VERIVERY – 'VERI-CHILL'

Track List:

1. Tag Tag Tag

2. Mystery Light

3. Thank You, NEXT?

Boy band VERIVERY has just released their newest single 'Veri-Chill.' (or, if you believe the album cover, 'Veri & Chill'). It's got two tracks on here (yes, it says three in the tracklist — I'll explain later).

"Tag Tag Tag" starts with a chanted "Tag you’re it, baby, tag you’re it" before launching into the song proper. It's a club-banger in every sense of the word, with a fairly forceful chorus and an upbeat tune. And frankly, a fair amount of rapping. It gave it that extra push so that I liked the song a whole lot better than I might have. It's a playful tune, comparing tagging people on social media to the child's game of tag. While the song's not amazing, it's super-catchy.

The R&B infused "Mystery Light" is next. They bring in different hooks for this one, with raps that come right after each line in the main verses. It's a way of jazzing this one up that is quite effective, overall. It doesn't divorce it from R&B, and that jangly backing track really gives it some oomph. Another fun one, different enough from "Tag Tag Tag" to keep things interesting. "Thank You, NEXT?" is apparently not really a tune, as it doesn't appear on digital download sites, or as a music video. It appears on the tracklist, for some reason.

The verdict? VERIVERY sticks to what they do well. And that is straightforward K-pop and R&B. It's a tried and true formula, and what can I say? It works. The singles are pretty solid overall, and leave you with a smile at the end. And sometimes, there's little else you can ask of something on your playlist.

MV REVIEW

The boys of VERIVERY enter a haunted house and get more than they bargained for in the MV for "Tag Tag Tag."

The MV starts innocently enough. The boys are in a haunted house playing tag. They hide away under tables and in cabinets, ready to play the game. One of the boys is blindfolded and is flanked by two other boys, apparently taunting the blind guy. But when he takes the mask off, no one is there.

That's about 2 and a half minutes in, and now things take a dark turn. We can hear a percussive noise and see a dark, shoe-less figure. Through the cellphone camera, you can see a box around his face, as well as a box to tag another figure next to him -- except there's nothing there but a pair of ghostly hands, clapping next to the figure. Someone is stalking the boys, too, but we don't know who. They look around corners and down hallways. Another look through a cellphone camera shows an animated Snapchat filter (without the benefit of a face) featuring pink ears and a tongue. After they finish a final dance sequence, they all leave, except for the shoe-less figure, who steps backward away from the group as they turn to look at him.

But what's interesting is the dancing sequences. They're filmed in bright daylight, in stark contrast to the somewhat dim haunted house setting. This is where they go back to what we usually see, fairly energetic choreo and a definitely lighter tone.

The MV is kind of dark, compared to their previous MVs. But I think that's no accident. Jellyfish is the company that houses VIXX, known for their unsettling concepts. Maybe the company decided to test out the waters with VERIVERY, especially now that the members of VIXX are going into the military? Dunno, but this MV was a lot more interesting than I thought, and I like how they handled the ghost (more "The Ring" than "Ghost Hunters").

Score

MV Relevance.......9

MV Production......9

MV Concept..........9

MV SCORE: 9.0

Songwriting..........8

Composition.........8

Impression............8

ALBUM SCORE: 8.0

OVERALL............8.5