This month I’ve been chilling. I’ve been waiting for my favs to comeback and in the meantime checking out albums or songs I normally would not have checked out.

It’s been interesting.

The landscape of kpop has changed since I first got into it. I don’t think that’s bad, more interesting.

So my favourites of the month are… oh wait, disclaimer: these are my favourites and if yours don’t show up on the list that just means we have different tastes.

So yeah on with my favourites of the month!

Wendy – Like Water

I surprisingly loved this song. It’s surprising because it’s a ballad type song and I’m picky about ballads. So this song is the kind of ballad that I like. It’s warm and healing! Joy, Red Velvet member, even said this when she did the music video reaction with Wendy.

Speaking of, in the reaction video Wendy said she was singing live whilst shooting. Can you imagine? I’m surprised she didn’t get tired as they can shoot over a long period of time. It shows just how much Wendy loves singing. You can see that this whole comeback tbh.

In the mv it is printed, I just want to thank you for believing in me. I wondered the significance of that when I first watched the mv.

The lyrics talk about how she wants to heal them and to comfort them, to cover their wounds like water, like Katara. You know, how because she’s a water bender she can heal.

The mv is dreamy and very spring like, a soft beauty.

 

Kang Daniel – Antidote

Have you seen him on Jessi’s show? Watch the episode, it’s so funny. Surprisingly they bounce off on each other well.

So he came out with Paranoid so this is the second comeback of the year. This title track comes with the album Yellow. I liked this song so much I’m thinking of checking out the album.

I like how the song is mellow and you can feel what he’s singing. The guitar builds and is what I liked first. It adds to the atmosphere of the song.

The lyrics are talking about how he’s trying to escape the darkness that is trying to consume him. Thus he’s looking for the antidote.

The dance shows the journey of how he’s gradually become freer until he’s dancing under an open sky, completely free.

 

Chanyeol – Tomorrow

This is a not a comeback but a SM Station release. Exo has a tradition of releasing a song before military service and Chanyeol is carrying that on.

The song is too short, I think this with all his solo endeavours but yeah it felt too short.

It’s just his voice and an electric guitar and as you know, I love all kinds of guitars in music. They’re the best instrument (along with drums). Speaking of drums there is a beat going along with the electric guitar, not drums but a beat nonetheless.

I just loved listening and vibing to this song.

I look forward to when he comes back and is free from SM… ahem I mean yes, I look forward to him coming back and releasing more music.

 

Honourable Mentions

The 8 – Side by Side, this track is so cute. I liked it on first listen. It’s easy listening music. In the song he just wants to hold her hand but she’s like no so he’s wooing her old school Chris Brown style via dance! The music video really took me back.

Amber Liu’s Neon is a fun and light hearted song that I enjoyed. It’s about falling for someone and you can’t get enough of them (from my understanding of the lyrics). The song has an English and a Mandarin version.

I’m happy to see her spreading her wings now that she’s free from SM. She’s really establishing her sound as an artist.

Apink’s Thank You was so cute and sweet. It was lovely to listen to and to watch. It’s nice that they released a song for their fans on their tenth anniversary, tenth! Can you believe they’ve been around that long? I feel like people don’t make a big enough deal out of this. They’re one of the few girl groups to beat the curse and stay together for a long time, happily.

But when is their comeback *glares at their agency* we’re waiting.

With Wheein and Itzy I enjoyed their B sides more than the title tracks and I talk about that in the linked YT album reviews.

 

Hoshi – Spider

It is art!

He’s so talented, all of Seventeen are really.

He’s trapped, in the song, in her web of seduction hence the title. In the end he’s thoroughly tangled in her but he does not mind, he just pretends to hate it.

In the mv you can see that with the increase of string and the white paint on his face. The lyrics are kind of sensual and I would say the verses are too, melodically. I just got a sensual vibe which I wasn’t expecting. 

The dance is so intricate and detailed, the way it was filmed too. It really highlights the lyrics well.

Also it got me thinking of Black Maria… you know from One Piece… anyone?

 

Shinee – Atlantis

I love the bass line running through out the song and the guitar, it sounded very funky to me and I love funk.

It reminds of Why So Serious, one of my favourite Shinee songs. It’s the vibe I think and the visuals of the mv that took me back.

Rapper Minho went off in this song, I even wrote a note twice about it. Key goes off too vocally and I love to see it.

The lyrics are easy to understand even without knowing Korean. Their love goes deep, all the way to Atlantis and they’re diving beneath the waves for the love.

At first I was surprised by the quick second release but Taemin is going to the army and Shinee has been gone a while so it makes sense why they went hard. Also this was supposed to be their title track but they went with Don’t Call Me.

So interesting, both songs have vibes on the opposite end of the scale from each other.

 

Bibi – Bad Sad and Mad

If you’re thinking this song has BDSM undertones then you’re not tripping, it’s on purpose. The name is almost like a pun or word play on it and the music video definitely goes down that track.

I really like Bibi’s voice and I have yet to be disappointed with any of her releases.

However my one complaint with this song is that it’s too short. The music video is even shorter! I thought I’d done something wrong it ended so quickly.

This song came with an album that basically talks about her life and an abusive relationship. If I was to summarise she doesn’t take care of herself, she’s not her own priority and someone takes advantage of that. At first she likes it though, the attention or love but then it turns sour. But the mini album also talks about life and the struggles of it. So if you’re curious I recommend checking out the album too.

 

So that is it for April. I thought NCT Dream was coming back this month but no it’s May, my birthday month woohoo!! So I am definitely excited for that.

Also Exo teased a comeback but then Chanyeol and Baekhyun enlisted so like… when? Did I dream that? Was I hallucinating? Did we all hallucinate together?

We’ll find out soon… I hope.

What was your favourite from April  (doesn’t have to be on my list)?