Track list:
The album 'Love Sign' features 6 fun, lovely tracks, with one being an instrumental to "Shooting Love," and has a great sound all throughout.
The album opens up with their "Shooting Star Intro" which is really psychedelic and mystical. I like that it easily transitions into their promotional track "Shooting Love" and has a real adrenaline rush type of sound. Still, it is a normal intro with no vocals or anything extra added to it.
However, "Shooting Love" is where all the fun begins. A bit quirky in the beginning, the chorus has that enjoyable bubble gum pop tune. The real addiction sinks in with the lines "Oh, Banga, Banga, Banga, Boy!" A little homage to Big Bang's "Bang Bang Bang" but it works without feeling much like a copycat.
The instrumental for "Shooting Love" has a lot of energy and seems to soar through our mind like an arrow in flight. The whistles, popping sounds, electric guitar and slight hip-hop influenced beat feels like a secret track you'd find on an extreme level of Dance Dance Revolution.
When it comes to the lyrics and dance, I'm not highly impressed. Similar to other K-Pop songs, the song describes someone with, "An arrow of Love," that is, "Filled with pink colors, aimed at your iron wall." The dance is clever for using the recent phenomenon of using two fingers to make a heart sign as their arrow but I didn't find anything else sensational about it. It kinda emulates Seventeen's silly nature with their dancing, which is amusing to see for a girl group as it keeps the style lively for the summer.
Visually, the MV is bright, pastel influenced and charming with various filtered effects. Their emotions are fun, their aegyo is overflowing and the enthusiastic style makes you feel energized. Although, I feel their style for "What About You" was the most crowd-pleasing, the are still hunting down what really makes them LABOUM. However you look at it, this dance track becomes quite addictive after the second listen and is worthy of a playlist download.
LABOUM continues the fun with "Ding Dong," a kind of devious sounding song with a consistent guitar strum and drum filled instrumental. The vocals are a bit sassy in sound and it gives off a meddlesome vibe. The lyrics are a bit more humorous with lines like "The heart goes rush rush, Lips go hush hush," and "This isn't fun, no no time is up." The lyrics sync well with the pace of the song's fleeting sounds.
However, things start to calm down a bit as they lure you in with the delightfully charming "Oops." Out of all the songs, this seems to be the most winning side track (which is probably the reason why they promoted it as well). The opening is a bit misleading as it has a rough, R&B feeling but quickly eases into a softer sound.
The lyrics are angelic with words like, "The sweet you, I want baby" and, "Only sweetly, come closer, baby." The songs chorus is not the only addicting part but also the bridge paired with the moment of gentle vocals make the song heart warming and catchy. For some, the song will definitely be more award winning than "Shooting Love," hands down.
Soon after the sweet demeanor of "Oops" comes "Like U, Love U," featuring the handsome vocals of YUN of LUNAFLY. The song is a bit funky with its repetitious 'Boom, Boom, Diggity, Boom Boom.' "Like U, Love U" carries over that strong electric guitar vibe found in "Shooting Love" that makes it just as thrilling. Although, for a song featuring another artist, it isn't out of the ordinary. Sadly, this song seems to be a bit more tamed compared to the rest.
In the end, LABOUM came back stronger than before. With some releases going seemingly downhill after "What About You" the girls have truly redeemed themselves with this upbeat, summer track. The style is refreshing, songs are uplifting and the concept is a step in the right direction in regards to this groups identity. Keep at it, LABOUM!
Score
MV Relevance.........8
MV Production........7
MV Concept.............8
Album Production...8
Album Concept........8
Track listing..............7
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