If you've been waiting for a definitive rookie debut this year, look no further than the mini-album 'Let Me Explode', recently released by Stardom Entertainment's edgy new girl group EvoL. Seriously. I'm blown away, and you'll see why below.



Should I attempt to list an opening song that could get me instantly excited for the remainder of an album, I can't think of many that would rank higher than this mini-album's eponymous track "Let Me Explode". This song is basically a modern in-your-face, urban electro-hip hop song that primarily features the group rapping as well as repetitive sampling of short verbal spurts by the group's individuals. While there is generally a stigma against the use of this type of overly-chopped-up sampling in most music, the producers executed this in such a manner that granted the song a deeper level of musical interest, rather than being just being a cheesy filler that usually comes off as annoying. This compositional technique gives the piece a good amount of odd-meter rhythms rather than following a strict 4/4 beat pattern; this odd-meter is especially evident in the refrain. While it would be understandable that this track may not be ideal in a club situation, as the odd-meter rhythmics make it somewhat hard to dance to compared to similarly produced songs, "Let Me Explode" is just so well produced that it's impossible to mind these odd subtleties. Additionally, the rapping is absolutely fantastic, the progression of the song is far from static, and this track ultimately established—in just one song, mind you—that this group could be on an artistic level that could easily crush any of the machine-generated facades that we are used to.



The second track, "I'm Sorry", is a moderately slow R&B piece that gets a flair of tango dance music thanks to the fingerpicking guitar background and orchestral string background. Compared to the first song, which clearly demonstrates the quality rapping ability of the group, "I'm Sorry" allows the members to demonstrate their vocal ability by sensually fluttering over the melancholy tango. Even Jucy and J-DA demonstrate their rapping flexibility by matching the mood and textural soundscape of the song to a key. The varying musical interest leads "I'm Sorry" to be a rather enjoyable song to listen to, should you be in the right mood to appreciate it. However, it could be easily understood if one bypasses it as boring as it seems somewhat dragged out at points compared to "Let Me Explode". Regardless, it's as close to replicating a contemporary steamy summer night in Spanish Harlem as I've ever heard in K-Pop.



When I first heard the video teaser that included the sample of "Magnet", I was simply blown away. The short clip provided us with an aggressive anthem fused with powerfully heavy rapping and an assertive refrain that demonstrated the powerful, yet well-trained, vocals of the group. All this seemed to match up perfectly with the urban terror-based fashion, heat-footed choreography, and destruction-laced music video clips that were disjunctingly flashed in front of my eyes. While the song didn't disappoint, I was shocked to see the music video be the backdrop of another song from the mini-album—though more on that below. However, with the new release of the practice choreography for this song, I don't think that we'll be disappointed when this song's music video does release. Nonetheless, simply put, "Magnet" is likely the best overall K-pop song I have heard this year.

This song has two things that many songs nowadays don't: rapping that isn't simply a filler and an instrumental break that isn't awkward and unnecessary. First, the rapping flawlessly fits with the hard electro-rock background, which is especially successful in matching J-DA's vocal inflection with the descending scalular distorted synth pattern following the refrain of the song—it's little details like this that show the care the producers took with the overall song package. Furthermore, the spitting of rhyme performed by the rapper is both lyrically and rhythmically interesting. These features ultimately make it impossible to separate the rap from the rest of the song.

Second, the instrumental break gives the song a refreshing musical base that leads the song to an exciting, dramatic finish. The soundscape of the song at the break becomes a minimalist dubstep, with a concentration of a constant low fuzz bass. Elements are slowly layered upon each other, and leads to the charging rendition of the refrain. This element of musical directionism ultimately make this break necessary, and the layering of elements previously found in the song lead it to not feel awkwardly out of place, which is guilty of many groups who throw in a half-assed dubstep break for the effect of simply trying to be musically relevant with other popular genres.

Speaking of the refrain, this is simply the most ear-pleasing one I have come across in quite some time. It's layered well—especially in the final repeated section at the end of the song, which features a loose Southern gospel style chorus wailing that add an overabundance of dramatics. The vocals are spectacular and clearly demonstrate their talents in a way that proves them to be among the most vocally capable singers that K-pop could churn out. I could honestly gush about this song for quite some time, and I'll say it again: "Magnet" is simply one of the best produced K-pop songs in recent times. Those who happen to miss it are simply missing out. Onwards.



The next song, "We're a Little Different", is the first promotional single and the song that accompanied the music video that I originally thought would be for "Magnet". Personally I find this pairing a bit strange: the song is clearly about sensual dancing on a nondescript dance floor. The music video, on the other hand, clearly depicts the group destroying everything in sight and showing fantasized action scenes, roles traditionally associated with men. While their sexualized choreography, sexualized destruction, and constant sexual exposure of their body, such as bare midriffs and tight clothing, could possibly point to some dance reference, it's a relatively farfetched correlation. While the decision ultimately detracts from the package, both are well-produced enough to alleviate some annoyance.

"We're a Little Different" is a typical moderately fast pop dance track as the main subject revolves around getting onto and dancing on the nondescript dance floor described prior. It isn't the most original song in the world, but its meticulous production makes it a worthwhile listen. The producers add enough layers and textural shifts to prevent the song from becoming overly static, and the layers of the song numerous and interesting enough to give the piece a full sound that's lacking from many dance-based songs. While the lyrics are rather simplistic and unoriginal, especially during the syllabic holdings during the refrain, the immense vocal talent of the group continues to shine through. Especially impressive is the moments that SAY sings, who's the vocal role equivalent of Sunye in the Wonder Girls. Overall, the song is another strong addition to "Blow Me". While I don't think it was the strongest choice from the album for their selling single because dance tracks are a dime a dozen, it certainly dominates over much of the simplistic, recycled fillers that are found in most releases.



"1.2.3.4.5" rounds off the mini-album by supplying it with the ballad that was until now missing. This song definitely falls under the category of a power ballad, which could thus lead one to argue that it's not a true ballad. Regardless, it's hard to argue that this piece strongly replicates the music of Beyonce in so many ways—and this, surprisingly, is actually a good thing. The resemblance is especially evident during the refrain, when the members almost ubiquitously belt out their lyrics with the same soulful quiver vibrato that is instantly identifiable in Beyonce's voice. This comparison is even stronger when we take into consideration that the background music is surprisingly similar to Beyonce's hit single "Halo", which is particularly noticeable from the heavy drumbeat that gives some substance to the otherwise soft instrumental. I actually thought my iTunes went on shuffle momentarily and did switch to Beyonce when I first heard the song. While being credited with closely copying the musical style of another artist is generally looked down upon, Beyonce would be among the most ideal comparisons for a female pop singer or group. This is even more so of a compliment for a group in K-pop, for they rarely seem to possess this type of ability to make something so identifiable—there are exceptions, of course, most notable being Ailee.

While I think this group has clearly demonstrated they have an immense amount of musical talent and potential to make a big splash in the K-pop market, I do possess an overwhelming amount of doubts about just how well they will ultimately be received. I say this mostly due to their image and the stage they are in their career: they are a rookie group portraying a strong sense of anti-feminine aegyo attitude that drives the success of many female K-pop groups in their early stages. The hard fact is that groups that portray this imagery in such early stages of their release ultimately fail to grasp the attention of the major populace, leaving them to essentially fail. And no, you cannot make this argument for 2NE1, who EvoL is somehow often compared to by netizens, as 2NE1's current "fierce" concept developed later in their career. While I would like to think that talent would be enough to overcome this mishandling in concept, history has shown us constantly that image in K-pop is far more important than what is pumped into our ears. So it will definitely be interesting to see how this group develops and survives amid the wave of other competing groups.

Regardless, 'Let Me Explode' is far and away the strongest rookie debut I've come across period, and is even better produced than numerous veteran groups. While the group and the components of the album may not win the plethora of awards they should deserve, they unquestionably won my ears. While I'm sure this isn't something they would be proud to put on their trophy shelf, in my own mind I'd like to think it's something that would be worth to run and tell.

Rating Overview

Pros: "Magnet" is one of the best K-pop songs released in recent memory, rapping fits in well with music, off-rhythm sampling in "Let Me Explode", strong vocal talent, very well produced album, like Beyonce.

Cons: Music video for "We're a Little Different" doesn't make sense, "1.2.3.4.5" sounds a bit too much like "Halo", image concept may potentially hurt their success.