[MV & Album Review] Lovelyz � 'Heal'

AKP STAFF

LOVELYZ � HEAL

Track List:

1. Heal
2. That Day *Title
3. Mi-myo Mi-myo
4. Temptation
5. Watercolor
6. SHINING?STAR

Veteran girl group Lovelyz is back once again with their new mini-album 'Heal.' The 4th mini-album has 6 songs on it, including the title track "That Day," written by frequent collaborator SWEETTUNES.�

The intro track "Heal" has a sort of jazz piano to it, along with the standard synth drums we've come to expect. The tempo is medium, except for the beats. It's a good intro to "That Day," which starts out similarly. It eventually explodes into loud synths, which we don't hear again till the chorus. The main verses are pretty calm, but the chorus is fun, upbeat, and exhilarating. If you were hoping to brighten up your spring, this is a good song for it. "Mi-myo Mi-myo" is almost a throwback to some of the juvenalia of their first release. It's catchy and unapologetically cute, and that's a lot of its charm.

"Temptation" is a pretty experimental track. I love the drippy synths here before the chorus, and those harmonies are just angelic. It's one of those pieces of perfect pop that you encounter once in awhile, and this one's staying on my playlist. "Watercolor" is the lone ballad on the disc, and while it hews to the traditional ballad structure, the vocal work on here is just gorgeous. This strips the cute right out of them and shows you what they can really do. It also leaves us with a fantastic song. "SHINING? STAR" is not a ballad like I first expected, but instead it's more of a banger, with guitars and a frantic melody. I like these kinds of tunes, and Lovelyz brings an undeniable aegyo charm to the whole affair.

In the past, Lovelyz has occasionally gravitated towards a generic sound, which almost makes you�forget some of their better tunes like "WoW!" and "Candy Jelly Love." This album is somewhat of a different beast, having no solos and mostly upbeat tunes. They also have a couple tunes that bring a different sound to this band. It's a perfect spring album�and needs no better recommendation than that.

MV REVIEW

And nothing is more springtime than a carnival, which is where the girls are at in this MV. Here, they do typical things that you might find at a carnival, like buying tickets, getting balloons and ice cream, and even cooling drinks. Amusingly enough, no carnival games are played, yet we see backgrounds that are pretty reminiscent of them. Of course, it wouldn't be a K-Pop vid without some magic --- but I won't spoil that part.

The dancing is okay, mostly pointing and prancing, though there are some nods to more advanced choreo, like some of the girls kneeling while the others dance. I admit to being spoiled -- after seeing some genuinely fantastic dance moves in other MVs, this one is a little lackluster in that area.

Still, this MV did manage to surprise me in some ways, and that helps this one out a lot. What they lack in the dancing department they definitely make up for in cute sequences, which makes all the difference in the world.

Score

MV Relevance...........8
MV Production..........8
MV Concept..............8
MV SCORE: 8.0

Album Production.....8
Album Concept.........8
Tracklisting...............8
ALBUM SCORE: 8.0