F-ve Dolls is the first to venture out after Core Contents Media's Grand Band Member Shuffle of 2013. After their past singles failed to make a splash on the scene and a Co-Ed School reunion seemed unlikely, the future of the subunit was unclear, though CCM's insistence on keeping Hyoyoung (sister of former T-ara member Hwayoung) on the roster left fans hoping that maybe one day the group would actually return to the scene.

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Well, the girls are finally back after a name adjustment from 5Dolls to F-ve Dolls, presumeably to accomodate the member changes that have happened since their last release in 2011. While original members Hyoyoung, Hyewon, and Eunkyo are still here, Soomi and Chanmi left, Shannon and Jihyun were added and then taken out, trainees Nayeon and Seunhghee were added to the group, and Yeonkyung of THE SEEYA was added as the sixth and final member, with the intention that she will promote as a member of both THE SEEYA and F-ve Dolls. Why the dual membership? Who knows? This is CCM, where things are made up on the fly and the points don't matter.

With T-ara busy in Japan for the time being, somebody needed to hold their place as K-Pop disco queens, and F-ve Dolls has graciously volunteered as tribute, giving us exactly the kind of "Roly Poly" revisit we've come to know, expect, and love from T-ara. "Soulmate #1" does have its own unique flavor, coming from Duble Sidekick instead of Shinsadong Tiger, the brain behind the genre-defining "Roly Poly" and "Lovey Dovey". 

If T-ara were active in Korea right now, "Soulmate #1" might be a bit redundant- much like how Gangkiz's songs seemed like overkill when released while T-ara was active- but as it stands it's really about time we got a new CCM disco track and F-ve Dolls totally delivers. The video is weird and awkward, but the song itself is solid, the vocals sound great, and the live performances are fantastic. Beyond that, the low parts in the end of the chorus are a nice addition and help the song stand out from its predecessors. There is an oddly placed high-harmony in the chorus that sticks out a bit strangely, but otherwise the production is clean and the song feels like an addition to the K-Pop disco genre instead of a total rehash of what we've already heard.

It's a bit early to tell if CCM's baggage will hurt the group or if they'll be able to step out of T-ara's shadow and shine on their own. Hyoyoung managed to earn some pretty good press for herself after a successful run on the drama 'School 2013', and if anything the T-ara drama has made her something of a household name. Hopefully it's enough to get this fun song the attention that it deserves.