Yay! B1A4 is back! B1A4 is definitely in my top five favorite male K-pop groups and I don't know if I have ever been disappointed with their music since I really got into them rather than being a casual listener.
"Sweet Girl" definitely fits into the B1A4 comeback pattern of fun song/adult song/fun song. The way that this song does deviate a little from their usual serious song comebacks is that the video isn't as wacky as some of their other ones, but instead of being grey and dramatic like "Lonely" and "Baby I'm Sorry" it still has that carefree cute B1A4 feeling that so many people expect from them.
B1A4 has also been able to keep that cuteness and have evolved well from the over the top cute and crazy of "Beautiful Target" to a more understated version like in "Solo Day". I think that is one reason why I like them is that they have a concept that they have been able to maintain while remaining age appropriate to themselves and their fans. Two thumbs up B1A4.
Something that I am surprised that I am so okay with is CNU's hair. I loved CNU's long hair and firmly believed that the reason he was so cool was the power that his hair was able to harness and he would somehow lose some of that if his hair got whacked off. I noticed in "Solo Day" that we lost some length and I knew it was only a matter of time and then I saw the posters for "Chess" around Seoul and the hair was gone. I was sad, but it's not too short and he still looks might fine, so I guess it's okay.
As for the song, it is following the trend in K-pop of having that old school jazzy feel which it great. They even have standing mics which are a good prop for B1A4 since they aren't really a "dance" group in the sense their choreo is never mind blowing like VIXX, Infinite, or SHINee. They were totally rocking that dance break at the end with their group pointing and hip shaking though. Jinyoung was a little awkward, but that is expected.
From start to finish this song was just so smooth it made me want to brush of some sort of period outfit and grab the nearest (non alcoholic) drink and flirt with a cute boy. Gongchan got a larger singing part in this song, Sandeul's adlibing was beautiful (as usual), CNU's smooth vocals, Jinyoung's high voice, and Baro's low voice was all great. There are a lot of sounds in this group and they all come together really well which is another reason why I like them so much.
Now that I have successfully gushed about the title song what about the rest of the album?
The second song on the album is called You Are a Girl I Am a Boy which makes me think that I am going to learn about sex ed rather than listen to a K-pop song. This song also starts out with that same old music feel with a hint of the beach before the vocals come in with that fun rock vibe that B1A4 has sometimes. I really like this song it immediately put a smile on my face even though I find the repeated title to be a little cheesy.
10 Years Later has an interesting start of Baro yawning but after that oddity, the song itself is beautiful. It is a mid tempo song which is an iffy area for me, but this song has enough movement to keep me interested and there are a lot of beautiful harmonies all through out the song. Hearing the song and seeing the title I assumed it was maybe a cute song for the Banas, but no, this song is super sad. It's about a person 10 years in the future who still feels as good as he did 10 years ago, but no one cares and he is alone. I feel like I need to go hug someone now.
Wait is slower than the previous song which again lets the focus be on B1A4's vocals. I don't have a lot to say about this song, it's pretty and I would listen to it again, but it's just a pretty song for me.
And to take us home we have Love is Magic. I haven't mentioned this yet, but this whole album was created by Jinyoung, Baro, and CNU and I think that is awesome. So often you see artists singing other people's songs (and there is nothing wrong with that) but it's amazing to see someone who cannot only sing, but can create the music that they are singing as well.
Love is Magic is the most neo-soul out of all the songs on the album with it's crackly record and organ sound. This is a really smooth song and leaves the listener with a good feeling as the album ends.
Overall this is another great creation from B1A4. I liked the direction that this album went in and it also makes me excited for whatever weird thing they do for their next comeback, that is if they follow their patter. You go B1A4!
~ Alora
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