KARD – 'HOLA HOLA'

Track List:

1. Oh NaNa (Hidden. Youngji)
2. Don`t Recall
3. RUMOR
4. Hola Hola
5. I Can't Stop (ZAM cover)
6. Living Good (Special thanks to.)



In 2016 KARD impressed the international community with their pre-debut, and now they've formally debuted with their mini-album 'Hola Hola.' While half the album is their previous releases, you also get three brand new tracks, including a cover of ZAM's "Never Stop."

"Hola Hola" is a nice bit of tropical house, and a bit more upbeat than what they've done before. Lighter, less heady than "RUMOR" and "Don't Recall." It seems more cheerful overall, and that's not only refreshing but also entirely appropriate for a summer tune. Even the rapping, which is usually pretty edgy, has a little less bite to it and is more melodic. I like how they reference "Oh NaNa" too. :)

"I Can't Stop" is a cover of a song by ZAM (a DSP Media co-ed group from the early 90's consisting of 4 boys and 1 girl). While I've heard the original, I like this one a lot better. First off, it starts off a little more epic, a little slower, and they build tension effectively. Not only that but there are some crashing synth drops that really make this one pop. I realize that EDM was not really a thing in K-pop when the original was out, but I stand by what I said. 

In case you're curious, here's the original song by ZAM in 1993:

"Living Good" (Special thanks to.) is a song for the fans. Not only that, but it's pure hip-hop, which is something that KARD hasn't yet tackled. And they do it really well. BM and J.seph handle their parts really well, but I've always liked their flow and timbre. And it's nice to see Somin and Jiwoo taking a more active hand in the lyrics, although that may have been for their speaking parts. And I wanted more singing parts for the girls than just the chorus. Still, this is a fun song from start to finish.



I've always enjoyed KARD's singles, and now we have them all in one spot. Not to mention the new songs are some serious jams. I've been waiting for a proper album from these guys, and now we get one. I'm really liking the direction this band's taking, so I can't wait to see what they cook up next. And yeah, this is a fantastic EP.

MV REVIEW

This is a summer MV. They're outside for a lot of it -- no more boxes for this group...at least this time. During the day they're walking around in L.A. and enjoying the beach (and dancing there, and in the desert, and...). At night, it's Vegas time, and they bask in the glow of a zillion neon signs. What Vegas has to do with summer I'm not sure, but the sights provide a great complement to the bright cloudless sky during the daylight scenes. Not only that, but we see some almost behind-the-scenes style shots like playing video games, shooting hoops, etc.

The dancing is pretty well done. The choreography is about as tight as we've come to expect from a KARD video, so there are few surprises there. There are some signature moves that we've seen in their other MVs, and those are on full display here. One awesome move, though -- Jiwoo does the splits!



The scenes of camaraderie are sweet as well. It's nice when bandmates seem to get on well with each other, and that's what's going on here. They seem to be enjoying themselves the most when they're together, regardless of how they may feel off-camera. They give good face, and that's important.

This is a pretty good video. Not only are the visuals of the band on point, the non-living scenery isn't bad either. And I like how they got out in the open air. The colors here just pop, with bright blue skies and bright lights in the big city. I like this MV a lot.

Score

MV Relevance...........9
MV Production..........9
MV Concept..............9