[This review reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of allkpop.]

Track List:

1. MAGO

2. Love Spell

3. Three Of Cups

4. GRWM

5. Secret Diary

6. Better Me

7. Night Drive

8. Apple

9. Crossroads

10. Labyrinth

11. Wheel of the year

GFRIEND is back with 回: Walpurgis Night, the third studio album the group has released the final installment of the "回" series. This girl group has been thriving as of late and has made major waves with their latest comebacks, so I was excited to give this one a listen. GFRIEND's title song of choice this time was the funky and reminiscent, synth-laden song, "MAGO." GFRIEND continues to demonstrate their power as a group and ever-evolving sound and range and "MAGO" is an absolute pleasure to listen to.

"Love Spell" is more rock focused than I expected. It follows the groove "MAGO" set well and has an easy to listen to sort of vibe. "Three Of Cups" also is disco-inspired as the 70s disco inferno influence on the song is apparent with its ultra-dynamic instrumental. The members give an airy vocal performance that works well.

At this point of the album, I start to feel the songs blurring together a bit, but not in a bad way. The songs sound similar but in a palatable way. "GRWM" is not my favorite song on this album, as it doesn't grab my attention as well as the songs that precede it.

Luckily, we are saved by "Secret Diary" just when the album was starting to feel like it was flattening out. Smooth with an r&b influence and downtempo speed, the clarity of the group's vocal styling comes across really well on this song, particularly in the harmonies when the chorus comes around. The next song, "Better Me," took the crown as my favorite song with its strong bridge into the chorus as the focal point. The well-timed and intentional placement of vocals gave the instrumental's 808s a really impactful sound, and the song is a must-listen on this album.

"Night Drive" is a reimagined ballad of sorts. The interesting arrangement gives the song a little more depth than the average 'ballad on a K-Pop album.' I loved the balance between the haunting melody and the rhythmic catchiness. "Apple," "Crossroads," and "Labyrinth" - all previous GFRIEND releases, are all also included on this album.

"Wheel of the year" caps the album off with a song that has great progression and feels inspiring and uplifting to listen to. If there is something GFRIEND is phenomenal at, it's conveying different emotions through their voices and delivery.

MV REVIEW

"MAGO" MV took my Twitter TL by storm. The video is pure disco inferno and I loved the powerful and sassy energy. The MV is visually so appealing between all the sparkles and disco balls. "MAGO" is obviously 70s influenced with glitter, satin, and bootcut jeans as styling. The balance of adding cute co-ords and modern fashion is also a nice touch to bring everything up to 2020. Choreography is also to die for with... pole dancing? Go Yuju!

SCORE:

MV Relevance…..9

MV Production…..9

MV Concept……..8

MV Score: 8.67

Album Production…...9

Album Concept……...8

Tracklisting…………...8

Album Score: 8.3

Overall: 8.5