Song Review: Kep1er Make A Comeback With "Shooting Star" And BADVILLAIN debut with "BADVILLAIN"

Kep1er (케플러) - Shooting Star 

Review 

Kep1er are back with a full album and probably their last comeback as a nine-member group before Mashiro and Yeseo depart. The remaining seven members recently renewed their contracts to continue as a group. "Thanks to the precious time we've had for the past 2 years and 5 months and the immense love and support from our fans, we wanted to continue under the name Kep1er," leader Yujin said at their showcase. 

"Shooting Star" is a bright and dazzling upbeat synth-pop song with a dynamic progression and delicate emotional lines. What the track lacks in originality it makes up for in vigor and enthusiasm. The track commences with a glistening synth melody, leading into an irresistible, ethereal chorus that highlights the remarkable vocal abilities of the group. The music video features a futuristic space concept to match the celestial song title and effectively combines the imagery of sparkling stars and meteors with the radiant visuals of each member, resulting in a powerful and impactful viewing experience. Quick cuts show the nine members dancing and posing against galactic backdrops and encountering their celestial alter-egos.

Member Kim Da-yeon participated in writing the rap lyrics, sharing her own story. "I recorded the rap during our Japanese schedule, sending it to the company and receiving feedback until the lyrics were finalized. It was exciting to incorporate my own story, and Hikaru did a great job delivering my part," said Da-yeon. 

With its uplifting sound and heartfelt lyrics, "Shooting Star" sends Kep1er soaring to new heights. The group obviously kept their best for last, because "Shooting Star" is definitely their best title track till now. It is very simple and straightforward, yet catchy and enjoyable. There is nothing divisive like most of their previous title tracks. The song conveys a message of fearlessness and togetherness - a fitting sentiment as the group enters a new chapter in their career. Kep1er's first full album "Kep1going On" celebrates their journey so far and bright future ahead. 

Release Info & Mini Bio

Kep1er is a nine-member project girl group under WAKEONE and Swing Entertainment. The group was formed through Mnet's reality survival show Girls Planet 999, and made its debut on January 3, 2022 with their first mini album, "First Impact". Today on June 3, 2024 Kep1er made a comeback with their first Korean full-length album "Kep1going On" and the song "Shooting Star" as the album's title track The album will contain ten tracks and the physical release will come out in five versions: two photobook CD versions (Scene and Nous version), one Limited Edition photobook CD version (Voyage version), and two PLVE digital-code versions (A and B versions). This album is the follow-up to the group's first Japanese full-length album "Kep1going" that was released on May 8, 2024 with "Straight Line" serving as the album's title track and their fifth Korean mini album "Magic Hour" that was released on September 25, 2023 with "Galileo" as the album's title track.

Track List 

1. "Last Carnival" 
2. "Shooting Star"
3. "Curious"
4. "Flowers, Flutter, Your Heart" 
5. "Double Up!"
6. "Push Button" 
7. "Problem" 
8. "Dear Diary" 
9. "Grand Prix (Korean ver.)"
10. "Straight Line (Korean ver.)" 

BADVILLAIN - BADVILLAIN 

Review

That is an amazing debut! And a pleasant surprise I may add, because I was expecting a rap-heavy, minimalistic song and instead we got an epic, symphonic masterpiece with only the usual hip-hop segments in the middle. At this point we can safely say that musically BADVILLAIN is a blend of Babymonster with Young Posse and small doses of Everglow. Their concept is rather different, with it being more heroic, revolutionist and ambitious rather than bad-ass, girl-crush or teen-gangsta. 

Musically "BADVILLAIN" mixes a classical, orchestral string and piano backdrop on top of modern, slow hip-hop, with the girls mainly vocalizing and chanting the choruses. An epic, majestic feeling permeates the track from start to finish bringing to mind early ATEEZ. The song starts slowly with only a basic version of the main theme and then increases the complexity over time by including more and more classical organs and upping the tempo until the bombastic chorus. The build up is absolutely marvelous but I feel the impact is lessened by the minimalistic lyrics on the chorus. If instead of La La La's they actually sung something the song could have been more powerful and meaningful. The same can be said for the chanty parts in the end, because after the 2-minute mark all the girls sing is La La La's which feels rather lazy songwriting. 

The music video is also very impressive although inconsistent in theme and tone. Amazing backdrops and set-pieces alternate one another, but without a coherent meaning behind them. Are they supposed to be criminals, terrorists, revolutionaries, angels or demons? They should have chosen a more clear concept and stuck with it. The choreography too, the little that is shown, seems very limited. For a group that emphasized on their dance skills in all their pre-debut videos, the choreography feels unimaginative and underwhelming.

Final verdict, this is an amazing debut with an equally amazing debut song, but the group needs to establish their own identity because it seems like a mash-up of 3-4 different popular groups. And most importantly they need more lyrics!

Release Info & Mini Bio

BADVILLAIN (배드빌런) is an seven-member girl-group under BPM Entertainment consisting of members: Emma (Korean), Chloe Young (Korean-Canadian), HU'E (Korean), INA (Korean-Australian), YunSeo (Korean), Vin (Korean) and Kelly (Korean) the maknae of the group. BADVILLAIN made their debut on June 3rd, 2024 with the single album “OVERSTEP“ and the self-titled song as the album's title track. The single album will contain three tracks and the physical release will come out in two photobook CD versions (Over and Step version).

Track List 

1. "Badvillain" 
2. "Badtitude (야호)" 
3. "+82"