A lot of artists were doing full-scale promotions in June, particularly boy groups who came back with something to prove! So we've collected some of the top, attention-grabbing boy groups that promoted in June to see which one did the best job. (Keep in mind that some of the groups' releases happened in late May - such as Fly to the Sky on May 19 - but their promotional cycles have been heavy in the month of June more so than May.)
It was difficult, especially as these artists came back more mature and charismatic than ever, but the writers below gave each one a score from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) in four different categories: music, MV, performance, and originality. They also revealed their reasoning behind it. Check out the results below and give us your own scoring and thoughts for: B2ST ("Good Luck"), Boyfriend ("Obsession"), INFINITE ("Last Romeo"), U-KISS ("Don't Flirt"), VIXX ("Eternity"), ZE:A ("Breathe"), GOT7 ("A"), and Fly to the Sky ("You You You").
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Music
Eric: VIXX's "Eternity" and B2ST's "Good Luck" were definitely my faves (5). GOT7, INFINITE, and U-KISS came in close with a 4 for their songs. ZE:A and Boyfriend were, to me, utterly average music-wise (3). Ballads don't move me much at all, so Fly to the Sky came in last. You can start throwing the rotten fruit at me now.
Eunice: I was pleasantly surprised with some of the boy band comebacks this month and I now look forward to upgrading my summer playlist. INFINITE (4) and ZE:A (4) have me swooning with their dramatic, pretty tunes; B2ST (5) was the best and, along with Boyfriend (4), had me nodding along to their dope tracks. As for the other releases this month, I can't seem to really remember any of their melodies.... Oops.
Joy: My favorite song of the May and June comebacks was B2ST's "Good Luck"--the violin intro plus Yoseob's solo to start off the song were only the beginning of their beautiful track. Similarly, Fly to the Sky and INFINITE did not disappoint. I'm a sucker for ballads, so it's no surprise that I'm a Fly to the Sky fan girl. U-KISS came back with a sexier image in their new track (which kind of sounded like it was an OST for a drama) while VIXX and Boyfriend came back with good quintessential k-pop songs, as well. GOT7 and ZE:A, unfortunately, did not fare as well as expected but came back with solid tracks, still.
Group | Eric's Score | Eunice's Score | Joy-K's Score | Total Score |
ZE:A | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
B2ST | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 |
INFINITE | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
Boyfriend | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
Fly To The Sky | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
GOT7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
U-KISS | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
VIXX | 5 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
MV
Eric: I think I liked INFINITE'S "Last Romeo" the best (5). The MV has a gothic feel to it: ruined buildings and dark interiors, even a pseudo-outdoors part where you can see buildings leaning. GOT7 was interesting because it was different with a barista crush (4) and ties score-wise with Fly to the Sky's "You You You" -- I thought the flashback scenes were nicely done.
Eunice: I gave GOT7 a full score because I was just so thoroughly entertained by their music video. These boys are cute and playful--but definitely not over-the-top super-aegyo. These well-dressed dorks got me smiling as they pursued their lucky lady love. I was also really invested in Fly to the Sky's dramatic music video. It would have also gotten a perfect score from me if not for the K-Drama-esque car accident ending. Like, really guys? Not one, but TWO CAR ACCIDENTS?
Joy: B2ST, INFINITE, and VIXX top this list per usual. These groups not only house dancing machines, but these music videos are consistently visually amazing, as well--they all share a dim, dark lighting. Boyfriend, GOT7, and ZE:A all rank in next with their fun but not incredibly original music videos--a B1A4-esque GOT7 video gives them a good score. I was a bit disappointed with the music video for Fly to the Sky (I guess they are more known for their vocals, which is understandable) and as much as I love U-KISS, their video made me a little uncomfortable...
Group | Eric's Score | Eunice's Score | Joy-K's Score | Total Score |
ZE:A | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
B2ST | 3 | 4 | 5 | 12 |
INFINITE | 5 | 3 | 5 | 13 |
Boyfriend | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
Fly To The Sky | 4 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
GOT7 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 13 |
U-KISS | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
VIXX | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
Performance
Eric: INFINITE took this category for me with the Comeback Stage for "Last Romeo." I was blown away by the gothic candelabras and the blasting flames in the background. To top it off, the boys gave a rousing dance performance (5). The "Eternity" stage was visually arresting, and the song showed off VIXX's chops well, each of them giving an impassioned performance as the vocals rise to a crescendo in the chorus (4).
Eunice: GOT7 (4), ZE:A (4), B2ST (4), and Boyfriend (4) were actually the most fun to watch in terms of performance for me. While GOT7 brought the cute from their music video to the stage, ZE:A had their own fun running-and-breathing dance that got me playing their lives on repeat. B2ST's song is so awesome that it makes their performance for them--although I end up laughing every time I see Hyunseung (Bro, that bandana-do has got to go). As for Boyfriend, I liked how precise their dance moves were according to the beat. Fly to the Sky also gets 4 points from me in this category for their awesome vocals alone. My emotions, MY EMOTIONS.
Joy: All of these idols are on point when it comes to live performances. B2ST, GOT7, INFINITE, and VIXX got my stamp of approval with their stage presence, dance skills, and outfits. Fly to the Sky, too, also ranked on top for their beautiful vocals. Boyfriend, U-KISS, and ZE:A also ranked well with their performances--even though they lacked the extra umph to give them full points, their strong vocals (and good looking faces) gave them a high score, as well.
Group | Eric's Score | Eunice's Score | Joy-K's Score | Total Score |
ZE:A | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
B2ST | 3 | 4 | 5 | 12 |
INFINITE | 5 | 3 | 5 | 13 |
Boyfriend | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
Fly To The Sky | 3 | 4 | 5 | 12 |
GOT7 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 12 |
U-KISS | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
VIXX | 4 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
Originality
Eric: VIXX's Comeback Stage for "Eternity" echoed some of the same visuals as the MV (gears and clockface), as well as forks of lightning and even rain that wasn't present in the video with a light show to boot. They get a solid 5. While quite a few of the performances (and some of the videos) were same old-same old (3), some were high energy and flawless, like B2ST's "Good Luck" (4). ZE:A, sadly, has to be the worst of the lot. Their video for "Breathe" included nods to B2ST's "Soom" in the very beginning, putting a gas mask over a girl to revive her and a "Breathe In, Breathe Out" refrain. Giving them a 3 would be generous. ?
Eunice: In the pop world, there's almost no such thing as "originality". Boy bands especially seem to recycle the same moves and looks over and over again (Suits. Suits everywhere. Not that I can complain too much about that). I must say that the most boring and unoriginal comeback of this month though has to be VIXX (2) with their typical "I'm delulu" MV storyline and typical plaid/striped suits (hello Beetlejuice). While their choreography offers something new to the table with the sudden pop-ups, I cringe at their body waves. How did they make a traditionally sexy move so weird? I suppose that's an impressive feat, if anything.
Joy: This category is easily the most difficult to rank high on considering all the music videos and songs that have been made around the world; it's hard to come up with new concepts! That being said, all the comebacks ranked the same on originality... not the most creative, but artistically well created.
Group | Eric's Score | Eunice's Score | Joy-K's Score | Total Score |
ZE:A | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
B2ST | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
INFINITE | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
Boyfriend | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
Fly To The Sky | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
GOT7 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
U-KISS | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
VIXX | 5 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
Totals
Group | Eric's Total Score | Eunice's Total Score | Joy-K's Total Score | Final Score |
ZE:A | 10 | 16 | 14 | 40 |
B2ST | 15 | 17 | 19 | 51 |
INFINITE | 17 | 13 | 19 | 49 |
Boyfriend | 12 | 15 | 15 | 42 |
Fly To The Sky | 12 | 16 | 16 | 44 |
GOT7 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 45 |
U-KISS | 13 | 13 | 14 | 40 |
VIXX | 17 | 10 | 17 | 44 |
Winner: B2ST
You can vote for your own favorite in our poll below!
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