SONAMOO - 'DEJA VU'
Tracklist:
TS Entertainment's new girl group SONAMOO is already making waves. They've released their new mini-album and MV for 'Deja Vu.' Pre-debut, there was already controversy dogging the band, much of it not having anything to do with them, per se. With that in mind, let's take their EP for a spin.
The album launches with "Into Me," a ballad intro song with some spoken word parts. It's pretty, although some of the English had me snickering: "Let me make sure just one thing, are you ready for the off with me, huh?" Minjae and High.D's breathy vocals really make the song pop for me. Very ethereal and soothing.
Next up is the title track, "Deja Vu." I like the song. It works well with a pounding beat, a synth whistle layered with pumps and a pseudo-desert groove. I like the time-changes and the layering of different elements. Nahyun and Minjae's voices are softer and well-suited for the melody. A rapid-fire pre-chorus is carried by Euijin and Sumin while D.ana and New Sun handle the rap breaks skillfully. It's a bold move that doesn't always work, sometimes resulting in a patchwork mess of a tune, unlike here.
"Love Call" is the third tune on the album, and there are hints of a horn section along with smooth synths. It doesn't really stray into retro territory, however -- it has a definite modern feel. High.D's incredible vocal range is really showcased here. From the sweet "call me now" during the breaks to the belted "every day" parts of the chorus, she kills it. Again, there's that layering effect, sweet and fierce existing side by side. Love it! Although I thought D.ana's rapping on this track was a bit sing-song compared to New Sun's.
The fourth song, "Nation's Little Sister," is more straight-ahead, radio-friendly pop. If you were able to figure out what the previous three songs were about, this one might be a little harder from just the title. The line "I want attention, whether it rains or snows" pretty much says it all. It's a good, catchy song, and the "ooh whoa ooh whoa" in the chorus is the hook.
"Let's Go" is a funky tune sung over piano riffs. There's some horns that almost give this track a retro, SECRET-like feel to it. It's a feel-good "spread your wings and fly" type song (that's one of the lyrics, in fact). New Sun and D.ana's raps fit the tune extremely well.
The final track is "The Giving Tree," a well-crafted ballad that has a chugging beat behind it. It doesn't really need it, though. It starts out with some emotional rapping from D.ana and New Sun, and each of the other vocalists lend their voices to make a beautiful song. During the final choruses, it sounds like all of SONAMOO joins in to sing, which makes this song even better. The lyrics talk of everlasting love. They're at their most poetic here: "It was like a nightmare and my heart was burned black / I don't want a love like a chase that makes me run out of breath." And that's from D.ana's rap.
This is a nicely-done debut. I didn't detect any filler on here, and I really found myself enjoying every song. The girls have shown they have some serious talent here. I like how Euijin, Sumin, Nahyun, High.D, and Minjae soften the songs with honeyed voices while D.ana and New Sun add a fierce punch to the whole thing. Here's to a bright future for these girls! They deserve much love.
MV REVIEW
The MV has them dancing around a dim warehouse in dark outfits. The scene occasionally changes to brightly lit with white outfits. What's funny is that it really sometimes seems like a boy band video; they're basically dancing in a box with lights shining on them. I didn't enjoy it any less, but it made me laugh.
There's only the tiniest hint there's something going on beyond the dancing. Nahyun and the others start messing with some machines (with some caressing of antique furniture in between) and eventually what looks like ghosts are released. There's some sweet special effects there, but I'm not sure what the point of it was. Ghostbusters Korea, anybody?
The girls appear to have embraced a hip-hop concept, and I like it. It's darkly sexy. And it's not over-the-top, either. The outfits are attractive and appropriate without seeming like lingerie. They also don't really overdo it, either. Those are outfits I've actually seen people walking around in. Yeah, there are chains and baggy pants, but I've seen that done to the point of parody (I like B2ST, but they looked ridiculous like that).
Some of the environments looked rather wet, too. That had to be really uncomfortable. It served the dark tone well, though. At times, it reminded me of B2ST's "Shock." Machines, kinda wet, dimly lit, etc.
Is it an amazing MV? No, but it works well enough. It's fun, and if you're a fan of the song I'm sure that helps. :)
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