[MV & Album Review] LOONA yyxy � 'beauty&thebeat'

AKP STAFF

LOONA XYXY � BEAUTY&THEBEAT

Track List:

1. dal segno
2. love4eva (Feat. Grimes)
3. frozen
4. one way
5. rendezvous 18.6y

LOONA's third sub-unit yyxy has just dropped their debut EP "beauty&thebeat." Following in the footsteps of 1/3 and Odd Eye Circle, this unit features their newest members: Yves, Chuu, Go Won, and Olivia Hye. Apparently "yyxy" stands for "youth youth by young," and their concept is youth and self-realization. A detailed explanation of each track and the sub-unit's concept can be found here.

"Dal segno" is an intro track, and it lives up to its name, as the word indicates repeating a piece of music. It's actually pretty cool, and it's a pity it's this short. I'd love to hear it as a fully developed song. "Love4eva" falls very firmly in the "cute" camp. It's different than "Girl Front" or even "Love Cherry Motion." It's not bad, but I'm not sure it really should have been the promotional track, although Go Won's adlibs really add something to the song. And the tune also features Canadian artist Grimes. Where, you might ask? At the very beginning. Her part is a speaking one, and ends with "okay, let's go!"

By contrast, "Frozen" is an awesome jam, with beautiful vocals, a sense of suspense during the main verses, and the payoff is a powerful chorus. It's also really catchy to boot. "One way" I'm on the fence about. It's so beautifully sung, but it degrades in the end. These girls know how to express themselves, and they really shine here. And then we come to "rendezvous 18.6y," which sounds a little like "love4eva," only better. It's got a lush, soft chorus which blends in with the song, and the whole track just shimmers with this saccharine tune.

To be honest, I've been waiting for a LOONA comeback, maybe one where they're all together. But, until then, we need to be content with yyxy. Is it worth it? I think so. I have some new songs that are on my playlist, and they're pretty good tunes overall. I've also been waiting to hear more of Olivia Hye's vocals, and we got to hear some more of what she can do. And frankly, this is a solid EP.

MV REVIEW

At its heart, this is a cute MV which trades off the youthfulness aspect, as the girls are in school, at the mercy of a humorless headmistress. They do things together, whispering and giggling, while at times Olivia spies on them. The eating theme is again brought up, this time it's not a fruit, though, it's a flower. Namely, a rose. It's light, fluffy, and really not that much here that I haven't seen in other MVs. But it *is* cute.

Not really liking the yellow plaid. I realize you need some kind of uniform for school, but the color on those was execrable.

The dancing was really well done. I don't know who the choreographer was, but they deserve some serious accolades. It fit the tone of the song well, and easily stands as one of the better performances -- it was cheery, ebullient, and they seemed to move quite well. The girls were very animated and didn't seem at all limited by attire.

Okay, I take it back about the yellow... for some reason, it looks good here.

It even has a "surprise" ending, though I won't spoil it for you. Does it meet my standards of approval? Well, it is less dynamic than other MVs I've seen of late, but it's not bad.

Score

MV Relevance...........9
MV Production..........8
MV Concept..............8
MV SCORE: 8.3

Album Production.....9
Album Concept.........8
Tracklisting...............8
ALBUM SCORE: 8.3