[Song & MV Review] Gugudan � 'Act.3 Chococo Factory'

AKP STAFF

GUGUDAN � ACT.3 CHOCOCO FACTORY

Track List:

1. Chococo
2. Lucky
3. Snowball
4. Chococo (Inst.)

After concept albums like 'Narcissus' and 'The Little Mermaid,' they're back again with their first ever single: 'Act.3 Chococo Factory.' The concept should be obvious: a candy factory. The teasers for this look interesting, so let's find out what it sounds like.�

"Chococo" for some reason reminds me of TWICE, probably in how the song is structured. There are some vocal moments that tell�me these gals really have some talent. I particularly like the bold chorus and the beautiful bridges. "Lucky" is a pop song with some frenetic overtones. I like some of the playfulness here, but I also like the rising suspense in the main verses. And the chorus in this one is a pleasant payoff. You knew it had to happen; winter is coming. And with it, Christmas ballads. "Snowball" is one such song. This one really impressed me because they seriously kill the harmonies. Their voices are just angelic here.

Each comeback they seem to be getting better. Each release seems to be more filled out and more melodic than the one before it. With this one, it's like they've perfected their sound. There's a bit of the generic cute girl group, but there are also some unique aspects, particularly outside of the title track. And as I said, "Snowball" blew me away when I didn't expect it to. Give 'Chococo Factory' a chance, and it might melt your heart like chocolate. �

MV REVIEW

Now, the setup for the video is obvious -- it's a chocolate factory. However, they didn't stop there. It's almost like they built the set and said, "we have money left over." So there's CGI galore -- some which make�sense, and other things that don't. It's like there's something in that chocolate...

Heads pop open and faux Skittles come flying out, as the girls appear in faux candy ads, or even as part of the packaging, or disembodied heads floating over the sea, and even in an outer space scene. The foil Hershey's Kiss heads were particularly odd. There are all sorts of things to feast your eyes on, and I haven't even scratched the surface.

The dancing was what you would expect from a cute concept girl group -- tons of aegyo. It's was alright, and more animated than I've seen in some videos, but there wasn't anything to lift it out of the cute but forgettable category.

The unfortunate thing is that I started to get TWICE vibes when I watched. It just seemed like it was similar to something, but I'm not sure what it was. The outfits, the setup. It's a shame�because it sort of detracts from the originality.

Yes, boys and girls, this is what happens when you eat too much candy.

But there were still adorable moments, and funny ones as well. There is a ton of candy here, and I probably gained a few pounds just watching. But still, this gets my rubber stamp of approval.