MAMAMOO - 'PINK FUNKY'

Tracklisting:

1. Freakin Shoes
2. Um Oh Ah Yeh
3. Sting
4. No no no
5. Self Camera
6. AHH OOP!

Not to be forgotten over the summer, the often retro-inspired�MAMAMOO has dropped their new album, 'Pink Funky.' Whatever the verdict, MAMAMOO has never disappointed before and seemed to have gone the fun-loving-make-you-laugh route, which is just fine by me.

The first track is "Freakin' Shoes," which has more to it than the title might suggest. It's not just about foot apparel, thankfully, and also has a backstory. Apparently it's about magic "love shoes" and how they got married because of them. With sassy horns, repetitive hooks, and raps, it reminds me a lot of an EXID tune. A lot. While similar, it's certainly not a clone, and the girls inject some uniqueness to make this their own.



The title track, "Um Oh Ah Yeh" is a truly awesome track, and I think the best I've heard from the group so far, not just this album. The synth blasts, the sick rapping, the funky beat-laden melody -- there's nothing to dislike here. There's a part in here that seems tailor-made for the video with the line: "Unnie, who is this woman?" "She's a woman?" OH MY GOD!


Great song!

"Sting" is a ballad, which the title might otherwise indicate. Far from being about Bilbo's magic sword, this is about the sting of lost love. It's pretty enough, but coming as it does right after the extremely danceable title track, I would argue that it's somewhat out of place. The effect is jarring. I think it might have been better placed after "Self Camera," preparing us for a slower tune.

"No no no" sounds a ton more like what we've come to expect from MAMAMOO. It's solid faux-motown retro with the girls belting out their lines for all their worth, not to mention a rap to remind you it's a modern-day banger. From the insistent backing vocals and the in-your-face singing, this is a solid, slick track. This bratty tune is one of the reasons I like this group -- it sounds like it would be a lot of fun to be told off by them.



Slowing it down and giving us more smooth funk, "Self Camera" is a sweetly sung ode to love, embodied by the various capabilities of a camera. Less about the tech and more about taking a picture of someone and holding it close to your heart.� A very laid-back, soothing tune.

The last song in the album is "AHH OOP!" the single from their last album. Just in case you didn't get it the first time round, now you have it again.



Now this is a summer release! Plenty of tunes to crank up on a sunny day and at the perfect tempo. Lots of lovably bratty tunes, bold and brassy, and catchy and danceable as all heck. This album sizzles like an egg on hot concrete.

MV REVIEW

The MV is my kind of MV. Bright colors, hilarious scenes, and gender-bending played for laughs. Hey, if it's good enough for AOA (think "Short Hair"), it's good enough for MAMAMOO. But -- even better -- it's MAMAMOO doing the bending.

- Moon Byul plays a flower boy businessman
- Whee In gives us a pudgy, food-obsessed guy
- Wha Sa is the troublemaker
- And Solar is the definitely female service industry professional, playing a maid, nurse, and a flight attendant.



The scary thing is that Wha Sa and Whee In make eerily authentic guys while Moon Byul is not at all masculine, but maybe that's the point.

The action starts in a hotel, where Moon Byul is spotted by a smitten Solar. We move to an airplane, where Wha Sa is trying to maul Solar the flight attendant. Solar mixes a mickey into his drink, which Hwa Sa sets down next to Moon Byul, who drinks the concoction and passes out. In the hospital, Moon Byul is being revived by Solar (now a nurse trying to make lip-time with him), and Whee In gets the defibrillator paddles and knocks him out. It culminates in a hotel/bedroom scene where Solar is trying to again make time with him and finds out (shock of shocks) Moon Byul is a she. Whee In eats throughout, of course.

It's all hilarious, and interspersed with dancing sequences in case the comedy isn't your thing.

I'm probably not doing this any justice, but my verdict is an emphatic "Oh yes!"