#officialkmi

“Rooftop” by N.Flying

Man, am I behind. Anyway, I thought I’d do a review for a song by one of my favorite bands: N.Flying. The group themselves have been posting a lot of medleys and covers on their N.Flying Japan channel, including a Queen medley (my mom was threatening to abandon me on the side of the road for playing it while in the same room as her...I loved it). However, they’ve mostly been releasing a few songs here and there in Korean and I’m still waiting for some original Japanese songs by them.

Anyway, I digress. The band is amazing and here’s a review of their song “Rooftop.”

Overall Sound

N.Flying is great about releasing these songs that are easy to listen to and fun to hear. This song especially felt like a late summer night, my windows down (because my car AC is still broken), feeling the wind in my hair as I listen. It didn’t really feel like a winter song or a fall song, but it could work in Spring as well.  Even so, the song came out in January with “Winter Winter” and stayed on my playlist throughout.

MV

This video is well-edited and matches the sound of the song. It’s simple, nothing too fancy, and doesn’t include actresses (which I like, because it makes it feel more like the song is for the listener). I liked the switch from day to night as the song progressed and I loved how they made sure to focus on the non-vocal members as well. You had scenes of them just being dorks, which really adds this feeling of just hanging out with them on the rooftop, watching the sky.

Compared to videos for songs like “Hot Potato” and “The Real,” which were fun, silly videos that I could easily laugh while watching, this video matched the aesthetic of “HOW R U TODAY?” and “Like a Flower.” It was aesthetic and felt more mature than their earlier videos. Whether this is representative of the members themselves maturing, that’s something else. I like the silly side of N.Flying’s older videos, but I also enjoy them being a bit more serious at times, too. I think “Rooftop” is a good example of a nice balance.

Lyrics meaning

You’ve all likely seen me say I don’t like romantic songs. However, the song itself is beautiful and sounds really nice on the ears. The lyrics aren’t an over-hyped image of sexual things or focusing on fighting or frustration. It’s this idea of being with someone very important to you, watching the sky. The lyrics themselves make me think of that classic scene of two people under the sky, one saying how beautiful the stars look while the other quietly goes, “yeah, you are.” That’s the image I get with these lyrics.

And honestly? I love it.

I’d listen to this song if I was...

I mainly listen to this song in the car. I prefer it on the ride home because it’s not too loud for that calming drive. It’s not so tame that I’d fall asleep during it, so it’s good after a long day of work when I’m utterly worn out. The lyrics are comforting, making me feel like, despite customers berating me and supervisors making fun of me, I can feel like someone, at least, treasures me and I’m not alone. It’s not a depressed alone song, but rather a shitty day alone song.

You might like this song if you like...

It’s not the easiest to compare “Rooftop” to other songs, but there are a few that do pop out. One is “Days Gone By” by Day6. Although “Days Gone By” has a bit of a retro feel to it, it’s a song that gives you the same soft feelings if you listen to it without reading the lyrics.

“Feeling” by Jeong Sewoon has a summery sound to it, too. It’s another sweet love song that gives you these happy feelings. The lyrics are cute, too, which adds to the greatness of it.

The final song I’d group this with is “Just a Sunny Day for You” by Yorushika. Although the song itself is more about drifting apart and growing up, it still has the beautiful sound. Of the songs I’ve listed, I could easily say they’re each different parts of a romance. “Feeling” is the beginning, when you’re too scared to confess. “Rooftop” is the start, perhaps still before. “Days Gone By” is nearing the end. Finally, “Just a Sunny Day” is once it’s over and you’re looking back.

UNDERRATED ARTIST: 24K

Okay, so when it comes to “24K,” I’ve heard of them, but I never got the chance to really delve into the group. They were a group I said I’d check out later, but they always slipped my mind. So, they’re naturally my first underrated group because even I’m guilty of not giving them the attention they deserve. And boy do they deserve it!

First thoughts

So, to get my first thoughts, I actually checked a KPop group website, which lists member info and details about them. This is usually what I do when getting into a group because I feel nervous over ages. I’m not exactly a minor anymore and I like listening to idols closer to my age. It doesn’t feel awkward having a bias in the group, that way. The first thing that popped out to me is their style. The photos released for “Bonnie & Clyde” are just really cool. They are all using the same color palette and style, which I don’t see as much for boy groups. The style will usually be the same, but matching colors aren’t usually something I associate with boy groups. The age range of the members is really good for my generation. I think it works well for high school age students, college age students, and even fans out of college (like me, though I’m only 21). The oldest is a 90 liner and the maknae is a 99 liner. It’s not often that you see a smaller group with a nine-year age range, but I think it works really well since it means it can attract a variety of fans.

One thing that I think is very important to note is that the members have social media. They have both instagram and twitter. I’m active on both, so I love being able to see posts by artists and see what they’re doing. To have a group where the members each have an instagram/twitter gives the opportunity for fans to see them interact while also showing if they interact with any other idols on social media as well. (ex: I’ve seen members of KARD interacting with each other and other artists). 

Initial Bias

When I first get into groups, I try to pick a member that sticks out to me the most. It makes me more likely to look into the group because I want to learn more about this member. By time I’m done learning about that member, I’ve also learned about the others and slowly come to learn that there is no such thing as having just one bias in a group.

The member who caught my interest the most is Jeunguk. Looking at his profile, he’s a 93 liner, so four years older than me. He also fits my typical type when it comes to biases: a rapper (there are exceptions to this...but not many). I think, if I’m being honest, his hair is what caught my eye. Reading about his love of dance really catches my attention, especially. To me, choreography is one of the things that I love of boy groups. Especially ones with the sound that 24K has. Just listening to “Bonnie & Clyde” tells me that they should have great choreography that I love (spoiler alert: they do).

Favorite Songs

Okay, so, I didn’t listen to every 24K song, but I kinda listened to a few pieces here and there to see which ones popped out and then listened to the full length of those. It was really hard to choose, though. The newest EP, especially, has such a wide range of music that it really shows their abilities. For me, my top three would be:

1) “Bonnie & Clyde” (Bonnie & Clyde) - this song is exactly my type. It kinda makes me think of some of the sounds I hear from groups like NCT, which are my primary pick for drive to work songs. Even though I usually hate strongly dislike songs about girls because, hey, I can’t really relate or make myself say, “Hey, this song is towards me,” the sound of this one is too good not to love! It’s something which really gets me pumped and, if I could dance, I’d definitely love it. I also recommend watching the MV because that is my ideal video. It’s colorful, has amazing editing, features the guys being guys in many parts, and really highlights their choreography. For a song like this, you need to highlight the choreography because choreography is what makes this kind of sound really work.

2) “Only You” (Addiction) - okay, so the song name sounded like it’d be a ballad. Which is fine, I love ballads, but they’re hard to pull off as music videos (and “Only You” does have a music video). Let me tell you, I was completely wrong. This music video may be one of my favorites of all time. The use of color, of props, the balance of matching outfits but also unique ones. This is an ideal video that makes my video editing heart swoon. However, the strength of the song isn’t just in the music video. The song itself is amazing! It’s so catchy and the chorus just hooks me so well. I’m honestly listening to this one on repeat as I type because it’s just that amazing. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I do and I’d like to know why I wasn’t told about this song sooner.

3) “BINGO” (The Real One) - Okay, so this choice shouldn’t surprise anyway who knows I’m a fan of Boys Republic and Stray Kids. It’s got that real dark feeling to it that makes you pumped to listen. It’s the kind of song I’m looking forward to buying on iTunes when I’m not broke again and I can hear my coworkers yelling at me for singing to myself at work as I fold (yes, I’m that coworker, but usually you can’t hear me). However, I should definitely note that, while the song is amazing and the video and acting in it are great, you shouldn’t watch the music video for “BINGO” if you have the following triggers: guns, violence, blood, death. It’s one of those videos where they decide to kill the group members (there’s another group that did that...but I can’t remember which one).

I promise I’m not just lazily choosing songs that having music videos. This group is one of the few that I can say has multiple MVs released in a row that I like. (So, multiple comebacks where I love the songs + the music videos + the sound). I think I know...three groups off the top of my head that have been this successful at making me fall for them. It’s amazing that I’ve never listened to 24K, though, because they’re exactly my type and I really owe it to the person who contacted me about them because my life has clearly been lacking up until now. They even did the suit jacket without a shirt underneath before everyone else did (in “Only You.”)

You’ll like them if you like...

I feel as though fans of groups like NCT will definitely love them because I can see similarities in the sound (in a good way) which will attract fans of either group to each other. Additionally, if you like Boys Republic or Stray Kids, you may love some of the older work they have. The intro of the Bonnie & Clyde EP may also attract the love of fans of groups like BTS who like the Outros on BTS’ CDs or other rap-heavy tracks. For me, I’m a huge fan of Korean rap so I especially love songs that are rap-heavy (and ballads. I’m versatile. Oops).

Final words

What I love about 24K is that they have a variety of sounds, meaning they can appeal to a variety of fans. It threw me off when listening to the Bonnie & Clyde EP since it’s only a handful of songs yes there’s a lot of variety there. Usually for an EP, I like the sounds to be more uniform. I felt as though I might’ve skipped a few songs on the Bonnie & Clyde EP because they did jump around a lot in my ears, but “To.For You” would’ve made it on my ballad playlist and I’d definitely listen to “Bonnie & Clyde” every day before work for a good month before I got tired (then it’d be one I wouldn’t skip if it came on shuffle, but I wouldn’t add it to my five I must listen to during the drive). If you know anything about my music habits, you’d know that’s a compliment. Even with BTS’ newest album, only three songs are regularly listened to by me. Four if I’m in the mood.

“Whenever” by SBFIVE.

You guys didn’t think I’d stick to just KPop, did you? I hope not. That’d be boring and defeat the purpose of expanding horizons.

For those who don’t watch 2Moons, you probably have no idea who the hell SBFIVE are. (For those who don’t know what 2Moons is, get into it before Season 2 comes out so you can suffer with me while waiting for the second season).

SBFIVE consists of five members: Tae, Tee, Copter, Kimmon, and Bas. I’m a huge fan of Kimmon and Tae, and I follow Kimmon’s instagram. Many fans are confused why 2Moons’ God isn’t part of the group, but he’s actually a separate company. So he can’t be in the group. Still, I think the song “Whenever” is just fine with only five.

My only pain with this song is that I can’t get it on iTunes. Curse you, American iTunes!!!

Overall Sound

The song itself is extremely relaxing to listen to. Almost every song I’ve reviewed has an upbeat sound that I can dance to. However, I do like relaxing songs like this. They’re good for a stressful day at work for me to unwind and relax. If I’m working on something, like editing together graphics, they help me to stay relaxed and not over stress as my computer stops responding for the tenth version (time to start a gofundme for a new work computer because I can’t afford it).

MV

The MV itself does an excellent job of highlighting the visuals of each member. There’s not really choreography due to the sound of the song. It doesn’t really have a story or any fancy effects, but there is an occasional glitch affect added with the music. It adds a nice touch that makes the video feel a little fancier than it actually is.

The video itself is rather simple, but the editing and camera angles work together to make it look a lot fancier, which is good for keeping viewers interested.

For most of the video, each one has a unique outfit which helps draw in attention a bit more to him. (Or, at least, for someone like me, who takes inspiration from idol fashion)

Lyrics Meaning

I had to rely on a YouTube lyric video for this. Very seldom will a Thai music video I listen to be subbed and very seldom will it be online anywhere with the lyrics translated. Part of it is because Thai music isn’t as established worldwide as KPop has gotten to be (think of the fact that numerous countries have KCon each year). Even the video I found was hard to follow, so I won’t link it and may instead make one myself later.

The lyrics themselves are extremely wholesome. It’s a song of support. It’s saying that, “Even when times are tough, you have me.” It’s words many people may want to hear. I especially love songs like this because, for many people, music is their escape during tough times. It’s their support and their biases are their allies.

I’d listen to this song if I was...

Typically, this is a song I’d listen to when working on something due to the chill sound that will keep me relaxed. However, it’s also something I’d listen to when I’m feeling down because of the lyrics. It’s a song of support and knowing that is something which comforts me and will make me feel safer even when I’m sad. It’s a comforting sound as is, since the music really matches the message for me.

You might like this song if you like...

Okay, so with this relaxed sound, you obviously know I’m gonna say something like “5tar” by A.C.E, which has a similar message of support for the listener.

Not a day will go by where I don’t recommend “Smile Flower” by SEVENTEEN for a song about support. As I’ve mentioned in the past, this song talks about thinking of the moments together rather than dwelling on separation. I think it’s similar to “Whenever” in that sense.

"Neverland” by Holland is a great song because of the relaxed sound which I just love. While the son is about Holland’s own struggles, the sound is still similar in the relaxed sense that “Whenever” has. If you like the sound of “Whenever,” you may also really love the sound of “Neverland.” (Also you should support Holland in general).

@princessa-insomnia : thank you for taking the time to reply to me. I hear a lot of fans have a love-hate relationship with it. I was impressed to see it has spin-off series and there are rumors of a third season. I just don’t want to sit through it unless I know they’ll do better with side ships + less cheating. It’s a shame because I actually really like the cast :(

A new friend I made on here because of this blog sent some music suggestions. I’m hoping to share them and I’d like to make a video with at least a few.

Additionally, I really want to introduce you a new artist I found out about. I really love the songs I’ve heard him sing so far, including his audition of The Voice of China. I’ll be linking a few of his songs maybe tomorrow.

Please look forward as I create a graphic for “Music Recommendations” that way you all can learn about the amazing music others recommend as well as music I like but don’t necessarily want to do a review of because it’s a bit older.