I’ve only fallen further down the Kpop rabbit hole since figuring out what a Loona is. I usually don’t engage in reaction videos on YouTube but in searching for insight on Loona and their production I found Form of Therapy’s Loona reaction videos. I think PD really brings a lot of insight regarding music production and music video production that’s really interesting and says exactly what I was thinking but in more clear terms. A group that they drew a lot of comparisons to throughout the video series was Seventeen, a boy group from Pledis Entertainment that also debuted with three subunits.
SEVENTEEN- You Make My Day!
What intrigued me the most about Seventeen, besides the subunit concept that also drew me into Loona, was their title of “self-producing idols”. The group of 13 members write, produce, and choreograph themselves. Woozi (Real Name: Lee Jihoon), the leader of Seventeen’s Vocal Unit, has about 60 song copyrights under his belt at the age of 22. Hoshi (Real Name: Kwon Soonyoung), performance team leader and main dancer, is heavily involved in the choreography for their performances. On top of doing all of this, they nail every kind of concept that they tackle.
For their most recent mini-album, they aimed for a light and refreshing summer concept. Even though the mini-album is only six tracks, they take this concept from different angles on each track. The title track, Oh My!, is a dreamy song about confessing lovestruck feelings. The Hip Hop Unit track, What’s Good, invites the listener to take it easy and make every second count over a groovy track reminiscent of disco. The Performance Team’s Moonwalker is a dance-pop track that makes you want to get on the nearest dance floor to bust a move. While Vocal Unit usually sings ballads that focus on the vocal abilities of their members, they move in the direction of more tropical production on Come to Me.
10 out of 10, would recommend, would play for my future children, listen to this for an instant mood-lifter
SEVENTEEN- Teen, Age
I don’t even know where to begin with this album. I just love everything about it. I think it does a perfect job of showcasing Seventeen’s versatility and intriguing production choices. Every song is unique and when I first listened to it all the way through I found myself being surprised at every track. Change Up is the first Leader Unit track with Woozi, leader of the Vocal Unit, S. Coups, Leader of the Hip Hop Unit and the group as a whole, and Hoshi, leader of the Performance Unit. This song is catchy and fun and 110% boppable. I was only ambivalently interested but when I found this song and video, I had to see what their other tracks sounded like. It’s obligatory that I insert the music video here because it’s so aesthetically pleasing.
Lilili Yabbay (or 13월의 춤) is another stand out track for me. With the Performance Unit focusing mostly on choreography, you might think that out of all three subunits their music might not be as interesting. Here’s Lilili Yabbay to kick those expectations to the curb. There is an electric guitar riff that fades into and then dominates the first verse that I absolutely love and the glitchy production on the chorus gives me chills.
(Special Mentions go out to Trauma, Rocket, Hello, and Flower)
Loona- [+ +]
After their two-year debut project, Loona has finally debuted as a full 12-member group and it was truly worth the wait. One of the biggest questions fans had was how they would be able to bring the three distinct styles of the subunits (Loona ⅓, Loona Odd Eye Circle, and Loona YYXY) together. This question is answered as soon as you press play on this mini-album because the intro track is a masterful combination of the intro tracks from all the subunit albums combined into one. The title track HiHigh is my favorite kind of pop: a hyped-up sugar rush straight to the brain. Complete with bubbly synths and tongue in cheek lyrics like “Love is more cruel than college entrance exams”, the music video is also a sweet victory for Loonaverse theorists as the girls finally come together from their three universes. The next tracks round out the OT12 sound with the explosive dance track favOriTe and the tropical and r&b flavored Heat/9/열기/Yeolgi. Perfect Love gives me some 90’s pop vibes and Stylish is a vocal tour de force with no shortage of adlibs and electronic flourishes.
Loona shows that they and their production team are capable of a wide range of styles and their versatility still amazes me. If they haven’t hooked you in by now, this mini-album just further proves why you shouldn’t sleep on Loona.
dani writes 