Oh my god I don't even know where to begin with this song.
fromis_9 have just come back with their new song "Love Bomb" and it's a hell of a treat. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it, I highly recommend that you do so now.
"Love Bomb" represents a new chapter for fromis_9. They've just come off of a successful run with "DKDK", with Nagyung taking centre stage. Like, seriously, her beauty took everyone away it was glorious.
At the same time, Gyuri had entered Produce 48 as a Stone Music Entertainment trainee, a ballsy move since she was on a MNet survival show less than a year ago. She's promoting with fromis_9 so clearly she didn't win, but she brought in a lot of attention to the group.
Which leads us to "Love Bomb".
fromis_9's previous three singles have all very safely fallen into the cute category. "Glass Shoes" showed promise, "To Heart" was safe but melodious, while "DKDK" was cute and spunky.
"Love Bomb" doesn't follow the same cute pattern. "Love Bomb" is, pardon the pun, bombastic. It's loud and electronic and rhythmic. It's an interesting song in that the parts don't quite mesh with one another; it takes turns that you don't quite expect, making it a surprising and satisfying listen.
The real standout of this song is the chorus, which jumps from the erratic nature of the verses into a safer, melodious section. That's not to say that the chorus isn't without spunk; it's divided in half by syncopated iterations of "Love Bomb Love Bomb Love Bomb Bomb-ie What", which keeps the chorus from getting too out of character.
The bridge is also a nice change in pace. Having a slow down before the final chorus is nothing groundbreaking, but works especially well in this song. Since "Love Bomb" is so frantic, the bridge, accompanied by Jiwon and Hayoung's vocals, gives the listener a nice moment to relax before getting thrown back into it.
Similarly, there's an epilogue to this song in the form of a post chorus. Utilizing the vocal members, the song wraps up with a more legato line with the erratic back track. It's a nice way to end the song, and keeps the listener on their toes from beginning to end.
In terms of vocals, I wouldn't say this is their strongest song. That's mostly due to the syncopated rhythms, which doesn't really make for super impressive vocal lines. The vocals were good though. Hayoung, especially, was a joy to listen to. She has a very melancholic tone to her voice, so it adds a lot of emotion and depth to what is otherwise a very chipper song.
"Love Bomb" goes against everything that people had come to expect from fromis_9. As previously mentioned, their previous releases were on the more stereotypically cute side, so people were expecting them to remain stagnant in their sound, especially since it's been less than a year since their proper debut. Beyond that, Idol School as a whole focused on a very cute, school-girl image for the contestants, and they were often young in age (the youngest girl was 11, maybe 12).
"Love Bomb", more than anything, shows the potential that fromis_9 has musically and conceptually. Many of the girls had previously shown that they have potential outside of the cute realm, and this song definitely showcases that.
In Idol School itself, Chaeyoung and Hayoung showed off their exceptional dance moves in a cover of Fifth Harmony's "BO$$"
Like I think everyone forgets that Hayoung is a dancer?
Even earlier than that, Jiwon was showcasing her impressive vocals on Sixteen
Adding on to that, Saerom and Seoyeon were both hip hop dancers before Idol School. Go figure.
Point is, "Love Bomb" plays on strengths that fromis_9 already had, and they'll keep on growing from here. I think their songs will always fall more towards the cute and upbeat, at least until makenah Jiheon becomes an adult, but if they keep going on this upwards trend I think we'll see them become a very versatile girl group.
Final note, but I'm super glad that Gyuri wasn't inorganically forced to the forefront this comeback. Companies often force one girl up to the front after they become a little more visible (see: Chaeyeon in DIA). However, this often backfires. It's nice to see all the girls get their moment to shine, and makes them look cohesive as a group.
Also Hayoung still looks like she saw Soyul leave the idol game and took the chance. Seriously, they look incredibly similar and I am awestruck by Hayoung's power to steal an entire person's face it's very impressive.
fromis_9 have just come back with their new song "Love Bomb" and it's a hell of a treat. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it, I highly recommend that you do so now.
"Love Bomb" represents a new chapter for fromis_9. They've just come off of a successful run with "DKDK", with Nagyung taking centre stage. Like, seriously, her beauty took everyone away it was glorious.
At the same time, Gyuri had entered Produce 48 as a Stone Music Entertainment trainee, a ballsy move since she was on a MNet survival show less than a year ago. She's promoting with fromis_9 so clearly she didn't win, but she brought in a lot of attention to the group.
Which leads us to "Love Bomb".
fromis_9's previous three singles have all very safely fallen into the cute category. "Glass Shoes" showed promise, "To Heart" was safe but melodious, while "DKDK" was cute and spunky.
"Love Bomb" doesn't follow the same cute pattern. "Love Bomb" is, pardon the pun, bombastic. It's loud and electronic and rhythmic. It's an interesting song in that the parts don't quite mesh with one another; it takes turns that you don't quite expect, making it a surprising and satisfying listen.
The real standout of this song is the chorus, which jumps from the erratic nature of the verses into a safer, melodious section. That's not to say that the chorus isn't without spunk; it's divided in half by syncopated iterations of "Love Bomb Love Bomb Love Bomb Bomb-ie What", which keeps the chorus from getting too out of character.
The bridge is also a nice change in pace. Having a slow down before the final chorus is nothing groundbreaking, but works especially well in this song. Since "Love Bomb" is so frantic, the bridge, accompanied by Jiwon and Hayoung's vocals, gives the listener a nice moment to relax before getting thrown back into it.
Similarly, there's an epilogue to this song in the form of a post chorus. Utilizing the vocal members, the song wraps up with a more legato line with the erratic back track. It's a nice way to end the song, and keeps the listener on their toes from beginning to end.
In terms of vocals, I wouldn't say this is their strongest song. That's mostly due to the syncopated rhythms, which doesn't really make for super impressive vocal lines. The vocals were good though. Hayoung, especially, was a joy to listen to. She has a very melancholic tone to her voice, so it adds a lot of emotion and depth to what is otherwise a very chipper song.
"Love Bomb", more than anything, shows the potential that fromis_9 has musically and conceptually. Many of the girls had previously shown that they have potential outside of the cute realm, and this song definitely showcases that.
In Idol School itself, Chaeyoung and Hayoung showed off their exceptional dance moves in a cover of Fifth Harmony's "BO$$"
Even earlier than that, Jiwon was showcasing her impressive vocals on Sixteen
Adding on to that, Saerom and Seoyeon were both hip hop dancers before Idol School. Go figure.
Point is, "Love Bomb" plays on strengths that fromis_9 already had, and they'll keep on growing from here. I think their songs will always fall more towards the cute and upbeat, at least until makenah Jiheon becomes an adult, but if they keep going on this upwards trend I think we'll see them become a very versatile girl group.
Final note, but I'm super glad that Gyuri wasn't inorganically forced to the forefront this comeback. Companies often force one girl up to the front after they become a little more visible (see: Chaeyeon in DIA). However, this often backfires. It's nice to see all the girls get their moment to shine, and makes them look cohesive as a group.
Also Hayoung still looks like she saw Soyul leave the idol game and took the chance. Seriously, they look incredibly similar and I am awestruck by Hayoung's power to steal an entire person's face it's very impressive.
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