Though I’ve been keeping up with most of the K-Pop groups that I’ve been listening to so far, I’ve reached a point where I want to bring some new groups into the fold. I just don’t have any idea where to go next, so I find myself checking out a lot of rookie groups with not a lot of music under their belts. Yet. Of course that will change.
But before I get into one of those groups, it’s necessary to cover Stray Kids’ most recent mixtape, Do It. Their last full length album, Karma, only came out in August, so getting this so soon after feels kind of crazy. Though compared to their last mixtape, this one reads more like a mini album with only four original songs and one festival-style remix of the title track. Perosnally, I wanted to wait to listen to this until I got my physical copy of the album, which was blessedly only a couple of days after the release.
The title track, “Do It,” kicked off with a really cool intro. The pre-chorus also sounded really good here, but overall it gave off a pretty conry vibe to me. I especially felt that way the first time I played it. After a couple more listens it grew on me, but I definitely don’t find this lead single release to be as strong as some of their more recent ones. I was surprised with how Felix-forward this song was. I don’t feel like he’s had a chance to really be featured in quite some time. The same could be said for him on “Divine,” which is easily the best track on this mixtape. The intro on this one is downright creepy, but I love the old school hip-hop style it uses throughout. Aside from more Felix being featured here, this might be the first time I’ve ever been really, really impressed with Seungmin’s vocals – it was almost swoon-worthy! Changbin’s rap style here, too, sounded much different than normal. It was a lot softer and smooth.
The final two tracks off the mixtape were not my jam at all, though I can really appreciate the message they are very obviously trying to get across in “Holiday.” In fact, the lyric “let me take a break” was sang so many times that it’s got me wondering if we aren’t going to get something new from them for a bit. I know military services are looming for some of the members, so you never know. Despite the message, this song was CHEESY. Similarly tortorous was the final song, “Photobook.” Gosh I hate a slow song. But I did like that there were no rap parts here. All of these members can sing, and it’s nice, despite how rarely it happens, to hear them all showing off their vocals.
Now, onto one of the new groups that have caught my attention very recently. They are 1VERSE (pronounced “universe”) and they might be as rookie as they come. Yes, Cortis only has one 5-track EP under their belt, but these guys only have out a single album, The 1st Verse. Meaning two songs total. Crazy. It seems to me like they are from a tiny company and only debuted in July, but I hope more music is on the way from them quickly. I had only heard of these guys thanks to the social media algorithms announcing that they’d be in Columbus for a show the day after I got back from Korea. A few days before the trip ends, they announced it was to be cancelled do to so visa issues. Perhaps two of their members being formerly from North Korea played a part in that, but who’s to say? It does however sound like they will be back next year, so I’d like to be around when they are!
Though there are only two tracks, I have to say that they are both very good! Their first song, “Multiverse,” gives off a light and bubbly vibe, which, if done correctly, can really hit for me! And I’m happy to say that is the case here! While I can’t pinpoint what exactly, a lot of this song reminds me of summertime. The video is cute, too. If I had to pick a weak point in this song, it would be the rap part. It just felt a little out of place here, but it really wasn’t anything for me to discredit how good this was. Their other song, “Shattered” is so freaking cool. Right from the start it had me paying attention, and I really liked the slight futuristic feel the song had. The visuals in this video were strong, too, and I was impressed with the amount of English in the “Korean” version of the song. If they keep going like this, I would say they have a longterm fan in their midst.