The second sub-unit of Girl Group LOONA, "Odd Eye Circle", have released their first EP today titled Mix and Match. The group consists of LOOONA members Jinsoul, Choerry, and Kim Lip. The girls style is the opposite of LOONA and other sub-unit LOONA 1/3 who have an innocent girl style, OEC has a girl crush, R&B style that comes off so well.
The first track on the album is "ODD" which is only 45 seconds of pure ecstasy but is cut off before the title track "Girl Front". "ODD" gives off a space vibe with an 80's flavor of Pop and R&B. The little singing we get fits so well here but it ends so quickly. The beat is only a taste of what will be "Girl Front" but that track is way more dance-able compared to "ODD" which comes off as a smooth joint with light vocals. If the song were longer, it would have been my favorite on the album.
"Girl Front" is a great song. Its a bop of a Pop song that doesn't fade into any trend. The girls really are standing out as their own group and not falling into what makes a group popular. The lyrics aren't special but the beat and the singing makes up for it. This is the definition of a jam that shows what OEC can do. "LOONATIC" sound like something Pharrell Williams could have produced for them. Now its not entirely on that level but its great. All of the percussion and use of synths are placed perfectly around the vocals. Its almost as if the beat was woven around the girls singing to make perfect synergy. The only thing I don't like about the singing is that at times the beat is louder than the vocals but the chemistry is still there. I love the little trap breakdown toward the middle.
"Chaotic" takes a turn for the album. We get a little bit more mature for the last two tracks but nothing out of the girl's age range. The vibe of the music changes into a serious direction. "Chaotic" has so much going on in it from drum slaps to synths to all kinds of reverb. I feel like here, this song could be given to Hyolyn and it would be huge. This song feels like something an older artist would do and that's why I love it. The beat is lovely enough alone to warrant no vocals but the vocals themselves are perfect. The album ends on "Starlight" which I was not prepared for. The mature trend continues here with amazing synths that latch onto your ears not letting go for a second. These two songs next to each other cause emotions and imagination to collide, sending you through a space filled with cherries, color bombs and love. Now imagine all of that as not just a visual but a feeling. Its euphoria.
I was surprised by this album. I was expecting some good songs but I was greeted with one of my favorite Korean Pop/R&B albums of the year. If LOONA continues to put more flavor and soul into their music, they will be a force in the industry. Overall the album is splendid though not perfect. It stands at only 14 minutes. Those few minutes were good but if the album were longer, I could give this a 5/5 but as of right now its a 3.5/5. If "ODD" were longer, this would be a 4/5.
The first track on the album is "ODD" which is only 45 seconds of pure ecstasy but is cut off before the title track "Girl Front". "ODD" gives off a space vibe with an 80's flavor of Pop and R&B. The little singing we get fits so well here but it ends so quickly. The beat is only a taste of what will be "Girl Front" but that track is way more dance-able compared to "ODD" which comes off as a smooth joint with light vocals. If the song were longer, it would have been my favorite on the album.
"Girl Front" is a great song. Its a bop of a Pop song that doesn't fade into any trend. The girls really are standing out as their own group and not falling into what makes a group popular. The lyrics aren't special but the beat and the singing makes up for it. This is the definition of a jam that shows what OEC can do. "LOONATIC" sound like something Pharrell Williams could have produced for them. Now its not entirely on that level but its great. All of the percussion and use of synths are placed perfectly around the vocals. Its almost as if the beat was woven around the girls singing to make perfect synergy. The only thing I don't like about the singing is that at times the beat is louder than the vocals but the chemistry is still there. I love the little trap breakdown toward the middle.
"Chaotic" takes a turn for the album. We get a little bit more mature for the last two tracks but nothing out of the girl's age range. The vibe of the music changes into a serious direction. "Chaotic" has so much going on in it from drum slaps to synths to all kinds of reverb. I feel like here, this song could be given to Hyolyn and it would be huge. This song feels like something an older artist would do and that's why I love it. The beat is lovely enough alone to warrant no vocals but the vocals themselves are perfect. The album ends on "Starlight" which I was not prepared for. The mature trend continues here with amazing synths that latch onto your ears not letting go for a second. These two songs next to each other cause emotions and imagination to collide, sending you through a space filled with cherries, color bombs and love. Now imagine all of that as not just a visual but a feeling. Its euphoria.
I was surprised by this album. I was expecting some good songs but I was greeted with one of my favorite Korean Pop/R&B albums of the year. If LOONA continues to put more flavor and soul into their music, they will be a force in the industry. Overall the album is splendid though not perfect. It stands at only 14 minutes. Those few minutes were good but if the album were longer, I could give this a 5/5 but as of right now its a 3.5/5. If "ODD" were longer, this would be a 4/5.
Garser Dismuke is a writer for Blerdsonline.com as well as Garserspoetry.com
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