Battle of the Comebacks: Rookie Girl Groups in March

Girl groups have been all the rage for a couple of years now and it doesn't seem like the trend is stopping anytime soon. Companies big and small are pumping out some fresh new girl groups and fans are excited to see who will rise to become the next big thing.

A number of rookie girl groups have made comebacks and debuts during this past month, continuing in their battle to the top. It's anybody's guess who will eventually claim the crown in the end, but for now, let's talk about how these groups stack up against each other so far! allkpop writers alim17, mssylee, and Pakman are here to offer our opinions, rate each comeback, and open discussion.

Let's go!

Lovelyz - "Hi~"

Pakman: The MV concept makes me think of perfect little dolls in a dollhouse and the high-pitched, sweet vocals of the group definitely adds to that pretty, ethereal atmosphere. I definitely like it, and even though the innocent concept isn't anything new, I think Lovelyz makes it their own. 7/10 from me!

alim17: The MV is flat-out boring. �Don't get me wrong, they all look so pretty like dolls. �I love the imagery with all the soft lighting and pink and bubbles. But things did look blurry and... enough with the awkward shots of their legs, please. I'd like for more to be going on. �I really like the song, though! So cute, cheerful, and catchy. The choreography is also sweet and pleasing to watch. 7/10 from me, too.

mssylee: I love INFINITE and Nell, so I thought that if Woollim were to ever debut a girl group, they would trump all with spine-chilling vocals with amazing instrumentals. I was wrong. Lovelyz doesn't stand out much, at least not in terms of the music that they release, and this goes for "Hi~" as well. Yes, it's refreshing and they look like ulzzangs with that dewey filter, but the song doesn't do much for me nor do their vocals. From what I can hear, they focus too much on sounding like innocent little girls. 4/10.

Red Velvet - "Ice Cream Cake"

Pakman: When I first watched "Ice Cream Cake," I immediately dismissed it as a disjointed and noisy piece of random. I gave it another chance, and I found myself strangely entranced. I'm starting to appreciate Red Velvet's concept as something youthful, artsy, and high on sugar and blonde. Even the creepy "lalalalala"s grew on me. What sorcery is this! Whatever it is, I give it a 9/10.

alim17: The MV is another boring, generic one in K-Pop with not much going on. The only part that evoked anything from me was the weird, fluffy white coats they wore that lit up� and it was a negative reaction. The song is strangely catchy and addictive; I almost feel hypnotized by it because of the eerie music box instrumental. �I was actually quite pleased listening to it the first time, although I kept thinking, "SM and their weirdly disjointed tracks," (but it's like they made order out of chaos) and kept hearing, "It's so tasty, come and taste me" (I'm sorry). �7/10, though!

mssylee: I would say that Red Velvet songs are my guilty pleasure, including "Ice Cream Cake." The song is definitely not easy to listen to especially because of the rough transitions between genres, but that's exactly what I like about the song. Just like their debut track "Happiness," it keeps an overall light and cheerful atmosphere throughout. Although, I really don't think their "street" style choreography fits their image. 7/10.

SUS4 - "Shake It"

Pakman: The song by itself was already pretty bad, but what really turned me off about this debut was actually the MV alone. The scenes of men drooling over SUS4 dancing on their TV screens, even having some sort of sausage fest at the end, pining after the girls, were pretty gross. You do not need guys creeping after you to prove that you're sexy. To the person who thought of this MV concept, this was a bad idea. 2/10.

alim17: To be blunt, this was a cheaply made, unoriginal MV, song, and choreography that took pieces from other good K-Pop concepts and roughly patched them up together for a less-than-good result. �A lot of butt shaking, super awkward shots of their butts, and thirsty men (literally, one is chugging water from a glass like he can't get enough). �Their voices aren't easy on the ears because of the nature of the song. �The production quality is low. The song is a mess. I'm less than impressed. 3/10.

mssylee: SUS4 did capture the image of generic idol girl groups and not much more. Although their song was catchy, relying heavily on repetition and high-pitched sounds to get you hooked, I didn't see much creativity or a 'refreshing' quality about it that made SUS4, SUS4. Of course they have room to grow since they just debuted, but for me, I didn't see anything new or interesting about the group in general. 3/10.

CLC - "PEPE"

Pakman: In the midst of all the innocent and sexy concepts saturating the K-Pop market, I like seeing a group that's just about keeping things fun. I enjoyed the funky sound of the song and the cute ponytail-pop move. The girls also looked cute hanging all over these colorful rooms. A quirky song and MV combo that I'd probably have fun jamming to from time to time. 8/10!

alim17: This MV likewise takes parts from different K-Pop concepts done by A Pink and sister group 4minute, but pulls off the mix in a more tasteful way than SUS4. �They still seem a bit confused about their concept, though. �The song is not bad (has a pretty good hook) and choreography is decent (except the blatant lean-over-and-pat-the-butt-of-member-in-front-of-you rip-off from EXID's "Up & Down"), but the MV has no point (sigh, what else is new). �They're a decent group with unique-looking members, which is always a plus (actually, anyone else seeing a YoonA-Seolhyun mix?). �Overall, they're not bringing much to the table, but they seem to have potential! �7/10.

mssylee: I'm having a, "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman," moment listening to the song. The overall concept doesn't make much sense since the song has a super mature sound yet the girls themselves look like high school cheerleaders just running around. Judging from their vocals, I definitely have high hopes for the group. I especially hope that their label will make up their mind on what kind of image CLC will have for the future. 6/10.