[Album & MV Review] Laboum - 'Fresh Adventure'

AKP STAFF

LABOUM - FRESH ADVENTURE

Track List:
1. Intro
2. Imagine More (Journey to Atlantis)
3. 3 Strike Out
4. Caterpillar

Having just finished promoting their chart-topping single "Aalow Aalow" in February, the girls of Laboum are back again quickly with their new EP "Fresh Adventure"! This is their 4th single album, so they apparently don't want us to forget them. :)

"Intro" is exactly that, the untitled intro track. It starts off with synth beeps, accelerating into some grand-sounding synth slams before winding down with the same notes. It's nothing that amazing, like most intro tracks, but it's fairly pleasant, if unremarkable. �

"Imagine More (Journey to Atlantis)" is where we get into the meat of the EP - with this title track. I like the tempo and the time changes between the verses is a nice touch. It's an exciting, body-moving track, cute and sweet and danceable all at once, with some good hooks. The lyrics are evocative, too:

"Glowing cobalt blue sea
A small island that's lighted by the moon
How about the beautiful cities
that have beautiful night views?"

The song, naturally, is about getting away and seeing something besides your own four walls.

The awkwardly-titled "3 Strike Out" is next, starting out with a piping synth with some piano influences. It's got some nice starts and stops in the chorus that give this song some punch. There's a great chord progression with the pre-chorus, and some nice synth washes during the chorus. Yulhee's first rap here was less than stellar, though I like the vocal snap at the end. She does way better during the bridge. A good song overall, though. "3 Strike Out" is essentially telling the guy that he's a bad boy, he's got three strikes against him so he's gone.

"Caterpillar" is the finisher for the album, being a sweetly sung ballad. It's sung to acoustic guitar, and while they threw some production at it, it seems absent of most of the excesses of traditional balladry -- until the end, where they're practically yelling to be heard. The girls' vocals are very clear through most of it, and there's some nice imagery here as they liken their emotional journey from alone to loved to a caterpillar's metamorphosis into a butterfly.

This EP is actually a fun one, and I didn't detect any filler here. The ballad at the end was natural sounding and a good fit to the album, a nice testament to the tempo of the rest of it. When Laboum's on, they're really on, and this disc is highly enjoyable. This is a nice, sweet way to bring in the springtime.

MV REVIEW

The girls of Laboum go on a mock-camping trip in "Fresh Adventure."
�
It's a drab day at home, with chores to do and no motivation to do much more than mope. So the girls decide to inject some excitement into their lives by going on a mock camping trip. Deciding on a destination by looking in a magazine, they erect tents and pretend. We see what goes in their imaginations through the magic of the MV, showing them set up with trailer and van, and concluding with a fun romp through the woods with sparklers. Of course, at the end, we learn it was all a dream, and they all decide to get some shut-eye.

The dancing scenes were nicely done. Transitioning seamlessly from one location to another, we were treated to some fine dance moves. Nothing too flashy, but it still looked pretty impressive. The girls dance well together.

The costumes were very appropriate, like what you'd be wearing around the house, or out camping somewhere. They were cute outfits, the usual sexy, threadbare apparel was nowhere to be found. The only issue I had was with the tee "Declaration of Idiot." Sometimes, I don't think these pop stars know what they're wearing.�

This was fun to watch. The camping scene was fairly convincing (except for the lack of a firepit -- but try explaining that to the landlord). The video was paid for by fans, crowdfunded on Makestar, getting 3 times the amount needed to shoot the thing, meaning that Laboum definitely has a devoted following. And it's not hard to see why. It was money well-spent. This video looked like it was entertaining to make, and it was certainly entertaining to watch.

Score

MV Relevance..........9
MV Production.........9
MV Concept.............9
Album Production...8
Album Concept.......9
Tracklisting..............9