!

Rating: 7/10 – Not my favorite title track, but still a bop. Hoping Blackpink will revamp their sound in the next comeback though!

Woodz/Seungyoun’s “Love Me Harder“

When I tell you I was waiting for this day to finally come! So Seungyoun (Woodz is his stage name) released his first mini-album to end off the month right; EQUAL in a nutshell, DID NOT DISAPPOINT. This album has to be my favorite release of the month just because the entire album is a masterpiece. Every song hits hard, “LIFT UP” sounds like it could be a straight-up rock song, “Accident” will give you goosebumps due to the insane vocals this man has and displays, and “BUCK” will literally turn you the fuck up. The title track, “Love Me Harder” is a song I have not heard come out on Kpop since I’ve been a fan, and I instantly fell in love with it as soon I heard it. It’s no surprise that Seungyoun released some fire tracks, because he’s done so in the past! To know that he wrote all of the lyrics to the songs and co-composed them as well, you know he’s just crazy talented. I’m so proud of him because this is his fourth time debuting, and I really hope that his talents and passion really shines this time!

Rating: 10/10 – Period. Fire album, fire title track, fire concept, I’m so happy with this debut!

And that’s it on my end! I know there are so many other groups that debuted or came back this past month, so also please show them some love! Here’s to more comebacks in the future! Kpop is exciting, y’all.

Dear, guys – welcome back to Letters From Liz!

March, thus far, has been one hell of an exciting ride. I’m currently getting myself ready to go on my first ever solo airplane trip to Florida so needless to say, so look forward to a travel diary about my trip next week!

Another thing to happen this month is that wowza, so many Kpop music comebacks. With ITZY and VICTON’s comeback on the same day, my multifandom ass was all over the place trying to buy their albums and listen to music while going to work and doing what I had to do. But, now that I had time to listen to the album and digest it (of course, not literally, haha), I wanted to actually write an album review for my ultimate bias group, VICTON.

Some backstory on this album: This album was announced at the end of January in regards to Seungwoo’s future activities. Play M Entertainment announced that Seungwoo would resume his activities in VICTON (he was in X1 for a couple of months before their sudden disbandment) and will be a part of their March comeback. After the album being revealed as Continuous, the title track was also revealed, which is “Howling”.

But before we move on to the actual title track, here’s my thoughts on the other tracks in VICTON’s 6th Mini Album, Continuous.

1.) “Nightmare”

Oof, let’s talk about “Nightmare”, shall we? When the album highlight medley was released, I was the most excited for this track. It definitely has a different vibe and sound to anything they did before; it’s dark, it’s very Halloween-like, but it still has that newer Victon “hip-hop sound” that they suit extremely well. For “Nightmare” both Seungwoo and Hanse helped write the lyrics and rap sections of this song. Also, can we talk about our main vocalist Seungsik?! Seungsik’s runs in the chorus are so clean and haunting, plus he harmonizes with his own damn background vocals as well? Oof. It’s definitely a strong contender to start the whole album off; it definitely has the potential to be a title track, so I hope that when they start promoting this month, they perform this b-slide because it fucking slaps. 

2.) “Howling”

“Howling” is the title track for the 6th Mini Album, and it does not disappoint. It was the only song on the album that was written by people outside of Victon (of course besides Hanse; he writes all his raps for their songs). I must admit, though, it took me a while to get the feel of the song. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a bop and she’s a powerful song, but it did give me some “nostalgic night” vibes. It has the same atmosphere that their last couple of comebacks have felt like, but it definitely suits them well. Again, Seungsik had to show himself and hit high notes that I’ve never heard a man hit before, and overall it’s just a powerful song. It’s uniquely sexy, it’s passionate; really everything that they spoiled in the last couple of weeks. Also, can we talk about Hanse’s rap? Seriously one of his best raps in Victon’s discography… besides the “Nightmare” rap; that hits differently. 

3.) “All I Know”

Their third track, “All I Know” is truly a classic Victon song. This song was written by Chan and Hanse, which I believe is a first for Chan! It has the same vibe and atmosphere that their older discography had, so it was nice to see that although they are maturing and moving on to more sexier and darker concepts, they return to their more mellow and soft sound. This track is about moving on from a relationship and not knowing what is next in life because all you knew was that other person. Oof, if that didn’t hit the relatable feels! It’s definitely a beautiful song and I hope they sing it live one day!

4.) “Petal”

“Petal” is definitely a track I’m not crazy about yet; maybe it will grow on me! This track was written by Seungwoo, Seungsik, and Hanse. It’s truly a beautiful song, it’s truly a nostalgic like song, remembering the past as the seasons move forward. The thing about Victon and their vocals is that their falsetto is truly on point, and this song is the perfect example of falsetto being used in the right places! The song is already light and feather-like, so the falsetto in the chorus sung by Seungwoo, Seungsik, and Sejun is simply breathtaking. I know I’ll like this song eventually, she just needs a couple of more listens!

5.) “White Night”

The final track of their 6th mini-album is called “White Night” and it was written by Seungwoo, Sejun, and Hanse. I’m not a fan of ballad songs, but this one is so fucking pretty, it’s truly something. The light piano and strings in the back make the song so flowery and beautiful and the vocals; oof the vocals. Seungsik singing the chorus has been stuck in my head for the entire day the album dropped I shit you not. It’s so angelic and again the falsetto is major chef kisses, seriously this song is going to be the song I work out on the aisle to when I get married (haha). The thing about this song is that I truly believe it has some deeper meaning than what it’s leading on. Sure, on the surface it’s about loving someone and them being your light and blah blah blah. I truly think this song and their “nostalgic night” track from their last album have some sort of connection; it was a nostalgic night, a sad night, a night where memories ate you alive, and “White Night”, a night where the moon is in the sky, everything is good again, everything is what it’s supposed to be. I truly think of Victon and their journey within the last couple of months without Seungwoo; no matter how much success they got from that last comeback, they all wanted to celebrate it together and they all had rough times. So although I was first an X1 fan, I’m very much glad Seungwoo is back in Victon with his members.

https://youtu.be/qBtVeuprjR8

Final Thoughts about this Comeback:

Overall, this comeback was a very calm and mature one. Despite “Nightmare” and “Howling”, the songs were more so on the mellow, slow tuned side, which is completely okay! I feel like these boys are maturing in their branding, their styles, and in the way that they sing. Yes, Victon’s image in the past was very refreshing and upbeat and colorful, but we also have to remember they were rookies and that sound suited them the best back then. This more mature, slow-paced sound of Victon is something I like because their vocals are showcased more, and this album just proves that these guys are talented.

Writing this now, my favorite song off of the album is “Nightmare” just because it’s different than the other tracks and just a sound that Victon never did before. After that, it’s definitely “Howling”, then “White Night”, “All I Know” and lastly “Petal”.

I’m really happy to be singing Victon perform as 7 again, in all honesty. Sure, I didn’t know the group before PDX101 aired, but there’s a reason why so many of that audience is now Victon’s fans; their chemistry is just insane. Out of the other group members of different groups that participated in PDX101, Victon gained the most success. Because of the show, they were able to get their very first music show win in 3 years with “nostalgic night” and because of the show, their songs are now on music charts such as Melon and Genie. They are truly gaining their well-deserved success, and now they are experiencing it as 7 again.

This Alice is happy. Victon hwaiting! :3

Hey, guys – welcome back to TNTH!

Kelly Clarkson has been my favorite artist for the last 15 years. Many of us would’ve moved on to more modern favorites, and I do have other favorites, but Kelly Clarkson and her music have stayed close to my heart ever since, and every time she comes out with new music of any sorts, I am the first to be excited about it. I went to see her in concert two years ago when she was on her ‘Piece by Piece Tour’, and it was nothing short of magical. Two years have passed by and Kelly moved on from her RCA label and signed to Atlantic Records, which allowed her to have more control over her sound and this album shows it. If any of you are long-time Kelly listeners, you will remember her debut album, Thankful, had this soulful, R&B sound that was unique. As a 20-year-old woman, she sounded like she had years of experience in her voice. 15 years later, That same voice that we all heard then, is now back in her new album, Meaning Of Life.

Meaning Of Life was released yesterday (yes, yesterday!) and since then I’ve been playing the album on repeat to pick out my top 6 songs (excluding “Love So Soft”, you can read that in my music favorites post) from the album. I believe the entire album is great on its own; you have your powerful ballads like “I Don’t Think About You”, “Would You Call That Love”, and “Don’t Pretend”, your sassy songs like “Cruel” and “Heat”, and other songs that showcase her amazing vocals (and the backstory of being inspired of Michelle Obama’s speech), “Go High”; I could be here all day talking about it, so seven is a good number to give you all just a taste of what the album is sounding like:

1.) A Minute (Intro)

Kelly isn’t known for making introductory songs for her album, but I feel like whenever artists put an intro track on their albums, they are some of the dopest songs on the entire album. This intro track is a good example of one. In this minute intro (literally), Kelly Clarkson gives us a taste of how much soul is going to be featured on this track. The song pretty much talks about taking a minute to yourself, just to get your shit together and come back stronger. I feel like this song represents the transition that Kelly is making through her music, with her life, and just how fast-paced life has been this last year for her musically. Also, I feel like she’s just saying she just needs a minute to show you who she is, what she can do, and how well she can do it. I really like this as the beginning of the album; any time I have too much work on my shoulders, I’m just going to play this and be like “Sometimes I need a minute just for me, I need a minute just to breathe”. I do wish that this song was a full-length track as well, but Kelly did tease her Twitter followers with this tweet. We’ll see!

4.) Meaning of Life

The title track, “Meaning Of Life” is a good balance of Kelly’s new sound, and the sound she began to discover during her Piece by Piece era. This song was released a week the album was, and it was a damn good example of what the album was going to be like. The song is pretty much about someone showing you the meaning of life, and what it really means to live it. The backtrack has a similar instrument like her song, “Invisible”, but it plays more of a soulful role in this track. Kelly mentioned in an interview that this was the song that started the whole idea of the album, Meaning Of Life. In her words, she describes this album feeling like her very first one because of the feeling of rebirth she feels with this song. It’s definitely a song can be interpreted in any way, whether you’re in a happy place with yourself, you’re in love with someone in your life, or anything really that showed you the meaning of life. Definitely one of my songs off the entire album.

5.) Move You

This song was one of them on the album that was released early as a promotional single to the album, and at the time it came out, I wasn’t crazy about it. As the weeks passed by, and I began to listen to it, I began to appreciate the lyrics and the way she really sings it and means them. The song is pretty much a poem-like verse about all the things in the world that will emotionally “move” a person, and how she wants to move someone in the way that these things do. I can definitely relate because I feel like people on an inspiration, spiritual, or really on any level, move me every single day, and to do that for someone else, it’s breathtaking. The sound is very different from the other songs; at first glance, it feels like it doesn’t belong on the album (it sounds like a possible B-side of Piece by Piece) but I do like that she is still in touch with the sound that many people know her for, and many people have grown to love that about her.

6.) Whole Lotta Woman

I can tell that Kelly Clarkson had a lot of fun recording this song because the whole song is just a fun song to listen to. It’s definitely one of the sassiest in the album and it’s the one song that screams “HEY I’M A GROWN ASS WOMAN”. Kelly personally wrote most of this song; the lyrics talking about her Texan roots, and how she’s a whole lotta woman and she wants people know and she doesn’t care who doesn’t like her or the way she is. It’s definitely one the most different sounding songs on the album; Clarkson isn’t known for “talk-song” lyrics (I think the last time she did something similar to this, it was on Breakaway with her song, “Walk Away”). Other than that, it’s a great anthem to sing along to, dance to, and be a mutherfuckin’ woman.

7.) Medicine

The first time hearing the beginning of this song, it reminded me of Obie because it sounded like the oldies that he vibes to on a weekend night. It gives me that 1980’s/early 1990’s Janet Jackson feel, which is odd because I don’t think that was the intention of the song, but it’s very upbeat, and then the chorus breaks down to her singing “you ain’t my medicine” in the same way Rihanna sings “pour it up, pour it up” in “Pour it Up”. I also love the fact that she says “you don’t get me lit” in the chorus. Yes, Kelly. Sing. Your. Shit.

9.) Didn’t I

This has to be my favorite track on the entire album. This song has a modern feel to the R&B/Soul sound she has on the album; Kelly herself even called this “a modern take of En Vogue”, which I do not mind at all. The song is also one of the sassier songs on the album, talking about how someone who use to be in her life is now acting brand new and she’s like “wait a minute, I was there with you when you weren’t shit, and I gave you all of me, foh boy” and I honestly love the concept of the entire song. The chorus is very choir-like, with her and her backup singers killing the shit out of the song. Definitely, it has potential to be a single because it’s a fucking banger.

12.) Slow Dance

This song definitely grew on me in the hours that I was listening to the album. This song, in my opinion, is the sexiest song on the album. It’s very mature and very “baby-making” sounding, so if you’re looking for a song to make some babies to, here you go! In all seriousness though, this song is slow-paced, but the soul vibe it has makes you sway your body side to side when hearing it. Also, she sings possibly one of my favorite lyrics in the song: “how’d did you go from being a momma’s boy, to a ladies man?” I seriously sat in my seat, mouth wide-open, and was like “THAT WAS SMOOTH!” Towards the end of the song, she begins to hit these crazy high notes that realistically we didn’t get much of in her previous albums (here and there were songs that she sang her ass off, but she always stood in a comfortable range for her voice), but this entire album she is just BELT. TING. Such a sexy song, such a sexy favorite.

 

I do believe that this album is one of Kelly Clarkson’s best. Even though I am such a huge fan of hers, I can say that there were subpar albums she came out with over the years, but I’m glad that this album showcases such a different and grown vibe that I believe she needed. She has such a big voice, she needs a big sound to go along with it.

As a huge Kelly Clarkson fan: if she is happy with her music, I am happy as well – and it definitely shows on this new album.

Meaning Of Life is available on Apple Music, Amazon Unlimited, Spotify, Google Play, and anywhere you can stream music. It is also available to buy in stores as well!

-Liz (:

Hey, guys – welcome back to TNTH!

I am writing this just hours after Demi Lovato dropped her sixth-studio album, Tell Me You Love Me. Back then, when she first released her first single off of the album, I can say that nobody was in store for the gems that she was hiding for the actual album. Personally, for me, I was excited to hear what was coming when she released the album-titled track, “Tell Me You Love Me”. It was such a different atmosphere than “Sorry Not Sorry”, and it definitely showcased her voice under a genre that her voice was made for. Lyrically, it hit home for me. It’s simply “all of my friends they know that it’s true; I don’t know who I am without you, I got it bad, baby” and BAM! She has everyone who feels that way in their bags. Over the weeks leading up to the release, she teased a couple of her songs from the album, but I seriously wasn’t ready for it to be as Grammy-worthy that it is. Here are some of my favorites from the albums! (Warning: It’s pretty much the entire album.)

You can hear these tracks on Spotify, which is where I’ll be linking the tracks.

Continue reading “Demi Lovato’s “Tell Me You Love Me” Will Give You The Feels.” →